Q: What should the temperature of my dough be when I start opening it into skins? A: As we all know, pizza dough becomes noticeably firmer and harder when it’s cold, so we allow it to warm a little after removing it from the cooler. In most cases, we can … More
Dough Information Center
How to Achieve a Better Par-Baked Pizza Crust
Do I need to adjust my dough formula for a par-baked crust? Last month I explained how to prevent the formation of pita-like pockets in a par-baked crust. But there are other things you can do to facilitate making par-baked crusts in any oven type. While your regular pizza dough … More
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
How to Par-Bake Crusts in an Air Impingement Oven
Q: What are the secrets of achieving a pocket-free par-baked crust with an air impingement oven? A: Par-baking a pizza crust in an air impingement oven can be a dicey proposition, thanks to the high-velocity airflow to the top and bottom of the crust. This can lead to the … More
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Go for the Dough: Keto Pizza
Learn how to make a keto diet friendly pizza crust in this instructional video! … More
Dough Information Center
Preventing the Pita Effect in Par-Baked Pizzas
How can I par-bake a pizza crust so that it doesn’t develop into a pocket-like pita? There are several things you can do to keep your par-baked crusts from turning into pitas. Possibly the greatest factor is the bake itself. While pizza is baked from the bottom up, par-baked … More
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
Emergency Dough: Tom Lehmann Explains How to Deal With Blown Pizza Dough
Q: What is an “emergency” dough, and when would a pizzeria owner ever need to use it? A: An emergency dough is a dough that you make in the event that you should lose all of the dough that you have stored in the cooler. For example, a lightning strike might blow out a … More
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
Will Mixing In Salt and Sugar Kill Your Yeast? Tom Lehmann Says "Not Always."
I’ve heard so many conflicting stories about mixing yeast with salt and sugar. Will doing this kill the yeast? I can understand your confusion. This issue has seemed a cardinal rule for a long time now, but it doesn’t apply in all situations. The problem is that when wet … More
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Go For The Dough – Shawn Randazzo's Detroit Style Dough
Enjoy this Detroit style pizza dough recipe, courtesy of award-winning pizza chef Shawn Randazzo of Detroit Style Pizza Co. For one of Shawn's award-winning pizza recipes, visit PMQ.com/detroittwist … More
Dough Information Center
The Dough Must Go On: 5 Pizza Tips From the Dough Doctor
We don’t call Tom Lehmann the “Dough Doctor” for nothing. He can diagnose your pizza dough problems and write out a prescription for treatment on the spot. Now if only we could get him to make house calls. Here, Lehmann offers five useful tips for managing your dough and making … More
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
Quick-Fire Questions with The Dough Doctor
I tried making my pizza dough using malt syrup rather than the usual white sugar but, over time, my dough became very sticky. Is there a solution? You are most likely using a diastatic malt syrup, which is enzyme-active and is nothing more than a malt-flavored sugar syrup. The … More
Dough Information Center
The Secret to Cracker-Crust or Crispy-Crust Pizza Dough
If you’ve ever tried to use a dough press to form skins for a crispy-thin or cracker-crust pizza, you may have realized the dough becomes too stiff to press out. But there’s a way around that problem. The key is to have a soft and relaxed dough consistency at the … More
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
What exactly is bakers percent?
Q I’ll be opening my first shop soon. When discussing my dough, everyone talks in bakers percent. Why is this? A When a dough is given in bakers percent, it is very easy to immediately see any issues with ingredient amounts. For example, if a dough based on … More