Long or Short Fermentation: What It Does to Your Pizza Dough

If you like to experiment in the kitchen, you've probably made your own pizza dough. And if you have, you've probably discovered two things: the flour gets everywhere, and pizza makers can't agree on whether dough should ferment for a long time or a short one. It sounds like a small detail. It isn't. It changes the whole pizza.

What is fermentation, and what does it do?

Dough rises because of yeast. Along with flour and water, it's one of the three basics. Yeast feeds on the sugars in the flour and gives off carbon dioxide, the same gas that puts the fizz in soda. That gas gets trapped in tiny pockets throughout the dough, which is what makes it light and airy once it's baked.

Why fermentation time matters

A long ferment gives the yeast time to do its work in the bowl, not later. Ever gone to bed after a pizza night and woken up at 3 a.m. so thirsty you could drink straight from the tap? A rushed, under-fermented dough is a common culprit. So be wary of recipes that promise perfect dough in under an hour. They usually rely on a huge amount of yeast. The dough rises fast and the pizza looks great, but it hasn't had time to mature, and you'll often feel it afterwards.

So what counts as short, and what counts as long?

A short ferment happens at room temperature, in about 6 to 8 hours. A long ferment happens slowly in the cold, usually more than 24 hours and up to 72.

Fermentation time isn't something you pick on the fly, though. It should match the protein content of your flour. For a long ferment (days), use a higher-protein flour like Caputo Chef's (Cuoco). For a short ferment (hours), go with a lower-protein flour like Caputo Pizzeria or Classica.

So which do we recommend?

Honestly? Try both. They say you can't know where you're going until you know where you've been. We're not sure who "they" are, but what you learn in your twenties shapes your thirties, and dough works the same way. You only build that instinct by trying. Make a short ferment and a long one, taste them side by side, and see which you prefer. The trial and error is worth it.

And grab one of our dough boxes. It would be a shame to put in all that work and have your dough balls dry out while they rise, on the counter or in the fridge.