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Author Topic: Pizza Crust?  (Read 8090 times)

Offline dean

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Pizza Crust?
« on: February 05, 2010, 04:53:43 pm »
Since we got onto the subject of tipping it made me look into pizza crust recipes.  Nothing to do with tipping per'se but just that I'm far enough out in the sticks that its probably just as cost effective to make our own pizza.  I've made them before plenty of times but I've always used the pizza crust mixes sold in the stores and I really like making or doing as much on my own as I can.  I wouldn't say I do it to cut cost because not everything is less expensive to make or do at home, a lot depends on how well a person can do it... "quality" determines cost effectiveness, at least in my mind it does.

So... I'm looking for some pizza crust recipes and who better to turn to than fellow homebrewers, we by nature just seem to look for ways to "do it ourselves".  I guess one of my questions is do I really need yeast for pizza crust mix?  I'd like to make enough up so that I could freeze it and roll it out etc. later also, not just making it for one night. 

This next question might be out there a bit but... has anybody tried using spent grains in a pizza crust mix?

Offline beerocd

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2010, 07:09:34 pm »
There's that pizza fatta en casa thread - which boils down to homemade pizza. There's two or three dough recipes there. And yes it's absolutely cheaper and better than going out for pizza. I think maybe I'd decorate the crust with some spent grain but I dunno about the whole ball o dough. Done it in loaves of bread and it's great though.
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Offline woolybuggerbrew

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2010, 11:14:33 pm »
Here's the recipe I use.  Put it in a bread machine and comes out great.

Here's the recipe.
                     1-pound loaf      1/ 1/2-pound loaf


Whole wheat flour                  2 1/4 cups         2 2/3 cups

Gluten Flour               1/4 cup         1/3 cup

Date Sugar (or cane sugar)                   1 tsp            1 1/2 tsp

Sea salt                  1 tsp            1 1/2 tsp

Water                  1 cup         1 1/4 cup

Olive oil                  2 Tbs         3 Tbs

Actie dry yeast                    1 package         4 tsp

Cornmeal                       1 tsp            1 1/2 tsp


Directions:
1. Fit the kneading blade firmly on the shaft in the bread pan.  Carefully measure the flours, salt and sugar, and transfer to the pan.  Add the water, oil and yeast.  Place the bread pan in side the machine and close the lid.

2. Program the breadmaker for the whole wheat dough mode. The unit will begin its operation.

3. At the end of the rising cycle, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

4. Lightly oil a 12-inch (or 15-inch) pizza pan and sprinkle with the cornmeal (can just use fat free oil spray (like PAM, etc)).  With floured hands, gently stretch the dough into a 12-inch (or 15-inch) circle and place in the prepared pan.  Continue stretching until the dough covers the entire surface of the pan. Push the dough against the rim of the pan to make an edge, then top the dough with your choice of pizza fillings.

5. Bake the pizza on he bottom rack of a preheated 400 F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until teh crust is golden and the filling is melted and bubbly.  Serve hot.

Notes:
-I used 3 tsp of Active dry yeast (for the 1-pound loaf), as I did not have yeast "packages" (I had the big bottle of bread machine yeast).
-1 pound loaf makes ~ 12 inch pizza, the 1 1/2 pound loaf makes ~ 15 inch pizza.

From: The Bread Machine Gourmet, by Shea MacKenzie
Bryon / Portland, OR

Offline euge

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2010, 02:28:41 am »
Love pizza. Slurry will do just fine for the yeast.

I suggest making a poolish and then proof the pizza dough the next day for a traditional pizza crust. Not Chicago style. Slurry just rocks the house when making bread.

I've always favored a looser dough that spreads out easily but that's another subject.
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

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Offline bluesman

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2010, 05:32:10 pm »
Ron Price

Offline beerocd

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #5 on: February 28, 2010, 06:01:16 pm »
How many forums can one guy go to before just going crazy?
I just spent this last week on a BBQ forum leading to today's lunch. (Brisket, round and sausage)

So, who streches how? I can toss but it's more mess than it's worth.
I hold it up off the counter and just keep pulling at it working my way around the crust, letting gravity help the stretch.

The moral majority, is neither.

Offline euge

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #6 on: February 28, 2010, 11:17:17 pm »
I can slap and toss but for a suburban kitchen that just gets flour or cornmeal everywhere. Dock the dough with my fingers and flatten it some. Then I go after it with a French-style rolling pin.

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline Pawtucket Patriot

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #7 on: March 01, 2010, 11:16:02 am »
I shape my dough almost exactly the same way as this guy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjYqw1CLZsA
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Offline mikeypedersen

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #8 on: March 01, 2010, 12:01:28 pm »
I shape my dough almost exactly the same way as this guy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjYqw1CLZsA
Wow, thanks for posting that!

Offline euge

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #9 on: March 01, 2010, 12:07:25 pm »
That bit about not pinching the edge with the roller is good to know. I've done it plenty of times... :D
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline Pawtucket Patriot

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2010, 12:38:08 pm »
I shape my dough almost exactly the same way as this guy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjYqw1CLZsA
Wow, thanks for posting that!

No problem!  Someone directed me to that video when I was trying to figure out the best way to shape my dough.  I thought it was really helpful.
Matt Schwandt | Minneapolis, MN
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Offline bluesman

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #11 on: March 01, 2010, 12:43:46 pm »
I shape my dough almost exactly the same way as this guy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjYqw1CLZsA
Wow, thanks for posting that!

No problem!  Someone directed me to that video when I was trying to figure out the best way to shape my dough.  I thought it was really helpful.

Interesting techniques. Thanks!

What's your latest and greatest dough formulation?
Ron Price

Offline Pawtucket Patriot

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #12 on: March 01, 2010, 01:20:22 pm »
What's your latest and greatest dough formulation?

Pretty much the same as it's been for awhile.  I just really like this formulation.  What about you?


For a 16" pizza:
12.7 oz King Arthur bread flour
9 g vital wheat gluten
1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
8.5 oz cold water
.25 oz kosher salt
.25 oz olive oil

- 48 hour cold rise
- 2 hour warm up
- 550 degree oven (preheat stone for at least 1 hour)
- Bake the pizza on a screen in the upper portion of the oven until the bottom is solid enough to slide off the screen
- Rotate pizza 180 degrees and transfer from screen to stone
- Bake on stone until the bottom has reached desired doneness
- Turn on broiler, move the pizza back up to the upper rack for 30-60 seconds to finish the toppings
« Last Edit: March 01, 2010, 01:24:35 pm by Pawtucket Patriot »
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Offline mikeypedersen

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #13 on: March 01, 2010, 01:33:33 pm »
What is, and where do I find, Vital Wheat Gluten.....That's the only thing I have left out of your recipe.

Offline bluesman

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Re: Pizza Crust?
« Reply #14 on: March 01, 2010, 02:17:32 pm »
What's your latest and greatest dough formulation?

Pretty much the same as it's been for awhile.  I just really like this formulation.  What about you?


For a 16" pizza:
12.7 oz King Arthur bread flour
9 g vital wheat gluten
1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
8.5 oz cold water
.25 oz kosher salt
.25 oz olive oil

- 48 hour cold rise
- 2 hour warm up
- 550 degree oven (preheat stone for at least 1 hour)
- Bake the pizza on a screen in the upper portion of the oven until the bottom is solid enough to slide off the screen
- Rotate pizza 180 degrees and transfer from screen to stone
- Bake on stone until the bottom has reached desired doneness
- Turn on broiler, move the pizza back up to the upper rack for 30-60 seconds to finish the toppings


I tried this one last time and it worked out pretty well. I'm still not settled on a formulation yet.

On to the current formula I’m using. This one starts with the 61% hydration. However, that is the only variable that has been changed. All the other ones have been consistent. The mixing regimen and poolish is as follows:

3-hr Poolish (in order of ingredients added)

Total amount of water
Total amount of yeast
50% of the sugar
50% of total amount of flour (sifted in)

Dissolve sugar & yeast in 95 ° F water. Stir with a wire whisk. Sift in the flour and, using the paddle attachment, mix everything together. Let sit for 3 hours.

Final mix

Add the rest of the sugar, all the salt and sift in remaining flour. Using the dough hook, mix and knead everything together until no raw flour is visible any longer. Rest for 20 mins. This step is crucial to get the flour properly hydrated. After 20 mins, start kneading again and let the oil run down the sides of the bowl and knead into the dough. Knead on Speed 2 for about 10-12 mins. The dough came off the hook at around 82°F. A 2-minute hand kneading on the bench followed before it went into a slightly oiled bowl, got covered with plastic wrap and then was put into the fridge.

Formula 61%

Flour (100%):       902.53 g 
Water (61%):       550.54 g 
IDY (.7%):         6.32 g
Salt (2%):       18.05 g
Oil (1%):                 9.03 g
Sugar (1.5%):       13.54 g

Total (166.2%):   1500 g

Single Ball:      375 g

Ron Price