Measuring is crucial: Generally
people measure by weight rather then in cups or tablespoons because
flour can be tricky.
Temperature Matters:
The ambient temperature in you kitchen will impact the flavor and
texture of your dough. You should consider temperature when determining
rising times and yeast proofing.
Track Everything:
Dough makes the pizza and it is difficult to make consistently. As
such, consider keeping a spreadsheet or some documentation. You never
know when you will hit that perfect dough that you will want to replicate.
Storing Pizza Dough:
Homemade pizza dough may be frozen. Place the dough in the freezer
in a lightly oiled freezer bag. Once frozen, it will last for several
weeks if not longer. To use the pizza dough, place it covered in a
bowl on your counter. The cover will keep your pizza dough from developing
a disgusting layer of crust.
Know Your Flour:
There are several types of flour with differing levels of protein.
Proteins are related to gluten, which holds the pizza together and
gives it that chewy characteristic. The more protein in the flour
the better suited the flour is for pizza making.
Flour |
Protein |
Pizza
Suitability |
00 |
14% |
Best |
Whole Wheat |
14% |
Poor |
Bread |
12-13% |
Excellent |
All Purpose |
9-12% |
Good |
Self-Rising |
9-11% |
Poor |
Pastry |
8-9% |
Poor |
Cake |
5-8% |
Poor |
Know Your Water:
Tap Water - Water directly taken from your tap. Generally
this is ordinary city water and may be treated with chemicals to remove
unwanted minerals, bacteria or germs. Some cities add fluoride and
other chemicals for public health. It is important to know what is
in your water, because those minerals and chemicals will be in your
pizza and will have an impact on the flavor, taste and makeup of your
dough. Most cities have a web site to help determine chemical and
mineral contents of your water.
Mineral Water - Water with minerals added (or occurring
naturally) which add flavor or some therapeutic value. Sometimes people
will refer to mineral water to describe carbonated water, however
not all mineral water is carbonated.
Distilled Water - This is water that has been boiled
and had the steam collected and cooled. This removes many of the minerals
from the water and many of the flavors as well. For Pizza, this will
work, but you will lose some of the regional flavor that makes your
pizza your own. I would only use distilled if my city had nasty water.
With a little practice and a lot of eating, you too
can make terrific pizza doughs from scratch. Here are some sample pizza
dough recipes to help get you started.
