Is Pizza Yeast Special?


is pizza yeast special

Yeast is an important ingredient in pizza dough. It’s responsible for the fermentation process, which helps to create a light and airy dough that can be topped with anything from cheese to vegetables. But when it comes down to yeast, what are you looking for? There are a variety of types available at your local grocery store or bakery. And some have even been specially formulated specifically for pizza making!

Another really key aspect to yeast in pizza dough making is using the right amount. Careful measuring is essential to ensure that your dough will rise properly and have the right texture. Also the pH levels of the water you use can effect the results of your dough.

If you’re looking for a little more flavor, there are also yeast varieties available with different flavors like garlic or onion.

If it’s pizza night at home tonight but don’t know what type of yeasts to use in order make an amazing crust then check out this article.

Which Yeast Is Best For Pizza?

Most people think yeast is yeast but you can buy yeast that is specially formulated for pizza making. This yeast is called “pizza” or sometimes “bread machine” and it has a higher percentage of active dry baker’s, which makes the dough rise faster than regular bread-making yeasts do.

The difference between these two types can be seen in their rising times: if you use standard baking/dough raising time (about an hour) then your pizzas will have more air bubbles because they’ve had longer to ferment.

Ideally you want a yeast that will make your dough rise quickly so it can be cooked before the yeast has time to ferment.

The best type of pizza/bread machine yeasts are those that have a higher percentage active dry baker’s, which makes them more suitable for quick rising times and will produce less air bubbles in finished pizzas because they’ve had shorter fermentation periods than standard baking or bread-making types do – but you’ll need an additional ingredient called “filler” (usually sugar) if using this kind as well.

What Is Special About Pizza Yeast?

So if making pizza dough ideally we want to use pizza yeast but what makes pizza yeast so special?

Pizza yeast is a type of dry active baker’s yeasts that have been specially developed for making pizza dough. They are usually in the form of packets, jars and sometimes loose-leaf varieties too which can be added to flour when kneading it into your own homemade pizzas from scratch!

The best types will make quick rising times so you don’t need long fermentation periods – but they’ll require an additional ingredient called “filler” (usually sugar) if using this kind as well because standard baking/bread machine kinds take longer fermentations than these do before their finished product has risen enough).

Pizza Yeast also needs less time at high temperatures during cooking compared with other breads like bagels etc.

Can Pizza Yeast Be Used For Bread?

I’m often asked if pizza yeast can be used for bread. The answer is yes, but it will need to ferment at a higher temperature than normal because the dough needs more time and heat in order to get enough rise before its baked.

Pizza yeast also has less gluten so you’ll want an extra egg or two added if using this kind of pizza yeast. Just like with other types that are only used by bakers who make their products on site (rather then those sold pre-packaged). This type should last about six months.

How Long Does Pizza Yeast Last?

All yeast has shelf life and pizza yeast is no different. The shelf life of this type will vary depending on the manufacturer, but it should last about six months if stored in a cool dry place like your pantry or fridge (not freezer).

Its important to only use yeast that is fresh because it will have a better rise and flavor.

Pizza dough is obviously an important element of pizza making, but yeast can be just as vital to the final product if not more so then other ingredients like flour or water! Yeast needs heat in order for its natural enzymes that break down starches into sugars which are used to create a good structure to the dough and give it a nice fluffy texture.

Yeast is also responsible for the flavor and aroma of pizza dough, so its important to use fresh yeast if you want your pizzas tasting their best. If stored correctly in an airtight container with some sugar or honey as food source then this type can last up six months without any issues at all.

What Type of Yeast do Professional Pizza Chefs Use?

Professional pizza chefs use a type of yeast called “compressed fresh cake” or CFC. This is the most common form used in professional kitchens and it has been specifically designed for pizzas, breads with long fermentation periods like sourdough starters as well other types that need to be fermented at low temperatures.

Most home cooks use a different type of yeast called “active dry yeast” or ADY. This is the most common type of commercial grade, so it’s also what you’ll find in grocery stores and supermarkets.

A third option for home cooks are instant yeasts which have been designed to be mixed with water before adding them into a dough mixture.

It is possible to buy fresh live yeast which is a type of yeast that is alive and can be used to make dough.

This has the advantage over ADY or instant yeasts because it will produce more bubbles in your pizza crust, giving you an extra crispy base with lots air pockets for maximum flavor release.

The only challenge with using fresh live yeast is that its much harder to find and it can be expensive. If you do have access, then this type of dough will produce a better tasting pizza.

Conclusion

Yeast is an important aspect to making pizza dough. There are three types of yeast that can be used to make pizza dough: active dry, instant and fresh live. Active Dry Yeast is the most common type found in grocery stores but it produces less bubbles than other yeasts which means a denser crust with little air pockets for flavor release.

Fresh live yeast makes a great pizza dough. It is more difficult to find and can be expensive. It produces the best tasting pizza dough with lots of air pockets for maximum flavor release, but it’s hard enough just finding fresh live yeast let alone trying out a new recipe.

If you have to go with ADY then choosing a pizza specific brand like Red Star or Fleischmann’s is a good idea. They have higher levels of yeast than other brands and the dough will rise better with more bubbles for flavor release.

It does often boil down to what is easy to get in your area. If you can find fresh live yeast then it’s the best choice but as we have said it can be expensive and also tends to come in large blocks with a limited shelf life. So bear that in mind before you buy it. If you only make pizzas occasionally then this might be a waste.

Pizza Oven vs Oven

pizza oven v oven

Many people dream of owning a pizza oven but in reality, this isn’t always possible. But that doesn’t mean that you cannot make tasty pizza at home. It is perfectly possible to cook pizza in convection ovens and a lot of people do this.

But the question still remains; what is better, a wood fired pizza oven or your home oven? In short, both types of oven are great for making pizza but it largely depends on the type of pizza that you will be making. Some are more suited to a wood fired oven whereas others would only burn in this extremely heated environment. If you want to make the best pizza possible, it is vital that you choose the right appliance for baking it.

In this guide, we will be taking a look at the pros and cons of both and discovering which will give you the best pizza.

How Is A Pizza Oven Different From A Regular Oven?

If you have ever used a wood fired pizza oven then you will know that the cooking time is massively reduced and this is the main difference between a wood fired pizza oven and your regular home oven.

The reason for this is that the temperatures inside a brick oven are massively hotter than the heat in convection ovens. As soon as the pizzas land on the wood oven floor, the residual heat begins cooking them from the bottom up, giving you a crust that is fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside.

If you prefer the thin crust pizza style, the wood fired oven will deliver this perfectly and is one of the reasons that you will see a wood fired oven being used in a pizza restaurant.

Another key difference between brick ovens and normal cooking ovens found in the kitchen of almost every home cook is that you end up with a different flavor. This has nothing to do with the temperatures in the oven but more in the way that the cooking happens.

You see, the cooking environment in a wood fired pizza oven is filled with wood smoke and this caramelises the pizzas, thus changing the overall flavor of the pie.

The appearance of the pizzas is vastly different when cooking in a wood fired oven compared to a gas oven. If you have ever seen a traditional Italian pizza, you will know that they have a kind of spotted appearance. This is known as leopard spotting and is one of the key differences of a cooking a pizza in a wood fired oven.

Finally, since the temperatures are dramatically difference in a wood deck oven, this causes what is known as oven spring which is where the faster cooking causes the crust to rise making it larger. You may be familiar with this when going to a pizza restaurant where the crusts look incredibly fluffy and this is something that a lot of domestic cooks strive to achieve.

Which Type Of Oven Is Best For Pizza?

The types of oven that are used for cooking pizza do vary. There is no denying that deck ovens give beautifully cooked pizza but that isn’t to say that you gas oven won’t come in handy, especially if you use a pizza stone.

If you are cooking an NY style pizza then using a gas oven may work better. In this case, you would increase the cooking time and end up with a thick, fluffy crust that can be loaded with your favorite toppings.

Furthermore, a gas oven will have far more benefits than a wood pizza oven when making a Detroit pizza. This is because the temperature in wood pizza ovens is far too high for the thickness of this pizza. Various places will cook them differently but on the whole, a Detroit pizza will be anywhere between 1/2 inch and an inch thick. Putting this into a pizza oven would burn the base before the inner parts were properly cooked.

But it doesn’t need to be a huge task, the answer is to bake the pizza at a lower temperature such as those created in your regular kitchen oven.

However, for other types of pizza, wood fired ovens tend to produce the best results. Again, this is in relation to the temperature inside a wood fired brick oven which the heating element in a gas oven simply couldn’t reach.

This is especially important if you want to make Neapolitan pizza. The only way to get a great result with this type of pizza is by cooking them in wood fired ovens. This is because this very thin pizza requires fast cooking at a high heat. Even the smallest temperature change can drastically alter the end result, with Neapolitan pizzas that have not been cooked correctly being too dry and lacking in flavor.

Although with all of this in mind, some pizza companies will use conveyor ovens. Conveyor ovens are great when there are a lot of hungry customers clamoring for a delicious pizza. They feature conveyors that move the pizzas through the radiant heat of the oven cooking them quickly which is super convenient for a restaurant.

That being said, we would still back using wood fired pizza ovens as this is all part of the fun of recreating an authentic experience.

Why Are Pizza Ovens Better?

Some people will always prefer brick ovens to a regular oven and this is largely down to personal preference. While we do love cooking in a an outdoor oven, neither type is superior as they both serve different functions. However, there are some things that set wood fired ovens apart from the rest.

As we have discovered, the hear inside a wood fired pizza oven is far hotter than that of gas ovens. The maximum heat will depend on the fuel source but in the main, you would use wood.

The type of wood that you use will affect the heat, the flavor and the burn time but the great things about wood fired ovens is that once the heat subsides and you have finished making pizza, the oven will remain warm enough to slow cook other foods for a good 24 hours. This makes them very diverse and convenient to use.

What’s more, when you cook pizza in a wood fired pizza oven, you end up with a much more even result. While the baking time may only be a few minutes, the high temperature under the base cooks the dough quickly while the heat around the top of the oven will cook the toppings. This is not possible in gas ovens and unless you use a preheated stone, you will find that the food doesn’t cook as evenly.

That being said, one of the major benefits of the stone is that it can somewhat mimic the conditions of a wood fired oven.

One of the main problems with a gas or electric oven is that they need to cook the pizza for a long time. As a result of this, the dough tends to dry out leaving you with crusts that are more crunchy and brittle than crisp and delicious like the New York pizzas you are used to eating in your favorite pizza chains.

Conclusion

The science of making pizza is something that chefs all over the world have been trying to perfect for years. There are many different styles of pizza, each with their own unique taste and texture.

Some of these can be successfully cooked in an electric or gas oven and have an excellent quality, especially when cooked on a baking stone. However, there are a few types of pizza that have to be cooked in pizza ovens to get the best result. Most importantly, Neapolitan pizza must always be cooked in a pizza oven in order to get the taste and texture that is so commonly associated with this style.

If you want to enjoy a very traditional and authentic pizza experience, then used a wood fired pizza oven is one of the best ways. But a lot of home chefs do not have access to pizza ovens and that’s OK, especially if you want to make NY or Detroit pizza as these won’t be well in a wood pizza oven.

Best Water For Pizza Dough | Does It Make Any Difference?


best water for pizza dough

The type of water you use to make pizza dough can affect how it tastes and bakes. It is important to know what the different types of water do to your dough, so that you are able to produce a high quality pizza time after time. We will cover off on the difference in taste between hard and soft water, as well as the effect it has on yeast levels in your dough.

Does Water Make A Difference In Pizza Dough?

Water is an important ingredient in pizza dough. It affects how it tastes and bakes, so knowing what type of water to use can be a big help when making your pizzas time after again!

The first thing you need know about different types or levels on pH for this post are that hard water has a higher pH than soft ones (usually around 12-14).

Hard water usually contains more minerals like calcium carbonate which make them alkaline while softer sources tend towards neutrality with less mineral content – they’re not as acidic but also don’t give off any extra yeast nutrients.

It makes a difference which type of water you use because it can affect the taste and consistency of your pizza dough.

In general, hard water is better for yeast-based recipes like breads while soft sources are best to use with quickbread or cake mixes that don’t need as much leavening agent (like baking powder).

This means it’s important not only what type you have but also how long ago a particular source has been used in order get consistent results when making pizzas!

So if one batch turns out different than another – check which kind was being added this time around first before looking at anything else because there might be an easy fix right on hand without having any other changes made between batches…just change up where they’re getting their H20 from next round instead so everything comes out consistently for you.

What Does Water Do To Pizza Dough?

When you add water to the flour it starts a process in the dough called hydration. This process is what makes the dough pliable and stretchy, which can make it difficult to work with if you have a low water content in your flour mixture or too much liquid added at once without adding more dry ingredients as well (which will cause an imbalance).

The type of pizza that’s being made also has some impact on how wet/dry they need their pizzas so this needs consideration when making them for any particular kind – like focaccia might be drier than something else while still maintaining its shape better because there are no toppings involved but other types may benefit from having less moisture since sauce adds enough already!

As well as effecting the hydration it also has an effect on the yeast. Different pH levels will alter the results from the yeast.

The best water for pizza dough is the one that you can control and will give consistent results with every time!

The secret to good, perfect crusts comes from controlling your ingredients – not just by using a different type of flour or yeast but also in how much liquid they use when making their pizzas too which means it’s important what kind (or types) are used as well if possible so there aren’t any surprises later on down this path.

What Is The Secret To Good Pizza Dough?

For me the biggest issue I had was getting consistent results every time I made pizza dough.

I had a lot of trial and error with different types, brands or amounts but it wasn’t until I started paying attention to the water that was being used in my recipe (and how much) as well which is what led me down this path!

It’s not just about using more yeast either because you can overdo things there easily enough if your other ingredients are off balance so for example adding less liquid will mean needing less flour – something else we need to control when making our pizzas at home every time.

The secret to good pizza dough is getting the water right.

The type of water you use can alter the results that are obtained in your pizza dough making and it’s important to know what effect different types or levels have on this process so we’re not left guessing when trying something new out for ourselves!

In my experience, I found hard tap-water had a tendency towards more yeast which is great if using less liquid but too much will make our pizzas tough – while soft (or distilled) waters made them taste really bland with no rise because there was just nothing happening at all during fermentation time due lack off any acidity from minerals like calcium carbonate present as well…so how do they compare?

Hard Water In Pizza Dough

Lets talk about the effect hard water has on pizza dough.

Hard water seems to dull the effect of the yeast which is why it’s a good idea to add more yeast if using hard water.

The downside of this approach, however?

The pizza crust will be tougher and less elastic than desired because the dough can become over-fermented due too much liquid or not enough flour in relation with how many times you kneaded your bread mixture before adding any other ingredients such as salt etc.

Its also difficult to judge the amount of yeast to add to the dough because you can’t rely on your usual measurements.

The end result is that hard water pizza crusts are often heavier and denser than desired – not a good thing for those who want light, fluffy bread with lots of air bubbles in it! This type off effect may be less noticeable if using soft or distilled waters but its still worth bearing this mind when making any kind of pizza whether at home or professionally as an artisan baker…or even just someone cooking up some homemade pizzas from scratch every now again like me
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The secret here? You either need more yeast or you need to use a softer water.

Soft Water In Pizza Dough

Soft water on the other hand obviously has the opposite effect. It means that you need less yeast in your pizza dough to get the same results as with hard water, which is good news for those who want a lighter and more airy crust.

This type off effect may be even MORE noticeable if using distilled waters but its still worth bearing this mind when making any kind of pizzas whether at home or professionally – especially because it can affect how much salt needs adding too. We all know what happens then right?

You’ll end up having salty bread instead of light fluffy ones. So make sure not to add extra table sugar (or honey) unless absolutely necessary.

Conclusion

Yes water does matter and its often the overlooked ingredient in pizza dough. It can have a huge effect on the final product and its worth experimenting with different types of water to see which one you prefer for your pizzas.

Best Pizza Dough Scraper


best dough scrapper

There are a lot of things needed to make a pizza; raw ingredients, a pizza stone, a hot oven, and let’s not forget the pizza dough scraper. These tools help to manipulate raw dough but they can also be used as a pizza dough cutter, making them pretty versatile.

Any good pizza chef will tell you that this in an important kitchen tool for making dough balls into pizza.

However, when it comes to choosing the right product, people can get quickly confused, owing to the large number of pizza dough scraper options. In this guide, we will be showing you the best deals to get a dough scraper that would fit right in in your favorite pizza restaurant for use at home. Let’s get started!

What Is A Pizza Dough Scraper?

Dough scrapers, sometimes called a bench scraper, are used for working with raw dough balls. You would use a dough scraper to scrape the dough off the surface on which it has been rolled but these products also have many other uses.

For instance, you could use a pizza dough scraper to cut the dough balls and to manipulate the raw dough. Dough scrapers are also excellent for scraping any left over dough off the work surface. While you may cover the surface with flour, some of the dough may still stick but with these kind of tools, a person can easily clean up and avoid wasting any of their dough.

Furthermore, pizza dough scrapers have a sharp blade and some like to use these to cut other foods such as vegetables.

How To Choose A Dough Scraper

Before you start your search for a dough scraper, it is important to remember that there are loads of products like this on the market. A quick Google search will yield a list of hundreds, if not thousands of products, so how can you know which are the best brands?

The best thing to do is to take a look at the features of each item and get a feel for what you need before you commit to a purchase.

Dough scrapers are typically made from one of two materials; plastic or stainless steel. Stainless steel is by far the most durable but plastic will be more protective to your surfaces and reduce the risk of scratches. Stainless steel is not as flexible as plastic products but it will have a better aesthetic appeal. While they are different from each other, they both have their pros and cons; which one you choose will depend on your preference.Before your purchase your dough scraper, it is important to look at the handles. A good handle will have excellent grip. Furthermore, you should look at what the handle is made from; typically it will be plastic or wood, it isn’t very often you will find one made from metal.You might consider buying a set of pizza dough scrapers. Some may come with other scrapers, perhaps those made from different materials and others may come in a set with another tool like a knife, pizza cutter etc.The good thing about the pizza dough scraper is that it is a relatively inexpensive tool. There isn’t a huge price difference between products and you can likely pick one up for close to the price of a bag of flour! You may get an even more affordable purchase in the sales. However, regardless of the prices, make sure that the equipment is up to scratch and will perform as expected.

The Best Dough Scraper

You mixed your flour, yeast, water and salt and you have created a beautiful pizza dough that you cannot wait to craft into a tasty meal. But even with flour on the tray or kitchen surface, you will still need a dough scraper to help clean the kitchen and manipulate the dough. Let’s take a look at some of the high-quality bench scraper items that impressed us!

Nana Home Bench Scraper For Baking


What initially caught our eye about this product is the versatility. From pouring the first grains of flour into your mixing bowl to the kitchen clean up, this pizza dough scraper has a lot to offer.

You get an additional tool, one made from plastic and one made from stainless steel. The stainless steel dough scraper features a handy table of measurements for your flour, water and other ingredients and is great for cutting the dough. The stainless steel blade is sharp and reliable giving you great results every time. Further more it has a plastic grip handle for ease of use.

The plastic pizza dough scraper is used for cleaning the dough off the kitchen surfaces, the base of bowls or other items and has a soft edge that offers great flexibility.

When you are finished in the kitchen, one tool slides inside the other for easy storage. This would make a great set to give as a gift to the pizza lover!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Pizza Dough Bench Cutter


There is no denying that this is a great tool; the reviews speak for themselves. But reviews aside, we can back this item as it is a robust, reliable and easy to use pizza dough scraper.

It comes with a wooden handle that offers good grip and looks fantastic. If you like your kitchen equipment with a pleasing aesthetic, this is an excellent scraper.

The blade is made from stainless steel which offers excellent sharpness right out of the box. Printed on the stainless steel are measurement equivalents making this a great tool for getting the right amount of flour, water, sugar and everything else you need for your base recipe.

The stainless steel design gives excellent durability plus stainless steel is dishwasher safe so keeping the tool clean is a breeze!

Rating 4.5 stars

Dough Scraper Set


If you are looking for something that will serve you in the kitchen in more ways than one then this is one of the ones you should be looking at.

Not only do you get a robust and reliable stainless steel dough scraper but you are getting a biscuit cutter and pastry scraper too. If you are someone who has a long list of baking favorites, then you need more than just a couple of tools to hand.

In the box, each item is made from stainless steel which will not rust and are great for heavy duty use. The manufacturer has fitted the pizza dough scraper with a tough, non-slip plastic handle that is not only practical but also compliments the metal blade.

The edge is sharp and efficient and will glide through dough easily and without any stickiness. What’s more, these high-quality tools come at a great price. However, you will need to consider shipping. In the case of shipping to the United Kingdom, you wold need to be prepared to pay a little more.

Rating 5 stars

Conclusion

Pizza is one of the most well-loved foods i the world, and it is fun to make at home. However, you must make sure that you have the right things for the job and a pizza dough scraper is a must.

The pizza scraper will help you cut and manipulate the pizza dough from the moment it comes out of the box. But its benefits don’t end here. It will remove excess dough from the baking sheet, bowls and your kitchen surfaces and can also be used to cut other foods.

They are typically made from metal or plastic and each has its own pros and cons. These were some of our favorite dough scrapers and we are sure that you will be just as impressed as we were at the quality and reliability of each product.

How To Fix Undercooked Pizza Dough


fix undercooked dough

If you have spent time crafting a beautiful pizza dough, lovingly choosing your favourite pizza toppings and then waiting for your pizza to cook in the oven, you will be terribly disappointed if the end result is not what you expected.

One of the biggest issues is that even if your follow your pizza dough recipe to a T, your pizza base comes out of the oven undercooked. This is a huge disappointment but quite often, the reason is to do with the temperature of the baking surface. This is why all professional pizza chefs use pizza stones.

In this article, we will be giving you some helpful tips on how to fix undercooked pizza dough, so that next time you take your pizza out of the oven, you can feel confident that you won’t have a problem.

How Can You Tell If Pizza Dough Is Undercooked?

Sometimes, you may not realise that your pizza isn’t cooked properly until you take a bite of the pizza crust. However, it is pretty easy to determine whether the pizza dough is undercooked by looking at the bottom of the pizza.

Typically, when it is cooked correctly, the pizza base will be crisp and golden brown. If there are any raw patches, this is a sign that you have undercooked pizza dough and you may need to think about how you are cooking your pizzas.

Furthermore, there is a term in the pizza work known as gum line; this refers to a gummy, gooey layer between the tomato sauce and toppings and the pizza base. This is formed when the pizza is loaded with cold toppings or cheese and then cooked from the underside in a raging hot oven. For this reason, it is always advisable to leave your ingredients at room temperature for a little bit before cooking.

Why Do I Always Get Undercooked Pizza Dough?

It can be hugely frustrating to find that you have an undercooked, soggy pizza that is a million miles away from anything you expected. But you aren’t alone, this is one of the most common pizza problems.

In the main, the issue lies in the oven temperature or the temperature of the cooking surface. Furthermore, this problem is often caused because the pizzas are not left in the pizza oven for long enough.

The key to getting a great pizza crust that is fluffy inside and crispy on the outside is to blast it with high temperatures for a short time. Let’s take a closer look at each way your pizza may be ending up being undercooked.

Pizza Oven Is Not Hot Enough

Usually, pizzas are cooked in a pizza oven. As they go through the cooking process, heat is delivered from under the pizza as well as radiating around it. The oven cooks it from underneath, giving you a beautiful pizza base as well as from around it, melting the cheese and cooking the toppings.

However a lot of us don’t have the luxury of a pizza oven and that’s OK, you don’t need to have one to enjoy delicious homemade pizza. You can use the home ovens found in kitchens across the world. But, you will need to try to mimic the conditions of a wood-fired oven as best as your can. More on how to fix this issue later.

Baking Surface Is Not Hot Enough

Another issue is that the bottom of the pizza is not being exposed to enough heat. Pizza baking is something of an art but most of the time, the issue is in the equipment you are using.

A baking sheet is never going to be enough to effectively cook the bottom of the pizza while still allowing the radiating heat to cook the time in the same amount of time. Home ovens do not get anywhere near as hot as pizza ovens and this can be part of the problem.

A baking sheet is normally made from aluminum or steel which does not hold heat very well. This means that even if the tray is pre-heated, it still wouldn’t get hot enough to be cooked from top to bottom in your home oven.

Cooking Time Is Too Short

As a general rule, rather than increasing the time you leave your pizza in the oven, you should aim to increase the temperature. This is a type of food that requires a high heat source rather than a lengthy cooking time and this is the reason that a lot of people struggle to get their pizzas just right.

When you make pizza, your aim is typically to achieve a crust that is fluffy on the inside while being crispy on the outside. This is much better achieved with a hot temperature and quick cooking time. That being said, you don’t want to take the pizza out too early and undo all of your hard work that went into preparing the pizza dough.

Too Many Toppings

One of the greatest things about pizza is that there are so many choices when it comes to toppings. You can create any flavor profile you fancy and enjoy a meal that it totally tailored to your taste. However, too many toppings on top of the pizza can often be a cause of soggy pizza that is undercooked and not very appetising.

For the most part, people put too much pizza sauce on the pizza dough and this results in the dough becoming overly moist. The reason that your crust and base go so crispy in the oven is because much of the water is removed; this will cause that mouth-watering texture we all know and love. However, too much sauce can take it in the opposite direction and you are left with soggy pizza.

In another case, you might put too many toppings on the pizza and especially those that contain a lot of water will cause that water to go into the pizza dough. Fewer toppings means less water and less water means a more crispy crust.

Dough Thickness

If you are making a thick crust pizza then of course, the dough is going to need to be a little thicker, this is what will help to create that beautiful fluffy crust. However, there are a lot of pizza styles such as the Neapolitan pizza that are very thin. Is there a reason for this? The answer may seem obvious; it is to prevent too much moisture in the dough allowing it to cook much more evenly and easily.

Even when you are making a thicker pizza, you should be mindful not to make the dough too thick as this is likely to have an adverse effect. If you follow the instructions on your recipe, you will likely find that you get it right.

How Do You Fix Undercooked Pizza Dough?

Now that we understand why our pizza dough is not cooking thoroughly, it becomes a lot clearer as to how we can fix it. Of course, making sure that your dough is the correct thickness is the first port of call. Secondly, you will want to make sure that you don’t overload your toppings or tomato sauce. While you can use any combination to make a unique pizza with a taste that you will love, be sure to keep it to a minimum and just put a few things on top.

Aside from this, we need to consider the cooking process and while we now understand the right cooking conditions, let’s take a look at some tips to help with this a bit more.

Getting An Even Bake

So, if you do not have access to a wood-fired oven, the best way to avoid pizza problems like being undercooked is to replicate the conditions in your kitchen oven.

Rather than just letting the hot temperature come from the bottom of the oven, turn on the grill or broiler which produces heat from the top of the oven. This gives you the chance to cook the bottom of your pizza as well as providing plenty of heat to the top to melt the cheese and cook the toppings.

One important thing to remember is that you should place your oven rack as close to the top of the appliance as possible. This is because the grill heat can’t travel as far.

Using A Pizza Stone Or Pizza Steel

A pizza stone or a pizza steel is imperative in the baking of pizza at home. All the top pizza chefs in the world use a pizza stone and this allows you to give your pizza dough an instant blast of heat from the moment it goes into the appliance.

A pizza steel is designed to work in your home oven and will yield excellent results however, a pizza stone will be the best way to mimic the conditions seen in wood-fired ovens. That being said, a steel is typically easier to clean and more lightweight. Both will help to create a crispy base and crust by sending heat through the dough from underneath.

But whichever option you choose, it is vital that you pre heat the pizza stone or steel before placing the pizza onto it. If you keep it at room temperature, the cooking process will be dramatically slowed down. Just put the pizza stone onto the oven rack and leave it in for 30 minutes to reach the right temperature.

Cooking Time

You should make sure that you check out your oven settings if your dough keeps coming out undercooked.

You will need to make sure that you place your pizza in the center of the oven and the more quickly you can cook it, the better. As we have discovered, pizza needs to be cooked from the bottom to get a nice crisp crust but also will benefit from radiating heat. In order to achieve the perfect cook, make sure that you set the appliance to a hot temperature and reduce the cooking time. This is preferable to cooking for longer at a lower heat.

That being said, always ensure that you leave the food for long enough to avoid undercooked dough.

How Do You Soften Pizza Dough?

From time to time, you may also find that your dough is too hard. You might be tempted to start adding copious amounts of water but as we have learned, this won’t help the cooking process and could result in the dough being undercooked if there is too much moisture.

Instead, you can add a few drops of olive oil to the dough. This is the best way as it will hydrate the dough without making it too moist. Don’t go crazy right away though, add a little and knead the dough. If you find it is still too hard, you can add a little more olive oil and repeat the process.

It is then important to let the dough rest for a while before attempting to stretch and bake it.

Is It Safe To Eat Undercooked Pizza Dough?

If you have taken your pizza out of the oven only to realise that you have cold dough, you might be tempted to eat it anyway. But this might not be a good idea.

There are bacteria found in flour which can cause food poisoning. These germs are killed as you cook the pizza but if the dough is undercooked, some may remain. So always make sure that you fully cook the dough.

Conclusion

Making yummy dough for your pizza at home is a very rewarding experience, however, sometimes you may find that the dough comes out undercooked and not only is this not safe, it can also be very unpleasant to eat.

But don’t panic! The cause is likely down to the cooking temperature and by adjusting this and ensuring that your pizza is cooked on a pre-heated steel or stone in a hot oven, you will achieve perfectly cooked pizza every time!

Why Does My Dough Shrink When I Roll It? ( Am I Doing It Wrong )


pizza dough shrink

If you’re into making homemade pizza then there are some things that can become a bit of a problem. One of the most common issues experienced by home pizza chefs is that their dough just won’t stretch out, no matter how hard they try. This can be incredibly frustrating when all you want is to tuck into your tasty pizza.

However, quite often, there is a simple fix to this problem and in this post, we are going to be giving you some top tips on what to do if your dough keeps shrinking back as you try to roll it out.

So, let’s get started!

What Causes Pizza Dough To Shrink?

Getting your dough rolled out is one of the most important parts of creating a thin crust pizza but you aren’t alone as a pizza lover. Pastry dough, bread dough, pie dough and various other types of doughs can all experience similar problems.

Where pizza dough is concerned, you should be considering the gluten network of the dough. To get a nice texture for your crust, you don’t want the gluten strands to be too tightly connected. In short, if the gluten network is too strong, your pizza won’t be easily rolled out to form a nice crust.

What’s The Deal With Gluten?

When you look at pizza recipes online, you will notice that one thing every recipe has in common is that it asks you to knead your dough and let it rise. This is all part of the process that gluten has to go through before the dough can be formed into a pizza base and crust.

Your pizza bread flour contains gluten in a dry form and when this is mixed with water, the gluten begins to stretch and become elastic. Kneading the dough helps this process and gives you a pizza dough that will easily form into a nice base.

On top of this, for a fluffier crust, you will need your pizza dough to rise. A key ingredient of any dough recipe is yeast. Yeast feeds on the gluten, altering its structure during the proofing process. Your pizza dough will rise and double in size. The point of this is that you will end up with a fluffier, thicker and more tasty crust.

How Do I Stop My Pizza Dough Shrinking?

Whether you are making apple pie, bread, pizza or anything else, many home chefs experiences problems when it comes to stretching their dough into the right shape. As we have discussed, the issue with pizza dough often lies in the gluten structure being too closely knit. But we have some great tips to improve its elasticity and help you to get something much easier to roll. Take a look at the steps below.

Follow The Recipe Closely

All pizza dough recipes contain similar ingredients; flour, yeast, water, salt, oil and sugar. There are many great ways to improve the stretch of your dough but you should start from the beginning and the first step is always to make sure that you use the correct amount for each ingredient.

Flour is a considerable issue here because a lot of the recipes you see online will tell you to add so many cups of flour. This is all well and good but depending on who is measuring the cup of flour, it may be more compressed than when someone else measures it.

For this reason, it is essential that you weight your flour and other ingredients in order that you get the mixture exactly as it should be from the get-go. Follow each step of your recipe and use weighing scales to get just the right measurements.

Consider The Protein In Your Flour

A lot of people think that you can use any old flour to make dough for a pizza pie crust but in truth, the type you use does make a difference. Most notably, you should consider the protein content of the flour.

There are different types of wheat flour, some contain more protein but these are typically bread flours and owing to the higher level of protein, they tend to have more gluten. Less gluten content flours work much better for pastries and lighter baked goods.

If you are looking for a deep pan, chewy crust pizza then using a lower protein flour is 1 of the first things you should think about. The protein should only be around 12%. Once you create your dough ball and let it rest, you will notice that it proofs much more nicely.

Increase The Proofing Time

It can be tempting to return to your batch of pizza dough and try to stretch it before it is ready. The whole point of the proofing process is that you give the dough time to rise; this is a very important step and should never be rushed.

During this time, the gluten will relax and this will make the dough much more stretchy. If this doesn’t happen for long enough, you will find that the pizza dough simply won’t stretch how you want it to.

If you are going to follow any of these tips, this should be at the top of your priority list. You will often see recipes online that give you advice on how to rush the proofing process and while you will end up with a half decent pizza dough at the end of it, you will also find that the crust is not quite what you expected; the texture and flavour will not be anywhere near as good as if you allowed your dough to proof for the full time.

As a rule of thumb, if you are proofing the dough at room temperature, you should allow it to proof for at least 90 minutes but for the best results you can keep it at room temperature for a few hours in a process known as slow proofing.

Any longer than this and your dough will need to be proofed in the fridge. You should place the dough into a mixing bowl, cover it over and pop it in the fridge for 24 hours.

Don’t Try To Stretch Cold Dough

Of all the ideas people have about how to make good pizza dough, stretching out cold dough is not a great idea.

When the dough is cold, it will snap back much more easily that when it is warm. You don’t need massive amounts of heat but if you take the dough out of the fridge, you will need to let the dough rest at room temperature first.

How long you do this will depend on the temperature of the air. If it is pretty warm and humid, you will need less time than if it is cool.

How To Stretch Your Dough

In order to get the best pizza pie crust, you will need to stretch the dough by hand. Many bakers will tell you to use a rolling pin, but typically, doing the stretching by hand will deliver better results. A pin will remove a much of the air inside the dough and this will result in a denser and less textured pizza pie crust. What’s more, it’s much more fun and a great way to get the kids involved in the cooking process.

Furthermore, when you do it by hand, you are able to hold the dough in position for a few seconds to give it chance to adhere to its new shape.

To get the best shape, put the dough onto your work surface. You should make an indent of about an inch around the edge of the dough; this will form the pie crust. Next, you just need to flatten the inner portion using your fingers.

The next step is to use the flat of your hand in an upwards motion to pull the dough and move it until you reach the desired size. Once it is at the right size, pop the dough over your knuckles and allow it to fall so that any thicker parts will even out.

Now put your base onto some parchment paper or a pie plate or pan lightly coated in fat or oil, cover it in toppings and pop it into the oven until it is cooked.

Conclusion

There is nothing quite like a hot homemade pizza, but getting from your raw ingredients to the finished product does take some hard work. The main issue for many home bakers is that their dough won’t stretch and keeps shrinking. This is typically because the gluten network is too tight.

There are several ways to rectify this issue and we have looked at some great tips to get you on your way to creating a wonderful pizza dough that will always deliver a delicious finished product! Bon appetit!

How To Cook Pizza Over A Campfire ( Pizza Stones & Equipment needed )


campfire pizza

The stars are out, the crickets are chirruping, you have set up your camping spot and now, you’re ready to eat. One of the best things about going on a camping trip is experiencing dining in the great outdoors but most of us still want a hearty and delicious meal.

When you are camping, you might want to try your hand at a campfire pizza recipe and then good news is that just because you are out in the wild, it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your favourite pizza recipe. In fact, pizza has quickly become a camping staple for many adventurers, you just need to make sure that you have the right equipment.

In this post, we are going to be showing you one of the easiest campfire pizza recipes that is easy to make and a great food option for camping meals.

How Do You Cook Pizza On A Fire Pit?

While pizza may not be a traditional camping meal, it is certainly becoming a staple for families who might have a picky kid or who want some home comforts while they enjoy their camping trip.

Even if you decide to go for an adult meal that follows more traditional campfire recipes, with this easy to make campfire pizza, you won’t need to put yourself out.

What Do I Need To Make Campfire Pizza?

The great thing about campfire pizza is that you don’t need a whole host of pizza ingredients and you are free to make the recipe as simple or indeed as complex as you would like.

Cast iron skillets or a cast iron pan are a great cookware option for camping recipes like the campfire pizza but if you don’t have one, you can use just as about pan you have to hand. Many people will use their Dutch oven which is typically also made from cast iron. That’s the beauty of being out in the wild, you make do with what you’ve got.

In a nutshell, you will need pizza tomato sauce, your favourite pizza topping such as cheese, red onion, ham; whatever you like and of course, pizza dough. This is often the most difficult thing to make on a camping trip but the good news is that you can make the dough from scratch at home and keep it chilled for up to three days.

That being said, if you want to , you can take your ingredients on the road and make your dough around the campfire. However, when doing this, we should point out that the prep time for pizza dough will include, mixing the flour, olive oil, water, yeast, salt and sugar before kneading the dough and then allowing it to rise for at least an hour. So, if you are going to make the dough when you go camping, be sure to give yourself plenty of prep time. Check out our quick pizza recipe:

2 cups flourRapid rise yeast (1 packet)2 tsp salt1 cup warm waterOliveoil (5 tablespoons)Your favorite toppings

Start by mixing the dry recipe ingredients in a bowl with a fork until they are blended. Next, add in the wet ingredients, retaining 3 tablespoons of the oil for later on (this will be used to coat your pan so that the pizza dough doesn’t stick while cooking . Mix thoroughly with your fork.

Knead your pizza dough well; this is one of the most important parts of the recipe. In a home kitchen, we would suggest kneading for a total time of 20 minutes but around teh campfire you could reduce this to 5 minutes if you are very pushed for time.

Now allow the dough to rise. Again, at home the total time for proofing would be 90 minutes at room temperature, but for campfire pizza, you could cut this to half an hour.

Cooking Pizza On A Campfire

One of the great things about being at home is that you can make your pizza dough, load on the pizza sauce and toppings and pop it in the pizza oven for a total time of around 2 minutes or around 20 minutes total time for pizza made in a kitchen oven.

However, when you go camping, you don’t have your oven so you need to alter the way you cook these camping recipes. For us, that’s all part of the excitement.

There have been many people who have experimented with cooking pizza on a grill but in order to do this over your campfire, you would need to have a proper grate which isn’t always possible. So, this is why we suggest using a cast iron pan. Using a cast iron skillet or cast iron pan allows you to cook in various ways which is ideal for when you want to make pizza in nature.

To begin with you will need to shape the dough in your cast iron skillet. You may have kneaded the dough on a cutting board but it is easier to shape it in the pan. Start by pushing it out to form the crust and forming the entire shape of the pizza around the pan.

Now you are ready to start cooking. How you do this will depend on the type of heat you are using. A lot of people will make campfire pizza on a traditional campfire, however, some people like to use a propane stove. Either way is fine but if you are opting for the propane stove, you will need to keep moving the cast iron pan around so that the heat cooks the pizza dough evenly.

For a fire, you won’t need to worry about this as the fire will typically envelop the pan and distribute heat evenly. You should also keep in mind that cast iron will hold heat for a long time even after you remove from the fire. For this reason, we would always urge you to be careful when handling the campfire pizza cooking equipment.

The dough will cook from the bottom and as such, you want to make sure that you remove from the fire once the base is cooked underneath. It doesn’t matter if the top part of the dough is not yet cooked as you will be giving it some more cooking time on the fire once the toppings have been added. If you leave it any longer at this point, there is a chance that the recipe will burn and you will have to start from scratch.

Once it is off the fire, you can flip the pizza base over and add your pizza sauce and your favorite toppings; meats, veggie toppings; anything you like. Most people will use tomato sauce but you can make pizzas with BBQ sauce or any other flavour.

Now you can return the food to the fire but this time, make sure that you cover the pizza with either a cast iron lid or some aluminum foil. This will keep the heat inside and allow the cheese to melt. Once the cheese has melted, you can remove the foil. This will prevent the pizzas form becoming too moist and ultimately soggy.

The cook time, 15 minutes, is usually enough to have another pizza base prepped and ready to go since you will need to cook each of your pizzas separately.

Once it is ready, transfer the campfire pizza to a cutting board and cut it into pieces.

Can You Use A Pizza Stone On A Campfire?

If you love to cook pizzas then you will know that a pizza stone is a great way to make pizza that is evenly cooked and delicious. Not only this but the residual heat of the stone could reduce the total time you need to cook. For example, in a pizza oven, pizza only requires around 2 minutes cook time.

You can use a pizza stone to make pizza on a campfire. Just keep in mind that this will be another piece of equipment that you need to take camping. These items can be quite heavy and may weigh you down if you are hiking from campsite to campsite. However, on the plus side, they do offer the best way to create an authentic and well-cooked pizza.

To use your pizza stone for campfire pizza, you will replace the cast iron pan that we discussed earlier on and use the stone instead. You will need a grate or rack to place this on. With this in mind, let’s take a look at how you can make campfire pizza recipes using a pizza stone.

Begin by placing the pizza stone onto the grate, above the fire. You will need to give the pizza stone time to heat up so while this is happening, you can get to work on other aspects of your campfire pizza.Take your pizza dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into your desired shape and thickness (it may shrink in size a little when you stop shaping it) (it may shrink in size a little when you stop shaping it). You can do this following the same process we discussed when you make pizza directly in the pan.Now, place the dough onto the stone and leave it to cook for around ten minutes. This, of course, may vary so you should keep an eye on the food during the cooking process and remove it sooner if you need to.When you’re ready, take the pizza off the fire and begin spreading on your pizza sauce and toppings. Just like before, spread the food onto the cooked side of the base.Now return it to the fire and give the food another ten minutes, covered in foil. As we mentioned earlier, once the cheese melts, fell free to remove the foil for the rest of the cooking time to allow any excess moisture to be released.When you remove the campfire pizza, you can now leave it to cool for a few minutes before cutting it into pieces and enjoying it around your campfire.

Can You Cook Frozen Pizza On A Campfire?

There are some of us that do not want to make recipes from scratch and so taking a frozen pizza on your camping adventure is a great alternative. But one of the main problems with this compared to a ‘homemade’ recipe is that if you try to cook your pizza over the campfire, the base will burn before the toppings have cooked through.

But this is a problem that can be solved by cutting the frozen pizza into smaller pieces and placing it inside a pie iron. You can then hold this over the fire until the pizza is cooked. You are not running the risk of your food burning and it almost always turns out great.

While you can get pie irons made from other metals, we would always suggest using one that is made from cast iron. Not only do they retain the heat and offer a more even cooking result but they often make the food taste a lot nicer, regardless of what you are cooking.

Conclusion

Camping is one of life’s little pleasures; getting out into the open, enjoying the fresh air and taking the time to prepare a meal to enjoy with the family. But pizza isn’t typically something you would see on the menu. Until recently, when more and more people are taking their homemade recipes and bringing them out into the wild. This tells us that it is perfectly viable to make pizza on a campfire.

This is most easily done using a cast iron pan or skillet and cooking the dough from the bottom up before turning it over, popping on your toppings and continuing to grill until the cheese melts and you have a delicious camping pizza fit for even the most demanding adventurers. What’s even better is that if you don’t have your own fresh recipe, you can just as easily heat up a frozen pizza while you are camping.

So, light that campfire and enjoy a pizza style menu on your next camping trip.

What Is A Pizza Peel?


what is a pizza peel

So, you’ve got your pizza oven built, cured and ready to cook. You’ve loaded your favourie pizza toppings onto your fresh pizza dough and now it is time to put the pizza into the oven. But wait! How are you going to do this without burning yourself?

A pizza oven is an amazing invention but one thing is for sure; they get very hot. One surefire way to prevent any nasty accidents and safe pizza cooking is to use a pizza peel. These cooking accessories were designed to be used with pizza ovens and can come in extremely handy when making pizza at home. That being said, you will often see pizza peels being used in a professional capacity.

Pizza peels are one of the things that a lot of people don’t think to buy for their homemade pizza but in this article, we are going to be explaining what pizza peels are used for and why you should never use your pizza oven without one.

What Is A Pizza Peel Used For?

A pizza peel is a device used to put pizza into the oven without burning yourselfThey are also used to turn the pizza during cooking to make sure that everything cooks evenly.

Pizza peels are typically made from either wood or metal and each of these have their pros and cons, which we will look at in a little more detail later on. The metal peels come made from either aluminum or steel but there are iron ones available, although these are less common.

Whether they are made from steel, aluminum, wood or any other material, pizza peels generally have a long handle so that you can place your pizza in the oven without having to get too close to the heat.

One of the great things about pizza peels is that you can choose the size and shape. While a typical pizza peel will be around 15 inches in diameter, there are those that are larger and some with a smaller size. Furthermore, you can get both round and square pizza peels and depending on how you will be using them, each shape has its own purpose.

A square pizza peel is normally used for serving pizza and are often left in the oven during the baking process. They are usually seen to be more easy for the beginner pizza cook and allow you to remove the pizza and turn it.

A lot of people will use a square peel to construct their pizza before cooking it and this eliminates any problems with having to transport the food from one surface to another.

Conversely, a round pizza peel is typically used by a more experienced cook, you will normally see these being used in pizza restaurants. One of the biggest advantages is that while using this type of peel may not be as easy, once you have it down to a T, they are more versatile.

A round peel can be used to turn pizzas in the oven without taking them off the pizza stone. The pizza stone is extremely hot and will cook the pizza from the base upwards. When you place pizzas on a stone, you will typically get a much nicer crust and more crispy base. However, removing the pizzas from the stone during baking will halt the cooking process when what you really want is consistent heat. A round pizza peel helps massively with this.

Finally, we should talk about the perforated pizza peel. Once again, you can choose which size or shape you have but these ones are normally made from metal. The great thing about this sort of peel is that they will let any excess flour fall through the holes so that this doesn’t interfere with the cooking of the food.

They are often much easier to use and you will typically find that the pizza will slide straight off into the oven, ready to cook. This is because this type of peel reduces how much the pizza will stick and is often favoured by those working in a professional setting.

Is A Wooden Or Metal Pizza Peel Better?

We have mentioned that you can get pizza peels made from either wood or metal and in order to know which is best for you, it is important to understand the pros and cons of each type.

One of the best things about wooden peels is that they tend to look a lot nicer. If you are at all concerned about the aesthetics of your outdoor pizza kitchen then you might want to use a wooden peel. However, you should also keep in mind that your pizza is much more likely to stick to a wooden peel. However, this problem can be eliminated by using some sort of flour, such as rice flour to coat the surface before laying your pizza down. You can also use parchment paper to do this. Although this isn’t essential.

That being said, a wooden pizza peel is excellent for soaking up grease so when you use a pizza peel like this, the base of your pizza won’t be at all oily. Conversely, a metal pizza peel does not have the ability to soak up oil so it is vital that you use some sort of parchment paper or flour to prevent the raw dough from sticking. If you do not use parchment paper or flour, you may find that the pizza dough will not slide right off the peel into the oven and this can make using a pizza peel far less easy than it should be.

Another thing to consider is that wooden peels tend to be much heaver than a metal peel. This means that if you have to use one for long periods of time, you may find that you get worn out pretty quickly. A metal pizza peel is typically made from either steel or aluminium and these are both very lightweight, making it a lot less bulky and easier to handle.

But the best way to determine whether wooden peels or metal peels will suit your needs it to look at how easy they are to use. A wooden pizza peel is normally much thicker and this can make them a little tricky when used with certain types of pizza. You may also find that they do not reach the back of the oven as easily since they do not have a long stick-like handle like a metal peel.

Metal peels also tend to come in a variety of sizes; you can get short handled metal peels and those that have very long handles that are almost like a stick. These are great for reaching right to the back of the pizza oven. Furthermore, the steel and aluminum used to make these peels is always much thinner so they are easier to slide the pizza off the pizza stone or other baking surface.

That being said, a metal pizza peel is typically a lot less durable than wooden peels and you often find that the handle will weaken over time. The slippery aluminum or steel is also difficult to grip when compared to the excellent grip you get on a wood peel.

It is also important to look at whether or not the peel is easy to clean. As a general rule, metal is always going to be easier to clean than wood. But provided that you dust the peel with flour, cornmeal or something else to stop the dough from sticking, the clean-up shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

There are hybrid pizza peels which normally come with a metal surface and a wooden handle. These give you the benefit of a strong wooden grip as well as having the metal that allows the food to slide off much more easily.

In truth, there is not one type of pizza peel that is better than the other but you should consider which will be best for your needs. Weighing up the pros and cons is undoubtedly the best way to do this. You will need to think about the type of pizzas you will be making, the size of your pizza oven, your own strength and ability as well as whether you want something that won’t stick to the dough.

Is A Pizza Peel Necessary?

When it comes to making pizza at home, there are a lot of things you will need. Pizza ovens are becoming more popular and this leads many a home pizza cook to raise the question of whether they need everything that they are told they do.

In just the same way that a pizza stone isn’t necessary to make pizza at home, it does give you a much more authentic pizza. Your pizza peel is also not something that you need but it is certainly an item that will help in making authentic pizza.

Many people like to use these tools as they recreate the feel of a traditional pizza kitchen but you may also find that your peel, along with a pizza stone and authentic pizza oven will give you an overall better flavor and texture.

Furthermore, if you want to experience safer baking then using a pizza peel to put the pizza in the oven, turn it and take it back out will help you to achieve this.

You will likely find that baking pizza is far easier with a peel since you can make the pizza on the peel and put it onto the pizza stone without your toppings falling off the dough.

In short, while you might not need one, if you use a pizza peel, you’ll like have a much better time making pizza.

What Is A Pizza Peel Substitute?

If you don’t have a pizza peel, you might be wondering what you could use to peel pizza in its place. Furthermore, you should always make sure that you have an emergency utensil on hand should your favourite pizza peel break or malfunction in some way.

There are some great ideas for alternative pizza peels; take a look at the following;

Double a cutting board up as a pizza peelSimply use a piece of parchment paper to transfer the pizza into the oven and onto the pizza stone. What’s great about this is that you can leave the paper on the pizza stone but do remember that this won’t give you as crisp a base as the pizza stone won’t be able to transfer heat directly to the pizza.You could wrap a stiff sheet of cardboard in tin foil and use this to peel pizza into the oven. However, it is imperative than once the pizza is in the pizza oven and on the pizza stone, you remove the makeshift peel from the oven. These ovens get incredibly hot and regardless of how stiff it is, cardboard should never be allowed to get this hot.A baking sheet or cookie tray without a rim would work well as a pizza peel.

How To Stop Dough From Sticking To The Surface Of The Peel

A big gripe for people who make pizza in their pizza ovens is that they find the dough keeps sticking to the surface of the peel; this can be incredibly frustrating. However, you can prevent this by using something on the surface.

Pizza peels come in either a metal or wood design and you can have problems with pizzas sticking on both. You will want to use a natural ingredient that won’t affect the taste of your pizza but that will also be easy to clean.

For these reasons, a lot of people opt for cornmeal. Cornmeal is much more dense than flour and when you place it on the surface of the peel it will almost allow the dough to roll off onto the pizza stone.

However, it is also important to make sure that your dough is just right and not too wet, as sticky dough can pose more of a problem with sticking to the surface of the peel.

Conclusion

Many people love to make pizzas at home; there is something incredibly satisfying about making fresh dough and watching it sizzle and crisp in the oven, covered in your favourite toppings.

However, there is the issue of getting the pizza into your oven and onto the stone without burning yourself. After you make the pizza, you can use a pizza peel to place the food into the oven. Using this handy accessory will give you a more authentic experience and will often improve the taste and texture of the pizza after you cook it.

There are different types of peel, this includes the size, shape and material from which they are made and which you end up using will depend on several factors.

While a pizza peel or turning peel isn’t necessary, it can be extremely useful and will serve you well as you place your food into such a hot oven and when you need to take it back out.

Why Is My Pizza Dough Sticky | How To Fix It


You have followed your pizza dough recipe to the letter, you thought that everything had gone to plan. But then, as your start kneading the dough, you notice how sticky it is. Surely that isn’t right?

It can take some practice to be able to make the perfect pizza and one of the things that most home pizza chefs find challenging is getting the dough to the right consistency. However, many of them often find that they end up with sticky dough and this can be frustrating, to say the least.

Sticky pizza dough is going to cause problems but more often than not, it is easily solved. Typically, pizza dough becomes sticky when the flour to water ratio is not right. While dough does need a good amount of hydration, there is an important balance that you must stick to.

In this article, we are going to be exploring why you might end up with sticky pizza dough and giving you some tips to avoid this in the future.

Is Pizza Dough Meant To Be Sticky?

It can be a little tricky to get things just right when following a recipe for pizza dough. All pizza dough recipes will include water and this is vital for the hydration of the dough. If the dough does not receive enough hydration, this can result in a product that is far too dry.

But you need to get the dough to just the right consistency. Your dough should be slightly sticky however, you don’t want the dough to be so sticky that it sticks to your preparation surface or the pizza stone or pizza peel.

What Does It Mean When Dough Is Sticky?

Quite simple, if dough is too sticky, it means that there is too much water in the recipe. Now of course, water is one of the main ingredients in dough and it is imperative for its hydration. However, too much water can result in sticky pizza dough.

The problem is that a lot of people see that the dough is too sticky and will start adding lots more flour. While this can be a solution. It can also take away from the hydration and turn your problem into something completely opposite; dough that is too dry and crumbly.

That being said, while too much water is the main culprit, you might also find that the wrong type of flour can also make dough sticky. This is because different types of flour will create different levels of dough absorption where water is concerned.

You might think that using a traditional, finely milled Italian 00 flour will help you to make pizza dough that never goes wrong. But this isn’t necessarily the case.

As a rule, you need to use a stronger flour to make the dough for pizza as this will create a higher hydration pizza dough owing to its ability to absorb water a little bit better than other types.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to determine the strength of the flour as many flour manufacturers do not include this information on their packaging. Fortunately, there are many online guides that home bakers can follow to get things just like, like this one.

How Do You Fix Sticky Dough?

Before we start looking at all you will need to know to fix sticky dough, it is important to make you aware that there is a certain degree of stickiness where dough is concerned. This is as a result of the ingredients combining together and is important, to an extent.

As you are kneading the dough you are encouraging gluten development. Both yeast and flour contain gluten and when pizza doughs are kneaded, this gluten develops and makes the dough much stretchier, which is an important thing. However, it can also cause it to become sticky, and if you find yourself in a situation where your dough is sticking to your pizza stone, pan, pizza peel and anything else it touches, there is a way or two you can do to rescue it.

The Need To Knead

Many people find that the reason their pizza dough is too sticky is that they do not knead it for long enough. Once the dough is one your work surface and read to be kneaded, you must be prepared to spend some time on this part of the process.

You might be keen to get out the pizza stones and start cooking but it is vital that you don’t rush through everything when making pizza.

Most people knead by hand and this can take time. There are people who like to use a dough scraper to manipulate their dough but using your hands is more alike the traditional method.

Kneading by hand should be done for at least 15 minutes, but at times, it can take as long as half an hour. The best way to fix sticky dough is to knead it more. As you do this, the gluten will develop more and give you a much more elastic dough.

You can add flour to your kneading surface and this can help to make the dough less sticky.

Not only is this important for stopping the dough from sticking to your pizza stone, pizza peel or any other surface it touches, but it will also give you a much nicer pizza crust.

Humidity

For those who are in a particularly humid location, this moisture in the air can penetrate the dough making it stickier than if you were making it in a drier environment. This along with the liquid components of the dough like oil and water can cause the dough to be incredibly sticky.

While you may not be able to change the environment, you can try adding less liquid to the dough. Furthermore, always make sure to store your dough properly if you aren’t ready to use it. It is best to store the dough somewhere that is not humid like the fridge, allowing it to come back to room temperature when you are ready to cook.

dd More Flour

Out of all the reasons that dough becomes sticky, the biggest reason is that there is too much water. The dry ingredients like yeast and flour cannot absorb this and you may need to add more.

As a rule, the dough should have a hydration of about 60%, this means that if you are using 1000g of flour, you would need 600g of water.

Water Temparature

Before you can shape you pizza and put it onto the pizza stone for baking in the oven, you will need to have made sure that you have followed the recipe precisely. You will notice that all pizza recipes contain flour, water, oil, salt, yeast and sugar.

A lot of people make the mistake of adding cold water. Cold water is not great for pizza dough and you should always make sure that you use warm water. Warm water is much better for hydrating the yeast, cold water simply cannot manage this.

If you haven’t used warm water, this may be the one thing that means you have to start making the dough over again.

Pizza Is Sticking To The Pizza Stone

You’ve spent ages with your hands in the dough to make sure it is properly kneaded, you have adjusted the level of liquid in the pizza dough and now, as you come to put the pizza into the oven, you find it is sticking to the pizza stone.

Whether you use a fan oven or a traditional brick pizza oven, pizza stones are a great way to ensure even cooking and get that beautiful fluffy crust, However, all of us know the pain of lovingly crafting a pizza only to find that said pizza is stuck to the stone when it comes out of the oven.

You can use parchment paper on your stone but one of the best methods is to use cornmeal; something that a lot of home bakers have in their food store. This will stop the pizza from sticking but will not burn, which can be a problem when using flour on the stone.

Conclusion

Pizza is a hugely popular dish but making pizza dough is something of an art. But we all have to start somewhere and getting your pizza dough just right doesn’t have to be a chore.

Whether you find the pizza dough is sticking to the stone during cooking or isn’t stretching enough, there are some easy ways to solve this issue.

Pizza dough contains water but if you add too much, this can make the pizza dough sticky. Furthermore, using the wrong kind of pizza flour can affect how the dough absorbs the water. Your water should always be warm as pizza dough cannot develop gluten as well with cold water.

How To Store Pizza Dough | (Proofing, Made To Much)?


dough tray

If you want to make pizzas in the comfort of your own home, one of the most important things to consider is how to store pizza dough. If you aren’t ready to bake your pizza dough right away, you will need to make sure that it is stored correctly so that is doesn’t go bad.

Pizza dough will keep in the freezer for up to three months and in the refrigerator for three days but at room temperature, you will need to make sure you get baking pretty quickly.

In this post, we are going to be looking at the best way to store pizza dough and giving you some tips on the various methods.

How Do You Refrigerate Homemade Pizza Dough?

One of the joys of making pizzas at home is that you can do much of the preparation ahead of time. Making the dough is one such example of this but if you don’t intend on baking it the same day, you must store the dough in the fridge.

When kept in the fridge, your dough will typically last for around three days so this is a good method if you want to make your pizza dough at the weekend ready to use during the week.

To start, you will need to follow the pizza dough recipe which will include flour, water, yeast, sugar, olive oil and salt. Some recipes may not include certain ingredients but it is up to you which recipe you follow. This recipe makes the most traditional pizza crust.

Once your dough is prepared, you can then split it into balls with a dough scraper. Make sure that you have kneaded the dough well and then get a plastic container, typically a bowl, to but the balls in. You must lightly coat the inside of your bowl with olive oil as this will prevent the dough ball from sticking.

Place your pizza dough balls inside the bowl and cover it with either some plastic wrap or a lid. If you are using plastic wrap, be sure to properly seal this around the container to prevent air from getting inside.

Now place the dough in the fridge. One of the benefits of keeping pizza dough in the fridge is that it will rise, so you don’t need to let it rise before you store it.

Pizza dough that is kept in the fridge should be used within three days to taste it at its best. If it is not, you will find that it doesn’t have as good flavor and the texture of the crust may be drier than you would like.

When you are ready to start baking, you should take the dough out of the fridge and let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before putting it into the oven. You can leave it for a little extra time but try not to leave it any longer than 1/2 an hour.

Leaving the dough to warm will allow you to knead a stretch it much more easily. You can then work the dough into the correct shape before baking. However, we would also suggest that you let the dough rest for 15 minutes first.

Can You Refrigerate Pizza Dough After it Rises?

The great thing about pizza dough is that you can pop it into the fridge at any point of the process. From the moment you begin creating your recipe, right through to after the dough has been baked, it can be kept in the fridge.

If you have let the dough rise at room temperature, you may then decide to chill it until you are ready to use it.

According to some of the best pizza chefs, putting the dough in the fridge after the first rise will give the best results. You can follow the same process that we discussed in the previous section but do remember to give the dough balls room to rise as it will expand.

After the dough has been in the fridge for a day, you will find that it is at its best for making pizza. This is because, at this point, the dough will have the most amount of flavor and texture. If you are looking to make pizza with a professional crust, it can help to use the dough after a day in the fridge.

When are ready to use it, reshape the dough and let it rise again. Then follow the same process as before, leaving the dough for around 15 – 30 minutes to come to room temperature. It will then be good to use.

How Long Can You Leave Pizza Dough To Rise?

When you make pizza, one of the most important parts of the process is to allow the dough to rise. You might hear this being called proofing or fermenting, but it is all the same thing.

The reason that this is so important is that, if you want to achieve a fluffy crust, the yeast must have time to react with the gluten in the dough. You will notice that all pizza dough recipes call for yeast and often sugar, along with flour and water of course. Some yeast needs to be dissolved in water whereas other types of yeast can be added directly into the flour and other dry ingredients; but all yeast acts in the same way.

Yeast is a living organism that needs to feed. When you knead the dough, you are creating a network of gluten structures that the yeast can feed on. During the rising process, the yeast ‘eats’ the sugar and creates air bubbles; this is what causes the dough to expand and is what creates that gorgeous fluffy crust.

So, after you have completed your dough recipe, you will need to leave it to rise but depending on where you place the dough will depend on how much time it will need.

You can leave the dough at room temperature in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and lined with a coating of olive oil or any other type of cooking oil. In this case, you should give it between 1 and 1/2 hours. It may take a little longer if the room is cool so don’t be afraid to give it a little extra time, if needs be. The dough should double in size and this is an easy way to tell when it is ready.

Alternatively, you can proof your pizza dough in the fridge. If you use this method, do be prepared to keep the dough there for longer as the cooler temperatures will slow down the proofing process. The dough will take at least 12 hours to proof. However, it is important to keep in mind that after a few days, the yeast will have run out of gluten to feed on and the dough will start to deteriorate.

Put the dough balls in to a container and follow the same process as before.

When the dough is ready for using, you can take it out and allow it to come to room temperature before putting it into the oven for baking.

Can You Freeze Pizza Dough?

If you don’t plan to use your dough for some time, or you have a lot of dough left over, it is entirely possible to store it in the freezer. This is a great method because you can separate the dough into balls and this is great if you wish to make one pizza at a time. Next time you come to use the dough, you can remove as much or as little as you need from the freezer and still have some for another day.

When you keep the dough in the freezer, it will stay good for up to three months. But it is important to store it correctly so that it is just like fresh dough when you thaw it.

You should separate the dough into balls and coat each of these in your favorite oil; this will stop them from sticking together in the freezer, making them easy to remove. To prevent sticking even more, you might place the dough into its own bag. You can use a freezer food bag but if you do not have a bag, you can use parchment paper or plastic wrap.

Make sure you remove all the air before you put the pizza dough in the freezer. It will be good to use for up to 3 months but after this time, the pizza dough may get freezer burn and this can effect the flavor of the pizza.

When you want to use the pizza dough, you should thaw it in the refrigerator. It is better to thaw overnight but as long as it has had around 12 hours, the pizza dough should be good.

After this, you should to follow the same process for dough that has been kept in the fridge, leaving it for 30 minutes at room temperature before working the dough.

Can I Store Pizza Dough In The Freezer After Cooking?

You can also make pizza and keep the finished pizza in your freezer. This is just as easy and can be executed just like freezing pizza dough, covering each pizza with wrap or in a container and allowing them to defrost when you want to use them. Frozen pizza should be used within two months.

Conclusion

Many people like to make pizza at home, it is easy to make and requires basic ingredients like flour, water, yeast and sugar; things that we all have in our kitchen cabinets.

However, it is vital that you treat your pizza dough with care and store it correctly before using it. This makes sure that your pizza always turns out perfect.

You can keep pizza dough in the fridge, freezer or at room temperature if you intend on using it directly after it rises. The good news is that pizza dough will keep for a few months when frozen so you can enjoy pizza long after making the dough!