Cold fermentation means letting pizza dough do most of its fermenting in the refrigerator, usually as dough balls, for a day or more. The cold slows the yeast down, so the dough can take its time without overfermenting, and time is what makes the difference.
Why refrigerate the dough
Time builds flavor. Forkish calls time “the critical ingredient”: it lets a complex community of yeast and bacteria build up in the dough, along with acids, esters and other by-products of fermentation. Of his two-day New York dough, he writes that the long, cold fermentation lets flavor and a mild acidity build while the proteins break down “just enough,” for a more delicate and more flavorful crust.
The cold buys that time. Yeast “favors warmth over cold, as most living things do,” as Modernist Pizza puts it, so a cold dough ferments slowly. The authors prefer to control fermentation as closely as they can and recommend cold-proofing any dough that ferments for longer than 24 hours.
The flour keeps working. Enzymes in the flour start working as soon as water is added. Modernist Pizza describes amylase breaking starch down into the sugars yeast feed on, and protease snipping gluten strands, which can make a dough more extensible. Forkish describes the result: over time the gluten network degrades, which is why a long-fermented dough stretches easily instead of springing back. The difference between that slow softening and the yeast’s gas production is the subject of maturation vs. fermentation.
Why a cold-fermented crust tastes the way it does, including what lactic and acetic acid contribute and how much the cold changes them, is covered in cold-fermented pizza flavor.
How it’s done
Forkish’s cold-fermented doughs follow the same pattern:
- Mix with warm water and a little yeast. His 24- to 48-hour dough uses 500 g of flour, 350 g of 90 to 95°F (32 to 35°C) water, 13 g of salt and 1.5 g of instant yeast, mixed by hand to a dough of about 80°F (27°C). The desired dough temperature formula adjusts the water for a warmer or cooler kitchen.
- Give it about 2 hours at room temperature. His timings assume a room of 70 to 74°F (21 to 23°C). His New York dough expands by about 40 to 50% in those 2 hours.
- Divide and shape the balls, then refrigerate them straight away. He sets them on lightly floured plates with space between them, flours the tops and covers them tightly with plastic wrap. The rest of the fermentation happens in the balls.
- Bake within the recipe’s window, after giving the balls time out of the fridge to warm up.
The full recipe, with timings, is in Forkish’s 24- to 48-hour pizza dough.
Pan pizza is the exception to balling. Forkish found that dough left on an oiled pan for a long time absorbs the oil and can stick while it bakes. For a pan pizza from a long-fermented dough, he refrigerates the whole batch as one large ball on a covered plate or in a bowl, and moves it to the oiled pan only at the end.
How much yeast
How much yeast a dough needs depends on how long it ferments and how warm it is. Forkish’s doughs show both: his Saturday dough, which spends all day on the counter, uses the least, and of his two cold doughs, the longer one uses less.
| Forkish dough | Instant yeast per 500 g flour | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday Pizza Dough | 0.3 g (0.06%) | Same day, on the counter |
| 24- to 48-Hour Pizza Dough | 1.5 g (0.3%) | 2 hours on the counter, then 16 to 48 hours in the fridge |
| 48- to 72-Hour New York Pizza Dough | 1.2 g (0.24%) | 2 hours on the counter, then up to 3 days in the fridge |
Modernist Pizza gives the same advice in general terms: for a very long cold fermentation, use very little yeast to avoid the risk of overproofing. The Pizza Planner uses the same doses as Forkish for yeasted dough: 0.3% instant yeast for its overnight schedule and 0.24% for its two-day schedule.
These are small amounts, and Forkish recommends a small, precise scale for weighing them. A weighing error at this scale moves every stage forward or back; more yeast than the schedule needs is one of the usual reasons a dough runs ahead of its window, as over-proofed pizza dough explains.
How long to leave it
Published recipes give windows rather than a single best time:
| Recipe | In the fridge | At its best |
|---|---|---|
| Forkish, 24- to 48-hour dough | 16 to 48 hours | The next evening; the day after is still very good |
| Forkish, 48- to 72-hour New York dough | Up to 3 days | At 2 days |
| Forkish, 48- to 72-hour biga dough | 36 to 60 hours | Any time the next day; holds a further 24 hours |
| Bryan Ford’s sourdough crust for King Arthur | 24 to 48 hours | Within that window |
| Pizza Planner, overnight schedule | About 24 hours (19 to 29) | When the dough passes its readiness check |
| Pizza Planner, long-cold schedule | About 48 hours (38 to 58) | When the dough passes its readiness check |
Longer isn’t automatically better. Forkish compares too much time to too much to drink: the dough expands too much, loses its integrity and gets too full of gas. Modernist Pizza adds that during long fermentations yeast uses up so much sugar that, if nothing compensates, the crust can bake to a dull color. How long dough keeps, and how to tell quality from safety, is in how long pizza dough keeps in the fridge.
A same-day dough can be held in the fridge too. Forkish’s Saturday dough balls can go into the fridge after 4 hours on the counter to hold until the next evening.
The fridge
Measure it with an appliance thermometer rather than trusting the dial. The Planner’s cold schedules assume a fridge between 34 and 41°F (1 and 5°C) and won’t plan outside that range. At the warm end, it warns that the dough may move faster, so check it early and don’t stretch the cold stage past its window. The FDA advises keeping a refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below.
Keep the dough covered, whether on plates under plastic wrap as Forkish does or in lidded containers, and leave room for it to expand. The FDA advises covered containers for refrigerated food, and covering also keeps the dough’s surface from drying out; the Pizza Doctor treats a dried skin that splits when stretched as a sign the dough wasn’t covered well enough. The dough containers guide compares the options.
What to expect in the fridge
On the Planner’s schedules, the refrigerated stage should show gradual expansion and some small bubbles. Don’t wait for a dramatic doubling in the cold. The dough shouldn’t collapse or lose its structure. If it rose and then sank, it has gone too far; see over-proofed pizza dough.
Warming up and readiness
Cold dough is stiff and springs back when you stretch it, so give it time out of the fridge, still covered:
- Forkish: 60 to 90 minutes for his 24- to 48-hour dough, and about 90 minutes for his New York dough.
- Bryan Ford’s sourdough crust: about 2 hours.
- The Pizza Planner: about 2 hours, with a window of 1½ to 3 hours, because kitchens and ball sizes vary.
Then judge the dough rather than the clock. Forkish’s signs of a mature dough ball: it has expanded, with small bubbles of fermentation gas; turn it over and there are gassy holes on the bottom; it feels soft and pliable, and, in his words, “both delicate and structurally sound at the same time.” If it still fights you, it’s probably still cold or needs a rest; pizza dough that shrinks back covers what to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long should pizza dough cold ferment?
- Follow your recipe's window. Forkish's 24- to 48-hour dough is best the next evening and still very good the day after; his New York dough is best at 2 days and holds for up to 3. The Pizza Planner plans about 24 hours for its overnight schedule and about 48 for its long-cold schedule.
- Should cold-fermented dough double in the fridge?
- Not on the Pizza Planner's schedules. Their refrigerated stage expects gradual expansion and some small bubbles, followed by about 2 hours on the counter to warm up. Other recipes use different yeast doses and temperatures, so follow their own cues.
- Do I need a room-temperature rise before the fridge?
- In Forkish's cold-fermented doughs, yes: about 2 hours at room temperature before the dough is balled and refrigerated. Of his New York dough, he says that 2-hour rise is all it needs; the rest of the fermentation happens in the dough balls. The Pizza Planner's cold schedules include the same 2-hour first rise.
- Can I cold ferment the dough in one piece instead of as balls?
- Forkish does this for pan pizza: he refrigerates a long-fermented dough as one large ball on a covered plate and moves it to the oiled pan only at the end, because dough left on an oiled pan for a long time soaks up the oil and can stick. For round pizzas, his recipes ball the dough before it goes in the fridge.
- How much yeast do I need for a 48-hour cold ferment?
- Forkish's 48- to 72-hour New York dough uses 1.2 g of instant yeast for 500 g of flour, 0.24%, and the Pizza Planner's long-cold schedule uses the same percentage. Weigh it on a small, precise scale.
Sources
- Ken Forkish, The Elements of Pizza (2016): chapter 3 (detail 2, time and temperature; detail 7, mature dough balls; gluten breaking down over time) and chapter 6 (the chapter introduction; the pan pizza notes; Saturday Pizza Dough, 24- to 48-Hour Pizza Dough, 48- to 72-Hour Biga Pizza Dough and 48- to 72-Hour New York Pizza Dough).
- Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya, Modernist Pizza (2021), volume 1: printed page 275 (flour enzymes), page 292 (temperature and yeast), page 294 (cold-proofing doughs that ferment longer than 24 hours), page 297 (low yeast for long cold fermentation) and page 315 (sugar depletion in long fermentations).
- Bryan Ford, “Sourdough Pizza Crust”, King Arthur Baking: the 24- to 48-hour cold retard and 2-hour warm-up. Checked October 14, 2026.
- US Food and Drug Administration, “Are You Storing Food Safely?” (2023): refrigerator temperature, appliance thermometers and covered storage. Checked October 14, 2026.