Q: We have been getting some customer requests for natural or organic pizzas. Is there a way we can do this economically? A: The words “natural” and “organic” are consumer buzzwords in the food industry. There have been supermarkets, delis and restaurants developed to...
Q: This might seem like a rather basic question, but how do you make a decent take-and-bake pizza? A: Several years ago take-and-bake pizzas appeared to be something of a novelty item, but today the novelty has worn off, and take-and-bake pizza has gone mainstream...
There has been a continued interest in developing more foods containing whole grains over the past several years. Part of that interest stems from the fact that whole grains are now a part of every school-age child’s life, so children are becoming more accepting of...
Q: We are planning to offer a party size pizza that will be baked on an 18-inch x 26-inch sheet pan. What is the best way to figure out how much dough and toppings we will need to use? A: The best way to calculate dough, sauce and cheese amounts for any size and pizza...
The Dough Doctor on Making Chicago Thin Crust and Chicago Thick Pizza Chicago is perhaps best known for its deep-dish pizza – that ooey, gooey, cheesy, saucy concoction served in round pans (read on for more on creating this type of crust). But Chicago thin-crust is...
Some people have accused me of making my dough formulas too complex and difficult to make because I insist upon giving the ingredient amounts in percentages. Actually, they're given in what is called "baker’s percent". I must admit, I'm guilty as charged, but before...
Q: Is there still room in the pizza industry for an independent to get started? A: To answer your question in one word, yes. Pizza is a constantly evolving food that has great appeal to a very high percentage of our population across all age categories, and for the...
What cause pizza gum line? How to avoid gum line in pizza. In last months’ Dough Doctor article we began discussing the causes for the development of the “dreaded” gum line. This month, we take a look further. Check out some common causes and how to remedy the...
Q: How do I know when my pizza dough is properly mixed? A: Most pizza doughs as we know them are under mixed in regard to full gluten development. The only real exception is commercially made frozen pizza dough which is almost universally mixed to full gluten...
Q: I was recently looking through a catalog that I got at the last Pizza Expo and I saw both wood and metal peels being offered by the different companies. Do you have a preference in one over the other? A: My preference is to use a wood peel as a prep peel — the peel...
Herb infused doughs are one of those things that seem to come and go. It gets popular for a short time, and then it disappears, only to come back again after a few years. For some of us, though, it has found a home on our menu boards as a variation to regular pizza...
Dough storage –– this is one of those topics that I continually get questions about, so it’s probably time that we go back and revisit the basics. The way in which we store our dough has changed over the years. Back in the 1950s it was common to allow the mixed dough...
