High-Protein Pizza Dough (Poolish, Ductile Version)

High-protein pizza dough formulated for hand stretching without the usual vital-wheat-gluten rubberiness. Uses a poolish, delayed salt addition, and limited mechanical development to improve extensibility at 20% added gluten. Designed for two medium pizza bases with controlled portioning, par-baking, freezing, and direct-from-frozen reheating.

• ⏲️ Prep time: ~20 min active
• 🍳 Cook time: ~5-8 min per pizza base (plus fermentation)
• 🍽️ Servings: 2 pizza bases (~220 g par-baked each)
• ❄️ Freezer-friendly (par-baked bases, individually wrapped)

Ingredients

Poolish

• 100 g all-purpose flour
• 100 g water
• 0.1 g instant yeast

Final dough

• 140 g all-purpose flour
• 60 g vital wheat gluten
• 95 g water, divided (start with 90 g and hold back 5 g)
• 9 g olive oil
• 6.5 g fine salt

Directions

Poolish

1. Mix the poolish flour, water, and yeast until homogeneous.
2. Cover and ferment at room temperature for 8-16 hours until bubbly, expanded, and aromatic.

Initial mix

1. Combine the final-dough flour and vital wheat gluten in a bowl and whisk until evenly distributed.
2. Add the dry mix to the poolish with 90 g water and the olive oil.
3. Mix just until no dry flour remains and the dough looks shaggy.
4. Stop before kneading; the dough should still feel uneven and weak.

Autolyse and salt incorporation

1. Cover the dough and rest for 25-30 minutes at room temperature.
2. Sprinkle the salt over the surface.
3. Add the remaining 5 g water only if the dough feels tight or resistant.
4. Pinch and fold for 60-90 seconds until the salt is fully incorporated.

Gentle development and fermentation

1. Perform 2-3 coil folds, spacing them 5 minutes apart.
2. Stop as soon as the dough holds together, stretches without tearing, and springs back slowly.
3. For same-day use, cover and ferment at room temperature for 1.5-2 hours until slightly puffy.
4. For improved flavor and handling, refrigerate for 24-48 hours at 3-5 C, then rest at room temperature for 60-90 minutes before shaping.

Divide, shape, and bake

1. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces of about 252 g each.
2. Round each piece into a tight dough ball, cover, and rest for 15 minutes.
3. Stretch each ball gently by hand into a medium pizza base.
4. Bake on a preheated steel or stone at 260-290 C until browned and set, about 5-8 minutes depending on toppings and oven strength.
5. For meal prep, par-bake each plain base just until set with light color, cool fully, then wrap for storage.

Portioning & Storage

Per portion (1 pizza base):

• 1 dough ball at ~252 g raw weight
• 1 plain par-baked base at ~220 g finished weight

Storage

• Refrigerator: raw dough balls up to 3 days in lightly oiled covered containers.
• Freezer: par-baked bases up to 2 months, wrapped individually after cooling fully.

Reheating

• From refrigerated dough: shape, top, and bake directly after the final room-temperature rest.
• From frozen par-baked base: top from frozen and bake at 250-275 C until the crust browns and the toppings are fully heated, about 6-9 minutes.
• Air fryer finish: cook topped frozen par-baked base at 200 C until hot and crisp, checking after 4 minutes.

Nutritional Information (Approximate)

(1 portion = 1 plain par-baked pizza base, ~220 g; assumed total baked yield ~440 g)

Sodium assumption: values assume 6.5 g fine salt in the batch, equivalent to about 2,555 mg sodium total, plus small intrinsic sodium from flour and vital wheat gluten.

Notes

• The main control point is delayed salt addition plus low-shear mixing; this limits early over-development when vital wheat gluten is present.
• All-purpose flour is intentional here because extra starch helps dilute the gluten network and keeps the dough more ductile during hand stretching.
• Do not pre-hydrate the vital wheat gluten separately; that tends to form dense elastic clumps that are harder to relax later.
• If the dough resists shaping, extend the bench rest instead of kneading more aggressively.
• Nutrition assumes 95 g final-dough water and a plain par-baked yield of about 440 g total; actual per-100-g values shift slightly with different bake loss.