Author: Elisha Morris

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

!

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.

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!

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.