forno bravo e-book series wood fired pizza

[pizza bill]

I have appreciated the wealth of knowledge that is packed into the forno bravo e-book series on wood fired pizza, but having used the recipe for a few times, I have a question. I certainly agree (p. 22) that the dough will be very sticky, but the pictures suggest dough balls that were well formed (p. 25). Mine sag considerably in the container to the point that I have difficulty extracting them without mangling the dough. Am I missing something. I have followed the directions by weight.

pizza bill

[CajunKnight]

Re: forno bravo e-book series wood fired pizza

Check out page 11 on hearth bread. Humidity has a big play in how your dough handles. I know I can pop a dough on the board one day and make it perfect and the next it will be terrible. I recently purchased a mixer but before that I did it by hand. Also when moving from inside to outside will be killer sometimes. I live in south Louisiana so we usually drink the air here.

[dmun]

Re: forno bravo e-book series wood fired pizza

It really does vary by season. Resist the temptation to re-kneed a too saggy dough ball: it doesn't stretch out at all well. Just use your silicone spatula to plop it out on some bench flour, and pat some into the surface on both sides, as you stretch it out.

[gjbingham]

Re: forno bravo e-book series wood fired pizza

A dough scraper dipped in cold water will help you get it out of the bowl without totally degassing the dough. Tip the bowl and slowly dissect it away from the bowl from the top edge, kind of rolling the sticky mass downhill onto your floured work surface. If It is really too sticky for your skills, don't hesitate to dust the top with flour and roll the whole thing around a bit.
A little goes a long way. The inside stays well hydrated, the outside, not nearly so sticky.

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: forno bravo e-book series wood fired pizza

I have also found that the tipo 00 flour really holds up to the higher hydration levels better than AP or bread flour...

Drake

[pizza bill]

Re: forno bravo e-book series wood fired pizza

That sounds like a worthwhile idea. I will try it out this weekend.

pizza bill