Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

[rberg02]

Since I've gotten my WFO, I find that I am constantly making pizza dough to have on hand to make pizza whenever the urge hits. I think the dough tastes better after a day or more in the fridge. I'm wondering if anyone has taken a dough ball that has been in the fridge for 3 or 4 days and added it to a new batch of dough to add additional flavor, much in the way a pate ferment? is used to make artisan breads.
Ron

[Dutchoven]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

I don't think that would be a bad thing at all...so long as there isn't any funny smell to it or off color. I generally would not keep a pate' fermentee' in the fridge for more than 3 days or so and still use it. I have considered using a preferment in pizza dough but, have not as of yet.
Let us know how it comes out!
Best
Dutch

[PizzaPolice]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

A resounding YES!!!
There are a lot of bakers and pizzaiolos who do this to ensure a consistent batch.
I use a preferment exclusively for Neapolitan and for NY street style pizza.
No commercial yeast. You can use any type from S.F. sourdough to Camaldoli.
I absolutely love pizza crust, especially the bones. Sourdough strains impart a wonderful aroma and taste that commercial yeast lacks.

Experiment and have fun with it.
PizzaPolice

[CanuckJim]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

PP,

A resounding second from here. Any dough will benefit from a preferment, even one made with commercial yeast. A sourdough infusion is the best way to get max flavor, bar none.

Jim

[BrianShaw]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

YES! I do this often and find it quite successfull.

[nissanneill]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

Hi crew,
any left over dough at our house is eaten raw by my future son in law. But then again, he would eat from an Afghan camel driver's undies when hungry. We are traditionally from a family of large eaters but I have broken the pould but the kids seem to continue the tradition. They also have taken up the beer and wine with pizza habbit.
I will have to sneak some extra away out of sight to try these ideas.

Neill

[Richard]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

Is there a ratio of how much 'old dough' you mix with the 'new dough"
is it a 1:1 ration or something like 5:1

[Bacterium]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

Hi crew,
he would eat from an Afghan camel driver's undies when hungry.
Neill

........I was just reading another posting about growing culture and then I read this...........

[PizzaPolice]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

Only a small amount or a hunk will do. Once it's mixed up it will, for lack of a better word, inoculate the whole batch.
Oh yeah. Old dough from commercial yeast is also desirable. That's why I mentioned bakers. What you are looking for is the yeast at the end of it's production where it has consumed most of the starch/sugars and imparted the sour taste you are looking for. The old dough serves that purpose.
Have fun with it.
PizzaPolice.

[Dutchoven]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

Most baker's formulas with a preferment such as pate' fermentee call for the amount of preferment to be about 1.6 times the flour weight, some italian recipes call for the amount to be about 1.7 time the flour weight. Smaller amounts are OK but their addition to the flavor is limited and their contribution of yeast will also be limited. I think you would have to "spike" the dough with a bit of yeast to be able to use the "new" dough in a reasonable enough amount of time. Remember to account for the hydration level of your preferment when creating the new batch.
Best
Dutch
P.S. Damon that is pretty scary. Think about this though, the origin of steak tartare comes from an eastern european barbarian tribe possibly Huns, sometimes called tartars. Their warriors used to cure their raw cuts of meat under their saddles for as much as a day's ride.

[Bacterium]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

ok....I'll behave now

Its interesting though with the recent posts around yeast for breads etc.
In cheese making - rennet (used to coagulate the milk) was sourced from the gut of a young calf or goat...another trick is to get a fig branch and use some of the contents of that to do the same thing.

anyway as far as the topic.....rberg02 I have to agree on the dough - I always leave it for a day in the fridge

[janprimus]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

I have been studying up on the whole preferment thing for a few years and it seems to me that you use just the preferment and the yeasties grow just fine and fast enough to do the job. I use a slow rise technique almost exclusively anymore and I love the flavor it imparts to the final product. The first time i started with just a packet of dry yeast, but it is becoming the Bellingham sourdough as we go along. It is changing and I like where it is going. Peter Reinhardt in his books always seems to recommend a slow rise to develop flavor. After the initial rise you simply steal a bit away to use as a preferment for your next batch. If you want to discourage the son in law from eating it, simply add more water and make it more of a poolish sponge. The flavors will still develop, it will be just more liquidy...
Peace
Chad

[rberg02]

Re: Leftover Pizza Dough as Preferment?

Today I made Kaiser rolls using a recipe which was a combination of the recipes of Peter Reinholt and Bernard Clayton. I added an 8 oz. pizza boule made the day before to the dough and I used the shaping and proofing techniques from Canuck Jim's Kaiser video. Now those Tuscan Venison Burgers will have a bun fit for the task! Thanks for all the feedback.
Ron