Emergency dough is a variation of your regular dough that has been modified to produce pizza skins/crusts as quickly as possible.
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
Will Mixing In Salt and Sugar Kill Your Yeast? Tom Lehmann Says ‘Not Always’
It might have seemed like a cardinal rule for a long time now, but it doesn’t apply in all situations.
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
Quick-Fire Questions with The Dough Doctor
Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann tackles a wide range of questions from pizza restaurant operators and pizza makers.
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
What exactly is bakers percent?
Calculating your pizza dough's bakers percent makes it very easy to immediately pinpoint issues with ingredient amounts.
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
Keep your thin crust from becoming tough and chewy
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
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
The Dough Doctor tackles effective dough management strategies
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
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
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
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
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: In Lehmann's Terms
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
Q: Our pizzas become soggy soon after baking, and our delivery and carryout customers have been complaining. What can we do to get a consistently crispier pizza? A: This is one of those questions that I get a lot. Pizza can become soggy shortly after baking for any … More
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
Tips from the Dough Doctor: Solving the mystery of blown dough
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
Tom Lehmann: In Lehmann's Terms
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