Secrets to the Ultimate Pizza Dough

Great pizza begins with perfect pizza dough and if you think perfect pizza dough requires tossing skills and a wood-fired oven, you’re mistaken. While there’s no single key to making great pizza dough, there are several secrets that when used together, produce ultimate pizza dough every time.

Set your goal to make an awesome pizza, even if you’ve never made home-made pizza before. Everything you read suggests something different whether it’s what type of flour is best, how long to knead the dough, or what kind of pan to use; Secrets to Ultimate Pizza Dough is going to break it all down to a simple pizza dough science. Call it pizza myth busters.

The most common mistake made with pizza dough is using straight all-purpose flour. Perfect pizza dough begins with a blend of quality, high-protein all-purpose flour and wheat flour with a 3:1 ratio of all-purpose flour to wheat flour. Wheat flour adds flavor and improves the texture and elasticity of the dough.

The primary ingredient responsible for pizza dough rising is yeast that has been activated and dissolved thoroughly. Water that is 110 degrees Fahrenheit should be used to dissolve yeast. Yeast that has not been fully activated and dissolved results in dough that is flat, bland and chewy. Using a thermometer isn’t a bad idea as yeast mixed with liquids of 115 degrees Fahrenheit will kill the yeast.

Mixing dry and wet ingredients also pose problems for many pizza makers, or so they think. Once you’ve combined wet and dry ingredients together, if the result is dough that is too sticky, don’t toss it out; by all means add more flour.

Before you leave the pizza dough to rise and do its thing, brush the top and sides generously with olive oil. This will keep the dough supple and easy to handle when you get ready to knead. Allow the dough to rise until it has almost doubled in bulk; depending on the room temperature, this could take two to four hours. Keep in mind that cold kitchens adversely affect the rising process; dough much prefers a warm environment.

Hand kneading or kneading with a mixer? Which is the best? Either will knead successfully, the key is to be able to identify when to stop kneading. When the pizza dough reaches a consistency that is smooth, elastic, and sticky, you know it has been kneaded long enough. Over-kneading results in a hard, tough pizza crust.

While tossing pizza dough stretches and establishes elasticity, it is somewhat of an art that can be accomplished with practice. Is it necessary to toss pizza dough in order to have awesome pizza? No. In fact, rolling pizza dough onto parchment paper with saran wrap placed on top allows for an even crust that is easy and technique-free.

A pizza stone has such a positive effect on pizza dough, that nothing really warrants not using one. The thickness of the stone allows for consistent and even baking which is crucial with yeast-driven breads. The stone provides ‘heavier’ heat under the crust encouraging the dough to rise slowly and evenly.

Baking pizza dough in the bottom third section of the oven is recommended. A first bake at a high temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit for seven minutes or so will lightly brown the crust and help to prevent pizza toppings from making the dough soggy. After toppings are added, return to a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven until cheese is melted and toppings are done.

While these tips are the backbone of awesome pizza crust, one final suggestion for making the best home-made pizza ever, is to use high-quality cheese. One word for low-quality cheese on pizza equals grease, so don’t ruin a perfect pizza crust with cheap cheese.

Reference: What’s Cooking America.Net