Pizza Dough Help-mistakes/possible fixes?

[Panthers65]

Sorry for the long post ahead, trying to figure out why I'm getting tough dough with my pizza. I cooked a couple pizzas last night in my cast iron skillets for the first time and while the taste was awesome, the dough was tough and chewy. Recipe and process below:

3 cup flour
2 teaspoons/1 packet yeast
½ TBS olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cup warm water

Combine all ingredients in mixer bowl
Attach dough hook and start low, then increase speed
At 30 seconds, a ball of dough will form, at Med/High speed, dough should pull away from bowl, if sticky, add flour by the TBS, if dry and hard, add water by the TBS
Kneed with hook for 8 minutes
Flour surface, divide dough in half, shape into boule
Dab olive oil and cover with damp towel for 45 min.
flatten by hand, move to skillet.

dough was sticky, but not to the point that it would stick to my hands (if that makes sense). I feel it rose a pretty good bit after the 45 minutes rest. After I flattened, the dough would "spring back" some after I tried to flatten it.


Pizza Process:
Preheat cast iron 450* for 20-30 minutes
place dough in skillet, cover with sauce/cheese/toppings
brush crust area with olive oil
bake for 10-15 minutes until pizza is brown.

What I think happened:
*didn't mix the yeast and water together 10 minutes before making the dough. I saw a few recipes do this, but the one I followed didn't tell me to.

*didn't let the dough sit for 10 minutes after flattening before adding sauce/toppings and baking. Again, I saw some recipes call for this, but mine didn't.

*Dough didn't rise long enough. I've seen everything from 45 minutes for 4+ hours under on the counter. Longer=better?

Does anyone else have any other ideas? Again, the pizza itself was pretty tasty, just didn't have the right texture. Thanks!

 

[dadsr4]

The longer the dough rests, the better, usually. I use a similar recipe in a bread maker and have good results. I start it on the dough cycle in the morning and let it set until it's time to make the pizza. I do not preheat the CI pan, I form the pizza in the pan and place it in the preheated oven. 400 deg for 20 min, usually.
Update:
Here is the dough recipe I use.
CI pizza Dough

All Purpose Flour 283.2 g or 2 1/4 cups

Water (110 deg. F) 170 g or 3/4 cup

Corn oil 4 Tablespoons (2 oz)

Active Dry Yeast 1/2 teaspoon

Salt 1/4 teaspoon

Sugar 1/4 teaspoon

400 deg 20 min.
It's a wet dough. I stretch it some, then wait a while, then stretch it the rest of the way.

I'm doing one at the moment, it's become a Thurs. night staple. Tonight it's crumbled naked fattie, mushrooms, and cheese. Plus whatever I come across in the frig.

 

[Mrfish]

Looks pretty good. No such thing as a bad pizza in my opinion.

I like to cook my dough half way before putting sauce and ingredients. I also brush the pan with melted butter and sprinkle some corn meal on the bottom for a buttery crispy crust.

 

[Moose]

What I think happened:
*didn't mix the yeast and water together 10 minutes before making the dough. I saw a few recipes do this, but the one I followed didn't tell me to.

*didn't let the dough sit for 10 minutes after flattening before adding sauce/toppings and baking. Again, I saw some recipes call for this, but mine didn't.

*Dough didn't rise long enough. I've seen everything from 45 minutes for 4+ hours under on the counter. Longer=better?

Does anyone else have any other ideas? Again, the pizza itself was pretty tasty, just didn't have the right texture. Thanks!

I think you pretty much nailed it. I usually use a cold rise dough that sits in the fridge for about 48 hours. Once I pull it from the fridge, I form it into about an 8 inch round with some flour, and let it sit covered for 20 minutes. This allows the gluten to "relax" so to speak. After the 20 mins is up, I hand stretch it into the size I need, and it does so VERY quickly, like in under 30 seconds, because there's so little "give" to the dough. This is what you should be shooting for.

 

[Panthers65]

.

Sorry forgot to mention that step, I did heat the dough by itself for 3-4 minutes before making the pie. I think I will do this longer next time. I think my recipe was set to make a pair of 12-14" pies, and I stuffed them into a pair of 8" skillets. Hopefully the next ones won't be as thick, but if they are I'll bake them half way before adding my toppings

.

Thanks for the recipe, That seems like a lot lower yeast/flour ratio that the recipe I used. I wonder if the longer rise time would actually hurt my dough recipe? Can you let the dough rise for too long?

.

I think that sounds like the plan for next time. I've got a bunch of leftover PP in the fridge and I"m going to make leftover BBQ pizza hopefully this weekend. When I read online that the dough springing back/hard to stretch was a bad thing, I kinda figured that was my problem.

Thanks everyone!

 

[JuniorBalloon]

A longer rise will yield a tastier crust, but will need to be balanced with the right amount of yeast. I have an overnight dough rise that only uses 22/100ths of a gram if yeast. But if you want pizza tonight you will use more yeast and less time. Both ways can make a tasty pie, but I prefer the longer ferment.

I'm not proficient enough to look at your process and explain the toughness of the dough. My first thought is it may be over worked/kneaded and under fermented. If you really want to find out go over to http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php

Also check out the yeast chart at this post - http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=26831.msg349349#msg349349

These guys know pizza and are very helpful.

jb

 

[Pitbull]

My guess is you're over kneading the dough. Dont work it so hard. Also, it helps to prebake the dough (minus the goodies) for about 10 minutes or so. Unless you really have a Good pizza oven and know what you're doing, fresh dough with the goodies straight into the oven can make the dough like a roof shingle..

 

[pitbossJB]

My guess is that you are using bread flour. I had that problem for quite a while and then I asked a baker and that is what he told me. "Use H & R flour." So I tried it, but it was too loose and flat, so now I'm using 50/50 and I am a happy man.

 

[Panthers65]

My guess is that you are using bread flour. I had that problem for quite a while and then I asked a baker and that is what he told me. "Use H & R flour." So I tried it, but it was too loose and flat, so now I'm using 50/50 and I am a happy man.

Not using bread flour. Wife uses that in the bread machine

 

[rookiedad]

i make pizza dough two days before i am going to use it. in pizza places dough management is key. make it, refrigerate over night, punch it down, repeate. use on the second or third day. time is your friend.

 

[JuniorBalloon]

I also note that, if my calculations are correct you have a very high hydration %.

3 cups flour = 375 grams
1 1/3 water = 316 grams

I generally go with about a 60% hydration and with 375 grams of flour that comes out to 225 grams of water.

jb

 

[Panthers65]

I also note that, if my calculations are correct you have a very high hydration %.

3 cups flour = 375 grams
1 1/3 water = 316 grams

I generally go with about a 60% hydration and with 375 grams of flour that comes out to 225 grams of water.

jb

I originally added a cup of water, and wasn't able to get a ball to form in my mixer. I kept adding a splash of water until I finally got a ball to forum. The ball pulled away from the bowl without any scraping, so I thought my water was good. Should the dough be that dry that a ball won't forum with a dough hook?

 

[JuniorBalloon]

I originally added a cup of water, and wasn't able to get a ball to form in my mixer. I kept adding a splash of water until I finally got a ball to forum. The ball pulled away from the bowl without any scraping, so I thought my water was good. Should the dough be that dry that a ball won't forum with a dough hook?

Could be the order you added to the bowl. Your note just says add all ingredients to the bowl. I start with all the liquid mixing on 2 (I have a KA mixer) and add the flour a giant spoonful at a time. Once it's all in a crank it up to 4. I mix it for 2 minutes or so and fairly soon it forms a ball that picks all the flour up and their is no scraping.

I'm a believer in weighing all the ingredients as it makes reproducing the recipe very easy.

Tonight is pizza night and I have 4 dough balls rising on the counter at home as we speak. Looking forward to some tasty pies.

 

[landarc]

I also like to let my dough sit for at least 24 hours. I don't always fridge it either, although you run a slight risk of fermentation, you end up with a softer dough that is much easier to work.

 

[guero_gordo]

Does your recipe have no sugar? Yeast has to eat something to produce co2.

 

[Panthers65]

Could be the order you added to the bowl. Your note just says add all ingredients to the bowl. I start with all the liquid mixing on 2 (I have a KA mixer) and add the flour a giant spoonful at a time. Once it's all in a crank it up to 4. I mix it for 2 minutes or so and fairly soon it forms a ball that picks all the flour up and their is no scraping.

I'm a believer in weighing all the ingredients as it makes reproducing the recipe very easy.

Tonight is pizza night and I have 4 dough balls rising on the counter at home as we speak. Looking forward to some tasty pies.

This was another possibility I was thinking of, but not sure how to correct it. Yes all the ingredients were thrown together. I think next time I"ll mix the yeast and water before, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then mix my dough. I've got a KA too, although just really started using it. I have the grinder, shredder, and sausage stuffer supposed to be delivered next week sometime. :becky:

Does your recipe have no sugar? Yeast has to eat something to produce co2.

I thought that's what the salt was for? I made some self-rising flour last night since I ran out and only had regular flour, and it just called for baking powder and salt. Just ate the last of the biscuits this morning with a lil bacon gravy :clap2:

 

[Zippylip]

while the taste was awesome, the dough was tough and chewy.

Panther, give the method here a try, it won't be tough & chewy:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=146377

 

[Bludawg]

Don't wait to the last minute to make your dough! I make mine up to 2 weeks ahead of time and stash it in the refer.The longer the rest( fermentation) the better the crust. Advantages you don't have to knead it more that it takes to pull together into a satiny ball. The gluten forma during the ferment. You also use just a pinch of yeast <1/2 tsp. for 3 cups of flour