Direct (same-day) pizza dough
The straight-dough method — everything mixed at once, no preferment required.
What is direct dough?
A direct (or "straight") dough mixes all the ingredients — flour, water, salt, yeast and any oil — in one go, with no preferment. It's the simplest, fastest way to make pizza and the best place to start if you're new to dough.
Pros and cons
The upside is speed and simplicity: you can mix, proof and bake in a few hours. The trade-off is flavor — without a long preferment, a fast direct dough tastes flatter than biga, poolish or sourdough.
The fix is time and cold: a slow, cold ferment makes a direct dough taste remarkably good.
Getting flavor from a direct dough
Use less yeast and more time. A common approach is to mix the dough, bulk-ferment briefly, then cold-proof it in the fridge for 24–72 hours. That long, cool fermentation develops much of the same depth a preferment would, with less hands-on work.
A reliable starting recipe
For a versatile direct dough, try 62–65% hydration, 2.5–3% salt, and a small amount of yeast (≈0.3% instant dry), cold-fermented overnight. Scale it to any number of balls with the calculator and the percentages stay identical.
When to choose direct
Choose direct when you want simplicity, a same-day bake, or you're learning. When you're ready to chase more flavor and a more open crumb, graduate to a preferment.
Build a same-day recipe in the calculator →
FAQ
Is same-day pizza dough good?
It can be very good with time and cold. A quick 2-hour dough is fine in a pinch; a 24–72 h cold-fermented direct dough rivals many preferment doughs.
How much yeast for a direct dough?
For a slow, cold ferment, very little — around 0.2–0.4% instant dry yeast. More yeast means a faster rise but less flavor.