Puffy Pizza Help!

[mamaspizza]

I don't know what to do to make my pizza dough not so puffy! I can stretch it to so thin you cold almost tear it. My dough is more bubbly than the pizza doughs at the restaurants. The crust is delicious but what can I do to make it not puff up so much? I use a Neapolitan dough recipe from the site:

roughly 4 cups pizza flour extra fine
1/2 tsp yeast
1.5 cups water plus 2 TBS give or take
2 tsp salt

WFO bake


Convection oven bake

[david s]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

Roll it out thinner.

[hodgey1]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

I agree with Dave, it looks like you just need to stretch it a bit more and if size becomes to large, reduce the weight of your dough balls. They still look good to me thou, I like a big puffy outer crust.

[TropicalCoasting]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

I like the puffy cornice

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

I initially had the same problem as well. If you are pressing the dough out with your fingers, press the rims as flat as the middle of your pies and run your sauce and toppings out to the edge. If you roll your dough out with a rolling pin (tsk-tsk!), like Chris and Dave suggest, do the same thing.

[v12spirit]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

Did you leave the balls rest for a while? If not, they are likely to bubble after being rolled or spread by hand. Let them rest for 20 minutes or so before spreading the dough and see.

[Greenman]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

Dianna is worth watching. Put me on the right track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbkfDqA8yKg

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

I have been thinking about adding some semolina to my dough recipe, but haven't done it yet. Are there pizzaioli out there that do this?

[david s]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

I have been thinking about adding some semolina to my dough recipe, but haven't done it yet. Are there pizzaioli out there that do this?

I usually add semolina, it gives the crust more crunch. Add around 7% of your flour content. I also find 20% rye flour is also nice.it seems to help the dough roll out well which is another advantage.

[SevenAcre]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

If you aren't fond of the puffiness of your pies, I would try docking the dough (god forbid-sacrilege).
-j

[deejayoh]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

Looks like it's not stretched enough. You might need to final proof a bit longer so it's easier to work. I would not suggest rolling it. Some do that here, but I can't understand why you'd go to the trouble of building a pizza oven and then roll out your dough. Why not just buy them frozen!

Also, try a batch with sourdough starter. I find it is lots easier to work and it doesn't rise as much in the oven. Still gives a nice spring without all the over-activity of IDY

[Campmaki]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

Roll it out thinner.

You need to roll the dough with a docker after you get it to the thickness you want. A docker is a narrow looking rolling pin full of needle like projections.

[david s]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

You need to roll the dough with a docker after you get it to the thickness you want. A docker is a narrow looking rolling pin full of needle like projections.

A docker will prevent those giant bubble blisters, but won't stop a thick base from rising, which I think is what the OP meant.

[mamaspizza]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

still having puffy crust....

I rolled it, I've stretched it out paper thin....I just can't figure out how to fix this problem.

Does puffiness have to do with how the dough is kneaded? Does it have to do with temperature? Does it have to do with hydration?

I desperately tried to make some guests a thin crust pizza and even rolled it out...it still puffed up greatly. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. For those who love thick crust, they adore the crust. I did notice that that my crust was practically like pita bread on the outer edges, hollow inside this last time, that was without rolling.

I'm trying to stay as authentic as possible. When I told an Italian pizza maker that I put semolina flour in my crust, he frowned. Semolina flour is ONLY for pasta!

I typically make a little starter, than knead flour, salt and extra water into that. I slap my dough like italian bread dough, is that wrong? I've seen it both ways. Some Italians roll knead their dough by rolling it up and knead by hand. I've seen others pizza makers slap the dough and knead it. Then I let the dough rise a 1 1/2 hours, then it can rise another hour or more. If I'm making it ahead of time I let it slow rise in the refrigerator. I typically bring the dough to room temperature before finger kneading and even hand tossing it for pizza. If it's too cold, the dough just bounces back to a flat ball and puffs up twice as much.

[hodgey1]

Re: Puffy Pizza Help!

What is your dough ball weight and what size do you stretch your dough out to?