CONTENTS
The Ready-to-Use Option
Baker's Percents
Two Variations: Dough Ball and
Bulk
Dough-making
Steps: Pizza Dough
• STEP 1: Setting-up
• STEP
2: Rehydrating Yeast and Scaling Ingredients
• Rehydrating Yeast
• Scaling Ingredients
• STEP 3: Mixing
• Ingredients
Sequence
• Mixing Times
• Batch size
• Stages of
Dough Development
• Emergency Dough
• Compensating for Mistakes
• STEP 4A: Scaling, Rounding, Traying
• Manual Scaling &
Rounding
• Batch Dividing-rounding
• Continuous Dividing-rounding
• STEP 4B: Bulk Fermentation
• Bench-resting
• STEP
5: Retarding (or else proofing)
• Proofing
Formula
Development for Pizza Dough
• Formula Balance
•
Dry vs. Liquid Ingredients
• Strengthening vs. Tenderizing Ingredients
• Ingredient Effects
• Lean Dough, Rich Dough
•
Development Questions
• Development Process
• Set Up a Test
Kitchen
• Write It Down
• Compare Each Test Batch to a "Best-yet"
Recipe
• Make Informed Guesses
• Try Many Things, Including
Your Hunches
• Vary Both Amount and Type of Ingredients
•
Convert the Best Test Recipe to Large-batch Size
• Create a Written
Procedure and Follow It
Baking
Test for Pizza Dough
Baker's Percents
Pizza Dough Formulas (Links
to Dough Recipes in this section.)
• 1. All-purpose Pizza
Dough recipe
• 2. Fast-rising Pizza Dough recipe
• 3. Easy-to-sheet
Pizza Dough recipe
• 4. High-browning Pizza Crust recipe
• 5.
Lean 'n' Chewy Pizza Crust recipe
• 6. Rich 'n' Tender Pizza Crust recipe
• 7. Thin 'n' Crackery Pizza Crust (stiff dough) recipe
• 8. Chicago
Deep-dish Pizza Crust recipe
• 9. Basic Neapolitan Pizza Crust recipe
• 10. Basic Sicilian Pizza Crust recipe
• 11. Whole Wheat Pizza
Crust recipe
• 12. Three-grain Pizza Crust recipe
• 13. Higher-protein
Pizza Crust recipe
• 14. Herb & Wine Pizza Crust recipe
•
15. Pepper-Cheese Pizza Crust recipe
• 16. Beer Pizza Crust recipe
• 17. Garlic & Butter Pizza Crust recipe
• 18. Italian Accent
Pizza Crust recipe
• 19. French Sour Dough Pizza Crust recipe
•
20. Crostata Pizza Crust recipie
• 21. Diet-enhanced Pizza Crust recipe
Diet-enhanced Pizza Guidelines
Retarded Dough for Pizza
•
All-purpose Pizza Dough for Retarding
Frozen
Dough
Parbaked Pizza Crust
Sample
Production Procedure
• Introduction
• Recipe
for One Batch
• Set-up
• Planetary Mixer Assembly
•
Cutter-mixer Assembly
• Scaling Ingredients
• Mixing
• Using a Planetary Mixer
• Using a Cutter-mixer
• Dividing,
Rounding, and Traying
• Manual Scaling and Rounding
• Optional
Procedure: Used with a Batch Divider-rounder (fully automatic type)
•
Refrigerating (retarding)
• Quality & Production Standards
Mix Packet Procedure
• Planetary Mixer Procedure
• Cutter-mixer Procedure
NOTE:
Visit the Encyclopizza
home page for the complete Table of Contents, including pizza dough/crust/sauce
recipes.
ALONG
with quality ingredients in the right proportion, proper procedure is vital
for making consistent quality pizza dough. This chapter describes the steps and
recipes for various types of dough. The discussion presumes that you have a basic
knowledge of dough-making equipment and ingredients, as described in previous
chapters.
Lengths,
weights, temperatures, and volume measurements are given in inches, pounds and
ounces, degrees Fahrenheit, and quarts and cups (U.S. version). The following
abbreviations are used: lb = pounds, oz = ounces, F = Fahrenheit,
and qt = quarts. For conversion to other measurement systems, refer to
the chapter on Measurements
and Conversions.
There are two alternatives to mixing pizza dough on-site: (1) frozen dough and
(2) parbaked crust. Both approaches eliminate the need for scaling, mixing, and
handling fresh dough. They also eliminate the need for a mixer, but frozen dough
requires a freezer.
The main advantage of frozen dough and
parbaked crust is the elimination of the drawbacks to on-site preparation. Summarized,
this includes doing away with a mixer and also the hassle and occasional mistake
that can accompany dough-making. It also reduces work, which presumably results
in lower labor cost.
The main drawback to frozen and parbaked
product is the lack of opportunity to create a custom recipe and, so, to differentiate
from the competition. It also takes away the opportunity to advertise “freshly
mixed dough made with a secret formula, etc.,” along with removing the chance
to create specialty crusts and enhance the current crust. Finally, frozen or
parbaked product incurs a higher food cost than preparing from scratch.
In
short, the dough/crust decision is an important one. There is no one right answer
for all pizzerias. The decision depends on the situation and priorities of the
business, including customer perceptions and preferences, competitive situation,
available space and equipment, pricing structure, and management involvement and
availability.
For those pizzeria owners who want to design
a custom crust, or simply seek to know more about how pizza dough is made, the
rest of this chapter is for them.
For
convenience, bakers refer to ingredient amounts in a dough formula as a percentage
of total flour weight. That means, regardless of how much flour a formula
calls for, the flour amount is always considered to be 100 percent and every
other ingredient is referred to as a percentage thereof. For example, if a formula
calls for 25 lb flour and 15 lb water, they would say that the formula consisted
of 60 percent water (15 ÷ 25 = .60 or 60 percent). They call this a baker’s
percent. To further illustrate, if a baker said “lower water by 5 percent,”
this would mean that the water portion should be reduced 5 percent of the weight
of the flour portion called for by the recipe.
Throughout
this chapter and other chapters on dough, whenever we mention percentages we’re
referring to baker’s percents. So keep in mind that these percents refer
to a percent of the total flour weight in the dough formula, not a percent
of total dough weight.
Based on how the crust is made—whether rolled from a ball or cut from a sheet
of dough—there are two basic dough-making methods: (1) dough ball and (2) bulk.
In the dough ball method, dough is scaled and rounded into proper-weight
balls, then trayed and, most probably, retarded. In the bulk method dough
is placed into tubs in large pieces, called in-bulk, then fermented in preparation
for sheeting. Or, sometimes, fermentation is omitted and the dough is simply bench-rested
and then sheeted immediately. Here’s the steps in each method.
Dough Ball Method
1. Set-up.
2. Rehydrate yeast and scale
ingredients.
3. Mix.
4. Scale, round, and tray balls.
5. Retard
(i.e., refrigerate) or else proof for immediate rolling.
Bulk
Method
1. Set-up.
2. Rehydrate yeast and scale ingredients.
3.
Mix.
4. Load into tubs and ferment.
Sometimes
the fermentation step is skipped and, instead, dough is bench-rested for a few
minutes, then taken to the sheeter. A gluten-relaxing dough conditioner (ex.,
L-cysteine) is often used for this process.
These steps
are described below in full.
This section explains the hows and whys of dough-making, so it’s lengthy in parts.
For an exact description of dough-making procedure see the Sample Production
Procedure section at the end of this chapter.
Pizza
dough-making derives from traditional bread-making. Ingredients are the same,
however procedures are not. In bread-making a baker determines the exact timing
of up to eleven steps from set-up to oven. In pizza dough-making only five steps
are controlled by the dough-maker—after that the customer takes over. This complicates
and changes the pizza dough-making process to the point where much of conventional
bread-making procedure doesn’t apply. So we take what can be used from the science
of bread-making, then add to it to create the technology of pizza dough-making.
Here are the steps.
The important
first step of efficient dough-making is proper set-up. It typically involves the
following:
• Plan production. Post a production sheet; determine
number of batches (dough balls) to be made.
• Clear tables
and work area of unneeded items.
• Gather utensils: Containers,
thermometer, timer, scale, measuring spoons and cups, knives, dough scraper, trays.
•
Gather ingredients: Flour, yeast, etc.
• Assemble the mixer.
With a planetary mixer use the dough hook—either J-type or spiral. With a cutter-mixer
use the shaft recommended for dough by the manufacturer.
•
Arrange the work area for efficient production.
As discussed
in the section on Yeast, proper rehydration is critical. The procedure is as follows.
1. Rinse the yeast bowl with warm water
to pre-warm it.
2. Add water of proper temperature
to the yeast bowl—use approximately 10 percent of the water called for in
the recipe, but not less than 4-times the weight of the yeast. For water temperature,
follow directions on the yeast package. If there’s no directions, use the temperatures
below. Measure temperature by thermometer, not by feel.
•
Compressed yeast = 80 to 90 degrees F water
• REGULAR
active dry yeast (ADY) = 100 to 110 degrees F water
•
INSTANT dry yeast = 100 degrees F water (in certain recipes instant yeast is added
dry to the flour).
3. OPTIONAL: Add a small amount
of sugar to the water—stir to dissolve. Use about 1 teaspoon sugar per pound
(or pint) of yeast water. If the recipe omits sugar, substitute flour.
4. Measure the exact amount of yeast needed and sprinkle (or crumble) it over
the water. The best method is weighing. If the portion is too small for accurate
weighing, use measuring spoons. Measure level, not rounded. Stir it thoroughly
into the water to dissolve. To control the rate of fermentation or rise, either
the yeast portion or the dough water temperature must be adjusted seasonally.
Further explanation is provided in the upcoming sections on Yeast Portion and
Dough and Water Temperature.
5. Put the yeast bowl
aside and set a timer for 10 minutes. The location should be room temperature
(70 to 80 degrees F).
6. After 10 minutes, check
the yeast water for foam. If there is none, one of these problems exists:
(1) yeast is old or dead, (2) water was wrong temperature, or (3) sugar was omitted,
or salt was used instead of sugar. Correct the problem and repeat steps 1 to 6.
Do not rehydrate yeast for longer than 15 minutes.
YEAST
PORTION. Dough fermentation rate will vary with seasonal and daily temperature
changes. The warmer the air, the faster dough balls rise and, if pan proofing
is used, the faster dough rises in the pan. So to control the amount of fermentation
or rise, adjust the yeast portion accordingly. To achieve faster rise, increase
the portion, say, 10 to 20 percent. To slow it down, decrease the portion. In
conclusion, adjust the yeast portion by whatever amount is needed to achieve
the amount of fermentation you desire. An alternative to adjusting the yeast
portion is to change the dough water temperature—cooler in summer, warmer in winter
(see upcoming section).
While yeast is rehydrating, scale the remaining
ingredients. Follow these pointers.
• Measure dry ingredients
by weight, not volume. However, if a measuring spoon must be used, use level
measures, not rounded (scrape it flat with a straight edge). Water and oil can
be measured by either weight or volume. When measuring by volume, a glass or plastic
container with a level marking line should be used.
•
Use an accurate scale. It’s a good idea to have a standard weight handy to
check the scale now and then for accuracy. For absolute precise weighing, an electronic
scale is best. However a mechanical portion scale with 32 oz capacity in 1/8
oz increments will work fine for small ingredients. A dashpot feature which eliminates
needle bounce speeds weighing. For flour and water, a mechanical dial scale will
do the job, although electronic and balance beam scales work, too. It should
have a 40 or 50 lb capacity in 2 oz increments, and a large platform (at least
12-inches x 12-inches).
• Allow for the weight
of container. Some scales have a tare feature which allows the operator to
subtract or “zero-out” the container weight. If you don’t have it, be sure to
allow for container weight when scaling.
• Take care
to measure accurately. A small variation, especially with salt or yeast,
can change dough consistency and performance.
• Don’t
combine the small ingredients with the flour. Instead, stir them into the
dough water immediately prior to mixing.
• Use a water
temperature that will produce dough of the desired temperature, as explained
next.
DOUGH AND WATER TEMPERATURE. Fermentation rate is
determined in large part by dough temperature. The warmer the dough (up to 100
degrees F), the faster is fermentation. Basically, for every 18 degrees F rise
in dough temperature (up to 100 degrees), fermentation rate doubles. So, for
example, 80 degree dough will rise twice as fast as 62 degree dough. A typical
bakery brings bread dough from the mixer at 78 to 80 degrees F. This might also
work best for you. However, for pizzerias there is no industry-wide standard.
The best temperature is the one that produces the best dough for the pizza-making
system. And systems vary. The key is to find the optimum dough temperature for
your pizza system, and then obtain that temperature consistently.
Three
factors can cause dough temperature to vary:
• Air temperature
•
Flour temperature
• Water temperature.
Since
air temperature and flour temperature aren’t controllable by a dough-maker, varying
the water temperature is the key to achieving consistent dough temperature
from day to day. This means, as air and flour temperature rise, water temperature
should be lowered, and vice versa. Here’s a method for determining what water
temperature you should use. There are two parts to it.
FIRST,
with each batch of dough, record the temperature of (1) air, (2) flour, and
(3) water, and then add those three temperatures together. Also, for your information,
record the dough temperature and observe how each batch rises. When you find a
batch that rises exactly as much as you want (that is, results in the crust you
want), the total air+flour+water temperature becomes your ideal air+flour+water
temperature, abbreviated ideal A+F+W temp.
THEN,
every day you make dough, you determine the desired water temperature by subtracting
the current air and flour temperatures from the ideal A+F+W temp. For example,
if the ideal A+F+W temp is, say, 218 degrees F, and the current air+flour temperature
is 144 degrees, your desired water temperature would be 74 degrees (218 – 144 = 74).
The formula looks like this:
Ideal A+F+W temp – Current A+F temp =
Desired water temp
To
measure flour and water temperature, use a mechanical stem thermometer or an electronic
digital thermometer. The electronic type is quickest.
In retail baking various mixing methods are
used. However, they are categorized into two basic types: (1) straight dough
method and (2) sponge method, sometimes called sponge-and-dough.
In
the straight dough method all ingredients are combined and mixed in one
stage. The straight dough method is simplest and, for a pizzeria, the most appropriate.
So that’s the one we use in this book. Some bakers use variations on the straight
dough method. For example, there’s the “delayed salt” method which calls for adding
the salt after the dough has mixed into a ball. There’s also the “delayed shortening”
method which adds the shortening after the dough has formed into a ball. However,
for pizza dough the easiest and most appropriate method is to combine all ingredients
at once.
With the sponge method—which is a 2-stage
process—the water, yeast, and approximately 60 percent of the flour are mixed
together to form a thick batter or slack dough (called a sponge or pre-ferment).
It’s allowed to ferment for 3 to 4 hours until doubled in volume. Then the remaining
flour and other ingredients are added and mixing is completed. The sponge method
is used more by bread bakers than by pizza-makers. However, if desired, the method
can be applied to any of the recipes in this book. Sponge method proponents point
out that it provides more scheduling flexibility, in that a sponge can usually
be held longer than a finished dough. It also has a shorter fermentation time
in the finished dough form. Finally, some people believe it results in increased
flavor.
From
here on, when we speak of mixing we’re referring to the straight dough
method.
FOUR FUNCTIONS OF
MIXING. Mixing accomplishes four purposes. First, it disperses ingredients uniformly.
Second, it combines them into a uniform dough. Third, it develops the gluten (i.e.,
makes it more extensible), so the dough will expand and hold the gas formed during
fermentation. Fourth, it incorporates air into the dough, which aids fermentation
and develops the basis for a uniform cellular network during proofing.
Various sequences
are used by bakers for adding ingredients to the mixer. It appears that they
all produce about the same results with pizza dough. Nonetheless, to have a standard
we recommend that ingredients be added to the mixer in the following order:
1. Water and other liquid ingredients.
2. Dry ingredients, except flour.
3. Yeast water.
4. Flour.
5.
Oil or shortening.
NOTES: When instant yeast is added
dry, sprinkle it on top of the flour and stir it in.
After
adding the salt, sugar, and other dry ingredients, stir the water for 5 to 10
seconds to disperse and dissolve the ingredients.
After
adding the yeast water, stir it to disperse the yeast and then immediately
add the flour and oil and turn on the mixer. If yeast sits for a long time in
salty or sugary water it can harm the yeast and reduce dough fermentation.
The
main reason for recommending this sequence is that it works for all types of mixers.
Initially, mixing time for pizza dough was based
on mixing time for bread dough, which is a soft dough that’s mixed to full development.
Depending on the mixer, this required up to 20 minutes of mix time in some machines,
or 12 to 18 minutes in a planetary mixer on low speed. However, pizza dough not
only comes in soft form but also stiff. And the stiffer the dough, the shorter
the mix time—for two reasons. First, many mixers are not powerful enough to mix
stiff dough for long times. Second, stiff doughs are usually fermented for many
hours, sometimes a day, which allows for adequate dough development and relaxation.
So, we don’t prescribe one mix time for all doughs. Instead we provide a range
of times based on stiffness of the dough. For that purpose we divide pizza dough
into five categories of stiffness, related to the percent of water used.
Five Categories of Dough (stiffness)
SOFT = 55 percent or more water (compared to flour weight)
MEDIUM-SOFT = 51 to 54 percent water
MEDIUM = 47 to 50
percent water
MEDIUM-STIFF = 43 to 46 percent water
STIFF = 42 percent or less water
The
above chart assumes a lean dough formula (i.e., little oil or shortening). However,
factors other than water can affect dough stiffness. For example, the weaker the
flour, the softer the dough will be. Also, the greater the amount of oil, the
softer the dough will be. Finally, the colder the dough, the stiffer it is and
the less time it’s mixed.
In addition, the batch size affects
the optimum mix time for a given mixer. Because a small or reduced-size batch
receives less friction from mixing it must be mixed slightly longer than a full-size
batch to achieve the same dough temperature and degree of gluten development.
Finally, and most importantly, mix times vary with the
type of mixer. So, here are mix times for the five types of dough as they relate
to planetary mixer, cutter-mixer, and spiral mixer.
Mix
Times for Planetary Mixer
SOFT DOUGH = 12 to 18 minutes
first speed, or
1 minute first speed plus 6 to 9 minutes second speed. (Some
older mixers should only be used on first speed for mixing pizza dough. Also,
some heavy-duty mixers have slower mix speeds and, therefore, require longer mix
times.)
MEDIUM-SOFT = 9 to 12 minutes first speed.
MEDIUM
= 6 to 9 minutes first speed.
MEDIUM-STIFF = 4 to 6 minutes
first speed.
STIFF = 3 to 4 minutes first speed.
Mix
Times for Cutter-mixer
Mix on low speed only.
R/S/W/B
= Robot Coupe, Stephan, Westglen, Berkel.
SOFT DOUGH =
1-1/2 to 2 minutes for R/S/W/B.
2-1/2 to 3-1/2 minutes for Hobart.
MEDIUM-SOFT
= 1 to 1-1/2 minutes for R/S/W/B.
2 to 2-1/2 minutes for Hobart.
MEDIUM
= 45 to 60 seconds for R/S/W/B.
1-1/2 to 2 minutes for Hobart.
MEDIUM-STIFF
= 30 to 45 seconds for R/S/W/B.
60 to 90 seconds for Hobart.
STIFF
= 20 to 30 seconds for R/S/W/B.
40 to 60 seconds for Hobart.
Mix
Times for Spiral Mixer
SOFT
DOUGH = 2 minutes low speed plus 5 to 6 minutes high speed.
MEDIUM-SOFT
= 2 minutes low speed plus 4 to 5 minutes high speed.
MEDIUM
= 6 to 9 minutes low speed.
MEDIUM-STIFF
= 4 to 6 minutes low speed.
STIFF
= 3 to 4 minutes low speed.
The above times are meant to
serve as a guideline. A number of factors influence mixing time, such as type
of flour used, dough temperature, and amount of shortening and dough additives.
Each pizzeria must determine the optimum time for its dough—and testing is the
only way to do that (see the section on Baking Test).
For good mixing, batch size must correspond to
mixer type and size. Too large or too small of a batch can result in poorly mixed
dough. Generally, for a soft dough (55 to 60 percent water compared to flour weight),
the following maximum batch sizes apply. However, older models of planetary
mixers with smaller motors might not accept this much dough. In any case, do
not exceed the manufacturer’s recommendation.
Maximum
Batch Size Guidelines—Soft Dough
30-qt planetary mixer
= 20 lb maximum
60-qt planetary mixer = 40 to 45 lb
80-qt
planetary mixer = 100 to 110 lb
25/30-qt cutter-mixer
= 25 lb
40/45-qt cutter-mixer = 40 to 45 lb
Stiffer
dough requires a smaller batch size.
A rule of thumb that’s
used in determining maximum batch size for a planetary mixer is to use no more
than half the quart size of the mixer in flour. For example, for a 60-qt planetary
mixer the maximum flour portion would be 30 lb; for an 80-qt mixer it would be
40 lb.
Dough development during mixing is achieved
in four stages. First is the blending stage, where ingredients are blended
together into a sticky mass in the bottom of the bowl.
Second,
as mixing continues, the dough enters the pick-up stage, where gluten structure
begins to form. At this point lumpiness disappears and the dough starts to shape
into a ball. (Gluten is formed when two types of flour proteins—namely, glutenin
and gliadin—combine with each other in the presence of water.) Pizzerias that
mix a stiff dough for sheeting into a thin, crackery crust might stop mixing at
this point.
Third, if mixing is continued the dough progresses
into the clean-up stage, where it becomes dryer and more elastic. It tends
to beat the side of the mixing bowl and, as the name implies, starts to clean
off the side of the bowl. The dough begins to lose elasticity and becomes more
pliable. Stiff dough reaches the clean-up stage sooner than soft dough. This stage
is completed when the dough clears away from the bowl.
Fourth
is the development stage. The gluten becomes more extensible and the dough
takes on a dry, smooth, satiny sheen. Soft dough is typically mixed to what’s
called “full development.” When fully developed a small piece of dough about the
size of a golf ball can be gently stretched and pulled into a thin, silky, semi-translucent
sheet of uniform thickness. Bakers call this a “cleared” dough. To do this with
cutter-mixer dough the dough must be allowed to relax for five minutes after mixing.
Typically, the stiffer a pizza dough is, the less development it receives during
mixing (i.e., the shorter the mix time). So a stiff dough comes from the mixer
“under-developed.” A small piece cannot be stretched into a smooth, thin sheet
and, when that’s tried, it will often tear. If greatly under-developed it will
show strands and lumps and break easily.
If mixed beyond
the development stage, a soft dough starts to lose its elasticity and becomes
softer and more extensible. This is called the letdown stage. If mixing continues,
the dough completely disintegrates and becomes wet and stringy.
In
addition to developing gluten, mixing incorporates minute bubbles, or air cells,
into the dough. The cells are important to dough fermentation and crust structure,
as they provide nitrogen for yeast and also serve as the basic cellular network
that later will expand into a well-risen crust with proper fermentation (proofing).
Sometimes emergencies arise when dough must be
mixed and made immediately into pizzas, and no time is available for fermentation.
In this case, double the yeast portion and adjust water temperature so that the
dough comes from the mixer at 90 degrees F. Also, if it’s not already included,
put 3 percent sugar in the recipe. Finally, if using a soft dough, make sure it’s
mixed to full development (i.e., to a pliable consistency). Some people refer
to this as no-time dough. To save time, some bakeries use no-time dough for regular
production, in which case the dough formula usually includes dough conditioners
and extra diastatic malt. The main drawback to emergency or no-time dough is that
it may lack the distinctive flavor produced by fermentation.
Sometimes mistakes in measuring and mixing
occur. Here’s what to do.
DOUGH TOO SLACK. If during mixing
you find the dough is too slack, add more flour and keep mixing. Hopefully this
can be done in a minute or two, so the dough won’t be over-developed.
DOUGH
TOO STIFF. This is tougher to correct. When water is added to finished dough in
a planetary mixer it tends to slosh around and takes a while to absorb. If added
in the middle of mixing at the pick-up stage, it works better. With a cutter-mixer,
once it’s shut off with a batch of dough in it, it can’t be restarted.
DOUGH
UNDER-MIXED. Turn the mixer back on and mix it some more. This is sometimes difficult
to do with a cutter-mixer, however.
DOUGH OVER-MIXED. If
it’s just slightly over-mixed, and the flour is of high protein, it might still
be usable. If greatly over-mixed, it shouldn’t be used. Some dough-makers add
over-mixed dough and over-fermented dough to new dough during the last minute
of mixing. When done, it shouldn’t exceed 10 percent of the batch weight. It’s
called “re-mixing” dough and, generally speaking, it’s not a recommended practice
because it can alter the character of the crust.
With the dough ball
method of dough-making, the dough must be scaled (or divided) into pizza-size
weights, rounded into balls, and then placed into a tray or pan. Bakers sometimes
refer to this process as make-up. It can be accomplished three ways: (1)
manually, (2) with a batch divider-rounder, or (3) with a continuous divider-rounder.
Each way is examined here.
After
taking the dough from the mixer, let it relax, or “bench rest” as it’s called,
for about five minutes. This makes it easier to handle. For scaling you will need:
•
Dough trays or pans
• Portion scale
•
Sharp knife (cook’s knife with 10-inch blade is recommended), or a dough
cutter.
A mechanical scale with
32 oz capacity in 1/4 or 1/8 oz increments works fine. A dashpot feature makes
for faster scaling. This is the procedure.
1. Using
the cook’s knife (or dough cutter) cut off dough pieces of desired weight. Scale
8 to 10 pieces, or enough for one tray. With a little practice a person should
be able to scale most pieces within 1/2 oz of desired weight in two cuts.
An experienced person should also be able to accurately scale (within 1/2 oz)
at least six pieces per minute.
2. Form the
pieces into smooth, round balls. Do this by stretching the outer surface downward
and tucking it into one spot. An experienced person should be able to round at
least six pieces per minute. Bakers often round a small piece of dough, such as
a dinner roll, by rolling it on the table with the palm of the hand. As they rotate
the dough, the edge of the hand pinches the dough against the bench, which stretches
the surface and forms it into a smooth ball. However, due to the large size of
a pizza dough ball, pizza-makers have found it quicker to pick up the dough piece
and mold it with two hands.
3. Place balls neatly
into a tray with the tucked spot down. Allow adequate space for proofing (about
2 inches between balls). Flatten each ball with the palm of the hand to prevent
it from touching the tray above. In place of trays, individual pans can be used.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 until finished. Stack
the trays or pans for storage. The neatest device for dough ball storage is a
nesting-type fiberglass or plastic tray because it eliminates the need for oiling
the balls. However, dough balls can also be stored on aluminum sheet pans. In
this case the balls must be brushed with oil and the tray covered with a food-grade
plastic bag to prevent crusting.
For faster
production a pizzeria can use a batch-type divider-rounder (described in the Mixers
and Food Processing Equipment chapter) which takes a large piece of dough,
divides it into about ten equal parts, then rounds them into balls. This is the
procedure.
1. Using the cook’s knife, cut off a large
piece of dough of desired weight. The “desired weight” is that which produces
the proper size dough balls after being divided by the machine.
2. Round the piece into a ball and set it on the table. Scale and round
3 to 4 dough balls. It helps to let them bench rest for 8 to 10 minutes before
dividing as it makes the dough more moldable, which produces balls of more uniform
weight. Use this time to scale ingredients for the next batch of dough.
3. Place a dough ball on a pallet (a round plate which slides into the divider)
and flatten it until the pallet is covered with dough.
4. Slide the pallet into the divider and activate it for dividing and rounding.
On a semi-automatic model this involves pulling an arm. On a fully automatic machine
only a button is pushed. Make sure the pallet is centered or it will damage the
machine.
5. After rounding, remove the pallet, place
it on a table, and put the balls neatly into a tray (or pans). Allow adequate
space for proofing (about 2 inches between them). Flatten each ball with the
palm of your hand to prevent it from touching the tray above. In place of trays,
individual pans can be used.
6. Repeat steps 1 to
5 until finished. Stack the trays or pans for storage.
7. Clean pallets and machine. Lubricate the machine monthly according to
manufacturer’s instructions.
For fastest
production, such as might be needed in a commissary or very high volume pizzeria,
a continuous-type divider-rounder (described in the Mixers
and Food Processing Equipment chapter) could prove worthwhile. This is
the procedure.
1. Adjust the divider to produce the
desired size dough ball. (Receive a demonstration from the company representative
upon installation, and follow manufacturer’s instructions.)
2. Coat the hopper with a light coating of food-safe mineral oil. This can
be done with a cloth or misting bottle.
3. Fill the
hopper with dough. Do this by cutting off several 10 to 20 lb pieces. Do not
balance large pieces on your shoulder or chest.
4.
Periodically check dough ball weights as they come from the machine. Make
adjustments as needed.
5. As the balls come out,
place them neatly into a tray (or pans). Allow adequate space for proofing
(about 2 inches between them). Flatten each ball with the palm of the hand to
prevent them from touching the tray above. In place of trays, individual pans
can be used.
6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 until finished.
Stack the trays or pans for storage.
7. Clean the
machine. Lubricate the machine monthly according to manufacturer’s instructions.
If dough balls aren’t used, a
pizzeria employs the bulk method. With this method dough is taken from
the mixer, put into a tub, and set aside to ferment (or rise) in bulk.
If
it won’t be used until the next day it’s sometimes put into a refrigerator (to
slow down fermentation) and then pulled out the next day to warm up. However,
a large amount of dough cools slowly. This can result in the center remaining
warmer for a longer time than the outside—which may cause the interior to be over-fermented
while the outside is under-fermented—a condition that will cause crust inconsistency.
So if dough is retarded in bulk it’s a good idea to cut it into small chunks (e.g.,
5 to 10 lbs). Or, better yet, try to adjust yeast (and possibly sugar) portion
so that the dough will ferment to proper level when kept at room temperature,
and omit refrigeration.
Some
pizzerias sheet and cut dough immediately after mixing—meaning, they sheet and
cut unfermented dough. To make this dough easier to handle, allow it to bench
rest for 10 to 15 minutes first. In bakeries this is known as an “intermediate
proof.” Dough for sheeting may also benefit from a gluten-relaxing dough conditioner
(ex., L-cysteine) which makes dough more extensible.
Retarding—or refrigerating
dough at 32 to 38 degrees F—is done when dough balls won’t be used for several
hours or, possibly, days. The purpose of retarding is to slow down (i.e., retard)
fermentation so balls won’t over-rise before rolling.
With
dough trays, stack them criss-crossed in the refrigerator. This provides air circulation
which is needed for fast, uniform cooling. After one hour check the dough temperature
with a stem thermometer. If it’s 55 degrees F or colder, nest the trays together
into an airtight stack. Make sure they’re nested tightly to prevent crusting.
Place an empty tray on top. If trays aren’t of the nesting kind, cover them with
a lid or plastic wrap or slide each tray into a plastic bag. Brushing or spraying
dough balls with oil keeps the plastic from sticking.
With
dough pans, leave them uncovered until the dough temperature drops to 55 degrees
or colder, then cover them or nest them together.
To insure
consistent rise, always take dough balls to the refrigerator within the same time
after mixing. Then, leave them uncovered for the same time as well—usually one
hour. If you forget to cover the dough it will produce leathery balls. Setting
a 1-hour timer helps. Retarding is the simplest step in dough-making, but if not
done right it causes big problems.
Dough
balls that will be used for pizza within four hours should be proofed rather than
retarded. Proofing is the final stage of dough fermentation and occurs
when dough is allowed to rise prior to making it into pizza. There are two kinds
of proofing: (1) dough ball proofing and (2) pan or screen proofing. With dough
ball proofing the ball is allowed to rise until it doubles in volume (which
is about a 50 percent increase in diameter), then it’s rolled into a pizza and
baked immediately. With pan proofing, the rolled dough is placed into a
pan or onto a screen and then set aside until it’s at least doubled in height.
For pan pizza, some pizzerias pan proof dough until it has tripled in height.
Then it’s sauced, cheesed, and baked.
Two factors affect
the rate of proofing: temperature and humidity. With proper yeast portion, dough
ball proofing can be accomplished at room temperature (i.e., 80 degrees F). Brush
the balls with oil or keep them covered to prevent crusting. To speed the proofing
process, put the dough in a warm spot, such as near ovens, in the sunlight, or
next to a heat vent. Some pizzerias put pans of dough balls on a rack and, to
prevent dough drying, cover the rack with a plastic cover.
A
more elegant solution is a proof box, or proofer, which has temperature and moisture
controls. This eliminates the need for covering dough or for moving it to special
locations in the room. Bakers usually proof at 85 to 95 degrees F and 80 to 90
percent relative humidity. For the quickest rise, set the proof box temperature
at 95 to 105 degrees.
For a good crust, dough balls should
be proofed until doubled in volume before rolling. This amounts to about a 50
percent increase in dough ball diameter.
The formula, or recipe, plays a key role in crust flavor, color, and texture.
Obtaining a good formula is a major challenge for those starting a pizza business.
For those already in it, the challenge is often one of enhancing the current formula,
plus designing additional formulas for new products and special occasions. In
any case, the goal is the same: To develop a unique formula that results in a
quality crust. This section describes how to do it. Although the focus is on dough,
the basic process applies to designing sauce recipes, as well.
By knowing what makes one dough different from
another you can more easily develop a winning formula, as well as correct a problem.
Developing a formula that makes the kind of crust you want depends on having the
right balance of ingredients. Basically, there are two kinds of balances:
dry vs. liquid and strengthening vs. tenderizing.
Pizza dough is a balance of
dry and liquid ingredients. Proper balance produces a dough of proper consistency.
When dry vs. liquid ingredients are out of balance it results in dough that’s
either overly stiff or overly slack and a corresponding crust that’s overly dry
or overly weak and mushy.
The main dry ingredient is flour.
Other ones are sugar, non-fat dry milk, and dried eggs. The main liquid ingredient
is water. Other ones are fresh milk products, other beverages, and fresh eggs.
Oil has a liquifying effect, too.
When out of balance (too
stiff or too slack) either the flour or the water portion must be changed. Generally
speaking, you should adjust the water portion when you need to change dough
consistency, as a change in flour portion might necessitate changing other ingredients
as well. What’s more, when increasing either dry or liquid ingredients you must
increase something in the opposite group to compensate. For example, if you were
to increase non-fat dry milk (a dry ingredient) by 8 ounces, to maintain the same
dough consistency you would need to increase a liquid ingredient (usually water)
by 6 ounces. Here’s how much the water portion must be increased when increasing
dry ingredient portions.
To
Maintain Dry-liquid Balance
Item Water Portion
Increased
Change
Flour Increase water enough to maintain
current flour-to-water ratio
Sugar Increase water by 25 percent of weight of additional
sugar
NFDM Increase water by 75 percent of weight of additional
dry milk
Oil Reduce water 50 percent of weight of
additional oil
Shortening Reduce water 33
percent of weight of additional solid shortening
When decreasing
ingredient portions, make corresponding changes of water, as well. Also, when
converting from compressed to dry yeast, increase water portion by an amount
equal to the weight of dry yeast.
When developing a new
recipe, here’s a formula (shown below) for determining the percent of water to
use for making a soft dough. This is based on baker’s percents. A baker’s percent
is the percent of flour weight that any particular non-flour component comprises.
For example, if a formula calls for 25 lb flour and 15 lb water, we would say
that the formula contains 60 percent water (calculated as follows: 15 ¸ 25 = .60 or 60%).
Formula
to Determine Water Percent for Soft Dough made with 14-percent protein flour (All
numbers are percents of total flour weight)
60
Percent
– Percent Other Liquids
– Percent Fresh Eggs
– One-half of the percent of Oil (one-third of the percent of solid shortening)
+ Three-fourths of the percent of Non-fat Dry Milk
+ One-fourth of
the percent of sugar
=
Percent of Water to Use in Recipe
This formula is for making
a soft dough using a high-gluten flour having a protein level of 14 percent.
When using a flour having a lower protein level, you would use less water. Specifically,
for each 1 percent drop in protein level below 14.0 percent, you would decrease
the water portion by 1.5 percent of flour weight. (And, conversely, for each 1
percent increase in protein level above 14.0 percent, you would increase the water
portion by 1.5 percent of flour weight.) Also, keep in mind that blending weaker
flours or meals with high-gluten flour reduces the dough’s protein level. Finally,
if you want to make a stiff(er) dough instead of a soft dough, you would use less
water—down to a minimum of 40 percent of flour weight.
In addition to dry-liquid
balance, ingredients must be balanced in terms of strengthening vs. tenderizing
effect. Proper balance produces a dough/crust that maintains a full rise, supports
sauce, cheese, and toppings, provides the desired amount of “bite” and, in addition,
feels tender and moist in the mouth. When out of balance the crust develops low
volume and is either overly tough or overly soft and mushy.
The
main strengthening ingredient is gluten, or flour protein. Other ingredients that
affect product strength are egg whites, salt, and acid ingredients. The main tenderizing
ingredient is oil or shortening. Other tenderizers are egg yolks, sugar, non-wheat
flours and meals, and alkaline ingredients. Finally, numerous dough additives
have various strengthening and tenderizing effects.
When
out of balance (i.e., the crust is either too tough or too soft and weak) usually
either the dough’s gluten content (type of flour) must be changed, or the oil
portion must be changed. However, changes in other ingredients can have a noticeable
effect as well.
In addition to balance each ingredient does
other things. Recipe development time can be shortened by knowing each ingredient’s
effect on dough. Here’s a summary of what each ingredient does. For greater detail
see the chapter on Dough
Ingredients.
FLOUR PROTEIN LEVEL (gluten in dough)
allows dough to rise during fermentation and retain its shape and volume after
baking. More protein makes firmer, tougher dough and crust; less protein makes
softer, tenderer dough and crust. So we can strengthen or tenderize dough and
crust by adjusting the protein level. And we can adjust protein level by switching
to another type of wheat flour, by adding/subtracting non-wheat flour or meal,
or by adding/subtracting vital wheat gluten (an additive).
WATER
adds moistness and is the main adjustment for dry-liquid balance. So we control
dough consistency by adjusting the water portion. Water also affects dough other
ways. Hard water toughens dough (by toughening gluten) and soft water weakens
dough. Water in the pH range of 6.5 to 8.0 aids fermentation and overly acidic
or overly alkaline water retards it. So we can affect dough’s toughness and fermentation
rate by adjusting water hardness and/or pH with a yeast food additive or by adding
acidic ingredients (ex., vinegar).
YEAST, through fermentation,
digests sugar and produces CO2 gas which causes dough to rise. More yeast produces
more rise, less yeast produces less. The main way we control the rate of rise
is by adjusting the yeast portion. We can also affect it by the type of yeast
used. In addition various other factors affect fermentation rate. Over 1 percent
salt slows fermentation. Sugar up to 5 percent speeds it up, but over 5 percent
begins to slow it down. Amylase enzymes, in the form of malted flour or other
malt products, create more sugar in dough and, so, speeds up dough rising. (For
discussion of all factors affecting fermentation rate, see the Yeast section
in the Dough Ingredients
chapter.)
SALT, in addition to flavor enhancement, strengthens
gluten and, so, tightens dough and crust. Also, over 1 percent salt retards fermentation.
So we can affect dough rise and texture by adjusting the salt portion.
SUGAR
(i.e., sucrose), in addition to imparting sweetness, creates a tenderer, moister
crust. If not consumed by the yeast it also increases crust browning. To insure
a browner crust, add lactose sugar—which yeast doesn’t digest—in the form of non-fat
dry milk or whey. In addition, up to 5 percent sucrose increases fermentation,
but over 5 percent begins to slow it down. So we can affect the rate of rise and
degree of browning by adjusting the amount and/or type of sugar used.
OIL
(and shortening) lubricates gluten and, thereby, increases dough’s extensibility,
making it less springy and easier to mold. It also increases crust tenderness
and “moistness.” So, we can affect dough springiness and crust tenderness by adjusting
the oil/shortening portion.
NON-FAT DRY MILK (NFDM) increases
crust browning. We can affect the amount of browning by adjusting the amount
of NFDM. It also increases dough’s fermentation tolerance and whitens and tenderizes
the crust.
EGGS impart richer color, flavor, and texture.
Egg yolks tend to soften dough and crust. Egg whites help create a crispier crust.
So we can affect crust color and texture by the type and amount of egg product
used.
LASTLY, there are numerous other ingredients which
can be used to impart flavor and color variation, as well as many additives which
can affect texture, fermentation, and other dough-crust properties. For further
discussion see the chapter on Dough
Ingredients.
By adjusting the amount of certain
ingredients we can produce either lean dough or rich dough. Although there’s no
exact dividing line, rich dough is higher in oil, sugar and, possibly, eggs, while
lean dough has very little or none of these ingredients. As such, lean dough is
usually stronger than rich dough. And rich dough is sweeter and more tender than
lean dough. Generally speaking, thin crusts, which need more strength, are made
from lean dough. Some thick crusts are also made from lean dough, however others
are made from richer dough in order to create a tenderer bite.
Although
it’s seldom used for pizza crust, there’s also a special type of rich dough called
rolled-in dough. Croissants and Danish pastry are made with it. To create it,
a flattened yeast dough (about 1/2-inch thick) is dotted with lumps of solid shortening,
then folded into thirds or quarters and refrigerated. After firming up, it’s rolled
and re-folded several more times. (For an exact procedure, refer to a baking
cookbook.) The result is hundreds of thin layers of yeast dough separated by thin
layers of shortening. During baking the dough separates into numerous paper-thin
layers, resulting in a “flaky” baked good. Judging from crust texture, it appears
that some frozen crust and pizza manufacturers use a modification of this method
to create the effect of “light, aerated” crust.
To speed the development process it helps
to have an idea of the type of dough and crust you want. This section describes
some basic questions and lists pros and cons to opposing sides. Keep in mind that
there are no hard-and-fast rules governing dough formulas. The best dough and
crust is the one that fits your situation and pleases the greatest number of customers.
THICK OR THIN? Thick crust pizzas tend to be made with
a richer dough containing fairly high amounts of oil and sugar (although some
use lean dough). Sometimes they’re made with medium protein flour. Many thin crust
pizzas employ a lean dough made with high-gluten flour to support the ingredients.
RICH
& SOFT OR LEAN & CHEWY? Soft crust requires more oil, and possibly sugar,
in the dough. Chewy crust requires a higher-gluten flour and minimal oil.
FRESH
OR RETARDED? Will you be using dough the same day or retarding (refrigerating)
it for use in following days? Fresh dough will likely need more yeast. Retarded
dough usually works best with high-gluten flour and dry yeast.
DOUGH
BALL OR BULK METHOD? Which pizza-making method are you using—dough ball or bulk
method? If dough will be fermented overnight in bulk it will likely need much
less water—in the 40 to 50 percent range. In this case it also will use a shorter
mixing time.
SHEETING SHORTLY AFTER MIXING? If you’re doing
this you will want to mix a slacker dough, possibly by using a medium protein
flour or blending in 10 percent of a non-protein flour. You might also want to
increase oil content and/or use a dough relaxing additive.
DEGREE
OF BROWNNESS? Do you want a dark brown crust? If so then you’ll probably need
something in the dough to aid browning, such as extra sugar or non-fat dry milk.
On the other hand, if you want a lighter brown color you’ll probably want to keep
sugar to a minimum and avoid using NFDM.
HEALTH IMAGE? Are
you trying to project a “healthy image” for the pizza? If so you may want to consider
blending in another flour, such as whole wheat, or adding soy flour (high in nutritional
protein). You also would probably want to keep saturated oil to a minimal amount.
SPECIAL
FLAVOR? Do you want to create a special flavor for the crust? If so then you’ll
likely need to experiment with adding an unusual ingredient, such as one of the
items listed in the section on Flavorings & Colorings in the Dough
Ingredients chapter.
TYPE OF OVEN? DEGREE OF BUBBLING
DESIRED? If you want more bubbles in your crust, a higher-moisture dough might
be desirable. If you want fewer bubbles, a lower-moisture dough might be preferred.
If you’re not into popping bubbles and you bake with a conveyor oven, you might
want to test the lower-moisture option.
AVAILABLE INGREDIENTS.
Formulate your dough recipe using readily available ingredients. Avoid things
that will be difficult to obtain on a consistent basis.
Along with the above concepts, recipe development
is enhanced by following a few simple guidelines, as follows.
Recipe development usually progresses
in small steps. It’s a trial-and-error process that proceeds from batch to batch,
with each batch being slightly different from—and hopefully an improvement upon—the
prior one. Sometimes dozens of batches must be tested before arriving at the
desired result. So mixing 20 lb batches in a pizzeria-size mixer is not economical.
You need a way to make 1 to 2 lb batches—in short, a test kitchen.
It
can be set up in the kitchen of a pizzeria, but sometimes a separate facility
provides more privacy and convenience. A home basement works just fine.
Buy
a small mixer, preferably one that simulates your pizzeria mixer. For a planetary
type, buy a used 5 or 12 qt table model (Hobart makes them). Or, for a less expensive
domestic version, buy a Kitchen Aid mixer (about $300) at a kitchen supply store.
For a cutter-mixer, Stephan makes a 12 qt table model and Robot Coupe makes sizes
ranging from 3 to 15 qt. One advantage of a cutter-mixer is that you can make
several recipe variations quickly. It can also be used for chopping cheese and
blending sauce. A domestic cutter-mixer—known as a food processor—will also do
the job. A popular brand is the Cuisinart (about $300). Buy the large model. It’ll
whip up a nice 16 oz dough ball in about 90 seconds. For a spiral mixer, Rondo
makes a 10 qt model (maximum 4 lb flour capacity) sized for test batches. When
it comes to a test mixer, a used machine is as good as a new one since it won’t
see heavy use.
In addition, you need small utensils—an accurate
32 oz portion scale, stem thermometer, measuring spoons, bowls, and whatever items
you use for pizza baking (pans, screens, peel, etc.). If you want to take the
temperature of baked pizzas, an infrared thermometer can be handy. Generally speaking,
the best size for testing purposes is a medium pizza—in most cases, a 12-inch
round. Stock a small inventory of test ingredients—flour, yeast, salt, sugar,
etc. Use pizzeria-type supplies. For example, if you use high-gluten flour, don’t
substitute all-purpose flour in the test kitchen.
Lastly,
you need an oven. Table model pizza ovens—both gas and electric, deck and conveyor—are
available. If that’s too expensive, a small, electric single-pizza oven with a
slide-out wire rack can be used. If none of those are in the budget, use a home
oven—bake the pizza on the lowest rack. A last resort is to carry the test dough
to a pizzeria for baking, but if that’s required it would probably be more convenient
to have your test mixer there, too.
To simulate hearth baking
in a home oven you can buy a baking stone from a restaurant supply house. One
company that sells them is American Metalcraft (708-345-1177). Bake at 450 to
500 degrees F and allow at least 45 minutes for the stone to heat up. Instead
of a baking stone, some people have suggested making a baking hearth by piecing
together 6-inch square, brown quarry tiles—the same as what’s used on most restaurant
kitchen floors. However, since we don’t know what’s contained in the tile (such
as, maybe, mercury), we do not recommend using them.
Breakthroughs often come when least expected.
If you don’t know exactly what you did that caused a breakthrough, you might not
be able to repeat it. Despite how it seems at the time, later you won’t remember
exactly what you did. So, you must write things down—what you did
and what the results were of every test, no matter how insignificant it
might seem.
For record-keeping, use a 3-ring binder filled
with lined paper. Use it only for recording test information. For each batch,
use one sheet of paper and record (1) the date, (2) the exact recipe and any special
procedures, and (3) the results—including special properties of the dough and
final crust (i.e., color, rise, texture, taste, aroma). For details on doing a
baking test, see the next section. In the beginning, keeping a notebook seems
to slow down the testing process. However, in short time it becomes a valuable
resource—a guide for reviewing past tests and planning new ones.
Creating
a special recipe is like a journey—it has a starting point and destination points
along the way. In this case the starting point is your current recipe. The destination
points are each test batch. The goal of each batch is to make a small improvement
on the current recipe, which we call the best-yet recipe. If you don’t have a
current recipe, select one of the recipes provided in this chapter.
During
testing compare each test batch to the best-yet recipe. Ask yourself: “Is it better
than what I have now (the best-yet)?" If it isn’t then keep the best-yet
recipe and reject the test formula. If it is, replace the current recipe with
the new formula, which becomes the best-yet recipe used for comparing against
future test batches. By this process you proceed step-by-step toward designing
a special or improved crust.
A big challenge in recipe development
is figuring out what changes to test next. It’s a guessing game and the more guesses
(i.e., test batches) you must make, the more time and money is required. Sometimes
a test dough has one property you like and one you don’t. In that case, try to
figure out what ingredient is causing each result. This is where a knowledge of
ingredients helps a lot. By knowing what ingredients do you can often hit the
recipe mark with fewer test batches. In short, use a basic knowledge of pizza
dough technology to guide your testing and guessing.
Along with logic
we also recommend testing your whims and hunches. Logic can be helpful but since
we lack total knowledge, logic isn’t the whole answer. Some of the best breakthroughs
come from the creative side—trying a crazy idea. In addition, even when the idea
doesn’t work it often yields knowledge that’s helpful down the road.
To change the properties
of a dough or crust, change the amount of ingredients as well as the type. Keep
in mind that when making changes it’s best to change only one variable at a time.
Otherwise you won’t know how each change affects the resulting product.
For
a guide to portion amounts, use the following percentage ranges. They are expressed
as a percent of flour weight.
Ingredient Percents (compared to flour weight)
Acceptable......Typical
Range % Range %
Water
40-60 48-58
Yeast
0.5-3.0 What gives
desired rise
(compressed)
Salt
0.5-2.5 1-2
Sugar
0-10 0-5
Oil
0-30 0.5-3 lean, 4-15 rich
NFDM
0-6 0 (1-2 when used)
Eggs
0-5 0 (1-2 when used)
Egg
whites 0-2 0 (1-2 when used)
For
ideas on different ingredients review the chapter on
Dough Ingredients. Pay special attention to the parts on Supplementary
Flours & Meals; Flavorings & Colorings; and Dough Additives. In addition,
take a stroll through a supermarket looking for things that might enhance your
pizza dough. You might be surprised by how many ideas you can get. Also, for more
ideas check out pizza cookbooks for the home, such as The Pizza Book by
Evelyne Slomon, or The Great Chicago-Style Pizza Cookbook by Pat Bruno,
Jr.
Once you get the recipe
you want, convert it to large-batch size for your pizzeria mixer. You can do this
by multiplying every ingredient in the recipe by a factor. To determine the factor,
divide the total amount of flour in the large batch by that used in the test batch.
For example, if your pizzeria batch size takes 25 lb of flour and your test batch
uses 8 ounces (0.5 lb), that means the large batch is 50-times bigger than the
test batch (25 ÷ 0.5 = 50). So to convert the test batch recipe to the
large-batch recipe, you would multiply every ingredient in the test batch by 50.
In the case of teaspoon measurements, convert them to weights,
if possible, for the large recipe. To do this, determine how many level teaspoons
of an ingredient equals one ounce (weigh it out) and use that information to translate
teaspoon measures into ounces. Sometimes it helps to know that 3 teaspoons (t)
= 1 tablespoon (T).
Many pizzeria owners
think that their dough and crust problems are caused by a faulty formula when,
in fact, they’re caused by inconsistent procedure. So, by using the dough-making
tips provided in this chapter, along with knowledge that you gleaned from testing,
create a simple written procedure for making the new dough. If possible, have
it neatly printed or typeset for easy reading. Laminating helps preserve it.
Then require everyone in our dough-making staff to follow it, every time.
Recipe development requires baking test products. In addition, a baking test,
sometimes called a bake-off, is handy for evaluating a new brand of ingredient.
Here’s the guidelines for conducting a baking test. The basic procedure can be
used for any pizza component, including sauce, cheese, and topping.
First,
make two batches with identical ingredients except for the one ingredient being
tested. Change one ingredient only per test. If you make multiple changes simultaneously
you won’t know how each ingredient affected the results. One of the batches is
your current recipe and contains current ingredients—it’s called the control.
It will be used for comparison purposes. The other batch contains the new ingredient—it’s
called the test batch. Measure every ingredient using an accurate
scale or volume measure (ex. measuring cup). The following things must be identical
in both batches:
• Portion
amounts
• Temperatures
•
Mixing times
• Dough ball
weights
• Proofing times and temperatures.
Second,
prepare identical pizzas (with the only difference being the test ingredient).
Use exact portions—weigh each one. Roll the pizzas the same and apply sauce
and cheese uniformly. If you’re not testing toppings, it’s usually best to leave
them off as their distribution and flavor is sometimes hard to control. Also
they can interfere with evaluating the subtle flavors and aromas of the crust.
Third,
bake the pizzas the same. The easiest way to accomplish this is by baking them
simultaneously, next to each other.
Fourth, after baking
place the pizzas on a rack or into pizza boxes and allow them to cool for several
minutes. In other words, evaluate the pizzas under the same conditions that customers
receive the pizzas. For carry-out and delivery pizza this means after the product
has sat in a box for 10 to 15 minutes.
Fifth, analyze and
compare the crusts. To do this, cut each pizza in half. Then turn one of the halves
of each pizza upside-down. Then, using a razor blade or X-acto knife, slice each
of the upside-down halves through the bottom of the crust. Finally, examine the
cut edge. This will show you the crumb texture without it being smashed by a
cutter or teeth marks.
Examine
and compare the following things about each crust:
• Size
and uniformity of air cells (grain)
• Height of the crust
(volume)
• Crumb color (whitish, grayish, etc.)
•
Crumb texture (tough, tender, dry, moist, gummy, etc.)
•
Color of bottom crust (light, dark, uniform, etc.)
• Texture
of bottom surface (soft, crispy, crunchy, leathery, etc.)
•
Color of the collar (outer edge of crust)
• Texture of collar
(soft, tough, dry, burnt, etc.)
• Crust aroma (best perceived
at the collar)
• Flavor of the collar (with no sauce and
cheese)
• Flavor in the middle (with sauce and cheese)
•
Anything else about a crust that’s important to you.
If
you’re doing a number of tests on various ingredients you should record results
on paper, rating each of the above categories individually. If more than one
person is involved, record individual ratings and then average them for each category.
People should make their ratings before having discussion. One rating system
is 1 to 5, with 5 being excellent, 4 good, 3 fair or acceptable, 2 slightly less
than acceptable, and 1 awful or totally unacceptable.
When
done, select the crust you like most and go with that recipe, or repeat the testing
except use customers for the taste panel.
For
convenience, bakers refer to ingredient amounts in a dough formula as a percentage
of total flour weight. That means, regardless of how much flour a recipe calls
for, the flour amount is always considered to be 100 percent and every other ingredient
is referred to as a percentage thereof. For example, if a formula calls for 25
lb flour and 15 lb water, they would say that the formula consisted of 60 percent
water (15 ÷ 25 = .60 or 60%). They call this a baker’s percent. To further
illustrate, if a baker said “lower water by 5 percent,” this would mean that the
water portion should be reduced 5 percent of the weight of the flour portion called
for by the recipe.
Throughout this chapter and other chapters
on dough, whenever we mention percentages we’re referring to baker’s percents.
So keep in mind that these percents relate to a percent of the total flour
weight in the dough formula, not to a percent of total dough weight.
This section discusses pizza dough recipes and contains links to sample formulas.
Each name suggests its main feature. We recommend that you view each formula as
a starting point for development, as opposed to a final recipe. Dozens of variations
can be made on each one. To help you we have shown baker’s percents. Where a blend
of flours is used the percents are based on total flour weight, not just
white flour. (For percent purposes, a cereal meal is treated as flour.)
BATCH
SIZES. We list three batch sizes. One with a 25 lb flour portion, which can
be used with a 60 qt planetary mixer or a 40/45 qt cutter-mixer. A second one
with a 12-1/2 lb flour portion for a 30 qt planetary mixer or a 25 qt cutter-mixer.
And a third one with a 16 oz flour portion for test batches. For a batch using
50 lb flour, double the portion amounts used for the recipe with 25 lb flour.
WATER
PORTION. Bear in mind that the water portion is not a fixed amount. Vary
it as needed depending on flour protein level and your preference for soft vs.
stiff dough. The water portion in these recipes will make a soft dough.
For stiffer dough, reduce the water. Many pizzerias use about 54 to 56 percent
water for a basic lean dough, however others use less than that. Forty percent
(40 percent) of flour weight is about as low as the water portion should go. For
spinning or flipping dough, reduce it down to about 45 percent. When using
any of the following recipes for retarded (i.e., refrigerated) dough, reduce the
water portion by at least 2 percent, or by 8 oz per 25 lb of flour.
YEAST
PORTION. We set the yeast portion at 1 percent but it’s variable as well.
For example, when making retarded dough, use 0.25 percent active dry yeast, or
1 oz per 25 lb of flour, and adjust from there. In short, adjust the water and
yeast portions to achieve the amount of rise and stiffness of dough that works
best in your pizza-making system. In all recipes except one we specify regular
active dry yeast (ADY). This is the slowest acting yeast. For that reason it’s
usually the best for retarded dough. However, compressed and instant yeast may
be substituted. To use compressed yeast, use twice as much as the ADY portion.
For instant, use three-fourths as much as the ADY portion.
TYPE
OF FLOUR. Most of the recipes specify high-gluten flour. For weaker dough
and tenderer crust, substitute a lower protein flour. For example, when going
from a flour of 13 percent protein to one of 11 percent protein, reduce the water
portion by 3 percent. A few recipes call for a blend of flours. If this makes
the dough too weak or crust too mushy, try adding 1 to 2 percent vital wheat gluten,
which can be purchased as an additive.
An option not mentioned
in the recipes is baking powder. To provide added oven spring, try adding up to
0.3 percent baking powder. This amounts to about 1/2 oz per 10 lb of flour.
Baking powder tends to raise dough pH (or alkalinity) which can slow down yeast
fermentation. So additional yeast may be needed. Baking powder is suggested mainly
for fresh dough, not retarded.
Where a recipe calls for
a teaspoon (t) measure, it should be level, not rounded. Use a straight
edge to scrape it flat. To convert measurements into metric equivalents, see the
chapter on Measurements
and Conversions.
Follow the dough-making procedures
described in the Dough-making Steps section, or follow the Sample Production Procedures
given at the end of the chapter.
OPTIONAL MIXING METHOD.
For simplicity we’ve recommended the straight dough mixing method. However the
sponge method can be used on any recipe. To do it, mix the water, yeast, and 60
percent of the flour together to form a thick batter or slack dough. Allow it
to ferment for 3 to 4 hours until doubled in volume. Then add the remaining ingredients
and mix as usual. Be sure to rehydrate yeast properly. Some people think the sponge
method makes a better-tasting product. You might want to test it to see what you
think.
Pizza Dough Recipes (a.k.a. Formulas)
NOTE:
In the Dough Recipies, a small (or lower case) t means teaspoon.
A large (or capital) T means Tablespoon.
1.
All-purpose Pizza Dough recipe
2.
Fast-rising Pizza Dough recipe
3.
Easy-to-sheet Pizza Dough recipe
4.
High-browning Pizza Crust recipe
5.
Lean 'n' Chewy Pizza Crust recipe
6.
Rich 'n' Tender Pizza Crust recipe
7.
Thin 'n' Crackery Pizza Crust (stiff dough)
recipe
8. Chicago
Deep-dish Pizza Crust recipe
9.
Basic Neapolitan Pizza Crust recipe
10.
Basic Sicilian Pizza Crust recipe
11.
Whole Wheat Pizza Crust recipe
12.
Three-grain Pizza Crust recipe
13.
Higher-protein Pizza Crust recipe
14.
Herb & Wine Pizza Crust recipe
15.
Pepper-Cheese Pizza Crust recipe
16.
Beer Pizza Crust recipe
17.
Garlic & Butter Pizza Crust recipe
18.
Itialian Accent Pizza Crust recipe
19.
French Sour Dough Pizza Crust recipe
20.
Crostata Pizza Crust recipie
21.
Diet-enhanced Pizza Crustr recipe
Some
people feel retarded dough makes a better tasting crust than dough that’s mixed
and used the same day. You might want to test it to see what you think.
ONE-DAY
RETARDED SYSTEM. For most consistent crust, the best system is to mix dough
daily, one day in advance. Therefore, pizzas are being made with day-old dough
balls. Mix only enough dough to handle projected sales for the next day. If sales
exceed the projection, speed-proof some of the new dough balls (that were made
the current day) to handle the extra sales. Speed-proofing is most easily done
with a proof box. Set it for 110 to 120 degrees F. If you don’t have a proof box,
set the dough in a warm spot in the store (see the chapter on Dough
Management for more details).
A one-day retarded
dough system has a couple key advantages over both fresh dough and extended (1
to 4 day) retarded dough.
FIRST, a one-day retarded dough
system results in the greatest percentage of optimally risen pizza crusts—that
is, neither under- or over-proofed. Here’s why. With a fresh-dough system (i.e.,
made and used the same day), a high yeast level must be used for the dough to
adequately rise by time of store opening. This often results in over-risen dough
before closing time. At the other extreme, with an extended (1 to 4 day) retarded
dough system, a very low yeast level must be used to insure long dough life. This
tends to result in under-risen dough balls on the first day, properly risen on
the second day, and possibly over-risen on the third. To overcome this condition,
dough temperature must be carefully managed on almost an hourly basis. That’s
quite complex and many pizza-makers have trouble doing it.
SECOND,
a one-day retarded dough system gives a cushion for unexpected sales without
wasting dough or compromising quality. How does that happen? By making dough
one day in advance there’s always a supply of extra dough (made the current day)
in the cooler that can be speed-proofed and used if sales exceed projections.
However, with a fresh dough system an extra 5 to 10 percent must be made each
day to cover unexpected sales. This results in extra dough that must either be
discarded or else carried over to the next day, and by that time it’s over-risen.
Of course, an extended retarded dough system will provide a cushion of dough,
but packing 3 to 4 days of dough into a cooler requires a lot of space. And,
as already mentioned, it’s hard (if not impossible) to achieve a consistent rise
and uniform quality over a 1 to 4 day period with the same batch of dough. One
compromise is to adjust the yeast level so dough intended for use on the first
day has less yeast than that planned for use on the last day. However, this requires
special labeling and other complexities (see the chapter on Commissary
vs. On-site Preparation).
BLACK SPOTS. Retarded
dough that’s held for three days or longer sometimes develops little dark spots
on the surface. Such markings create concern by pizza-makers, which raises the
question “How do we get rid of them?” The solution is often clouded by the fact
that there are two types of spots: Those that appear on the top of the
dough ball (brownish-black color) and those that appear on the underside (bluish-black
color). We’ll consider each.
Regarding those on the underside,
American Institute of Baking expert Tom Lehmann suggests that spots on the bottom
surface are caused by yeast colonies that don’t completely disperse during mixing.
(Apparently the colonies die and release ammonia that discolors the dough.) It’s
noted that the spots occur more often when using instant yeast that’s added directly
to the dough without rehydrating first. The remedy is to rehydrate or dissolve
the yeast before mixing or to mix for a longer time if the yeast is added dry.
Regarding
spots on the top side, one theory is that they’re caused by small bran particles
in the flour that oxidize and turn dark. This is the more prevalent type of spot.
Although they’re harmless and disappear during baking, they often cause concern
to pizza-makers. To eliminate these spots, or to delay their appearance, lower
the dough’s pH by adding a small amount of acid ingredient, such as 2 to 4 oz
of vinegar per 25 lb flour.
Freezing
dough is an option to consider for large commissary operations, but it’s generally
unfeasible for single-unit pizzerias. First, to achieve good quality, special
freezing equipment is needed. Second, the added cost incurred in freezing can
be substantial. Third, there’s usually no reason to freeze dough since it can
be retarded for up to 3 to 4 days, which is long enough for most pizzerias.
However,
if you choose to freeze dough you should consider upping the yeast portion—as
much as twofold—the reason being that yeast dies in the freezer and the added
amount is needed to offset this occurrence. Also, some dough experts suggest that
compressed yeast is the type that works best for frozen dough. In addition you
might test adding chemical leavening. For starters, try 0.3 percent baking powder
(that’s about 1/2 oz per 10 lb flour). From there, test larger amounts up to about
2 percent of flour weight. The American Institute of Baking points out that when
using a chemical leavening, an under-mixed dough often produces better results
than a fully-mixed, or fully-developed, dough. Frozen dough can have a tendency
to bubble or “split” during baking. If this occurs, dock the flattened frozen
dough prior to bake-off.
Second, consider adding an oxidant
to the dough. This strengthens the gluten and also helps prevent weeping or stickiness
after thawing. The research department of the American Institute of Baking (AIB)
recommends a formula with 15 to 25 ppm (parts per million) of potassium bromate
or 20 to 40 ppm of ascorbic acid. To further bind the water and prevent weeping
you might test a gum-based additive.
In addition, AIB research
has found that dough mixed for a short time at medium or high speed (just long
enough for the dough to clean completely from the sides of the mixing bowl), rather
than for a long time at low speed, produces a dough that performs better after
freezing. Adjust the water temperature so dough comes from the mixer at no more
than 75 degrees F—or lower, if possible.
For best results
dough must be frozen at a temperature below 0 degrees F, with –20 to –50 degrees
being recommended. The higher the temperature, the more air flow is needed to
cool dough rapidly. And, the greater the air flow, the greater the crusting of
dough. This is one reason sub-zero temperature is needed for freezing. Allow
at least 1-inch between dough pieces for air circulation and quick freezing.
To help prevent crusting, brush or spray dough balls with oil. Exact freezing
procedure varies with the type of freezer (blast, cryogenic, or conventional).
Once frozen, a package of dough balls or rolled shells
should be tightly sealed within moisture-proof wrap to prevent freezer-burn and
absorbing odors. During storage, dough should be maintained at a constant temperature
below 0 degrees F until thawed for use. Finally, it shouldn’t be re-frozen after
thawing. (For more information on frozen crust production, contact the American
Institute of Baking – 913-537-4750.)
Because
of convenience, parbaked crust is gaining in popularity. For details on its advantages
and drawbacks see the chapter on On-site
Preparation vs. Ready-to-use. Some pizzerias buy parbaked crust, others
make their own. You probably can use your current dough recipe, although some
places include additional ingredients such as extra oil, preservative, and/or
mold inhibitor.
You can make a thin press-baked style of
parbaked crust by using one of the various models of hot presses. They vary in
production capacity and price. Generally, the dough piece must be pressed between
hot plates for about 10 to 20 seconds.
To make a thicker
pan-proofed style of parbaked crust, roll out the dough and place it in a pan.
Allow it to proof to double, or preferably triple, in height. Then, using a conveyor
oven, set the bake time for 3-1/2 minutes and adjust the temperature so that
the crust comes out as done as possible without starting to brown. In other words,
bake the crust to the point where browning almost begins. If there’s even slight
browning it’s probably over-baked. The optimum bake time depends on crust thickness,
with thicker crusts requiring more time—up to a maximum of 5 minutes.
After
baking, let the crust thoroughly cool to 70 degrees F before refrigerating and
bagging. When crusts are refrigerated before completely cooling it causes the
product to shrivel and wrinkle. If bagged when still warm it causes condensation
in the bag. To completely eliminate condensation, bagging should be performed
in the cooler.
The shelf life of parbaked crust varies depending
on the formula and how the crusts are stored. A common error is making too many
ahead, which results in using partially stale product. If stored over five days
in a refrigerator, a mold inhibitor such as sodium propionate or calcium propionate
may be needed. A key to quality parbaked crust is to experiment until you find
the best formula, procedures, bake time and temperature, then consistently
apply them to every production run. In making parbaked crust a minor variance
in procedure can cause a major change in product.
This procedure is for either a planetary mixer or a cutter-mixer.
A
key to consistent quality dough is consistent preparation procedure.
Ingredients, amounts, temperatures, times, and methods should be the same from
batch to batch and dough-maker to dough-maker. If they aren’t, your dough and
resulting crust will vary from day to day.
The basis for
consistency is a simple, clearly written procedure. With it, effective training
and implementation are possible. Without it, they’re difficult.
There
is no one best dough production procedure. Optimal procedure varies from company
to company depending on such things as type of pizza, recipe, equipment, space,
and owner preferences. So the following procedure is not given as a recommendation
but as an example. It’s meant to show how a procedure might be written, not how
dough should be made in every pizzeria. It covers a medium-volume pizzeria that
uses the dough ball method of pizza preparation, mixes with either a 45-qt cutter-mixer
or 60-qt planetary mixer, and makes retarded dough. (For details about mixers,
see the chapter on Mixers
and Food Processing Equipment. Keep in mind that times and procedures
vary between brands of cutter-mixers. This procedure happens to be written for
a Stephan, Westglen, or Berkel model.)
For illustration
we describe two options for dividing and rounding—one manual and the other with
a batch divider-rounder.
Dough-making
is the most exacting of all operations. However, by following these steps you
will make consistent quality dough and have a minimum of mistakes.
For
good dough-making you must:
• Measure portions exactly,
using a scale or measuring spoons or cups.
• Follow specified
times and temperatures.
• Work efficiently and use minimal
wasted motion.
This is the
All-purpose Dough for retarding.
INGREDIENTS
FOR ONE BATCH
25 lb
High gluten flour
14 lb
Water
1 oz
Active dry yeast
4 oz
Sugar
8 oz
Salt
40
lb 9 oz Total Batch Weight
Dough
ball weights are:
• Small ball = 10 oz (for 10-inch
diameter pizza)
• Medium ball = 13.5 oz (for 12-inch diameter
pizza)
• Large ball = 18 oz (for 14-inch diameter pizza)
One batch of dough yields:
•
65 Small dough balls
• 48 Medium dough balls
•
36 Large dough balls
1. Obtain the production figures from the manager and set up the Production
Sheet.
2. Clear the tables and work area of unneeded
items.
3. Gather utensils:
•
Two yeast water buckets
• Warm-water bucket
•
Cold-water bucket
• Water weighing bucket
•
Flour weighing bucket
• Two small ingredient weighing
buckets
• Electronic thermometer
•
Two timers
• Sharp cook’s knife (10-inch blade)
•
Plastic dough scraper
• Quart measuring cup
•
Dough trays and dollies adequate for daily production.
4. Gather ingredients:
• Flour
•
Yeast
• Salt
• Sugar
•
Vegetable oil.
5. Assemble the mixer for dough
mixing.
A) Attach the mixing bowl. Be sure
it’s locked in place on both sides and in the back.
B)
With the bowl in low position, attach the dough hook. Be sure it’s locked in place
over the shaft pin.
A) Remove the cutting shaft, if not already
removed. Be careful with the sharp blades.
B) Attach
the kneading shaft. Screw down the locking nut snugly but not overly tight. For
tightening (or removing) the locking nut, use the spanner and peg wrenches.
C)
Remove the mixing baffle, but leave on the plastic inspection cover.
D)
Tighten the locking handle and insert the locking pin.
6. Fill the warm-water bucket with 110 degrees F water (range 105 to 115
degrees). Use the thermometer to insure proper temperature.
7. Fill the cold-water bucket with 55 degrees F water (range 52 to 58 degrees).
Use the thermometer to insure proper temperature.
8.
Arrange the work area as shown by the diagram on the wall.
1. Measure one level teaspoon
of SUGAR and put it into a yeast-water bucket.
2.
Add one quart of WARM (110 degrees F) WATER to the sugar in the yeast-water
bucket.
3. Swirl the water bucket for 10 seconds
to dissolve the sugar.
4. Weigh out 1 oz of YEAST
and sprinkle it over the water. Put the yeast-water aside and set a timer for
10 minutes. (The yeast portion might need to be changed to achieve proper dough
rise.)
5. Weigh out the following ingredients.
Weight With bucket
SUGAR 4 oz ____ oz
total
SALT 8 oz ____
oz total
OIL 12 oz
____ oz total
6. Weigh out exactly 25 lb
of FLOUR. Together, the flour and flour bucket should weigh ____ lb-____ oz.
7. After ten minutes, add enough COOL WATER to the yeast water to
total 14 lb of water. The water temperature should be _____ degrees. Together,
the bucket and water (with yeast) should weigh exactly ____ lb-____ oz.
As
a guideline, water temperature with a planetary mixer would be about 75 degrees
F; with a cutter-mixer about 55 degrees F. However, optimum temperature could
be more or less, depending on a pizzeria’s dough-making system.
NOTE:
After 10 minutes the yeast water should have a tan-colored foam on top. If it
doesn’t, probably one of these problems exists: (1) yeast is old or dead, (2)
no sugar was put into the water, or salt was used in place of sugar, or (3) water
was wrong temperature. Start again and correct the problem.
We
describe two mixing options—(1) planetary mixer and (2) cutter-mixer.
1. With the bowl
in down position, add ingredients to the mixer in the following order:
•
Water (except yeast water)
• Salt and Sugar (stir
to dissolve)
• Yeast water (stir to disperse)
•
Flour
• Oil
2. Immediately
raise the bowl to the up position.
3. Set the
speed control to 1st speed.
4. Set the
timer for 1 minute, then turn on the mixer.
5.
After a minute of mixing, turn off the mixer (if it doesn’t shut off automatically).
With the mixer off, set the speed control to 2nd speed.
6. Set the timer for 8 minutes, then turn on the mixer. (NOTE: Mixing
time varies with stiffness of dough—stiffer dough requires less time. See the
Mixing section for guidelines. Also, when re-starting a mixer with stiff dough,
first lower the bowl, then turn on the mixer, and finally raise the bowl with
the mixing shaft turning. This puts less strain on the machine.)
7. When done mixing, lower the mixing bowl, then detach and remove the dough
hook.
8. Lift out the dough and place it into
a dough tray on the table. To do that, some people place a dough tray in front
of the mixing bowl and pull the dough out of the bowl and into the tray. If the
dough is too heavy to handle in one piece, cut it in half and remove it in two
pieces.
9. Re-attach the dough hook.
10. When finished making dough, clean the mixer. (For a cleaning procedure,
see the section on the Planetary Mixer in the Mixers
and Food Processing Equipment chapter.)
1. Add ingredients to the
mixer in the following order:
• Water (except yeast
water)
• Salt and Sugar (stir to dissolve)
•
Yeast water (stir to disperse)
• Flour
•
Oil
2. Immediately prepare the cutter-mixer for
mixing:
A) Close the lid and lock the bowl latch.
B)
Close the plastic inspection cover.
C) Tighten the locking
handle and insert the locking pin.
3. Mix on LOW
speed for 2 minutes exactly. Turn on the cutter-mixer to low speed by pushing
the handle ONE notch away from you (or by pressing the start button). Watch the
clock and do NOT leave the machine during mixing. After mixing 2 minutes, turn
off the mixer by pulling the handle back. If the machine has a timer with shut-off
feature, this can be used in place of watching the clock. (NOTE: Mixing time varies
with stiffness of dough—stiffer dough requires less time. See the Mixing section
for guidelines. Also, the 2 minute mixing time is for Robot Coupe, Stephan, Westglen,
and Berkel cutter-mixers. A Hobart model would require about 3 minutes.)
4. Place an empty dough tray between the mixer legs.
5. Open the lid.
6. While holding the bowl
latch with your left hand, remove the locking pin and loosen the locking handle
with your right hand.
7. Grasping the bowl latch
in your right hand and the cover knob in your left, slowly tip the bowl until
the dough almost falls out. Then, with your right hand, tighten the locking handle.
Position the dough tray so the dough will fall into the center of the tray.
8. With both hands, pull the dough from the bowl into the tray.
9. Loosen the locking handle and upright the bowl. Tighten the locking handle
and insert the locking pin.
10. Pick up the dough
tray and put it on the table. To avoid back fatigue, keep your back as
upright as possible, bend at the knees, and LIFT WITH YOUR LEGS, not your back.
If a 40 lb weight is too heavy for you, procure help and lift the tray with another
person, or cut the dough piece in half and remove it in two pieces.
11. With the thermometer, check the dough temperature. It should be between
75 to 80 degrees F. If it’s over 80 degrees, add ice to the cold water
in subsequent batches to reduce its temperature to 40 degrees. If the dough comes
from the mixer over 90 degrees, inform the manager and ask what to do with the
batch. Factors that can cause dough to be over 80 degrees include: (a) water that’s
too warm, (b) flour that’s too warm (caused by hot air temperature), and (c) over-extended
mixing.
12. When finished making dough, clean the
cutter-mixer. (For a cleaning procedure, see the Cutter-mixer section in the Mixers
and Food Processing Equipment chapter.)
For illustration we describe
two dividing and rounding options—(1) manually and (2) with a batch divider-rounder.
1. Using a sharp cook’s
knife and scale, cut off dough pieces of proper weight. The total number of dough
balls to produce is shown on the production report. The weights are:
•
Small ball = 10 oz (range 9-1/2 to 10-1/2 oz)
•
Medium ball = 13.5 oz (range 13 to 14 oz)
•
Large ball = 18 oz (range 17-1/2 to 18-1/2 oz)
On
an electronic scale, the weight ranges are:
•
Small ball = .60 to .66 lb
• Medium ball
= .82 to .88 lb
• Large ball = 1.10 to
1.16 lb
2. After scaling enough pieces for one
tray, form each piece into a ball by stretching the outside surface down and tucking
it into one spot. (For a demonstration, ask the manager.)
3. Place the ball into the dough tray with the tucked spot down. Flatten
it by pushing down with the palm of your hand.
4.
In a tray, put 11 small balls, 8 medium, or 6 large. Arrange them according
to the Tray Arrangement diagram on the wall. Allow 1-1/2 to 2 inches between balls
and between balls and the side of the tray.
5. Stack
the filled trays on a dough tray dolly.
(This
begins after unloading dough from the mixer.)
NOTE:
If two persons are making dough, one can be mixing a second batch while the second
is performing steps 1 to 3.
1. Using a sharp
cook’s knife and scale, weigh out _____ lb-_____ oz dough pieces.
2. Form each piece into a ball by stretching the outside surface down and
tucking it into one spot. (For a demonstration, ask the manager.) Place two balls
on a sheet tray and stack them on a rack.
3. Allow
the balls to rest for 8 to 10 minutes. After that, place a tray of two balls on
the table. Use the oldest dough first.
4. Keeping
the ball as round as possible, transfer a ball from the tray to the center of
a pallet (that goes into the divider-rounder). If the ball is not round, gently
push it into a round form. Do not try to re-ball it.
5. With the palms of your hands, flatten the ball by pushing in the center
and then working toward the outside, flattening it as you go. When done flattening
it should fill the circle on the pallet. The dough should be of uniform thickness—no
hills and valleys. (If the dough doesn’t flatten easily, allow it to rest 3 to
4 minutes longer.)
6. Place the pallet into the
divider-rounder, taking care to center it in the machine. (If it’s not centered
it will damage the machine.)
7. Activate the divider-rounder.
(Follow manufacturer’s instructions, or ask the manager for a demonstration.
With a semi-automatic machine the operator would pull down on a bar for about
10 seconds.)
8. Remove the pallet and place it
on the table. It should contain fully-rounded dough balls.
9. Place the balls into a dough tray. Using both hands, transfer two balls
at the same time.
10. In a tray, put 11 small balls,
8 medium, or 6 large. Arrange them according to the Tray Arrangement diagram on
the wall. Allow 1-1/2 to 2 inches between balls and between balls and the side
of the tray.
11. Stack the filled trays on a dough
tray dolly.
1. After balling up one to three
batches, roll the stack of trays into the walk-in cooler. Criss-cross the trays
to allow for rapid cooling of the balls. Stack them on top of a dolly. Put a note
on the top tray showing the time the dough trays should be nested. The nesting
time should be the current time plus 1 hour.
2. Set
a timer for one hour.
3. After one hour, check
the temperature of a dough ball with the thermometer. If it’s colder than 55 degrees
F, nest the criss-crossed trays. If it’s above 55 degrees, leave the trays criss-crossed
for another 30 minutes. When nesting the trays make sure they fit together tightly.
To prevent the top dough from crusting, place an empty dough tray on top of the
stack. DO NOT MIX DIFFERENT SIZE BALLS IN A STACK.
Quality is the cornerstone
of our success. And a good crust is the foundation of our pizza quality. To make
a good crust we start with a quality dough ball.
A
QUALITY DOUGH BALL IS FIVE THINGS:
1. Round
2. Proper weight
3. Containing proper ingredients
and amounts
4. No crusting
5. Neither over-risen nor under-risen.
PRODUCTION STANDARDS
In
addition to quality, our success depends on how well we curb cost inflation. We
control our costs by meeting or exceeding our production standards. Our production
standard for dough is at least two batches of dough per labor hour. That
includes set-up, scaling, mixing, dividing and rounding, and refrigerating. Clean-up
time after dough production is one-half labor hour. This includes cleaning the
mixer, utensils, and work area.
Instead of scaling ingredients before each batch of dough is made, it’s possible
for a pizzeria to make mix packets in advance. A packet consists of all
the dry ingredients for one batch of dough. This approach has several advantages.
First, critical ingredient scaling can be done by one careful person, rather than
by several persons. This reduces the chance of scaling error. Second, when it’s
time to mix dough it can be done more quickly and easily. Third, it’s easier to
keep the dough recipe a secret. In effect, this procedure is a way for a pizzeria
to gain some of the benefits of a mix without incurring the cost attached to buying
a pre-prepared product. Here’s how it can be done.
Once
a week a person makes dough packets. For each packet, all the dry ingredients
for a batch of dough are measured and put into a plastic bag or airtight container.
Flour is measured first followed by other ingredients. Although they need not
be evenly dispersed, the small ingredients should be stirred into the flour (for
about 5 seconds) rather than left sitting on top. This should be done after all
ingredients have been scaled. To increase efficiency and reduce chance of error,
use a “mass production” approach. To do that, first scale the flour for a number
of packets (say, ten), then scale the salt for all the packets, then the yeast,
and so forth. When adding yeast to a mix, use instant dry yeast as opposed
to regular active dry yeast. For further information on using instant yeast in
a pre-prepared mix, you might contact your instant yeast manufacturer.
If
the pizzeria has a cutter-mixer a slightly different approach can be used. Put
the cutting shaft (with the sharp knife blades) into the mixer. For a 40/45 qt
size mixer, empty 25 lb of flour into the bowl. Then add the appropriate amount
of dry ingredients. The oil or shortening can be added also. Blend the ingredients
by running the mixer for 30 seconds on low speed. Finally, put each portion into
a plastic bag or airtight container.
Enough packets should
be made to supply the upcoming seven days (longer than that is not advised as
yeast can diminish in potency and oil can turn rancid). The bag or container should
be tightly sealed with as little air left inside as possible, and stored in a
cool (70 degrees F) place. If there’s a problem with oil turning rancid, store
the packets in a walk-in refrigerator. To allow them to warm up, each day bring
out what will be used the following day. For a mix packet the best yeast is instant
dry yeast as it doesn’t need rehydrating before mixing.
However,
to achieve uniform dispersion of yeast in a stiff dough (46 percent or less water)
or a short-mixed dough such as occurs when mixing in a VCM, it may be necessary
to exclude the yeast from the mix and, instead, rehydrate it in a pint of 100
degree F water for 5 minutes prior to mixing. If this procedure is applied, any
type of yeast may be used (compressed, active dry, or instant). Add the yeast
water to the dough water before adding to the mixer.
Any
type of mixer can be used for making dough with mix packets. Here’s the procedures
for a planetary mixer and for a cutter-mixer.
1. Add a packet of dry ingredients
to the mixer.
2. Run the mixer on low speed for
30 seconds to blend the ingredients.
3. If oil
or shortening are called for in the recipe, and were not previously added to the
mix, make a depression in the center of the flour, add the oil or shortening
into the depression, then run the mixer for another 30 seconds.
4. Add the water and other liquids called for in the recipe. For slow fermentation
action, use 55 to 65 degree F water; for moderately fast action, use 75 to 85
degree water; for very fast action, use 95 to 105 degree water.
5. Set the timer and run the mixer for the required length of time. See
the Mixing section for time recommendations.
1. Add the water (usually 55 to
75 degrees F) to the mixer, along with any other liquids called for in the recipe.
NOTE: To achieve proper rehydration of yeast in stiff dough (i.e., less than 46
percent water) or dough that’s mixed with cold water (65 degrees or less), it
may be necessary to rehydrate the yeast in a pint of 100 degree water—in which
case the yeast must be excluded from the dry mix.
2.
Add a packet of dry ingredients.
3. If oil
or shortening are called for by the recipe, and were not previously added to the
mix, add it on top of the flour.
4. Set the timer
and run the mixer for the required length of time. See the Mixing section for
time recommendations.
WATER MEASUREMENT. To make for easy
water measurement, mark a level line on a glass or plastic container to
show where the proper amount of water comes. Then, instead of weighing water,
measure it by volume. To easily achieve a consistent temperature, use a water-heating
machine which dispenses water at a set temperature. Contact a coffee urn company
(ex., Bunn-O-Matic) for information on such a machine.
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