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

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

Q: Our thin crust is always tough and chewy, and nothing we do seems to help. What are we doing wrong?   A: There are a number of things that can impact a thin crust, resulting in a tough, chewy crust. One of the most common causes is insufficient dough … More

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 … More

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

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

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

I get a lot of questions about why dough balls “blow” after being placed in the cooler for extended holding/cold fermentation. The reason is either due to excessive yeast or a temperature control/dough management issue. But in only a handful of instances have I ever been able to attribute … More

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

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

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