Dough management is an all-inclusive term used to encompass everything we do to the dough, from the time we begin mixing the ingredients until it is finally opened into pizza skins or formed into another product (breadsticks, garlic knots, calzones, etc.). Effective dough management means identifying the parameters necessary for … More
Dough Information Center
How to Make Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough
If you’re looking to add healthier pizzas to your menu, whole-wheat crusts may be the answer. One slice of whole-wheat pizza dough offers four grams of fiber, or 10% of the recommended daily intake of fiber for men and 15% for women. Whole wheat is also a good source of … More
Tom Lehmann
Getting a Better Bake With Air Impingement Ovens
Q: We switched to an air impingement oven but can’t get a good, balanced bake between the top and bottom of our pizzas. Why? A: Your question is a fairly common one. I assume you’ve already worked with the baking time and temperature and made sure the oven … More
Dough Information Center
Video: How to Make Pizza Dough the Easy Way
He may be known far and wide as “the Dough Doctor,” but Tom Lehmann likes to make pizza dough the easy way. “Having worked in pizza all these years, I’ve become very lazy,” he says. “And I like to do things the easy way … I’ve got other things to … More
Tom Lehmann
The Secrets of Effective Dough Docking
Q: What is dough docking, and why is it important? A: There are misconceptions regarding just what dough docking is and how it works to help control bubbling of the dough. Done correctly, docking is pretty effective at reducing the bubble formation in the dough, but done incorrectly, much … More
Tom Lehmann
How to keep your wood work surface in tip-top condition
Q: We open our dough balls on a wood surface. After we wash it, the surface gets rough and needs to be sanded to maintain its smoothness. How can we solve this problem? A: The wood surface should not be washed in the conventional way. Ordinary washing causes the … More
Dough Information Center
The Three Common Causes of Soggy Pizza
Most customers get peeved when their pizza turns soggy. That can happen for any number of reasons, but there are three issues that most likely cause the problem. The most common cause: Failure to allow the pie to “steam off” when it emerges from the oven. Related: How to create … More
Tom Lehmann
10 tips for adding a take-and-bake option
What changes do I need to make to my dough formula and procedure for a take-and-bake pie? To make a pretty decent take-and-bake pizza using your existing formula, you just need to make the following changes: 1. Reduce the dough absorption by 2% compared to what you use for your … More
Tom Lehmann
Will putting eggs in your dough leave you with egg on your face?
Q Is there any benefit to adding eggs to my pizza dough? A Pizza makers have been adding eggs, either whole eggs or egg whites, to their doughs for many years—and for different reasons. Whole eggs can provide better browning characteristics and, to some extent, even deliver a richer flavor. … More
Tom Lehmann
What’s the best way to prevent pizza peel stick?
Q How can we keep our pizzas from sticking to the peel? A There are several things you can do about this problem, but start by making sure you’re using the right peel. Pizza peels come in two styles: metal and wood/composite. The wood/composite peel is the correct peel to … More
Tom Lehmann
Can par-baked crusts save time during rush periods?
Q We want to increase our volume, so we were thinking about prebaking our dough until it’s lightly browned and setting it aside for later use when we get really busy. This would reduce baking time and allow us to make more pizzas in rush periods. Is this a … More
Tom Lehmann
Tired of cross-stacking your dough boxes? Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann has an alternative you might like better.
Q Why do I need to cross-stack boxes of dough balls in the cooler? Coming back later to down-stack the boxes is a real pain. Cross-stacking the dough boxes allows the dough balls to cool down at a consistent, uniform rate. If the dough boxes are not cross-stacked, the … More