June 13, 2019 - 6:53am
Preparing for pizza Friday!
I have been having very good results freezing my pizza dough balls, in order to have it ready at my convenience and not be a slave to the ferment schedule. Additionally, I am buying high quality cheese and tomatoes in bulk. Due to the very limited shelf life of soft cheese and pizza sauce, I have been freezing theses ingredients in one pie quantities as well; with equally good results! 
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That's great news!
I always thought freezing mozzarella would be a disaster so I've never tried it. Freezing meat and freezing sauce are a little more obvious.
freezes very well. I have whole milk and a blend called East coast that is part skim. The East coast blend is used by 90+% of NYC pizzerias.
Super smart, I love hearing about other bakers processes. Is your dough sourdough or commercial yeast? I’m asking because I thought I have read that sourdough doesn’t recover from freezing as well as regular commercial yeast dough.
I have heard that as well. The first frozen dough ball was baked after four days. This one will be at six days at bake time tomorrow. I am not sure I would go much past a week. I will test one at two weeks at some point.
So it is sourdough then Will?
Thanks for your recipe Will, after I get a bit more comfortable with making yeasted pizza dough, I will try my hand at a sourdough pizza.
Enjoy!
Will, please describe in detail your process/method. Do you mix by hand or machine? How much RT fermentation and how much retardation? What type of bread flour do you like best for this dough? I want the full scoop...
Also, how about a shot of a cut slice, I’d like to see the crumb (in bread terms). What is the crumb called in pizza lingo?
Danny
The bench rest times have been modified down, one to two hour bench rest is all that is needed. For a room temp. ferment 4-6 hours is plenty. Smile, enjoy!
Thanks, Will. Love the crumb shot, not too thin and not too thick. I thought cracker crust was my goal, but after talking with the Dough Doctor, NY Thin seems to be my goal.
Do you retard your dough in bulk or ball the dough, then retard. If you ball first, how do you store them in the frig?
Dan
Will, how would you handle your formula if you wanted to mix by hand instead of using a mixer? I’d like to mix the dough as little as possible, semi no knead.
Danny
I guess you would do a few sets of slap & folds unit you reach a point where the glutin is not quite fully developed. However, I would recommend using your own extensive knowledge and expertise to develop a system that is more to your own style. Let me add, there is no rule that bulk ferment should only be done balled. I think it is done that way more for the pizza mans convinced. Feel free to babysit your dough with stretch and folds every quarter hour!
Right after the ride in the Bosch (5min. rest to relax) The dough gets weighed and balled. From there either bench/refrigerator or frozen. I use to use this round glass ptrex to retard/ ferment the dough balls. Now I follow Lehmann's advice and firs put the dough in an oiled quart size zip lock bag. I still put the zip lock into the pyrex to preserve the round shape.
If you are planning on freezing some of the dough balls do you allow them some time to final proof first either on the bench or in the refrigerator, or do you freeze them after the 5 min rest after they are done with the Bosch? If they go right into the freezer, how many days before baking to do you take them out of the freezer to thaw and then proof?
Benito,
I am following a procedure tried and tested by Mr. Tom Lehmann, A.K.A. the dough Dr./Pizza Guru. His method calls for going directly into the freezer. The first from the frozen pie I made was very active, this one not so much. I let both defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Then to the bench two hours before bake time. Lehmann said he did not recommend long term freezing of home frozen dough. He mentioned a maximum of two weeks. The commercial flash frozen dough can last longer. The first from frozen pie the dough was only a few days old. This one was in the freezer for 8 days. I still have to work things out. What I do know is ice crystals are a killer of yeast, this dough ball was covered with it. Better packing will be used going forward. I will keep you abreast of my discoveries. I plan to freeze three more dough balls hopefully, tomorrow.
Do you think there would be any benefit to allowing the dough balls to more fully proof before freezing them? That way when you take them out they only need to defrost? Sorry for all the questions.
Dough balls all being of the correct size (by weight) are essential to efficiency in a place that has to make a lot of pizzas quickly - it's sort of an OHIO (Only Handle It Once) kind of thing, instead of having to get the bulk dough back out and form it into balls.
Storing a lot of dough balls in a fridge can most easily be done by arranging them on a tray, allowing just enough space between them for how much they will spread. (In a place with a rigid recipe and rigid procedures, dough balls always spread about the same amount; experimenting with recipes means having to leave a little extra space.) Oiling them a tiny bit, with a large pastry brush, to aid in separation and to prevent them drying out, might be good. Keep that oil to an absolute minimum if you use it.
Hmm, now what should I type here.... ?
First pies, about a week ago were terrible. The crust was too thin and dry. Today’s pizza is getting better, but there are many milestones needing improvement.
Tomatoes look beautiful. Too bad they produce so much water. I need to find a work around. For the last pizza (shown below) the dough was pre-cooked. Everyone liked it best.
Attention all pizza lovers. I am working with Will, aka The Roadside Pie King, to schedule a Community Bake featuring his methods for pizza pies. Let’s mix things up a bit. Give me a shout if you like the idea.
Danny
1. many pa- bake with great results! I am one shot deal pizza man.
2. I have used fresh tomato with good result. My secret? Drain all wet ingredients on paper towel for a good long time. The wife gets heart burn so I nixed the fresh tomato.
3. Sauce: Most good pizza sauces are cooked on the pie, one time. Yes with N.Y. style Less is more. I have a present for you, stand by.
4. Be creative use what you fancy most!
5. Yes, timing is key. I have no doubt with your meticulous nature you will nail it down! Me? I am a more no notes wing it kind of guy!
Topping guide, enjoy: https://www.burkecorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/BurkeCorporation_PizzaToppingsPortionGuide.pdf
Photo my fresh tomato Margarita N.Y. pie.
You should type that I forgot to mention covering the whole tray full of dough balls with a big piece of plastic wrap or other suitable covering. ?