Making Pizza Dough

Hi Eric,
I'm looking forward to viewing your new Pizza video but I get about 1 minute into it and it freezes. Also, the text in the middle of the page is jibberish.
Thanks
Ed

Hi Ed,

Thanks for the heads up on the jibberish. Fixed that.

As for the video freezing, I'm not having that problem. Could it just be buffering and you need to give it more time to download? If that's not it, could you try again today and let me know if it's still happening?

Eric

Eric,
Text looks great. Tried the video with MSFT Explorer and it hung up in the same spot. Then tried with Mozilla and it ran perfectly. Next ran the video on my wifes machine using Explorer and it worked fine.
So, it's some combination of my computer and Explorer.
Thanks
Ed
PS - Try a little semolina flour in your pizza next time. It makes the crust a bit chewy and gives it a nutty flavor.

Good call on the semolina flour. I added your suggestion to the "Notes" above. Thanks.

Love the new video's, esp the ending. Do you have any thoughts on the Cooking Light method , where they actually bake the pizza bread for a few minutes before placing the toppings on & in the oven?

Thanks, Rod. That's a good idea when the dough takes longer to bake than the toppings take to get just right. And that's more likely to be the case when the dough is thick and/or wet.

The dough in the above recipe is a bit dry and I roll the crust pretty thin so they finish at about the same time. At least that's the idea. But it's good to know about this option as a way to adjust when necessary. If there's other reasons they do it that way, I'm not aware of them.

Hi Eric, thanks for the new videos which are great, and amusing - love the ending. Of course I HAD to try the pizza immediately so I invited the family for dinner tonight. This was a bit nervy of me as they make pizza all the time. I made the dough yesterday and put it in the frig as you suggested. I have my own frig back and it seems to be running very cold and I thought I had ruined the dough - it looked as though it had developed a skin despite the oil and plastic bags. I let it warm up this afternoon and kneaded it again until it was smooth and soft, then let it proof again. Have to say it was the best pizza I have ever made - and there wasn't a single slice left from two 14" pizzas. I don't have a peel so I proofed each one on parchment with cornmeal and used the back of a cookie sheet to slide them onto the hot stone. Now I am hoping to persuade my son to make me a peel - maybe I will trade some batches of the good dough for one. Thanks again, Ann

Hi, Eric. Was thrilled to see your pizza videos - we've been doing alot of pizzas with "your" happy starter here this summer and have sampled a dozen sourdough pizza recipes. Mine is similar to yours - I also add a tbsp of honey. I also learned the hard way that moving a loose dough and it's toppings to the stone can be difficult if one (like me) makes several ahead of time to cook when company arrives. Since I do not have a handydandy peel, I prepare the crusts on top of upside down cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment (works better than semolina or bread crumbs). Slide paper & pizza into oven/grill and once the pizza has been on the stone for a half minute, the parchment paper slips right out from beneath!

Hi Connie. That's a very nice technique for moving the pizza. I've added it to the Notes above. Thanks much!

Today did a dough under your recipe "Making Pizza Dough". Thanks, for a tasty pizza.

I work at a local pizza place, i love youre vids and so i thought id contribute a little. I think it should be noted that the more toppings you have, the longer it will take to cook them, but the crust will still cook at the same speed, so you may want to have the oven temp turned down to around 485 if you like the "supreme". it will be easier to cut the pie the sooner you do it, but if the cheese is still to runny then it might go over the edge. I usually wait about 30 secs, rather than minutes, to ensure a good cut - especially if you have a lower quality cutter. Where i work, we use provolone cheese, i reccomend it over mozzarella for several reasons. Lastly, dont forget that if you are ambitious, or if you will be making enough pies that you are willing to practice, dont forget that you can try tossing the dough on your hands to get a nice circle, rather than rolling it out. use your hands to form a crust, leaving a thicker ball of dough still in the center. Then, "walk" the dough out on your hands until it is slightly above the size you want. place it on the block or the paddle you will use to get it on the block, and stretch out any imperfections. if there is any apparent bubbles, pop them to ensure a better cooked crust. Good luck, and thank you for these vids!

Thanks a lot Justin, that's great info, I really appreciate it.

This is a great recipe that I have enjoyed success with. I like thin crust, however, so for me, this recipe makes 4 12" crusts. Mmm, yummy, esp with a 4 or 6 blend italian cheese mix and fresh basil.

Thanks for the great recipes!

Thanks for all the great videos and priceless information. Would you be able to offer any tips for folks trying to reproduce your recipes at a high altitude? Say around 5000 ft?

BRAVO… THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS FOR THE BREAD ARTISIANS LIKE MYSELF WHO TRULY TREASURE THE ART OF FRESH BAKED PIZZA. I RATE THIS A PURE AND HONEST 100 AND AN A+. MY ONLY PROBLEM IS MATCHING THE "TOASTING" OF THE BOTTOM OF MY CRUST TO EQUAL THAT OF THE "RIM/ EDGE" OF MY PIZZA CRUSTS. DO I DARE REDUCE MY OVEN BELOW IT'S 500* TEPERATURE? I GUESS I COULD TRY? ALSO, I HAVE ALWAYS LET MY DOUGH SIT ON THE HOT STONE, IN THE OVEN FOR ABOUT 4 MINUTES ( SO AS TO SET AND ENSURE A GOOD CRUST ), AND THEN ADD THE SAUCE AND CHEESE. ANY SUGGESTIONS? I DO FEEL THAT A GOOD CRUST MAKES THE PIZZA.

Sorry Daryl, I'm not familiar with the adjustments needed for high altitude baking. Maybe someone else reading this can offer some advise.

Craiger, sounds like you're more on top of this than I am. I'd be reluctant to reduce the oven temp but I see your dilemma.

Daryl…I'm in Rio Rancho, NM at an altitude of about 5500'. The higher altitude gives a good rise. Because we don't have humidity(to speak of),the flours tend to be much drier, and a bit more liquid is required. Also because of the altitude, things have to be baked for longer periods of time. Sorry I don't have any exact times for you, but it's a matter of trial and error. I hope this might help you a bit. Happy baking, Maggie

This help allot, Maggie!… explains why things seem to take longer to bake/cook. Many thanks!

I have a question about the use of parchment in such a hot oven. The silicone treated paper I have says it's oven safe to only 400* and the paper I saw at the cooking store yesterday had a max temp of 450*. Is there another paper somewhere that can be heated safely at higher temps?? Maggie

Hello there. I enjoyed your pizza videos but have one question. Do you think that higher protein flour is better for pizza? I have managed to find some and made my pizza with iton someone else's recomendation, and have to admit, it odes make pizza taste a little better. I am yet to try it with sourdough starter, I love sour dough in general. When I do, I will live my coments on it. Mean while, keep up the good work.
Dusan from Vancouver BC Canada,

I haven't noticed any difference in flavor because of protein level. Lower protein flour is easier to work with for pizza dough because it spreads out easier and doesn't tend to spring back like a stretched out rubber band when you're forming the crust.

@ maggie. ever been to Dions? thats where i work! its a small world.

HaHa…Hi Justin! Of COURSE I've been to Dion's ! There's one just about a mile down the road from me on 528 @ High Resort…………yummmmmmmm !

hi,how many ounces of frozen dough do i need for a 12 inch pie?

Hi Pete,

I like my pizza crust very thin and find that about 6-7 oz of dough makes a pretty thin 12" crust.

Well I didn't fair to well with the 100% whole wheat bread but this pizza dough worked out great!

Anxious to try the whole wheat bread. As for the pizza dough…do you have a recipe using whole wheat (with orange juice?)

I made this pizza dough recipe using 1 cup all purpose and 1.25 cups whole wheat and no orange juice. It turned out very good.

I've made the 100% whole wheat pizza recipe from Peter Reinhart's new Whole Grain Breads book a few times, and been very happy with it. It doesn't call for orange juice but you could certainly substitute some in place of some of the water and see what happens. Sounds like you'd have Swedish pizza crust.

Has anyone tried using their La Cloche to make a deep dish pizza? Or muffuletta Sandwich Bread?

Oops, I forgot to also ask if anyone has a recipe for the breads? and Olive Salad.

Information for Muffuletta Sandwiches;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffuletta

I've made a whole wheat version of your sourdough pizza at least a dozen times now. It's supplanted the standard whole wheat yeast dough I spent years fine tuning, so that's saying something. I simply replace the all purpose flour with freshly milled hard red winter wheat, add about 1/4c water instead of 1tbsp, and I'll sometimes add 1tbsp vital wheat gluten as well, especially if I'm feeding people that don't like whole grain. My starter is whole wheat fed and at 100% hydration.

I've also found that decreasing the olive oil to 1tbsp yields a crispier crust. 100% whole wheat is a little more work to get the dough just right, but it's worth the effort for the health benefits, added flavor and texture.

Sometimes I'll make the dough in the morning or even the night before and refrigerate it until two hours before I'll make the pizza. This yields an incredibly sour crust. Too much for some people, but if you like sourdough, it's heaven.

Thanks so much for the recipe!

I have fixed you pizza dough on several occasions and find it to be wonderful and consistently full of flavor.
I have 2 questions pertain to the pizza.

1. When freezing pizza dough appox. how much time does it take from freezer to rise ready to stretch.

2. what is the max amount of whole wheat flour you believe can substituted and still maintain the integrity of the recipe.

Thanks again for your wonder site and have a great valentine day with your wife.

Good questions, Nick. I haven't paid real close attention to how long it takes before the frozen dough is workable. I just take it out around breakfast time so it's ready for lunch.

Don't know about the whole wheat. Some people make 100% whole wheat crust and like it just fine. Peter Reinhart, in his newish whole grains book, has a great recipe for 100% whole grain pizza that I like a lot. But his recipe is more involved than just taking this one and adding more whole wheat. So it would just take some playing around to see what works for you.

Barefoot pizza cooking; good stuff :). Thanks for the video.

I MADE MY STARTER JUST LIKE YOU SAID AND IT WAS A SUCCESS
THANK YOU I HAVE A QUESTION I MAKE PIZZA ALOT IN MY HOUSE
HOW MUCH STARTER WOULD I USE TO 1 POUND OF DOUGH OR IF YOU WERE MAKING 1 PIZZA HOW MUCH WOULD YOU USE

If I were making thin crust pizza, which is about all I ever make, I'd use about 3/4 cup of starter. But you could experiment around and see if you come up with something you like better.

Glad to hear your starter worked out well.

The "sour dough workout" shouldn't be a joke. I found that when "air kneading" I got the same exercise for my arthritic hands as I do with my little ball of soft "clay stuff." Thanks for a great new recipe. Pizza dough has always been a failure for me, but I love my sour dough and this worked great; both eating and exercising.

Thanks for this great comment, Mary. I've added it to the main body of text above.

After trying 50 different recipes, your Basic Pizza Dough Recipe was by far the BEST !!! Every recipe I tried before, had me mixing the yeast with sugar in warm water till frothy, then pouring it into a mixing bowl where I had the flour, olive oil and salt..I tried your Basic Pizza Dough Recipe where it calls NOT to do what I've been doing before (no sugar/yeast/water mixture) and WALLAH!!! FANTASTIC PIZZA !!!!
I can't thank you enough !!! THANX THANX THANX !!!
Zak

That's really cool, Zak. Feedback like yours makes my day!

Eric

Is anyone else having a problem seeing the video on pizza dough? I don't get any video on the page…just an empty space where it seems to go. Is it my computer/browser or does it not show on others too?

Thanks very much for such a wonderful site!
Rick in CO

Hey Rick. I think they're working OK. But you can also do a search on breadtopia over at youtube, I've uploaded them there too.

Do you have written instructions for the pizza dough that I can Print?

Hi Eric, I make your NK pizza dough for the first time the other day and the results were fantastic. Best pizza I have ever made, and the wife agreed! Previously I was making pizza from dough bought from my local pizzeria, but I like this better. I can't wait for my starter (made from your recipe) to be ready so I can make sourdough pizza! Thanks…..

Hi Gang,
Love the site. I just asked my buddy for some of his starter that he has been tending for decades. I can't wait to try a sourdough.
In any event.. a couple of questions.
Can you use this starter to make a good old fashion rye bread? You know.. the type we use to get with corned beef and the pickle?
Thanks for the site.

Howie Cohen

Hi Robert. The funny thing is, once I put up a video I often have to refer back to it to remember how I did something. Then I'll just copy the ingredient list to a text editor and print that out for reference.

Hi John.

That's so cool. Thanks for letting me know.

Eric

Hey Howie. Sure, there's all kinds of sourdough rye recipes. You might want to check out Ed Wood's book, Classic Sourdoughs.

Can I get some details on freezing the pizza dough? Then defrosting and cooking… At what stage do I freeze the dough? I have the two balls of the sourdough pizza dough rising right now (and the dough turned out great! thanks to your very informative video) - after its doubled in size, do I deflate the dough and then wrap in plastic and freeze each ball? When I take it out of the freezer, do I defrost it first on the counter? And then do I have it rise it again in a bowl, before rolling it out and topping and cooking it? This information may have been covered elsewhere, but I'd appreciate a quick summary please.

Mornin Eric
Am getting ready to roll out some pizza using your great new video.[thanks again] My question is…….

The recipe, as you indicated, makes two 12-14" thin crust pizzas. I happen to enjoy thicker crust pizza.
If I make, say, 2 9-10 inch pizzas… after I roll out and form the pizza shell, should I first put the pizza in the oven for 5-10 mins? to cook BEFORE I add my goodies? And at what temp. I wouldn't want the dough to be doughy and uncooked.

Also, the above questions/comment from Erika and yourself..
Freezing 1/2 the dough. You say to freeze it right after mixing the dough. Upon taking it out and thawing it out, you mention to shape it right away. Therefore I take it that it doesn't need to proof as did the fresh one?

thanks in advance
jo-ann

Mornin Jo-Ann (and Erika again),

I just rewrote my answer to Erika's previous question above to hopefully be more clear on the thawing and proofing since you do want the dough to do its proofing thing.

For a thicker crust, letting it bake for a few minutes before applying the toppings is a good idea. I wouldn't change the oven temperature though. You'll have to just take a guess on the timing and learn from your results. But pizza is a lot more forgiving than bread so I don't think you can go too far wrong even if it's not perfect the first time.

Thanks for your answer on freezing the dough. Since my dough had already risen and doubled, I decided not to freeze them, and stuck them in the refrigerator instead. I deflated each ball, sprayed a 1 qt. zip-lock baggy and the ball of dough with olive oil, and closed the bag. I plan to use the dough sometime in the next 3 to 4 days. Is that OK do do? The dough seems to be expanding in the refrigerator. When I plan to use it, do I let the dough rise to double again? Or do I just bring it to room temperature (how long?) and roll it out?

I dunno! The yeast may have run its course by then, but I'm certainly not sure about that. Bread still rises in the fridge, just slowly. If the dough still has some kick to in 3 or 4 days, I guess you'd know if you knock it down and it rises yet again. I would think just letting it come to room temp would be sufficient. I'm just guessing on all this.

If you do give it a try, I hope you'll let us know how it goes.

Eric,
Thanks a bunch for the video. My wife and I have had a 10 year running dialogue as to whether or not we could make a good pizza crust ourselves. Well, it took 10 years to find your video but well worth the wait! I stood in my kitchen last night with my laptop and watched your video several times as I threw together your recipe. A few hours later we were eating your pizza watching the NCAA basketball tourney beside ourselves that we could do such an amazing pizza at home! I know it sounds like I'm going overboard here but it really gave me a sense of accomplishment I don't get everyday so thanks. I do have a question however. I split the dough in half and placed the second half in the frig in a oiled bowl in a bag. I took it out today and let it sit for about 45 mins. Cooked it and it was very thick with bubbles. What did I do wrong? I suspect I didnt roll it out as flat as I had previously. Thanks again.

Hi Josh,

Great story. I'm so glad you are happy with your results. As for the dough you stored in the fridge, I wish I knew for sure what the trouble could be. It may just be a case of needing to roll it out thinner as you suggest. The next time you store dough, you might try freezing it instead. That may be the only way of being able to pick up (as close as possible to) where you left off. Of course you have to allow a few hours for thawing, but at least freezing will totally suspend the fermentation until you're ready to use it again.

hi eric, i want to ask you someting… (sorry for my english, i´m spanish)

sadly, i can´t find here in madrid instant yeast.. but i have dry yeast packets.. can i do your recipe with dry yeast?? quantity???

thanks…

Hi Javi,

You can use the dry yeast but I'm not sure how it converts. I think if you just play around with it you'll get it solved pretty fast.

Good luck.

Eric

Eric, can I use the sourdough pizza dough recipe to make foccacio? Or do you have a recipe for that?

Hi Eric,

Just wondering if you might have put the sourdough pizza instructions in writing yet? I have dial-up and just can't watch your videos from home. Also, just wanted you to know I have enjoyed "your" starter for many months now and have made many successful loaves (along with some failures). Most problems come when I turn the dough from the basket unto the LaCloche. Do you have any good tips for this delicate procedure? Many thanks, Kay

Hi Erika,

I think you would need a much wetter dough to make foccacia than the pizza dough recipe. I don't have a recipe handy but I'm sure they're available somewhere on the net.

Hi Kay,

I wish I could tell you I'm going to translate my videos into written instructions anytime in the foreseeable future, but I just don't anticipate having the time to do it. I've got too many things on my "must do" list.

Ironically, several of the videos give a pretty good idea of how to get the dough from the basket to the cloche. I guess your best bet is to use a computer at the library or a friend with high speed access.

I am going to make your basic pizza recipe today. I have been searching for the "Best Pizza Crust for thin pizza" I came across a reicpe that has milk added to it. It was the only one, do you know what that addition does for pizza dough in place of water?

I love all the comments from others and your video rocks! Do you have a favorite sauce recipe?

Thank you and I am going to recommend this site for others.

Hi Sharon.

Thanks!

The lactose sugar in milk enhances browning, but I'm not sure if that's why anyone would add it to pizza dough. It also makes the dough more tender which might make it a little easier to roll out the dough without it wanting to spring back so much. This is more often accomplished with the a little oil.

For sauce, the vast majority of the time I totally take the easy way out and buy whatever organic bottled brand looks the most appetizing at the time.

Thank you for the quick response. I have used a bread flour when I have made my crusts before and rolling out the crust was difficult. Is that because it has more gluten? When looking at the many recipes I noticed that some call for the Bread Dough and others All-Purpose Flour. I'd like to understand why I would use one over the other.

Can the same recipe for your thin crust be used for a thick crust? Do we just use more of the dough? Have you used cake pans for thicker crusts? Thanks for your time.

Yes, the higher protein flours like bread flour make it harder to roll out. Most bread books will tell you that if you let the dough rest for 10 minutes or so while you're in the midst of rolling it out, it will relax and let you roll it out further when you resume. That works.

I guess you'd use bread flour over all purpose for pizza dough if you like a chewier crust that's also easier to get a rise out of.

I use the same recipe for thick and thin crust by just rolling it out in different thicknesses. So, yes, for thicker crust pizza I make a larger batch.

No, I haven't used cake pans but I have used 10-12" cast iron skillets.

Of course with all of this, there's a million ways of doing everything and you can just take a little from here and a little from there and come up with what suits you best.

Dear Eric,
We were wondering how much to feed the starter when we need 2 cups of starter. Do we just put in 1/3 c of flour and that amount of water until we have two cups?
Thanks for the video's and all your instruction we made our starter without a hitch.
Ron & susan

Hi Ron & Susan,

I would increase it a lot faster. How much you add depends somewhat on how much you have to start with, but as a broad rule of thumb you can easily double to quadruple the amount of starter you're starting with.

If you need 2 cups of starter, you want to end up with more than that so you have some left over after taking out 2 cups. So, for example, if you have a cup of starter you could add 2 cups of flour and 1 1/2 cups of water and it should be good to use in several hours.

I almost always use approximately equal weights of flour and water rather than equal volumes. I just like the consistency of the starter that way.

Also, if you're making, say, 3 cups of starter, it's going to rise to more than that at its peak so you want to use a good sized bowl or very large jar sufficient to accommodate that much starter. And when you measure out your 2 cups of starter, you're measuring out the starter in its mixed up state, sans air bubbles, not its poofy state.

This long winded answer is no doubt more than you needed (or wanted), but figured parts of it might be useful to others too.

Wow. Stumbled upon your site three days ago. Since then I've mixed up some sourdough starter (it's doing fabulous…nice sour smell, can't wait to bake that first loaf!) and made grilled pizza. The pizza was outstanding. I made three pies, the first one should have gone back on the grill for a few more minutes but it disappeared too quick. I left the second one on longer, but the middle still wasn't crispy. The third one was almost perfect. My dad has cancer and not much appetite anymore. He ate FIVE big slices of veggie pizza. My husband, Larry, almost cried when Dad took home the leftover slices. I had to promise to make it again the next day. That time I pre-grilled the crust and it was perfect. Crispy, chewy crust even in the middle. Thanks for great videos and excellent website.

What a wonderful story, Jeri, thanks so much for sharing it.