Struggling with pizza dough...

TDL

Purchased a large egg about one month ago and have tried baking pizza a couple of times. We still haven't found a good pizza dough - we have tried to make dough from scratch and also purchased frozen (pre-made) dough. The egg bakes the pizza really well (we also purchased a pizza stone), but I thought the dough was a disappointment both times.

Does anyone have a really good pizza dough recipe, or has anyone found a good pre-made dough that bakes well on the egg? Thanks

BENTE

[url="http://pizzeriasecrets.com/"]Here[/url] is a good site for making your own pizza
i have found that buying dough from publix (grocery store here) that they make a pretty good dough. also if you have a local pizzaria they will usually sell you a ball of dough.. best thing about cooking pizza i have found is to place the big green egg "feet" under the pizza stone and on top of the platesetter.


like this



and if you get a chance make deep dish it is worth the wait

BENTE

http://pizzeriasecrets.com/

lets try that one

Pharmeggist

Posted by BabyBoomBBQ on January 25, 2007 at 12:13:32:

In Reply to: Pondering the Perfect Pizza Recipe posted by Pharmeggist on January 25, 2007 at 01:27:44:

Pharmeggist,

Here's what I use. It took me years to get my pizza where I wanted it. I finally got a book, "The Art or Pizza Making" by Dominick DeAngelis that guided me to satisfaction. Now that I use the BGE, my pies hold their own with any pie from anywhere. I urge you to get a copy!

I use 2/3 partskim, low moisture mozzerlla and 1/3 belgioioso auricchio provolone. Belgioioso is the brand and auricchio provolone means aged provolone. For the 14" pie below, I used 6.6 oz mozzarella and 3.3 oz of the provolone. This will give you the cheese flavor like a NY style pizza. I use a little parm at the table.

Pizza Dough:

Yield: one dough ball for a 14-inch pizza. Double for two, triple for three. When making multiple recipes, cut into equal portions prior to rising. Use weight to divide!

3/4 Cup Warm water (or warm flat beer, which I use.)
4 Tsp. Sugar
1 Tsp. Olive Oil (NOT Extra Virgin)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 Cup High Gluten Flour
1/2-Cup Semolina Flour

1) Measure flour and set aside.
2) Measure other ingredients.
3) Mix all ingredients except flour and mix until solids dissolved.
4) Immediately, add liquid to mixer, turn on low and add flour.
5) Knead for at least 10 minutes or until the gluten forms the baker’s window when you make a mini pizza and stretch it. Do not over knead!
6) Form ball and place in a lightly oiled zip lock bag so that the ball is resting on the opening.
7) Allow dough to rise for two hours.
8) Pinch down gently, reform ball, return to bag and set in refrigerator for at least two hours or up to 24 \- hours.
9) Allow dough to reach room temperature before using.

BP’s Fire Roasted Pizza Sauce

3/4 Cup Crushed Fire Roasted Tomatoes, drained with fluid reserved (I use Muir Glen)
1 Tbs. Unsalted Tomato Paste, NO ADDITIVES AT ALL
1 Tbs. Reserved fluid from Crushed Tomatoes
1 Tbs. Good quality Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbs. Good Quality Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
¾ tsp Fresh chopped Basil (or ¼ tsp dried)
1 tsp sugar
1 clove Fresh garlic, pressed
¼ tsp kosher salt
Dash of fresh ground pepper.

Makes enough for a 14” pie and scales well.

Add about ¼ of the olive oil in a small non-stick frying pan. Over medium heat, slowly cook tomato paste until it gets a rich mahogany finish. You will see the color change when it starts to simmer. This is a key step! Caramelizing the paste gives the sauce that simmered for hours taste.

Next, Sauté garlic and basil in remaining oil over low-medium heat until garlic is browned. Add remaining ingredients and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring now and again. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature before putting on your dough. Don’t forget to use dough dressing or even this low moisture sauce can make your dough soggy. I use 2 Tbs. Olive Oil (note not extra virgin) ½ clove pressed Garlic and ½ tsp. sugar for each 14” red pie.

Nature Boy

Howdy TDL
I was also disappointed with my pizza dough until I came across this one http://www.phhp.ufl.edu/~tlambert/recipes/Mr-Hyde's-Pizza.htm

Give it a try, but follow the instructions closely!






Enjoy
Chris

Spaceman Spiff

Second try?

I'm stilling looking after 3 years.....

Try some of the above or use them as a base.

Cooking does not come easy for me but after a lot of experimentation I am getting close.

And as always - Google is your friend. Many, many resources there also.

Spacey

Darnoc

I also recommend Baby Boom's BBQ Perfect Pizza Recipe.It has become one of my favorites.You will have a better dough if you let it rest overnight in the refrigerator.For a different texture I mistakenly put corn meal in the mix instead of semolina flour and it turned out well.

Nature Boy

That sounds like it would be really good. I am going to have to try that next.

Can you elaborate on the "bakers window"?? Do you pull small chunks off the dough ball during the kneading process, and stretch it to check and see if it stretches thin enough to show light through? And that is how you know when to stop kneading??

Thanks for posting that, and would appreciate any insight on the window thing.

Happy hump day.
Chris

Spaceman Spiff

Thanks for the link. I ordered it and have started reading it. Looks like the 'straight poop'.

Spacey

TomM24

Pharmeggist:

I confused about the sauce do you add the liquid from the tomatoes or the tomatoes. I want to try this. I love those fire roasted tomatoes. The only thing that didn't work with them is tomatoe soup. It tasted too much like spaghetti sauce.

Mike in Abita

I feel yer pain. I have tried quite a few dough recipe's and have always wanted better. Lately I have been following this one. It is a good starting point and I have only changed a few things. Try it like it is first and then start experimenting.

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats
Episode: Flat is Beautiful





2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt*
1 tablespoon pure olive oil
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups bread flour (for bread machines)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons olive oil
Olive oil, for the pizza crust
Flour, for dusting the pizza peel
Toppings:
1 1/2 ounces pizza sauce
1/2 teaspoon each chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, for example
A combination of 3 grated cheeses such as mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and provolone

Place the sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 cup of flour, yeast, and remaining cup of flour into a standing mixer's work bowl.
Using the paddle attachment, start the mixer on low and mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball. Lube the
hook attachment with cooking spray. Attach the hook to the mixer and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.
Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc. Stretch the dough until thin. Hold it up to the light and look to
see if the baker's windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed. If the dough tears before it forms, knead the dough for an
additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Roll the pizza dough into a smooth ball on the countertop. Place into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of
olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.
Place the pizza stone or tile onto the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to its highest temperature, about 500 degrees F.
If the oven has coils on the oven floor, place the tile onto the lowest rack of the oven. Split the pizza dough into 2 equal
parts using a knife or a dough scraper. Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball.
Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface. Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens.
Cover one ball with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes.
Repeat the steps with the other piece of dough. If not baking the remaining pizza immediately, spray the inside of a ziptop
bag with cooking spray and place the dough ball into the bag. Refrigerate for up to 6 days.
Sprinkle the flour onto the peel and place the dough onto the peel. Using your hands, form a lip around the edges of the pizza.
Stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch. Toss the dough in the air if you dare. Shake the pizza on
the peel to be sure that it will slide onto the pizza stone or tile. (Dress and bake the pizza immediately for a crisp crust
or rest the dough for 30 minutes if you want a chewy texture.)
Brush the rim of the pizza with olive oil. Spread the pizza sauce evenly onto the pizza. Sprinkle the herbs onto the pizza and
top with the cheese.
Slide the pizza onto the tile and bake for 7 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Rest for 3 minutes before slicing.
*This recipe's been on the web for some time now and although most of the reactions have been darned positive, some of you have
commented that the dough was way too salty. At first we chalked this up to personal preference; some folks are just not as
sensitive as others to this basic flavor. And of course salty toppings would definitley change the dynamic. Still, we didn't
want to leave it at that. We went back to the lab and found that the flake size of kosher salt differs quite a bit from
brand to brand. This could easily result in a too salty crust. So unless you've had success with the recipe in the past, we suggest
you cut the salt by one teaspoon, from a tablespoon to two teaspoons. So that the yeast doesn't go crazy, you should also cut back
on the sugar by half a teaspoon. Thanks, AB

icemncmth

first things first...what type of pizza do you like? The reason I ask is I can give you a dozen recipes for pizza dough and without knowing what you like makes things kind of tough.

There are basically three types of pizza you can do on the egg...Thick, thin and deep dish...

Now each of these have variants ...thin can go from crispy thin to Neapolitan style...

The great thing is that the egg can do all...because the range of heat..

Neapolitan is great at 600-1200 deg depending on the hydration of the dough..errr how much water is in the dough..These take between 3-6 mins to cook..

Just remember that the higher you go in temp the more water you need in the dough..

Now if you like a thicker style of pizza...Something like and original crust from the chains then you like what is called an American style of pizza..

This is baked at around 350-450 deg..again depending on if you like the crust chewy or crusty...These take from 15-40 mins depending on moisture..sugar...levels...

Deep dish...these are your Chicago style pizzas and they bake in around 35 mins or so ...

Now...the biggest problem when people make dough...is 99% of the time they don't use enough water..they mix the dough and knead it all the while adding a little flour till it won't stick to them...This will make your dough too dense..

Whatever recipe you do ...there is one trick that will really help. Autolyze...a big word that really is taking your flour and letting it absorb some of the water. What happens to most people is they follow a recipe given to them and add all the ingredients. Make the dough and then when they bake the pizza the dough is too dry. It won't brown properly and is like chewing on cardboard..What has really happened is after you make the dough the flour is still absorbing the water. The dough feels good right after you make it but in a few mins it starts to dry out..

So with any recipe for pizza take 2/3rds of the flour and most of the water and mix them...let that sit for 20 mins. Do not add anything else to this...Then after the 20 mins you can add the rest of your ingredients. This gives the flour time to absorb the water and keeps you from ending up with a dry dough.

The next trick is to put the dough in a giant ziplock or covered bowl and then in the fridge for 1-3 days..this retards the yeast an gives the dough a better flavor. All good pizza you get when you eat out is made this way.Make sure you oil the inside of the bag or bowl...

Now your dough should be a little sticky when you put it in the fridge...after a day when you take it out it shouldn't be as sticky and if it is you can add a little flour if you want but only add it to shape the dough. Do not overwork the dough...

Make sure you bring the dough to room temp before you start to handle it. When you start to shape the dough and the dough keeps pulling back and won't let you shape it..walk away and come back in 5 mins..this will allow the dough to rest...

Now for one last trick...

When you first make your dough you knead it..this builds gluten strands and allows the dough to trap the gas that the yeast creates. The more you knead it the larger the bubbles will be in the dough...so if you like a pizza dough like the original at the big chains then only knead it for 5 mins...

If you like brick oven pizza (NY style or Neapolitan) then knead the dough for 10-20 mins depending on your recipe..

OK...this all may not answer your question but what it can do is let you figure out what you are doing wrong..most likely you are using the wrong recipe for the type of pizza you like...and you are probably not using enough water..

Always ..always remember that when baking bread..pizza..etc...a recipe is only about 90% good because flour is different from week to week in your house...it changes depending on the humidity in your house and this effects how your dough comes out...

If you have any questions email me...

Retread

Pharmeggist, looks like an awesome recipe. Thanks for the info. What is your cooking temp and approx. time?

Meatatarian

Nice posts, folks. I am once again inspired to try to make pizza. Unfortunately, I've been inspired to make pizza several times, and each one has been pretty dreadful.

EmandM'sDad

I was in the same boat as you. As much as we tried we couldn't quite get there. Then I discovered the several dough recipes from king ArthurFlour. Go to the King Arthur Flour site. Under the recipes section there are several recipes for pizza dough. Almost all are a little more work, as most require starting a pre ferment the day before. However, if you want good flavor and texture these recipes are the way to go.

AzScott

http://www.hogonice.com/2006/12/manna_from_heaven_with_mozzare.html

This guy was obsessed with finding the perfect recipe. In this post he talks about his basic recipe and what one can do to make it the perfect recipe for their tastes. Worth a look.

AzScott

http://www.hogonice.com/2006/12/manna_from_heaven_with_mozzare.html

This guy was obsessed with finding the perfect recipe. In this post he talks about his basic recipe and what one can do to make it the perfect recipe for their tastes. Worth a look.

Pharmeggist

I never thought to much about the Bakers window.... to be honest . I just go by my gut feeling . I use the kitchen aid mixer iniatially with the kneeding hook.. I don't go the full 5 minutes. Instead I just watch it for a few minutes until I think its time to take it out and then I hand kneed it. Maybe someone will jump in on this one :laugh: I will say after you make them a few times you will catch on pretty quick.
~Pharmeggist

TDL

I want to thank everyone for their input...great resources. I'll run these down over the next while and see what I can come up with.

As for what I am shooting for (in terms of desired crust) - probably a traditional fire-brick oven crust, or thick crust.

Again, thanks for the help.

TDL