If you make mistakes in preparing refrigerated dough for your pizza, your oven tender will develop a needless attraction to the bubble popper. Here’s how to greatly reduce or eliminate your bubble troubles after removing the dough from the cooler. Q: I keep having problems with bubbles in my refrigerated … More
Technology
Mixers to the Max: Getting the Most out of Your Dough Mixer
Ready to invest in a new dough mixer? You’ve got plenty of options to choose from. From planetary and spiral mixers to VCMs, these industry experts offer tips on how to choose the right one. A mixer is a major investment for any pizzeria—a heavy lifter that can thrive for … More
Dough Information Center
Solving the Mystery of Blown Dough
Blown pizza dough is usually a problem of temperature control or dough management. Keeping your dough boxes cross-stacked for the right amount of time in the cooler can help prevent the problem. Related: How to minimize snap-back in your pizza dough Q: What’s the cause of blown dough? A: I … More
Dough Information Center
How to Minimize Snap-Back in Your Pizza Dough
If you’re using a dough press, you’ll need to start with a very soft and relaxed pizza dough to prevent snap-back. Even if you’re doing everything right, you still might have to add a reducing agent to your dough. Related: When your dough comes out wet and sticky Q: When … More
Dough Information Center
Why Does My Pizza Keep Sticking to the Peel?
If your pizza sticks to the peel when you put it in the oven, you might be using the wrong kind of peel for that purpose. Another possible culprit: the peel dust. Plain flour works, but there are some better alternatives. Related: Solving the double zero flour equation The late, … More
Food & Ingredients
When Your Dough Comes Out Wet and Sticky
If you don’t cross-stack your pizza dough boxes in the cooler, you’re likely to end up with a common problem: wet and sticky dough. By cross-stacking the dough boxes when you first put them into the cooler, you will allow the moisture from condensation to escape from the boxes. Related: The secrets to creating … 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
How to Keep Your Pizzeria’s Wood Work Surface in Tip-Top Condition
Wood-work surfaces for pizzerias should not be washed in the conventional way, advises Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann. Keep in mind that any water applied to the surface should be removed as quickly as possible to keep it from getting absorbed into the wood. Related: How to achieve the perfect … More
Dough Information Center
Can I Use a Dough Press for a Cracker-Crust or Crispy-Crust Pizza?
There are a couple of ways to create dough with the soft, relaxed characteristics that make it amenable to using a dough press. If you are cold-fermenting your dough, consider allowing it to remain in the cooler for two or more days before pressing it, which will also contribute to … More
Dough Information Center
Get in the Zone: Taking Your Calzones to the Next Level
Ready to usher your customers into the Calzone Zone? You’ll want to use a dough that’s specifically formulated for that purpose. For a nice, tender calzone dough, use a lower-protein, bread-type flour with a protein content in the range of 10.8% to 11.6%. Related: 8 tips for selling more soups … 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
Dough Information Center
Start the (Dough) Presses to Speed Up Your Pizza Production
Dough presses can speed up production in your pizza kitchen and create more consistent results. Keep in mind that you might need to change your dough formula if you’re working with a dough presser. Related: A newcomer’s guide to pizza dough equipment When you’re working with a higher-volume operation—or if … More