Pizza dough in the breadmaker? - Page 3

Feek · 15-11-2010, 20:13

Nah, the last one was mid week. It's a slow process though, over three hours from start to finish so I think it'll always be a weekend dish.

We've got plenty of clippits

Last nights was good but the thicker crust I folded over was too bland so I won't do that again and the BBQ chicken was a little too sweet. We live and learn, I won't use that topping again.

Glaucus · 15-11-2010, 21:30

Great effort,

Will be trying this out this week. Got stuff to make a caramelised onion and Stilton topping.

Jingo · 24-11-2010, 13:07

*Wants pizza very much now!*

L-Zizzle, Your recipe seems quite simple and comprises of stuff I tend to have in the cupboard, so if I can pull it off (fnar) then I might be having pizza more often!

Jonny69 · 24-11-2010, 13:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feek

The yeast I've been using is the small 7g packets - They say to use them within 48 hours (or 24 hours, or something short) so I've been throwing away what's left after I've made each batch. Does that make sense, does the yeast go off/die if it's left open for a week?

Ah, just spotted this. I use the same sachets. I've used it after about 2 weeks of it being open and it's always been fine. After a week it's definitely ok. My cupboard is nice and dry and I tightly fold the top of the sachet over

Feek · 22-01-2011, 22:50

Today I made pizza using a pizza stone in the oven. Procook had them at half price last week so I got two.

I made the pizza bases as usual, left them to prove for an hour or so and during that time the stones were in the oven getting hot. I lifted one out, sprinkled it with flour and put a pizza base on it, flipping the base as I moved it so that the side which had been exposed to air went directly onto the stone.

The pizza was built on the stone and it was possible to see that the base was already starting to cook slightly, put that one in the oven and repeated with the second one.

The first one was almost a failure. I'd sprinkled too much flour on the stone and the base of the pizza was covered in flour and had a very strong flour taste to it, we brushed off as much as possible which helped but it still wasn't good.

The second one which came out had a similar problem but I brushed the flour off before it got the recipient although he could still taste it.

The third one was Mrs. Feeks and we used less flour but it was still noticeable and finally for the last one (mine) I didn't use any flour on the stone at all. I was really concerned that it was going to stick but luckily the top half of the dough had started to harden slightly while proving and as I put that side down on the stone, it didn't stick at all.

The texture of the base was much better than previously, it was much crispier around the edges and although the centre wasn't quite as crispy as the edges, it was much better than before.

But I found the base flavour this time to be quite bland. The pizzas weren't overloaded with topping so this may have been the case from the start and I've just not noticed it. What can I do to add a little flavour to the base? I'm using Lozza's recipe as in post number 4 in this thread.

Jonny69 · 23-01-2011, 20:50

Hopefully I can help out

For bread you'd normally dust with flour but for pizza bases, use semolina. Same stuff you'd use for making semolina pudding which is somewhere between flour and couscous in size. I've found it makes a better crunch and doesn't dry the base out or mess with the flavour.

If your dough is suffering with flavour I'd ask how much salt you're using. 300g of flour needs about 1 level teaspoon of rock salt, 500g of flour needs about two. Use a tad more if you're using table salt because it's not as salty. Naturally, if you use rock salt you can get the seasoning up without putting so much sodium in

Also, don't forget to give it a very good sprinkle all over with extra virgin olive oil. This really crisps the outside of the dough and makes it unctuous

My method for pizza dough is same as Lozza's recipe, but with closer to 200ml of water. It's quite a wet bread dough.

Mix it in the bowl and knead it for minimum 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with the dough hooks on the hand mixer.
Put it back in the mixing bowl with clingfilm over the top and leave it somewhere warm for 45 minutes and it will rise significantly.
Divide the dough up into balls and roll out into pizza bases on a well floured surface. The dough is quite a wet one, so you don't need to worry about extra flour getting in.
Place each one on a piece of baking paper sprinkled with semolina so it doesn't stick.
Cover each with a damp teatowel and leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes.
Uncover, spread with topping, sprinkle well with olive oil.
Slide each one into the oven on the baking paper for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
Demolish greedily (important step )

Feek · 23-01-2011, 22:40

Thanks Jonny.

It may well be salt, I'm using 2 teaspoons of table salt for 600g of flour so I'll increase that.

You also go with a double prove over my single - Now we like the bases to be thin and crispy so perhaps that's not needed for me.

I like the semolina option but why is it that the final one of the lot didn't stick at all? I guess that base had been in the open for about an hour and a half and the top side was starting to dry out a little and that's the side that went down on the stone. Add that to the fact that I put it down on an incredibly hot stone so that it would have started cooking straight away.

I've never added any extra olive oil after bunging some in the initial dough mix but have seen that mentioned elsewhere. Do you put that on the base before building the pizza or sprinkle it on top of the toppings?

Or both?

Jonny69 · 24-01-2011, 14:22

Cool!

I use about that much salt in 500g of bread so you might need a bit more in there.

The double prove improves the flavour and texture of the bread for me. It makes the inside bit more stretchy and less brittle than if you do a single prove. You can just roll it out thinner to start with if you like it crispier. The oil helps crisp it up as well.

Not sure why one should not stick but all the others did. I think there's a degree of the luck of the draw going on, based on how well the flour was distributed, how much got rolled onto it, how wet the dough was etc etc. Dough is pretty sticky stuff and I haven't yet worked out why when you see professionals handling dough they seem to be able to so without it sticking to them. My dough sticks to me and everything else like **** to a blanket and it doesn't seem to matter if I use flour, oil or water on my hands and equipment.

Topping goes on first then drizzle oil over the whole lot. More on the edges than the middle

Feek · 30-01-2011, 19:43

Hokay, a week later and I've had another go. This time I only made enough dough for one pizza because I didn't want to spoil the whole familys tea if things didn't go too well!

I added more salt to the initial mix, did the double prove and it worked well, it's surprising how much the dough rose during the first one and then I'd been advised to add a little sugar before knocking back and re-kneading prior to give the yeast an extra feed.

Once I'd rolled it out, I left it in my shack which is the warmest room in the house for an hour while the stone was in the oven getting hot. The oven isn't temperature controlled so I just wound it up to absolute maximum (gas mark 9 and a bit).

Transferred the dough onto the hot stone and built the pizza. While this was being done, the dough started cooking and in fact two bubbles appeared. I'd obviously not got all the air out of the mix during the re-knead but hey, I can practise that. The pizza was nothing special, just cheese and some hunks of meat I had kicking around! Once it was built I added some olive oil - More than I'd have liked but it poured out rather than sprinkled

I didn't have anything to put on the stone to prevent it sticking but I think that again, the side of the pizza I put down had started to harden slightly due to being out in the air and the hotness caused it to start cooking straight away and that prevented any sticking. I had gone out earlier today to get some semolina but the local co-op didn't have any.

It was good - It was much better than last week

The base was crispier and tasted better but I think it still needs just a tad extra salt. The pizza itself cooked much quicker than before and that's obviously due to having the oven on 'furnace' mode.

So I think I'm nearly there. This has been a great learning curve and although it takes a long time from start to finish to make them myself and I didn't have a good result last week, I'm now happy that I can make significantly nicer tasting pizzas than I can get in the shops.

divine · 30-01-2011, 20:16

I can't remember which dough recipe I used but the best method of home cooking one i've done so far was in a big cast iron pan.

Stretch the dough out until it's basically about as big your pan, have the pan as hot as you can get it, with a little oil and then put the base in there for around 30 seconds, then flip it for another 30. This works wonderfully for thin bases, i've not really tried doing a 'deep pan'.

Then get it on a grill tray, get your toppings on it nice and quickly, then shove it under the (very hot) grill for a few minutes.

Perfectly cooked, awesome texture to the base. It's also an incredibly quick process, from dough and some 'ready to go' toppings to a fully cooked pizza in about 5 minutes.

I thought I had taken photos of it tbh, but I can't find them

15-11-2010, 20:13	#21
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	Nah, the last one was mid week. It's a slow process though, over three hours from start to finish so I think it'll always be a weekend dish. We've got plenty of clippits Last nights was good but the thicker crust I folded over was too bland so I won't do that again and the BBQ chicken was a little too sweet. We live and learn, I won't use that topping again. __________________

15-11-2010, 21:30	#22
Glaucus Absinthe Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,855	Great effort, Will be trying this out this week. Got stuff to make a caramelised onion and Stilton topping. __________________

24-11-2010, 13:07	#23
Jingo Smother me in chocolate and eat flapjacks with it! Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: North Somerset Posts: 1,854	Wants pizza very much now! L-Zizzle, Your recipe seems quite simple and comprises of stuff I tend to have in the cupboard, so if I can pull it off (fnar) then I might be having pizza more often! __________________

22-01-2011, 22:50	#25
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	Today I made pizza using a pizza stone in the oven. Procook had them at half price last week so I got two. I made the pizza bases as usual, left them to prove for an hour or so and during that time the stones were in the oven getting hot. I lifted one out, sprinkled it with flour and put a pizza base on it, flipping the base as I moved it so that the side which had been exposed to air went directly onto the stone. The pizza was built on the stone and it was possible to see that the base was already starting to cook slightly, put that one in the oven and repeated with the second one. The first one was almost a failure. I'd sprinkled too much flour on the stone and the base of the pizza was covered in flour and had a very strong flour taste to it, we brushed off as much as possible which helped but it still wasn't good. The second one which came out had a similar problem but I brushed the flour off before it got the recipient although he could still taste it. The third one was Mrs. Feeks and we used less flour but it was still noticeable and finally for the last one (mine) I didn't use any flour on the stone at all. I was really concerned that it was going to stick but luckily the top half of the dough had started to harden slightly while proving and as I put that side down on the stone, it didn't stick at all. The texture of the base was much better than previously, it was much crispier around the edges and although the centre wasn't quite as crispy as the edges, it was much better than before. But I found the base flavour this time to be quite bland. The pizzas weren't overloaded with topping so this may have been the case from the start and I've just not noticed it. What can I do to add a little flavour to the base? I'm using Lozza's recipe as in post number 4 in this thread. __________________

23-01-2011, 20:50	#26
Jonny69 Noob Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Socialist Republik of Kent Posts: 5,032	Hopefully I can help out For bread you'd normally dust with flour but for pizza bases, use semolina. Same stuff you'd use for making semolina pudding which is somewhere between flour and couscous in size. I've found it makes a better crunch and doesn't dry the base out or mess with the flavour. If your dough is suffering with flavour I'd ask how much salt you're using. 300g of flour needs about 1 level teaspoon of rock salt, 500g of flour needs about two. Use a tad more if you're using table salt because it's not as salty. Naturally, if you use rock salt you can get the seasoning up without putting so much sodium in Also, don't forget to give it a very good sprinkle all over with extra virgin olive oil. This really crisps the outside of the dough and makes it unctuous My method for pizza dough is same as Lozza's recipe, but with closer to 200ml of water. It's quite a wet bread dough. Mix it in the bowl and knead it for minimum 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with the dough hooks on the hand mixer. Put it back in the mixing bowl with clingfilm over the top and leave it somewhere warm for 45 minutes and it will rise significantly. Divide the dough up into balls and roll out into pizza bases on a well floured surface. The dough is quite a wet one, so you don't need to worry about extra flour getting in. Place each one on a piece of baking paper sprinkled with semolina so it doesn't stick. Cover each with a damp teatowel and leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes. Uncover, spread with topping, sprinkle well with olive oil. Slide each one into the oven on the baking paper for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Demolish greedily (important step ) __________________

23-01-2011, 22:40	#27
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	Thanks Jonny. It may well be salt, I'm using 2 teaspoons of table salt for 600g of flour so I'll increase that. You also go with a double prove over my single - Now we like the bases to be thin and crispy so perhaps that's not needed for me. I like the semolina option but why is it that the final one of the lot didn't stick at all? I guess that base had been in the open for about an hour and a half and the top side was starting to dry out a little and that's the side that went down on the stone. Add that to the fact that I put it down on an incredibly hot stone so that it would have started cooking straight away. I've never added any extra olive oil after bunging some in the initial dough mix but have seen that mentioned elsewhere. Do you put that on the base before building the pizza or sprinkle it on top of the toppings? Or both? __________________

24-01-2011, 14:22	#28
Jonny69 Noob Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Socialist Republik of Kent Posts: 5,032	Cool! I use about that much salt in 500g of bread so you might need a bit more in there. The double prove improves the flavour and texture of the bread for me. It makes the inside bit more stretchy and less brittle than if you do a single prove. You can just roll it out thinner to start with if you like it crispier. The oil helps crisp it up as well. Not sure why one should not stick but all the others did. I think there's a degree of the luck of the draw going on, based on how well the flour was distributed, how much got rolled onto it, how wet the dough was etc etc. Dough is pretty sticky stuff and I haven't yet worked out why when you see professionals handling dough they seem to be able to so without it sticking to them. My dough sticks to me and everything else like **** to a blanket and it doesn't seem to matter if I use flour, oil or water on my hands and equipment. Topping goes on first then drizzle oil over the whole lot. More on the edges than the middle __________________

30-01-2011, 19:43	#29
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	Hokay, a week later and I've had another go. This time I only made enough dough for one pizza because I didn't want to spoil the whole familys tea if things didn't go too well! I added more salt to the initial mix, did the double prove and it worked well, it's surprising how much the dough rose during the first one and then I'd been advised to add a little sugar before knocking back and re-kneading prior to give the yeast an extra feed. Once I'd rolled it out, I left it in my shack which is the warmest room in the house for an hour while the stone was in the oven getting hot. The oven isn't temperature controlled so I just wound it up to absolute maximum (gas mark 9 and a bit). Transferred the dough onto the hot stone and built the pizza. While this was being done, the dough started cooking and in fact two bubbles appeared. I'd obviously not got all the air out of the mix during the re-knead but hey, I can practise that. The pizza was nothing special, just cheese and some hunks of meat I had kicking around! Once it was built I added some olive oil - More than I'd have liked but it poured out rather than sprinkled I didn't have anything to put on the stone to prevent it sticking but I think that again, the side of the pizza I put down had started to harden slightly due to being out in the air and the hotness caused it to start cooking straight away and that prevented any sticking. I had gone out earlier today to get some semolina but the local co-op didn't have any. It was good - It was much better than last week The base was crispier and tasted better but I think it still needs just a tad extra salt. The pizza itself cooked much quicker than before and that's obviously due to having the oven on 'furnace' mode. So I think I'm nearly there. This has been a great learning curve and although it takes a long time from start to finish to make them myself and I didn't have a good result last week, I'm now happy that I can make significantly nicer tasting pizzas than I can get in the shops. __________________

30-01-2011, 20:16	#30
divine Moonshine Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Southampton Posts: 3,201	I can't remember which dough recipe I used but the best method of home cooking one i've done so far was in a big cast iron pan. Stretch the dough out until it's basically about as big your pan, have the pan as hot as you can get it, with a little oil and then put the base in there for around 30 seconds, then flip it for another 30. This works wonderfully for thin bases, i've not really tried doing a 'deep pan'. Then get it on a grill tray, get your toppings on it nice and quickly, then shove it under the (very hot) grill for a few minutes. Perfectly cooked, awesome texture to the base. It's also an incredibly quick process, from dough and some 'ready to go' toppings to a fully cooked pizza in about 5 minutes. I thought I had taken photos of it tbh, but I can't find them __________________