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What’s with
the Wood Dough Trays???
By
Chef
Bruno – Corporate Chef – Marsal & Sons
PMQ has received many emails and calls about the wood dough
boxes seen in most of the articles about
Wood
boxes were around long before
plastic and metal...they were the first type of dough boxes available and
have
been around for 70 to 80 years. They are most often used in the
Wood Dough
Boxes
To start, let’s look at how they are
made. There are a few companies out there who still make wood dough
boxes, but
you can have a local carpenter make them. Typically, they are made from
pine,
which I believe is your best choice because pine is stronger. You can
also have
them made from birch or apple wood, but these are more expensive than
pine.
How
does wood affect the dough? The
wood removes the moistness from the bottom of the dough and the pizza
becomes
much crispier. They are also used by bread bakers as holding boxes.
They do not
retard the dough quick enough so I recommend using the dough the same
day for
the best results. For high volume shops, they are OK.
Cleaning
is required regularly
because they are wood. To clean them, all that is needed is to brush
them down
with some warm water or wipe them out with a cloth, but do not use
detergent.
You don’t want to remove all of the oil that will begin to collect
after time.
The older they get, the better they mature, but if you don’t clean them
about
once a month, mold will develop. They will last a long time, but they
do take
up a lot of space. Chef’s recommendation: “You Bet.”
Plastic
Dough Boxes
Plastic dough boxes are relatively
new in this industry. The newest boxes made today are getting thinner
and
lighter. The older ones were heavier and are not doing the job due to
the
thickness of the plastic. It does not chill and slow down the
fermentation
because plastic does not get cold like metal. Plastic is a poor
conductor of
temperature.
Dough
can rise too quickly in
plastic. As it does, it loses control as the dough chills fast, so
adjustments
need to be made to your dough. Water
temperature needs to be colder or you can cut down on the yeast or
sugar. You
can also increase the salt because it will slow fermentation down. Once
adjustments are made, you’ll be OK. The good thing about plastic is
that it’s
easy to maintain and keep clean and the price may be right as well.
They do
take up a lot of space, but are good for high volume pizzerias. The newer plastic is also very durable and
chills quicker than the older plastics that were used.
Stainless
Steel Dough Boxes
Stainless steel dough boxes have
been around a long time and can still be found in the
Aluminum
Dough Pans
Aluminum dough pans are good for
dough retardation and take up less space, but they are very messy and
greasy.
They are difficult to keep clean, and equally difficult to keep
yourself clean,
and very expensive. They also require
weekly maintenance. Chef’s recommendation: “No.”
If
you have any further questions
about wood dough boxes or metal boxes, give Carl a call at (631)
956-3365, or
if you are outside the
– PMQ –