Pizza Dough

Very interesting Vera, I read the method.

My problem with pizza dough is that I have no luck in making it. I recently tried making Mario Batali's pizza dough available on the foodnetwork website and although it is simply delicious (no doubt about it) I didn't get the consistency I wanted. It was too hard and chew rather than being light and crispy.

Most recipes I've seen ask that you knead for a long time. Doesn't that make the dough harder? And is that the desired result?

I only let it rest for about an hour. Should it be 24 hours in the fridge like the above article says?

And why should my oven be on for a whole hour at 500 degrees before I bake the pie?

They cant be talking about a household oven, thats ridiculous. I buy my dough at local publix, not frozen in their bakery, I can make it thick or thin or I can make calzonne. Never had problem with it. comes in 1 pound balls, I cant make it cheaper or better.

Mapiva -

letting a yeast dough develop in the refrigerator for 24 hours is a recognized technique to promote better "flavor" - it slows the whole "yeast thing" down (cool temps...) and I notice two things: yeasty twang to the dough and finer structure. now,,,, "for me" a yeasty twang works for pizza dough - doesn't work so well for a sweet roll.

certainly there is no "one and only way" to do pizza dough - so try it - if you like the results, they're yours!

so far as pre-heating the oven for an hour - again my personal experience with el-cheapo and higher end home ovens is: not a totally off base recommendation.
it does take time for the whole oven and everything in it (i.e. pizza/baking stone... if you use one) to get up to temperature. most of the brick oven professional pizza type ovens run much hotter than what the 500'F home oven can do - and they don't "turn them off" at night.
if you allow adequate time for the air, the racks, the stone, the sidewalls, etc., all to get really piping hot, when you open the door and put the 'stuff' in, the oven recovers to its temperature faster.
now, whether it takes an hour, or 50 minutes, or 45 minutes, for your oven to be thoroughly "pre-heated" is an up for grabs issue - might need a hour, might do it in 45 minutes. but no thorough heat soak is going to work in 20 minutes (aaah,,, that's a not backed by science opinion)

When I do bread, I pre-heat a full hour at 500'F; when the bread is ready to go in my home oven, I reduce the temperature set point to the baking directed temp, open the door, stuff the oven, close the door. and I use a full one hour pre-heat based on my proven personal experience with this one specific home oven that says: does better when fully pre-heated.

Now I'm confused. Putting it in the refrigerator for 24 hours will give the dough a yeasty twang? But I don't want it to taste like yeast as I don't like that taste.

And does kneeding the dough for 5 minutes or so make it tougher, crisper, softer, what?

Do you purforate and prebake the crust?

If the temp is at 500 won't all the toppings burn?

not sure the source of confusions. let's review:

kneading dough develops gluten; gluten makes dough elastic & stretchy
pizza dough usually calls for a high gluten flour, to promote the stretchy bit, to make it spread out without tearing. the ole toss the dough in the air thing....

kneading develops gluten, time develops gluten. if you left the dough out on the counter for 24 hours, you'd have a dough that sprawled from Naples to Aosta. hence, refrigerate & slow down the yeast.

if you don't like the yeasty taste / twang / accent; knead, let double, punch down, knead again before making a crust. avoid recipes that call for long proofing times.

kneading does not make a pizza dough tougher, nor crisper, nor softer.
kneading & gluten development simply lets the dough stretch without tearing. if you try to make a pizza with biscuit dough, well you get the idea....biscuit dough is not "stretchy" nor "elastic"
an elastic dough is more critical for a thin crust.

"Do you purforate and prebake the crust?"
neither is part of traditional pizza. perhaps some folk do? I don't

"If the temp is at 500 won't all the toppings burn?"
question: if you crack and egg into a pan and put it into a 500'F oven, will it burn?
answer: if you leave it long enough, yes.

reported item, shooting the messenger is disallowed: commercial pizza ovens run at temperatures on the order of 700-750'F
this is why when you go out for pizza it arrives in 15-20 minutes vs the 30-45 minute bake time in a home oven at xxx'F

the really hot stone crisps the crust bottom real fast and simultaneously cools down to a point it is not longer so hot that it burns the crust; crisp yes, carbon black bottom, no.

pizzeria people do not put a fresh pizza in the oven on exactly the same "spot" as a prior/baked pizza - they want "the old spot" to get really hot again.

it's just a question of time and temperature.

Pizza Dough

I know it's called "Basic Pizza Dough", but the only thing basic about it is how to make it. Most people say "this is the best crust I've ever had." Many times with grocery store or take out pizza the edge of the crustis left on the plate. Well, that won't happen with this crust. Your family and friends are sure to eat the whole thing.
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What pizza dough are you talking about?

I have tried and tried to make pizza dough. Actually, I can't bake anything. I have a friend who is an executive chef at a resort, and he says cooking is art and baking is science. Hahaha...I liked that analogy. Anyway, does it help to measure by weight and how much do you have to worry about humidity? Maybe I should just keep practicing.

Recipe developed in napoli:

Bread flour
Water
Yeast
Salt
Olive oil

YES to the retard (proof in fridge); it doesn't make it yeasty or tangy- There are two ways of proofing; either work the yeast fast; will produce volatile alchols which, if your pallete is refined enough you'll notice as being a little hostile and somewhat bland, and slow; produces flavourful amino acids and depth.

Simple technique of turning home oven into pizza oven:

You will need a frying pan and a preheated broiler.

Make your pizza on a chopping board lined with cornstarch or flour to prevent it from sticking, be careful not to spill any sauce onto the board.

Heat a cast iron frying pan (clean and dry) on the hob for upto 20 minutes (maximum heat)- at that point- it will be extremely hot!!

Drop the pizza on to the BACK of the frying pan and place under broiler.

Pizza will be ready in 2-4 minutes.