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Pizza dough version 1.2
by Steph Weber - February 3rd, 2010Categories: cook, pizza
New developments in the Great Pizza Dough Experiment! I made the dough using recipe version 1.1, which I outlined in my last post. It was a major improvement upon version 1.0, but I still want to do some tweaking.
First of all, greatly reducing the water in the recipe worked like a charm. The dough was much stronger and did not stretch out of my control. I was able to shape it using the method I outlined in version 1.0 without a problem.
Additionally, I bought a pizza peel, which was so much easier to use than the back of a rimmed baking sheet like I had done before. I dusted the peel with corn meal before placing the dough on top, and it worked perfectly. The fully topped pizza slid off the peel with ease onto the pre-heated pizza stone. And because I pre-heated my oven to the hottest temperature it would go (550° F), the crust baked up beautifully in about 6 minutes.
The crust was strong enough to be able to hold a slice with one hand, which was awesome. It had a nice flavor and the right amount of chewiness. Tim said it was the best pizza I had ever made. I was generally pleased!
But it’s still not perfect. I haven’t been getting a very good rise out the method I’ve been using. In fact, the dough hardly seems to rise at all. I’ve been using the same process that I outlined for version 1.0, but to sum it up — I combine the ingredients in the stand mixer bowl, mix, knead, coat in oil, cover with plastic wrap, immediately place in the refrigerator, and use the dough the next day.
Now, the weak rise could be caused by a couple things. Perhaps the ingredient ratios in my recipe are just not conducive to retarded dough (I’m not being rude; retarded dough is dough that has been refrigerated during fermentation). Or maybe my yeast was just past its prime.
For version 1.2, I’m going to do an experiment to see which of these two possibilities are causing the weak rise. I will mix one batch of dough using brand new yeast and split it in two. One half will go in the refrigerator, just like before. If this half of the dough rises nicely, then I’ll know it was just old, inactive yeast.
The other half I will leave to rise at room temperature. I’ll shape and make the pizza when the dough has doubled in size, which I’m guessing it will take around four hours.
Now, normally after the dough has risen, I split the dough into four pieces since I like to make my pizzas on the small side. So to add another element to this experiment, I’ll split the room-temperature-risen dough into two pieces on the day I make it. One piece will be used to make the pizza right away, the other half will be placed in the refrigerator to be used the next day. This is just so I can see how well the room-temperature-risen dough performs the next day after refrigeration.
I also want to tweak the flavor slightly. I felt the dough was just a little bit too salty and not quite sweet enough. Now, salt over 1% and sugar over 5% can both slow fermentation. So I’m hoping that if I reduce the salt and increase the sugar, the effects of both on fermentation will balance each other out and not affect the results of my refrigerated vs. room temperature proofing experiment.
Okay! So, here’s a summary of the changes I’m making:
| Version 1.1 | Version 1.2 |
| 1 lb bread flour | 1 lb bread flour |
| 8 oz water (52%) | 8 oz water (52%) |
| 1 tbsp olive oil (2.7%) | 1 tbsp olive oil (2.7%) |
| 1 tbsp honey (4.7%) | 2 tbsp honey (9.4%) |
| 2 ½ tsp kosher salt (1.6%) | 2 tsp kosher salt (1.3%) |
| 2 ½ tsp (old) active dry yeast | 2 ½ tsp (new) active dry yeast |
| Refrigerated proofing | ½ fridge, ½ room temp |
I’m kind of loving eating pizza for dinner most days of the week. So I’ll probably post the results relatively soon!
February 5th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
Well, it sure does look good from this side of the screen!
February 12th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Tried your Version 1.2 dough yesterday — turned out really nicely. Probably the best pizza I’ve ever made. I doubled the batch and kneaded the dough in a Kitchen Aid mixer with bread hook for about 15 mins., then greased a bowl and plopped the dough into it with a towel covering around Noon, and let it sit on top of my oven for the rest of the day (my daughter was baking banana bread, so the top of the oven was warm). By 6:30, the dough was to the top of the bowl and nice and spongy and elastic. Divided the dough into 4 parts, sprinkled flour and rolled out each pie very very thin with a rolling pin. Covered the pie with homemade sauce, grated Romano sprinkled right on top of the sauce, canned artichokes, slivered garlic, and sausage (no Mozzarella at all). I’m trying to duplicate the famous La Casa pizza from Omaha, which uses no Mozzarella. Baked at 550F in a convection oven until crust was slightly charred. Tried the Atlantic Monthly hot pan method on the first pie, but that didn’t work because I couldn’t get the pizza to slide into the then smoking pan, and ended up just using a cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Worked great. Crust ended up crisp and chewy, slightly charred, just like they serve at La Casas. The combo of the sauce and the Romano next to each other, plus the thin charred crust, is what sets a La Casa-style pizza apart from the typical Chicago-style pie. The Romano-sauce combo results in a tangy-salty thing that you’ve just got to experience to understand — far superior to Mozzarella. I live on the West Coast now, so have been craving this for years. Was finally able to re-create thanks to your dough recipe and the super-hot convection bake. Thanks.
February 12th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
That’s so great to hear! I’ll be posting my results soon, it’s been a hectic week, so probably early next week!
February 14th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
Great article, I like the experimentation with the dough. I’ve been making pizza for years, originally from a recipe out of Sunset’s Vegetarian Cookbook, but with twists. The best one, IMO, is a blend of Unbleached Flour and Semolina Flour, about 50/50. give it a try, it gives the crust an interesting texture. I’m going to give the romano a try next time!
Oh, great piece on the canned beer. Uncommon in Santa Cruz, CA, also comes in cans!
March 11th, 2010 at 12:42 am
Excelente Blog, suas dicas me ajudaram muito.
March 11th, 2010 at 2:34 am
I’m from Omaha and grew up on LaCasa’s Pizza. I love it so much I wanted a job there so that I could learn how to make the pizza. Every Wednesday the Omaha World Herald delivers a section called “Food Express.” Today’s article was about “Crafting artisan pizzas at home” Go to Omaha.com and read the tips from the nation’s top pizza makers. It prompted me to search for pizza dough and sauce recipes that resemble the ingredients in La Casa’s. They suggested not to mix the dough too much, just enough to incorporate the flour, water, salt and yeast, then leave it alone. Keeps the gluten from being overworked giving the crust a “light delicate texture.” Long slow rise, letting the dough sit at room temperature gives the crust better flavor. It even explains how to heat your at-home oven, crank the oven as high as it will go and leave it for an hour. The faster it’s cooked the less dense the crust. To get the oven even hotter, heat oven on broil until ready to put pizza in, then switch to the highest baking temperature your oven allows. Or go to the hardware store and purchase unglazed quarry tile, which run a few dollars and work just as well as stones. Oh, and most importantly to me, is the sauce. San Marzano is the tomato that is used in real Neopolitan Pizza. La Casa’s pizza sauce is the best. It had many more tips including cheese and toppings. At La Casa’s on Leavenworth (I lived across the street when I was in college) I usually order a large Beef (hamburger) with both romano and mozzarella cheeses and that’s it. My family would go there every Sunday, what a great childhood I had huh? Now, if only I could make it at home to taste just like it. I’ll let you know if I ever do. Take care. Karen
July 1st, 2010 at 2:18 pm
I live on the east Coast now, so have been craving this for years. Was finally able to re-create thanks to your dough recipe and the super-hot convection bake. Thanks.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:05 am
Do you have any idea of some nice recipes for pizza dough without yeast?
July 29th, 2010 at 8:58 am
First, I would suggest using my finalized recipe for pizza dough, found here: http://www.brewcookpairjoy.com/2010/02/pizza-dough-the-final-frontier-of-awesomeness/
I’ve never tried making pizza dough without yeast, but I would suggest using my recipe, and substituting baking powder for the yeast. You’d probably need about 4 tsp of baking powder for this recipe.
Like I said, I’ve never done it, so I can’t guarantee it will work! But I’d say it’s worth a shot!