Gummy pizzas can be caused by a number of things. One, the pizza may not be thoroughly baked. If the oven temperature is too high, the outer portion of the crust can be nice and brown, but the center has not been fully baked. In these cases, the crust is generally...
Q: I am new to the pizza industry and I have read about “proofing” dough. Would you explain what this is and why it’s done. A: Proofing, or rising, is done primarily to allow the dough to achieve a greater height, or lightness than it would if it were taken directly...
Our pizza crust doesn't seem to have much flavor. What can we do to improve the flavor of our crust? If you are allowing your dough to ferment overnight in the cooler, or several hours at room temperature, in all probability your dough has enough fermentation to...
Like other types of yeast leavened bread doughs, pizza doughs will benefit from fermenting for a period of time before using or baking it. Fermentation provides dough conditioning, making the dough easier to shape. It also reduces the propensity of the dough to bubble...
Question: We bake our pizzas at 600 F and they are crispy when they first come out of the oven, but they soon turn soft and chewy. What can we do to keep our pizzas crispy longer? Answer: Three things come to mind that might be causing your problem. The first is the...
It seems like we are always looking for something more flavorful in pizza crusts and breadsticks. One answer to this search is sourdough. Sourdough has been in use much longer than yeast as we know it today. We know that some type of sourdough was used by ancient...
Dough Uses Calzone Do I need to use a different dough for making my calzones? Tom Lehmann No, not really. Most pizza doughs will make a perfectly good calzone. But, there are some modifications to a pizza dough that will make it an even better choice for use in making...
Calzones Calzones are easy — if you don’t have them, you’re missing out From time to time I get requests from readers asking for a dough formula suitable for making calzones. The truth of the matter is that while you can use a specific dough formula...
There is a malady called Celiac Disease and persons suffering from this disease have a very low tolerance to wheat proteins. This is not to be confused with persons having an allergic reaction to wheat proteins. In this latter case, even the most minute exposure to...
We've been tinkering with making a frozen pizza with a par-baked crust, but the finished crust comes out chewy and bland. What's the problem? Pizza, as with most baked products, is always most flavorful when it comes fresh and hot out of the oven. That par-baked crust...
With today’s consumers being better educated than before, and having a greater concern for healthy eating, they are making more food buying decisions based on what they perceive as being good for them. We are seeing this in the growth of vegetarian meals and...
I'm interested in making a sugar-free crust. What are your suggestions for a sugar substitution? Well, before we go replacing the sugar, we've got to understand just what its functions in a pizza dough are. It can be used just to provide a nutrient for the yeast to...
