🍞 Poolish Bread Calculator
Calculate poolish flour, water, yeast and fermentation times for any bread recipe
| Bread Type | Poolish % | Yeast % | Hydration | Ferment Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baguette | 30–50% | 0.08–0.15% | 68–72% | 12–16 hrs |
| White Sandwich Loaf | 30–40% | 0.15–0.25% | 65–70% | 8–12 hrs |
| Pizza Dough | 40–60% | 0.08–0.12% | 60–65% | 12–16 hrs |
| Ciabatta | 50–100% | 0.05–0.1% | 75–85% | 14–18 hrs |
| Focaccia | 20–40% | 0.15–0.2% | 70–80% | 8–12 hrs |
| Rye Bread | 20–40% | 0.1–0.2% | 68–75% | 10–14 hrs |
| Brioche | 15–25% | 0.15–0.2% | 55–65% | 6–10 hrs |
| Hybrid Sourdough | 20–30% | 0.08–0.15% | 70–78% | 10–16 hrs |
| Yeast % (poolish flour) | Room Temp Time | Fridge Time | Flavor Development |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.05% | 16–20 hrs | 24–48 hrs | Very complex |
| 0.1% | 10–14 hrs | 18–24 hrs | Complex (recommended) |
| 0.2% | 6–10 hrs | 12–18 hrs | Good |
| 0.3% | 4–6 hrs | 8–12 hrs | Moderate |
| 0.5% | 2–4 hrs | 4–8 hrs | Mild |
| 1.0% | 1–2 hrs | 2–4 hrs | Minimal |
Poolish is a kind of starter that one uses to prepare bread. One prepares it mixing equal parts of flour and water together with a bit of commercial yeast. Like this one receives a bit wet sponge that rises for some hours.
With 100-percent water ratio, poolish becomes very liquid, even so that does not matter, because later it mingles with bigger batch of dough.
How to Make and Use Poolish for Better Bread
The main advantage of poolish is the rich flavor. Lot of flour rises before one finishes the main dough. That helps to convert the flour into sugar and greatly improves the taste.
The flavors are born from long and slow rising in fairly low heats. Room temperature for the rise between 70 and 80 degrees give the most delicious bread. Imagine poolish as an eager starter, whose main task is add deep taste.
Making poolish is truly easy. Simply mix flour, water and a little bit of yeast. Cover the mix loosely and leave it rest on the counter.
The length of rising ranges from some hours until 16 or even 24 hours, if one wants more strong taste. During warm evenings, around 10 hours is enough. During colder evenings, better expect about 14 hours.
In eight hours, the dough will double in size and have many bubbles on teh surface. In that moment it is ready for use.
Poolish differs from sour dough. Both poolish and biga are simply pre-risen flours with commercial yeast. They do not involve bacteria, hence bread from any of them stay clearly raised bread.
Traditional sourdough requires around seven days to grow and depends on natural yeast. Poolish is much more fast and prepared the knight before the bake.
Starters like poolish also improve the stretch of the dough. Adding malt powder is an option that can help for good spring while baking and for nice color of the crust. Classic French loaf does one with poolish, what gives brown, bright skin.
White bread from poolish, cooked in Dutch oven style baking, is another favorite way, inspired by the book Flour, Water, Salt and Yeast by Ken Forkish.
The method with poolish works well for baking schedules on weekly ends. One prepares the poolish at nine evening with truly little amount of dry yeast. The next afternoon, the main dough meets with cold water and a bit of extra yeast.
After rise and folding, the shaped dough rests in a basket before entering the fridge. The bake happens the next morning. After the oven, the bread cools on a rack at least one hour before cutting.
That stabilizes the structure andprotects the crust.
Most many Swiss poolish bread rolls prepare with poolish. The method adapts to many different recipes, when one intends richer taste.