Thinner pizza crust.


 
Richard in NS said:
Make sure the sticks have been split first though. I was using the chop saw to cut round sticks and one rolled, binding the blade. It broke off the back guide on the saw and broke the cast motor housing. An Expensive bucket of wood chunks. I now clamp them in the workmate and cut them with the reciprocating saw.
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What do you mean by split first?

These are the wood logs and saw that I have.

Will this saw work on these logs?P1054449.JPG
 
Reading about people using rolling pins for pizza dough hurts my heart. I probably use a different dough recipe every time but still get a nice Neapolitan style crust. I just google "Neapolitan Pizza Dough" make one that looks good.

Technique is more important than recipe, as is the case with most cooking. This video was the first that came up on a quick search. Most every video on opening up a pizza dough will use the 1/4-turn method for stretching the dough. I'm guessing if you go to your favorite pizza parlor, you'll see the same technique (unless your favorite pizza parlor is Dominos or Pizza Hut).

 
Matthew Turner said:
Reading about people using rolling pins for pizza dough hurts my heart. I probably use a different dough recipe every time but still get a nice Neapolitan style crust. I just google "Neapolitan Pizza Dough" make one that looks good.

Technique is more important than recipe, as is the case with most cooking. This video was the first that came up on a quick search. Most every video on opening up a pizza dough will use the 1/4-turn method for stretching the dough. I'm guessing if you go to your favorite pizza parlor, you'll see the same technique (unless your favorite pizza parlor is Dominos or Pizza Hut).

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For high hydration dough like Neo, NY, etc, hand stretch is cake, if the yeast has given proper time to work. But for low hydration thin crusts, rolling is the only way. Different strokes for different doughs.
 
You can't toss and stretch low hydration dough recipes for thin cracker crust. It's a different dough altogether. About the consistency of modeling clay. They tend to be in the 40% hydration area as opposed to Neo and NY (what most people think traditional pizza dough is) up in the 60%+ range. It's just not physically possible to toss or hand pull doughs with 40% hydration. They just crumble and break apart. The goal of a low hydration dough is a crisp, cracker-like crumb, all the way to the middle. Apples vs oranges.
 
Yeah, I use my rolling pin for literally dozens of applications. Chuck is right.

No question that hand pulled is best, but my pin is indispensible.
 
Chuck-roaniecowpony said:
For high hydration dough like Neo, NY, etc, hand stretch is cake, if the yeast has given proper time to work. But for low hydration thin crusts, rolling is the only way. Different strokes for different doughs.
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A cracker-thin crust is a whole different animal. Not sure that's what the OP was going for given his pics but still valid. FWIW, probably my least favorite crust genre. Not because I don't like a well-executed cracker thin crust but because I haven't had very many that are good. Pizza toppings are wet. Crackers are not. It takes considerable attention to detail to do well, and restaurant-grade sheeter helps too.
 
Matthew Turner said:
A cracker-thin crust is a whole different animal. Not sure that's what the OP was going for given his pics but still valid. FWIW, probably my least favorite crust genre. Not because I don't like a well-executed cracker thin crust but because I haven't had very many that are good. Pizza toppings are wet. Crackers are not. It takes considerable attention to detail to do well, and restaurant-grade sheeter helps too.
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If you are having trouble with a soggy center of your pie, try brushing lightly (I like extremely lightly) the skin with EVOO, in the area to be sauced. I have taken to doing this SOP for my Neo pies. Works on cracker too.

I like eating thin cracker crust pies, but not so much, making them. Neo is my pleasure, making and eating.
 
M Andreyka said:
Here is my go to recipe, use a good bread flour like King Arthur
Dough

Makes 4 skins about 400g for 14” pizzas
Notes: water 65 degrees
Power flour or bread flour,
Water and salt in first, then add flour and yeast. Add oil after shaggy then mix on speed 2 for 6 minutes. Cut and ball and oil right away and into storage bags. Refrigerate for 48 hours

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Store the 4 balls separately (in separate storage bags), right?
 
Tim Campbell said:
I made this dough recently, and it was easily the best dough I've ever made at home. Thank you so much for sharing this. It made 4 fantastic dough balls; pizza turned out fantastic.
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@Tim Campbell, @M Andreyka

The dough balls are in the fridge now, in their separate bags.

Question: Is the dough going to feel less sticky in 2 days? Right now, it feels very sticky.

I used the weights that were in the recipe across all ingredients.

When I first started trying dough recipes in 2016, I encountered a problem of dough being too sticky, and not being able to transfer it from my pizza peel, onto the heated steel.

No amount of cornmeal and flour dusting of the peel solved this. Using parchment paper on the peel, then sliding the paper onto the steel, wasn't a solution that really worked either.

So I started trying lower hydration recipes, something closer to 50-52%.

That solved that. I could then slide the dough onto the cornmeal dusted peel, reasonably well. Not perfect, but doable.

Since this was the first time trying this recipe, I wanted to follow it as was.

I just hope I'm not resurfacing a problem from a few years ago, which I seemed to have gotten past.

@Tim Campbell , how did you get your dough onto the Emile Henry stone, did you use a peel? Did you have any concerns about the dough being sticky, when you first made it and stored it?
 
Hi Arun,

I've done it a couple ways. Cornmeal doesn't always work for me. When it doesn't, I use a circle of parchment and pull it out one minute into the cook.

I've also tried assembling the pizza directly on the hot stone. Mostly a fail.
 
Tim Campbell said:
Hi Arun,

I've done it a couple ways. Cornmeal doesn't always work for me. When it doesn't, I use a circle of parchment and pull it out one minute into the cook.

I've also tried assembling the pizza directly on the hot stone. Mostly a fail.
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Thanks, I might have to do this. When I previously tried the parchment paper years ago, I don't think I pulled it once the cook started. Maybe this would help, if the dough feels too sticky.

I know I can't assemble the pizza on the hot steel, that's going to lead to spills or other spacing problems. I'll have the steel heating up on my WSM, with a Kettle Pizza add on.

The general assembly that's worked for me, after the steel is heated, is to assemble the pizza in the house, transfer it onto the peel, then slide it off the peel onto the steel. Maybe I'll need to re-introduce the parchment paper this time, since it worked for you, it could work for me this time.
 
Good luck...give it a shot. There are much better pizza makers here than me for sure. I just kind of dialed-in to a groove years back and it works for the family.

When I cook it on the Performer (usually using just Kingsford), I pull the parchment in like 30 seconds. On the gasser or indoor oven, I pull the parchment about 1 minute in.

Post your results when you can...psyched to see how it turns out for you.
 
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