re: Pizzaolos of the Food Board - What Ingredients Do You Use?

What brand of pineapple do y'all get for your pizza?

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Fresh mozzarella for regular pizza. Would like better mozzarella than Trader Joe’s.

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Not crazy about fresh motz for pizza. What's your better cheese than Trader Joe's that's readily available?

Are you cutting it thicker or thinner than the boar’s head pepp that’s already cut in the bags?

I subscribe to Kosmo's list. Making your own dough is the way to go as well.

That Mozz/Provolone blend is money and melts great and tastes great.

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.

Biga:
100g Pizza Flour Blend
65g Acqua Panna at 105°F
10g ADY
2g Sugar

Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate overnight.

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.

Pizza Flour Blend:
300g 00
150g High Gluten Bread (14%)
50g Ultra-Fine Whole Wheat Flour

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:
400g Pizza Flour Blend
260g Acqua Panna at room temperature
90g ADY
24g Olive Oil
25g Salt
10g Dough Improver
5g Diastatic Malt Powder
1 Biga

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 4 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.

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You total active hands on time might be less than 10 minutes?

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Give or take. I used the term"involved" to distinguish this dough from the Baker Betty's Easy, No-Rise Pizza Dough that is ready ito use n 15 minutes. But for anyone who makes dough on a regular basis, this isn't rocket surgery.

What are you baking with?

Do you have any photos of a finished pie to share

Lest we forget the workhorse French bread pizza

That is a shitton of yeast between the biga and final mix. Can you talk about that a minute?