Pizza
Dough – What You Should Know
Bakers Percentages – Optional information for serious
pizzaioli (pizza cooks).
You can create your own dough recipe using “baker’s percentages.” You will need to multiply each individual
ingredient by the flour weight. First you must determine the desired amount of
flour for the recipe (for example 18 ounces flour = 100%). For a desired 60% water percentage the
formula would be .60 × 18 = 10.8 ounces.
Next you will multiply the remaining individual ingredients percentage
by the flour. For example if you want 3%
oil in your dough recipe the formula is .03 × 18 = .54 ounces.
You may also want to determine the percentage of various dough
ingredients in an existing dough recipe.
To do so you will divide the weight of each ingredient individually by
the weight of the flour. For example if
the recipe calls for 11 ounces water and the flour in the recipe weighs 18
ounces, the formula is 11 ÷ 18 = 61%.
Portioning, Weighing and Measuring
Baking is more exacting than many other methods of cooking. It requires more precise ingredient
portioning, measuring and weighing. It
is preferable you weigh recipe ingredients for accuracy but when you are
working with small amounts it is not always practical. You may prefer using a combination of
weighing and measuring. You can weigh
the larger amounts like flour and water.
For smaller amounts such as yeast, salt and olive oil you can use
measuring spoons.
Each ingredient in your dough
will interact with the others positively or negatively. You should take care in portioning and mixing
ingredients to achieve balance. If not
in balance your dough may become too tough or too soft. After you mix the dough it should be satiny
smooth. Barely tacky is acceptable but
not sticky to touch.
Increasing or decreasing the water content in the dough recipes will
impact your dough’s characteristics. Experiment
with your flour selection to establish your preferred flour to water
ratio. Weigh your flour and water
individually and take notes for future reference. A
proper balance between liquid and dry ingredients will produce dough that
maintains rise and will support the pizza toppings. It will provide your pizza crust
"bite" with tender and moist texture characteristics. For this book dough recipes increase or decrease the water a tablespoon at a
time until you achieve the desired consistency. Soft dough will have higher water
content. It will rise quickly when baking, creating a porous crumb
structure. If you like a stiff dough and cracker type crust you
should lower the moisture content in the dough.
Flour Substitutions and Flavor Enhancers
To alter the flavor of your dough you can experiment with various flours.
Select those that marry well with your pizza toppings. Substitute your choice of flour with a
portion of the wheat flour. Whole grain
flour such as oats and rye can replace up 10-20% of the wheat flour. Most flour substitutions will require a small
increase in water and a slightly longer absorption time. To maintain the integrity of your dough limit
the weight of the substitutions.
Some flavor enhancers can be added in moderation to the dough. Garlic and onion powder should not exceed 1%
of the flour weight, or your dough can relax excessively and become soft and
sticky. You can add Parmesan or Pecorino
Romano to your flour up 5-10% of flour weight.
You may find this cheese better utilized for topping your pizza just
prior to baking, or immediately after baking.
Retarding
Dough
Retarding dough (storing under refrigeration) makes it possible to
prepare the dough in advance for later use.
Fermentation continues while the dough is refrigerated but at a much
slower rate. A cold refrigerator from
34-36° will prevent your dough rising too quickly while it is retarding. When you retard your dough in the refrigerator
for up to 72 hours it will have better flavor, and be softer and easier to
form. If you retard it longer the dough
can become overly soft and unusable.
Similar results can be anticipated if your refrigerator is not cold
enough.
To prepare your dough for retarding, mix it and place it in a bowl
lightly sprayed with oil. Turn the dough over to coat it with the oil
and prevent crusting. Cover it with a
wet towel or plastic wrap. Allow the
dough to ferment for 1 ½ -2 ½ hours at room temperature until it is at least doubled
in size. When dough is sufficiently fermented
you can poke it with the tip of your finger and the indentation will remain. Punch
the dough down when it has sufficiently risen and remove it to your work
surface. Scale your dough to the desired
weight and form it into dough balls. Lightly
spray some oil in bowls large enough to allow the dough balls to triple in
size. Press the dough balls down to
coat them with oil and then turn them over to prevent crusting. Cover them with lids.
Now that your dough is ready to retard place it in your freezer for 30-45
minutes. This will quickly lower the
dough temperature slowing fermentation. Use
a timer or you may end up with frozen dough. If you forget about the dough and
it freezes you can thaw it in the refrigerator and still use it. After you remove your dough from the freezer
place it in your refrigerator and use within 24-48 hours for best results.
Once you remove the retarded dough rounds from refrigeration allow them
to rise at normal room temperature for approximately 2 ½ hours until at least doubled
in size. Do not allow your dough to rise
too long or it will soften excessively, blister, collapse and become unusable. When they are ready to top form the dough balls
into rounds and proceed.
Blistering and Bubbling
Some of us pizza lovers like the rustic appearance that bubbling
produces while baking. Others may find
it objectionable. Allowing your dough sufficient
time to ferment prior to baking will lessen extreme blistering and
bubbling. Pricking your dough round with
a fork or dough docker will also help limit bubbling and reduce their size.
Doughy/Gummy Layer
Doughy/Gummy layer will produce an undesirable surface layer on your
dough round. This translucent, grayish,
soggy layer is formed while baking.
Inferior flour and improper use of toppings can be contributing factors
resulting in uncooked pizza dough.
Be aware of allowing a watery sauce to rest too long directly on the bare
dough. You can form a flavorful shield
between the exposed dough round and the sauce with oil and cheese. Brush your dough rounds surface with garlic
herb olive oil and apply a layer of cheese.
The cheese layer will also act as a glue to help prevent "pizza
slide". Pizza slide occurs when the
toppings slide off the pizza crust, perhaps onto your lap or even more
embarrassing, your guests.
Raw vegetable toppings and/or shellfish that tend to water off during
baking should be used in moderation. Too
many can create a swampy pizza preventing your dough baking all the way
through. Roasting, grilling or sautéing your vegetables prior to topping your pizza
will reduce watering off.
Storage
Flour will not perform well when cold and ideally should be stored in a
well ventilated dry space at 70-80º. Flour
stored in a very dry climate may require a little more water in the dough
recipe than flour stored in a wet humid climate. Flour absorbs odors and should not be stored
with onions or garlic, or be in the vicinity of other strong odors.