New Haven-ish Dough

70% hydration, a tiny 0.3% yeast dose, and 2-3 days in the cold. The dough that makes the char possible.

Time: 2-3 days | Yield: 2-3 dough balls | Difficulty: Intermediate | Serves: 3 | Published: 2026-07-24

This is the dough behind my New Haven-ish Pizza, and it earns its own page because the dough IS the style. 70% hydration, a barely-there 0.3% yeast dose, and 2-3 days of cold fermentation build the extensibility and flavor that let you press a pie paper-thin and char it hard.

Two paths to the same place: the hand-mix method (stretch and folds until it passes the windowpane test) or the mixer method with its temperature checkpoints. Either way, the fridge does the real work. Ball the night before, pull the balls five hours before baking, and they'll press out flat without fighting you.

When the dough is ready, head to the New Haven-ish Pizza for the pressing, saucing, and charring.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Weigh out all dry ingredients. Pour into a bowl and mix. 220 g Bread Flour, 5.5 g salt (2.5%), 4.5 g sugar (2%), 0.65 g Instant yeast (0.3%)
  2. Weigh out your water and make sure it's around 70 degrees. 154 g water (70%)
  3. Mix with a rubber spatula until everything comes together.
    You'll know it's right: Mixed dough should be shaggy and sticky with no dry pockets. 70% hydration feels wet, that's correct, resist adding flour.
  4. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
  5. Perform a series of stretch and folds. Then cover for another 30 minutes.
  6. Repeat 2-3 more times until the dough has built up tension and passes the window pane test.
    You'll know it's right: Windowpane test after 2-3 rounds: a small piece stretches translucent without tearing. Tension builds with each fold cycle.
  7. Store in the fridge for 2-3 days.
  8. I like to ball the dough the night before I make pizza and put back into the fridge.
  9. Remove from fridge 5 hours before making pizza. If using a mixer
  10. Pour your flour, yeast, sugar and water in a mixing bowl. Make sure the water is around 50 degrees.
  11. Mix on low setting for about 10 minutes or until the dough temperature reaches 60 degrees.
  12. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  13. Add salt and mix on low for another 6-8 minutes or until the temperature reads 70 degrees.
  14. Remove from mixer and add to a lightly oiled container. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  15. Perform a series of stretch and folds. Cover for another 30 minutes.
  16. Check to see if it passes the window pane test. If not, stretch and fold and rest again.
  17. Once it passes the window pane test, leave in the fridge for 2-3 days.
  18. I prefer to ball the dough the night before making pizza and put back in the fridge.
  19. Then pull the dough balls out 5 hours before making pizza. Keep covered.

Troubleshooting

Dough never built tension

Stopped the stretch-and-fold cycles too early. Keep cycling: folds, 30-minute rest, test again. It can take 3-4 rounds to pass the windowpane test, and the test is the gate, not the clock.

Dough overproofed and went slack in the fridge

Dough temperature ran hot before it went cold. 70 degree water for the hand mix, and on the mixer method respect the temperature checkpoints. Warm dough burns through its tiny yeast dose fast.

Balls tore when pressing out on pizza day

Pulled from the fridge too late. Five hours at room temp, covered. Cold 70% dough is tight; patient 70% dough presses paper-thin.

Dough stuck to everything during folds

Dry hands on a wet dough. Wet or lightly oiled hands for every fold set. Never add flour to fix stickiness at this hydration.

Nutrition (1/3 of dough (one pizza serves 2-3)): 280 calories, 9g protein, 55g carbs, 3g fat.