Dough recipe· 4 ingredientsno ratings yet

Richie's 63% Hydration Ooni Dough

63% hydration, 2.9% salt, three stretch-and-folds, 16-hour cold ferment. Four 270 g balls for the Ooni Koda 2 Max.

by@joemaci

⏱ Total

~18 hours

✋ Active

30 min

◆ Difficulty

Intermediate

Intro

Originated by Richard Harvey on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OO0qfVl1JE Derived from the auto-captions of his Ooni Koda 2 Max walkthrough. Numbers (63% hydration, 2.9% salt, 0.4% ADY, 4 × 270 g balls, 16-hour cold ferment) are quoted from the video; the structure of the write-up is mine. Bake at 700–750°F stone; flame down at launch, back up to brown the dome at the end.

◆ How many × 270g balls?

× 270g balls

Ingredients

For 4 × 270G BALLS

Bread flour (King Arthur unbleached)

661 g5 1/2 cup · 23.3 oz

note · 100%. Any solid bread flour works; he uses King Arthur.

Water, room temperature

417 ml1 3/4 cup · 14.1 fl oz

note · 63% hydration. Tap is fine; he uses regular room-temp water.

Fine salt

19 g1 1/8 Tbsp

note · 2.9% of flour weight.

Active dry yeast

2.68 g3/4 tsp

note · ~0.4%. Measure on a 0.1 g scale. Instant dry yeast works — just recalc in a dough calculator.

The process

1
Combine water and yeast
Pour the 417 g of room-temp water into the bowl. Add the 2.68 g of yeast and briefly stir or pulse the mixer so it disperses.
2
Add flour and salt
Add the 661 g of flour, then sprinkle in the 19 g of salt a little at a time. Mix 1 to 1½ minutes until you have a ball that's not super sticky. A tiny dusting of bench flour is OK, but don't change the hydration.
⏱ Mix02:00
3
Brief hand knead
Dump the dough out and palm-press / roll for a short stretch — just enough to bring it together into a smooth ball.
4
Rest #1
Cover and rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
⏱ Rest30:00
5
Stretch & fold #1
On the bench: hold the middle, pull one side out, fold over the top. Rotate 90° and repeat — four pulls total. Flip seam-down, round into a ball, return to the covered bowl.
✶ Pizzaiolo tip
The bottom of the dough should look noticeably smoother after the first fold.
6
Rest #2
Cover and rest another 30 minutes.
⏱ Rest30:00
7
Stretch & fold #2
Repeat the four-sided stretch and fold. The dough should feel softer and easier to work.
8
Rest #3
Cover and rest another 30 minutes.
⏱ Rest30:00
9
Stretch & fold #3, then ball
One more stretch and fold. Then divide into 4 pieces of ~270 g each (target 270–272 g). Round each into a tight ball, seam pinched underneath. Place in an oiled / sprayed proofing box with room between balls.
✶ Pizzaiolo tip
Lightly coat the box with olive oil or cooking spray so the balls release cleanly tomorrow.
10
Cold ferment
Seal the box and refrigerate for 16 hours. Don't touch — the balls flatten and develop flavor on their own.
✶ Pizzaiolo tip
16 hours is the target. A few hours more is fine if your schedule slips; much less and the flavor lags.
⏱ Cold ferment960:00
11
Warm up & fire the oven
Pull the dough box from the fridge 30–40 minutes before launch so the balls come to room temp. Fire the Ooni Koda 2 Max wide open; target a 700–750°F stone, verified with an IR thermometer.
⏱ Warm-up40:00
12
Stretch on semolina
Roll each ball in semolina, then press from the center outward with knuckles and fingertips. Leave the rim untouched so the crust can puff. Don't thin the middle (sogginess). Stretch to ~14".
✶ Pizzaiolo tip
Semolina under the dough is what makes the launch easy — don't skip it.
13
Top, launch, turn, brown
Sauce thinly (uncooked San Marzano + garlic + salt + basil). Scatter shredded fresh mozzarella sparingly. Slide a perforated metal peel under at ~45°, launch onto the stone. Drop the flame at launch. After ~30 s, start turning with a turning peel every ~5 s. When the bottom is set and the cornicione has puffed, crank the flame back up (or hold the pizza up under the dome) to brown the top. Rest on a cooling rack, not a plate.
✶ Pizzaiolo tip
Total cook is about 60–90 seconds. If the top is racing the bottom, turn the flame down sooner; if the bottom is racing the top, lift it under the dome at the end.