Billy Manzo

Solving the Double Zero Equation

It takes more than 00 flour to do Neapolitan-style pizza the right way, says the owner of Federal Hill Pizza. You need to make sure you understand the flour you’re using as well as the intricacies of your pizza oven. Related: By Billy Manzo Jr., Photos by ERB Photography I have … More

Food & Ingredients

The Secrets to Creating a Better Crumb Structure

When we hear a pizza aficionado describing a really great pizza, it’s seldom the cheese or the sauce or even the toppings they refer to. It’s the textural properties of the crust, whether light and tender, crispy or chewy. So what’s the secret behind these important characteristics? You might think … More

Dough Information Center

Creating a Lighter Deep-Dish Pizza Crust

Try using flour with a lower protein content, such as an all-purpose flour or H&R, a winter wheat bread flour. By mixing your regular pizza flour with an all-purpose flour, you can create a flour blend that works well for your specific application and shop conditions. Related: How to solve … More

this photo illustrates the role of yeast in pizza dough
Zeak's Tweaks

Understanding the Role of Yeast in Pizza Dough

All three types of yeast perform comparably and result in the same flavor profiles for pizza when used at the correct substitution levels.  Instant dry yeast (IDY), possibly the most widely used type in pizza dough, has a shelf life of one to two years at room-temperature (65° to 80°F) … More

Dough Information Center

How to Solve Your Bubble Troubles

In this past installment of the late Tom Lehmann’s column, “In Lehmann’s Terms,” from September 2016, the dough master answered a reader’s question about bubbly pizza crusts. The problem stems from the baking temperature for the type of sauce applied to the dough skin, he explained. Related: A newcomer’s guide … More

Pizzerias

Born to Bake: A Fond Remembrance of Tom Lehmann

In memory of the late Tom Lehmann, PMQ is reposting this feature profile of the one and only “Dough Doctor” from our January-February 2015 issue. Lehmann, a trusted expert on pizza dough and everything related to baking, passed away from COVID-19 on December 12, 2020. By Rick Hynum Tom Lehmann … More