48-hour cold fermentation – the house method’s standard
48 hours at 4°C is the timing every PizzaLovers recipe assumes. The full schedule, yeast quantity and why it deliberately sits outside AVPN's own limits.
Quick answer: 48 hours in the fridge at 4 °C is PizzaLovers’ house method’s standard time – long enough for clear flavour development, but still a dough you can handle without specialist flour. It’s the time all our recipes are written for unless otherwise stated.
The whole timeline, hour by hour
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Mix flour, water, salt and yeast following the house recipe (65 % hydration, 2.8 % salt), knead until it passes the windowpane test. |
| 0:00–0:45 | Short bulk fermentation at room temperature, see bulk fermentation. |
| 0:45 | Ball into 250 g balls (see balling), airtight in the fridge at 4–8 °C. |
| 0:45–45:00 | Cold fermentation in the fridge. |
| 45:00–48:00 | Take the balls out, bring to room temperature covered for 2–3 hours. |
| 48:00 | Stretch by hand and bake. |
Yeast quantity at 48 hours
The house method’s baker’s percentage is 100/65/2.8/~0.07 for flour/water/salt/fresh yeast (see baker’s percentage) – in other words a very small amount of yeast, precisely because the fermentation is long and cold. If you use active dry or instant yeast instead, convert using the 3 : 1.2 : 1 ratio in the yeast guide, or let the calculator do the work.
Why 48 hours specifically
The AVPN disciplinare 2024 specifies a total fermentation time of 12–24 hours in a proofing chamber at 18–20 °C – so neither fridge temperature nor as long as 48 hours. The house method’s 48 hours in the fridge therefore deliberately sits outside AVPN’s limits (see cold fermentation). We think the result is better for home baking – more time for flavour to develop without the fermentation becoming hard to plan around an ordinary weekday.
The flour requirement – what holds a dough together for two days
The longer the cold fermentation, the more everything depends on the strength of the flour (the W value). An imported tipo 00 flour such as Caputo Pizzeria (W ~260, see the Caputo guide) copes with 48 hours without any trouble. Ordinary supermarket flour risks losing structure towards the end.
How to tell the dough is ready
Look at the dough rather than just the clock: it should have grown noticeably, feel light and airy, and give way slowly under a finger press. See the full visual guide in fermentation.
Plan the rest of the day around the schedule
Since the balls need 2–3 hours to come to room temperature before baking (see the table above), most people work backwards from their target dinner time. Baking at 19:00 on a Sunday means taking the balls out of the fridge around 16:00 – plenty of time to also finish the tomato sauce and prepare the toppings while the dough comes up to temperature.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I forget the dough in the fridge for a few extra hours? Salt slows the fermentation (see salt), so a few hours’ margin is rarely a disaster. If the balls turn flat and shiny with large, uneven bubbles, it’s gone too far – see overproofed dough.
Can I extend to 72 hours at the last minute? Only if the flour is strong enough. Read cold fermentation, 72 hours before you decide.
Want to run it shorter? See 24 hours. The full background on cold fermentation is in cold fermentation, and we have a test set up to compare 24, 48 and 72 hours side by side: 24, 48 or 72 hours in the fridge. Work out your quantities in the calculator.
