BigDropper's Pizza Dough

I like to focus on the dough side of pizza making because it's the foundation and my favorite to eat. I've been experimenting with my dough for close to a decade now and have a decent product. This is an involved process but makes a crispy, chewy, flavorful crust. First thing I do is make a biga the day before making the dough to give it time to develop. The biga is 20% of the total flour in the recipe, hydrated at 65% with just enough yeast and sugar to get things going. The sugar is unnecessary, but I add it as an assurance the yeast will have plenty to eat.

My pizza dough contains 3 different flours, each contributing different characteristics to the final product. 00 for its light & airy crispy crust, bread flour for the higher protein content to provide strength and structure for chew, and whole wheat flour for added flavor and texture. I also add a little diastatic malt powder for subtle sweetness, and a dough conditioner/ improver to influence a crispy crust.

Biga:
100 g Pizza Flour Blend
65 g Acqua Panna at 105°F
10 g ADY
2 g Sugar
Pizza Flour Blend:
300 g 00 flour
150 g High Gluten Bread (14%)
50 g Ultra-Fine Whole Wheat Flour
Pizza Dough:
400 g Pizza Flour Blend
260 g Acqua Panna at room temperature
9 g ADY
24 g Olive Oil
25 g Salt
10 g Dough Improver
5 g Diastatic Malt Powder
1 Biga

Biga

Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Pizza Flour Blend:

My pizza dough contains 3 different flours, each contributing different characteristics to the final product. 00 for its light & airy crispy crust, bread flour for the higher protein content to provide strength and structure for chew, and whole wheat flour for added flavor and texture. I also add a little diastatic malt powder for subtle sweetness, and a dough conditioner/ improver to influence a crispy crust.

Blend all ingredients with a whisk and sift to combine.

I make the dough with room temp water because it will retard under refrigeration for 24-48 hours to develop flavor. I use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to speed things up.

Pizza Dough:

Add the water, yeast, olive oil, and biga to the bowl and mix until amalgamated. Next, add flour blend, salt, dough improver, and diastatic malt powder and mix on medium speed for 8-12 minutes until a smooth ball forms. Turn off mixer, cover bowl with damp cloth and allow to rest for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn mixer on medium high setting and mix until ball reforms. Divide dough into 4x240 gram balls, shape, and store in airtight containers for 1-2 days. The longer they age, the better the flavor but do not exceed 7 days. The yeast might eat all the available sugar, preventing the dough from browning. Remove the dough from refrigeration 3-4 hours before using to allow it to come to room temperature.

Like I said, it's an involved process and takes some planning, but the results are well worth the extra effort.

Source: BigDropper

This post was edited on 2/22/24 at 11:54 pm