Poolish calculator
A poolish is equal weights of flour and water with a little yeast, fermented for hours before the final dough. The calculator below is preset to a poolish pizza dough; the tables show the poolish for any batch and the yeast for any schedule.
Formula baker's % of total flour
Batch size
Preferment
Water temperature
Use water at 77°F
74 × 4 − (70 + 72 + 7 + 70) = 77
Your recipe
| Ingredient | Baker's % | Total formula | Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 flour | 100% | 929 g | 650 g |
| Water | 65% | 604 g | 325 g |
| Salt | 2.8% | 26 g | 26 g |
| Instant yeast | 0.2% | 1.9 g | 1.6 g |
| Poolish 100% hydration | 60% | — | 557 g |
| Total | 168% | 1,560 g | 1,560 g |
Make the poolish
The evening before (12–16 hours), mix 279 g 00 flour, 279 g water and 0.3 g instant yeast. Cover and leave at cool room temperature until bubbly and just starting to collapse.
Preset: 6 × 260 g balls · poolish 557 g (279 g flour + 279 g water + 0.28 g instant yeast) · final dough water 325 g
Poolish for any batch
Grams of poolish at 100% hydration with 0.1% instant yeast of its flour (0.3% fresh).
| Total flour | PFF | Poolish flour | Water | Instant yeast | Poolish weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 g | 20% | 100 g | 100 g | 0.1 g | 200 g |
| 500 g | 30% | 150 g | 150 g | 0.15 g | 300 g |
| 500 g | 50% | 250 g | 250 g | 0.25 g | 500 g |
| 1,000 g | 20% | 200 g | 200 g | 0.2 g | 400 g |
| 1,000 g | 30% | 300 g | 300 g | 0.3 g | 600 g |
| 1,000 g | 50% | 500 g | 500 g | 0.5 g | 1,000 g |
| 1,500 g | 20% | 300 g | 300 g | 0.3 g | 600 g |
| 1,500 g | 30% | 450 g | 450 g | 0.45 g | 900 g |
| 1,500 g | 50% | 750 g | 750 g | 0.75 g | 1,500 g |
Yeast by fermentation time
Percent of the poolish flour, at a room temperature of about 70°F (21°C). Instant yeast is fresh ÷ 3; the last column is for 500 g of poolish flour.
| Ready in | Fresh yeast | Instant yeast | For 500 g flour (instant) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 h | 1.5% | 0.5% | 2.5 g |
| 7–8 h | 0.8% | 0.27% | 1.33 g |
| 12–15 h | 0.25% | 0.08% | 0.42 g |
How a poolish works
Write a poolish as prefermented flour (PFF): the share of the recipe's total flour that goes into it. Baguettes commonly use 25–40%, pizza 20–50%, and a few breads go as high as 100% (all the flour fermented as poolish). Because a poolish is 100% hydration, its water equals its flour, so a 30% poolish also takes 30% of the flour weight as water out of the final dough.
Yeast decides the schedule. Bakery charts for poolish give roughly 1.5% fresh yeast (of the poolish flour) for 3 hours, 0.8% for 7–8 hours and 0.25% for 12–15 hours at room temperature around 70°F (21°C). Divide by three for instant yeast. Temperature shifts this a lot — a few degrees warmer ripens it noticeably faster — so treat the chart as a starting point and watch the poolish, not the clock.
A ripe poolish is domed and covered in bubbles, smells sweet and slightly alcoholic, and has just begun to sink in the middle. Used too young it adds little flavor; used too old (collapsed, sharp smell) it weakens the dough. Add it to the final dough together with the remaining water so it disperses easily.
See it in a full formula: poolish baguettes, the biga calculator, or how preferments count in hydration.
FAQ
How much yeast for a 12 hour poolish?
About 0.25% fresh yeast or 0.08–0.1% instant yeast of the poolish flour at about 70°F (21°C). For 1,000 g of poolish flour that is roughly 1 g of instant yeast.
What percentage of the flour should be poolish?
20–50% of the total flour for most breads and pizza; 30% is a good default. More poolish gives more flavor and extensibility but a slacker dough.
Is poolish hydration counted in the dough hydration?
Yes. In a total formula the poolish's flour and water are part of the recipe's totals; the calculator takes them out of the final dough for you.