Our Dough, Barbaro Sourdough Recipe

Barbaro

Every Barbaro pizza begins with sourdough. Time shapes the flavor, structure, and character of our crust. We use Leaven Instant Sourdough, a balanced culture of wild yeast and bacteria that develops deep, layered flavor with the consistency our process requires. Slow fermentation does the heavy lifting, building depth and making the dough easier to digest. That foundation carries every Barbaro pizza.

Dough Recipe
See our gluten-free recipe
Warm Ferment
Biga
Mix
+20%
Ball
+20%
Cold Ferment
Proof
Build
Bake
12h 70°F
1h
~2.5h 70°F
30m
~1h 70°F
48–96h 40°F
2–4h 70°F
15m
525°F+
3–5 Days
Biga
Stiff pre-ferment builds flavor overnight
12 hours70°F
Mix
Staged mixing with rests
1 hour
+20% Rise
Preshape at the mark
~2.5 hours70°F
Ball
Pre-round, rest, final tight round
30 min
+20% Rise
Confirms readiness for cold
~1 hour70°F
Cold Ferment
Deep flavor and microblisters over days
48–96 hours40°F
Warm Proof
Pillowy feel, slow dent return
2–4 hours70°F
Build
Stretch, shape, oil, top
15 min
Bake
Fire finishes the work
525°F+
Formula
Makes 8 × 400 g dough balls (~3,380 g total dough)
Ingredient Baker's %% Grams
Flour100%2,000
Water64%1,280
Salt2.5%50
Leaven Instant Sourdough (ISD)Leaven ISD0.64%12.8
Non-Diastatic Malt Powder (NDMP)NDMP2.0%40
Biga
40% pre-fermented flour at 50% hydration
Ingredient Grams
Water (50%)400
Leaven ISD (1.6%)12.8
Central MillingCM Great Northern Plus Flour360
Central MillingCM Type 85 Flour240
Central MillingCM ABC+ Flour200
Final
Mixed with chilled biga
Ingredient Grams
Water 1780
Central MillingCM Great Northern Plus Flour (45%)540
Central MillingCM Type 85 Flour (30%)360
Central MillingCM ABC+ Flour (20%)200
Central MillingCM Extra Fancy Durum Flour (5%)100
Non-Diastatic Malt Powder (NDMP)NDMP40
Salt50
Water 2100
The Process
Biga
Builds flavor and structure overnight
  • Mix biga ingredients into a clumpy mixture with no dry flour.
  • Cover and ferment for 12 hours at 70°F.
Mix
Building structure in stages
  • Refrigerate biga for 40 min.
  • Desired Dough Temperature (DDT) is 72°F.
    Water temp = (DDT × 4) − Room − Flour − Biga − Friction Factor
  • Add Water 1, flour, and malt. Mix on low speed for 1–2 min until a thick, shaggy mass with no dry flour or loose water.
  • Rest ~15 min while cutting biga into very small pieces (~½″).
  • Mix 2 min on low speed: ⅓ biga, 30 sec, ⅓ biga, 30 sec, ⅓ biga, 60 sec (stop and scrape in between).
  • Rest 10 min, covered.
  • Mix 1–2 min on low speed until biga is mostly incorporated and dough is mostly uniform.
  • Rest 20 min, covered.
  • Mix 1–2 min on low speed while gradually adding salt and Water 2 mixture until it begins to smooth.
Dough should be cohesive, elastic, medium-strong, slightly tacky, not completely smooth or satiny. Gives a partial windowpane. Fermentation will finish gluten development.
Warm Ferment
Aliquot-guided rise, ball, and second rise
  • Take an aliquot sample and rest 30 minutes at 70°F.
  • Preshape, then wait for +20% rise on the aliquot.
  • Ball in two steps: pre-round, rest 10–15 min, then final tight round.
  • Wait for another +20% rise on the aliquot, then move to cold ferment.
Cold Ferment
Slow fermentation develops deep flavor
  • 48–96 hours in the refrigerator at 40°F.
  • Uncovered for first 15 minutes, then cover and wipe lid after 15 minutes.
  • Wrap each covered tray in a poly bag.
Warm Proof
Final rise before baking
  • 2–4 hours at 70°F before shaping and baking.
  • Wipe condensation from lid after first 30 minutes.
  • Aim for 66–68°F surface, 60–65°F internal, pillowy feel with slow dent return.
Build
Shaping and topping before the oven
  • After stretching to 12–13″, brush flour off the rim with a pastry brush.
  • Brush rim with avocado or sunflower oil using a pastry brush.
  • Lift onto peel and build quickly.
Bake
Fire finishes the work
  • Wood fired oven at 650°F or baking steel in home oven at max temperature.