72-Hour Pizza Dough Recipe from Baking Steel

For years I struggled to make great pizza at home. I tried every approach — multiple pizza stones, cranking the oven as high as it would go, and even a primitive brick-and-stone setup on the grill. The breakthrough came when I discovered the Baking Steel method and its 72-hour dough. That simple change transformed my homemade pizzas into pizzeria-quality pies.

Pizza problems

My old routine was predictable: buy grocery-store dough because I hadn’t planned ahead, overload the crust with sauce and toppings, and then panic while transferring the heavy, misshapen pie to the oven. The result was usually a messy half-calzone, half-pizza that set off smoke alarms and left me scraping burnt edges off the oven floor. It was frustrating and discouraging.

The Baking Steel solution

Everything changed after I met Andris Lagsdin, the founder of Baking Steel. His approach is elegantly simple: a heavy steel baking surface paired with a long, slow dough fermentation. I visited Andris’ studio earlier this year and learned the technique and recipe for the 72 Hour Pizza Dough. With a few tips for using the Baking Steel, I started getting consistent, artisan-style results at home.

The steel dossier

Baking Steel is a dense, high-heat baking surface that absorbs and transfers heat rapidly, creating a crisp, charred crust while keeping the center airy and tender. The 72-hour dough uses minimal ingredients and a long fermentation to develop complex flavor and excellent structure. Once you try it, the improvement is obvious: better oven spring, improved crispiness, and a richer, more developed taste.

Buy Baking Steel

The 72 Hour Pizza Dough recipe requires only four ingredients and a bit of planning. The long refrigeration period is what gives the crust its depth of flavor and improved texture. If you bake pizza at home often, investing in a Baking Steel is worth it — it’s heavy, but it’s the key to achieving that professional crust.

Top tip

I make this dough almost every week so I always have ready-to-use dough when a pizza craving hits. Letting the dough age for the full 72 hours deepens its flavor and improves browning and char when baked at high heat. It’s a small investment of time that pays off with consistently superior pies.

Variations

If you need pizza inspiration, try different topping combinations: classic Margherita, roasted garlic and mushroom, burrata with tomato confit and arugula, or fig and pistachio pesto. The dough is versatile and supports both traditional and inventive toppings.

Cheesy Garlic Bread Pizza
Garlic & Fennel Mushroom Pizza
Tomato Confit Burrata and Arugula Pizza
Fig and Pistachio Pesto Pizza

Ingredients

Instructions

Gently kneading the dough for about 5 minutes to get rid of any clumps — Gently knead the dough for about 5 minutes to get rid of any clumps.

rolling pizza dough into a boule — Form a boule by folding and tightening the dough into a smooth ball.

pizza dough fermenting and growing — After a 24-hour bulk ferment at room temperature, the dough will begin to bubble and expand.

holding the 72 hour pizza dough after fermentation to show its elasticity — The dough should double in size and feel elastic and springy.

pizza dough divided into 4 equal parts — Divide the dough into equal portions before shaping into balls.

Folding the dough like an envelope. bottom up, then top down. — Fold the dough like an envelope to build surface tension.

pinching the top of the pizza dough ball — Pinch the seam and roll gently to form a tight boule.

a close up of the pizza dough balls ready to chill for 48 hours — After shaping, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 48 hours to develop flavor.

a slab of well-used Baking Steel for perfect pizza — A well-seasoned Baking Steel is the secret to a perfectly baked home pizza.

a top down shot of pizza made with 72 hour pizza dough on Baking Steel — This is how the 72 Hour Pizza Dough performs on a screaming-hot Baking Steel: blistered, airy, and delicious.

Recipe

72 Hour Pizza Dough from Baking Steel

5 from 2 reviews

Description

This 72 Hour Pizza Dough is chewy, flavorful and delivers pizzeria-style results at home when baked on a hot steel surface.

Ingredients

500 grams bread flour or all-purpose flour (about 3 ¾ cups)
16 grams fine sea salt (about 2 tsp)
1 gram active dry yeast (about ¼ tsp)
350 grams water (about 1 ½ cups)

Instructions

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Slowly add the water while mixing with a wooden spoon until combined.
Turn the dough out and knead 2–3 minutes to eliminate clumps.
Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.
Bulk ferment at room temperature for 24 hours.
Lightly flour a work surface, remove the dough, and place it on the floured surface.
Divide the dough into equal portions. This recipe yields four 10″ pies or three 12–14″ pies.
Shape each portion into a tight dough ball: fold two sides to the center, rotate 90°, repeat until a ball forms. Pinch the seam closed and roll gently into a smooth boule.
Place shaped dough into well-oiled cylindrical containers (16 oz deli containers work well), label with the date, and refrigerate for 48 hours.
Remove the dough from the fridge at least 1 hour before using to warm slightly.

Notes

This recipe is adapted from the original 72 Hour Pizza Dough from Baking Steel. The yield is approximately 4 ten-inch pies or 3 larger pies (12–14″).

You can freeze the dough balls after the cold fermentation. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before use.