The Pizza Chronicles

[Bob_Wood]

@Michael Bowden

I don’t eat that either.[/quote]You poor depraved man.

[Jeff_Pf0h1]

@mike pobega

The problem I have with opre-cooking my dough is that it loses its airiness and gets chewier,

I get this phenomenon when I buy the dough from Trader Joe’s. BUT when I make the dough, the airiness is incredible. I prefer my own dough, but it is easier and cheaper to go the TJs route so that’s 98% of my pizza making.


So IME, and limited experience compared to many, it is the dough and not the technique for this aspect. YMMV.

[M_M_c_C_a_l_l]

@Phillip Franks

I too pre-cook my crust for about 2 minutes. I use this recipe for my crust for a little extra crunch.

1/4-ounce active dry yeast (1 package)
3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup semolina (durum wheat)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. Traditional method: Put 1 1/2 cups of the flour, semolina sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. While stirring with a wooden spoon slowly add the yeast mixture until combined. Add the olive oil and continue stirring until the mixture forms a loose ball, adding the remaining 1/4 cup of flour if necessary to form a ball that is not sticky. On a lightly floured board knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and consistent in texture. Form the dough into a ball and put in a bowl that has been lightly coated with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and put it in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

I also use this cast iron pizza pan. It gets hot and stays hot and really does a nice job on the crust.

Cast iron… does it give you a texture more like a deep dish crust? I love deep dish pizza too, but I’ve always used a stone to make thin pizza.

[M_M_c_C_a_l_l]

@Jeff Pf0h1

@mike pobega

The problem I have with opre-cooking my dough is that it loses its airiness and gets chewier,

I get this phenomenon when I buy the dough from Trader Joe’s. BUT when I make the dough, the airiness is incredible. I prefer my own dough, but it is easier and cheaper to go the TJs route so that’s 98% of my pizza making.


So IME, and limited experience compared to many, it is the dough and not the technique for this aspect. YMMV.

I adore Trader Joe’s, but in my experience, their pizza dough absolutely blows. It’s just not pliant! I find it impossible to shape w/o adding too much flour. I have a bakery very close to home that has decent dough for $3 a pound, so that’s what I buy.

[Jeff_Pf0h1]

I agree, and am still looking for better purchased dough, for those quick pizza moments where I don’t want to make my own. I hear Whole Foods sells dough, although I’m not a fan of their “by the slice” but that may be due to it sitting out?? And I hear a local place Dion’s sells dough so I’ll try them.

I also use a pan on top of my stone. So the dough goes on the pan, which has lots of little holes, and the whole thing goes onto the stone.

Pizza Pan

[Phillip_F_r_a_n_k_s]

It does give it some texture and it works perfectly with the little bit of semolina that this crust uses.

@Melissa M c C a l l

@Phillip Franks

I too pre-cook my crust for about 2 minutes. I use this recipe for my crust for a little extra crunch.

1/4-ounce active dry yeast (1 package)
3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup semolina (durum wheat)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. Traditional method: Put 1 1/2 cups of the flour, semolina sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. While stirring with a wooden spoon slowly add the yeast mixture until combined. Add the olive oil and continue stirring until the mixture forms a loose ball, adding the remaining 1/4 cup of flour if necessary to form a ball that is not sticky. On a lightly floured board knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and consistent in texture. Form the dough into a ball and put in a bowl that has been lightly coated with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and put it in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

I also use this cast iron pizza pan. It gets hot and stays hot and really does a nice job on the crust.

Cast iron… does it give you a texture more like a deep dish crust? I love deep dish pizza too, but I’ve always used a stone to make thin pizza.

[M_M_c_C_a_l_l]

@Jeff Pf0h1

I agree, and am still looking for better purchased dough, for those quick pizza moments where I don’t want to make my own. I hear Whole Foods sells dough, although I’m not a fan of their “by the slice” but that may be due to it sitting out?? And I hear a local place Dion’s sells dough so I’ll try them.

I also use a pan on top of my stone. So the dough goes on the pan, which has lots of little holes, and the whole thing goes onto the stone.

Pizza Pan

I’ve tried the Whole Foods dough. It’s far more pliant than TJ’s, but it’s woefully under-salted. Bland. We have a small Whole Foods type chain in the Portland area called New Seasons that strikes a decent balance. Have you tried a pizzeria you like? Most of them will sell you their dough by the pound.