September 28, 2022 - 12:43pm
Pizza Dough
I have decided to try my hand at pizza dough. I would like a Neapolitan type. A thick edge and thinner middle, but not thin crust.
I live in an area where a huge variety of fours are not readily available. Will King Arthur bread flour at 12.7% work for this? Also, I'd like to use my Ankarsrum Mixer if possible.
Advice, recipe, would be appreciated.
RichieRich
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Gemignani:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tony+gemignani
I have his "Pizza Bible." But I don't make pizza very often.
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If you're a fan of Ken Forkish, his "Elements of Pizza" Kindle edition is currently on sale for $5:
https://www.thefreshloaf.com/comment/509795#comment-509795
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"I would like a Neapolitan type. A thick edge and thinner middle, but not thin crust."
It depends what you mean by "thin crust", but Neapolitan is "thin crust" in the middle, and has a thick edge/cornicione.
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TFL User Benito has some great-looking Neapolitan style sourdough pizzas, and some of those bakes have videos too.
https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/68798/benito%E2%80%99s-index-bakesis made to be baked at pretty high temps. You can certainly bake it in a regular oven at 500F, but it won't give you the same effect as if it was baked at 700F.
This https://www.seriouseats.com/the-pizza-lab-three-doughs-to-know is a good overview of three basic doughs and why/when to use them, including NY style and Neopolitan.
a Komodo Joe Classic 2 (similar to the Big Green Egg). I can easily reach 700 degrees.
Thanks for your input.
In that case, you may have to lower the hydration.
Forkish uses high hydration dough for home oven. I use an uuni, and have good results with bringing the hydration down to around 60-65 %
I don't think I'd use KA Bread flour, I'd use their all-purpose flour. This is what I use for pizza in a 500-degree oven on a pizza stone:
16.75 oz KA AP flour
1 tlb olive oil
11.75oz water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp active yeast
If you have some malt syrup you can add a tbl of that or sugar.
Or if you believe what they tell you on the preceding link you can just leave out the olive oil and the yeast food.
It will almost certain burn. Malt powder, etc the same. Fine for a NY pizza - it's what I do because I don't have a pizza oven - but likely to burn (not the char, but outright burn) in a very hot ovent.
sugar isn’t ever necessary, just browns faster speeds fermentation up a bit if you are cooking at lower temps.
My standard crust:
150g Tipo 00 flour
150g Semolina rimacinata flour
30g milk powder
15g extra virgin olive oil
6g salt
1/2 envelope commercial yeast (any type will work)
185g water
Scale and combine dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients and mix into a mass. Knead on a work surface until smooth and elastic. I use 100 slap-folds, aka French folds. Form into a ball, then place in an oiled bowl and coat dough ball with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Use the next day.
Makes one 14" diameter pizza, fairly thin in the center with a nice puffy edge.
I'll second that suggestion, no matter what formula you use for making your dough. First, it makes it much easier to time your bake. The dough can stay in the fridge for at least two days, and the rest improves the flavor of your pizza dough!
Just a thought for those that don't have specialized ovens that reach temperatures over 500 degrees ... minimum of 1/4" plate steel to bake your pizza. I don't like it for baking my breads, but I was never able to get pizza to taste right at 550 with a pizza stone. The second I switched to steel, my pizza's improved 100%.
I'll give that a try at some point. I'll only be making one or two pizza at a time, so small quantity recipes fit in well for me.
replied. Lots of good advice and leads.