24-hour cold fermentation – the short, forgiving option
24 hours in the fridge is the safest cold ferment for ordinary flour: the full hour-by-hour schedule, yeast quantity and when to choose 48 hours instead.
Quick answer: 24 hours in the fridge (4 °C) is the shortest of the house method’s cold fermentations. You get noticeably more flavour than a room-temperature dough, but the dough is still ”clean” and easy to handle – and pretty much any pizza flour copes with it easily. Perfect when you’re planning a day ahead, not three.
Who 24 hours suits
If you only have a day’s notice, or you’re not sure how strong your flour is (see the W value), 24 hours is the safest of the three choices. Ordinary supermarket flour with no known W value tends to hold its shape well over this time, while 48 and especially 72 hours make bigger demands on the flour’s strength.
The timeline, hour by hour
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Mix flour, water, salt and yeast following the house recipe, knead until it passes the windowpane test. |
| 0:00–0:45 | Short bulk fermentation at room temperature until the dough feels a little lighter, see bulk fermentation. |
| 0:45 | Ball into 250 g balls (see balling), place in airtight containers, into the fridge at 4–8 °C. |
| 0:45–21:00 | Cold fermentation in the fridge. |
| 21:00–24:00 | Take the balls out, let them come to room temperature covered for 2–3 hours before baking. |
| 24:00 | Stretch by hand and bake. |
Yeast quantity – more than for 48 and 72 hours
The shorter the cold fermentation, the more yeast the dough needs to be ready in time (see the relationship explained in the yeast guide and the fermentation guide). A 24-hour dough therefore takes noticeably more yeast than the house method’s standard 48-hour dough. Don’t guess – the calculator works it out exactly based on which type of yeast you have at home and exactly how many hours you’re aiming for.
What sets 24 hours apart from 48 and 72
The difference mainly comes down to how much time the enzymes in the flour get to break starch down into flavour compounds, and how much strain is placed on the gluten network in the meantime:
- 24 hours: noticeable but moderate flavour development, the dough is still relatively ”raw” and stable. Read more in the 48-hour guide for the next step.
- 48 hours: the house method’s standard – clearer flavour, requires flour with reasonable strength.
- 72 hours: the deepest flavour but makes the highest demands on the flour, see the 72-hour guide.
When 24 hours is enough – and when it isn’t
If you want as much flavour as possible and have a flour with a known, high W value (Caputo, for example, see the Caputo guide), 48 hours is often worth the extra day. But if you’re unsure of your flour’s strength, or you’re baking with ordinary supermarket flour, 24 hours is the safer choice – the risk of the dough losing structure is much smaller.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use ordinary supermarket flour for a 24-hour dough? Yes, this is exactly the time frame where ordinary supermarket flour normally works well – problems tend to show up only with longer cold fermentation.
Do I need an autolyse for a 24-hour dough? It’s optional. The benefits of an autolyse show up most with longer total fermentation, but it doesn’t hurt to build in a short rest here too.
Read more about the whole approach in cold fermentation, move on to 48 hours or 72 hours if you want to try a longer fermentation, and work out exact quantities in the calculator.
