Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

[Smokamatic]

Seems high hydration is all the buzz. So, I've been using 00 flour + poolish + 65% hydration + 72 hours cold ferment. At 800-900 degrees oven floor the pizza bottoms are burning extremely fast < 60 seconds before the top or or crust are cooked. The <59% hydration seems better hydration at WFO temps. Is the high hydration buzz aimed at 500 degree home ovens? Appreciate any comments.

[driftincrow]

Mark....how are your pizzas turning out when doubling the recipe?

I have a couple of questions regarding yeast:

1. When doubling recipes, it is my understanding that the yeast likely does not need to be doubled, but I'd love to hear from some of the experts.

2. When adding cold fermentation after balling, is there some method for knowing how much to reduce the yeast by depending on the cold fermentation time? Or is it up to trial and error?

TIA

[MarkJerling]

We have been experimenting with this for some time, and I think we are ready to offer a standard "by weight" recipe for Pizza Napoletana dough. One thing that is remarkable is how simple it is -- if you start with the right ingredients and use a digital scale, it can be easy and fast. This is an olive oil-free recipe, but in order for it to work, you need to use real Italian Tipo 00 pizza flour.

How to Read an Italian Flour Label - Forno Bravo Forum: The Wood-Fired Oven Community

I have started working in grams, as the baker's percent is easy to calculate digitally. If you don't have a digital scale, think about getting one. They aren't expensive (you can on in the FB Store for $40), and a scale will definitely improve you baking. If you don't want to go digital, you can find our Pizza Napoletana recipe (in cups) here:

http://www.fornobravo.com/PDF/Using-caputo-tipo00.pdf

That said, I have enjoyed moving from volume (cups) to weight (grams). It is more accurate and it's fast. It can also be consistently replicated -- which unlike most home recipes, it very important.

Here goes:

500 grams Caputo Tipo 00 pizza flour
325 grams water (65% hydration)
10 grams salt
3 grams active dry yeast

First, mix the flour and water, and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Using a stand mixer set a low speed (use #2 for a minute or two, go to #4, then back to #2 with a KitchenAid mixer), blend the water and flour until you have reached a dough ball. It should take a couple of minutes. Once you have incorporated all of the flour, stop, and let everything rest for 20 minutes. This period will allow the flour to fully absorb the water.

Next, add the salt and yeast, and knead the dough for 10 minutes.

Then, make a large dough ball, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 90 minutes. It should have doubled.

Then, cut the dough into four balls (about 215g each). Shape the pizza balls, and set them on a floured surface to rest for at least 30 minutes. If you start in the morning or the night before, make your dough balls in advance and put them in the refrigerator.

If you use Caputo Tipo 00 flour and the moist (65% hydrated) recipe, and you handle your dough gently, you will reward you with a supple, silkly pizza base that is easy to shape, springs in the oven, and tastes great.
James

James, thank you for posting this recipe! I hope you don't mind me waking this old thread, but I really wanted to thank you!
Your recipe is the only recipe I use now.

I have, however, doubled it up, so I do:

1kg Caputo Tipo 00 pizza flour
650 grams / 0.65 litres water (65% hydration)
20 grams salt
6 grams active dry yeast (Caputo)

This gives me 7 dough balls of around 235 grams each, or 6 dough balls of around 275 grams each.

Interestingly, I have found that if I double it up again, to 2kg flour, 1.3 litres of water, 40 grams of salt and 12 grams of dry Caputo yeast, and I do a 24 hour cold ferment in the dough boxes I have built, then purely by chance, each dough box is exactly the right size for a 2kg flour plus other ingredients dough ball. So, with my two dough boxes I'm good for up to 28 pizzas!

For those interested, my dough boxes are made from 10mm thick timber and both measure (outside measurement including 10mm thick lid) 320 x 250mm x 140mm tall. (That's 12.5" x 9.75" x 5.5", for those interested in imperial measurements, working with roughly 3/8" thick timber. There is no particular good reason for this size dough box except that the chosen size fits neatly in our refrigerator! LOL

[Mickey-t]

I was given this recipe by fhe pizza chef and owner of our favourite pizza place here in Perth

25% wholemeal flour
75% Tipo 00 flour
Yeast, sugar, water

Mix and knead, and allow 1 hour covered at room remperature before putting into the fridge for a 48 hour rise.

[texman]

Re: Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

I made pizza this weekend using this recipe from Chef Bart from the Community cookbook. Notice the hydration at 70%. I was skeptical but did it and it was the best yet for me. Also notice, no olive oil in recipe. Another thing i learned from reading Reinhart recipes is to not use the dough hook on the KA mixer, use the paddle and dissolve the yeast.
The dough was great to work with and i was careful that i did not overwork it. I think that i have been overworking and that makes the dough very springy. this dough was supple and silky as it should be. I froze the dough and then placed in the tupperware to thaw in the last two pics. I had a little extra lip from hanging the pie off the peel to unload in the 3rd pic. (and tasted great)
(sorry for the mis-rotated pics.)

My first dough is adapted from, Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast, The fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza by Ken Forkish.

Ingredients
1000 g/ 7 ? cups Caputo ?00? Soft White Flour
700 g/3 cups Water (90-95 F)
20 g/1 tbsp + ? tsp Sea Salt
2 g/? tsp yeast

Yield ? 5 | 340 g dough balls

[rand18m]

Re: Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

WFO dough from Antico Molina Caputo themselves. Notice the very small amount of yeast.


Antico Molino Caputo | Authentic Neapolitan Dough using Caputo

[pizzago]

Re: Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

AHHHHHHH. No rolling pins.

I guess some folks like the cracker style crust, but it's not for me. Yeah, 65% hydration is extreme. The dough balls are really soupy. 60% is easier, and still a nice dough.
James

Hi james ,
i would like to ask you some questions: first is you talk about 65%hydration, i don't really understand ,does it mean take 65% from 500gr flour and 325gr water and mix it? and in this hydration do i need to add yeast?
second one is i saw some italian pizzaiolo use ice water ,so what do you think ice water and warm water?
thank you very much!

[CrocAu]

Re: Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

you started stretching too early after dividing, next time give another 5-10min of rest time before you start working on it
as you work gluten it becomes stronger, if you let it rest it will relax and let you do more without resisting as much, also make sure you go directly to stretching when you pickup your balls (god that sounds so wrong), don't do kneading just before

[daryls]

Re: Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

I made the "perfect pizza dough " recipe. I have a gram scale and did everything exactly as written. The dough felt great but when I went to stretch it to make the pizza, it would not stretch. It kept pulling back. In the end, I had to roll it out (which I never do). What did I do wrong? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[CrocAu]

Re: Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

James, Question about the yeast. Why is it that the dry yeast is combined with water and flour? Don't you have to proof it first or at least put it in warm water to dissolve?

you will find that most dry yeast today doesn't need to be activated
always check instructions for specific brand you have on hand but it would be years since i seen yeast that need activating

[daryls]

Re: Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

We have been experimenting with this for some time, and I think we are ready to offer a standard "by weight" recipe for Pizza Napoletana dough. One thing that is remarkable is how simple it is -- if you start with the right ingredients and use a digital scale, it can be easy and fast. This is an olive oil-free recipe, but in order for it to work, you need to use real Italian Tipo 00 pizza flour.

How to Read an Italian Flour Label - Forno Bravo Forum: The Wood-Fired Oven Community

I have started working in grams, as the baker's percent is easy to calculate digitally. If you don't have a digital scale, think about getting one. They aren't expensive (you can on in the FB Store for $40), and a scale will definitely improve you baking. If you don't want to go digital, you can find our Pizza Napoletana recipe (in cups) here:

http://www.fornobravo.com/PDF/Using-caputo-tipo00.pdf

That said, I have enjoyed moving from volume (cups) to weight (grams). It is more accurate and it's fast. It can also be consistently replicated -- which unlike most home recipes, it very important.

Here goes:

500 grams Caputo Tipo 00 pizza flour
325 grams water (65% hydration)
10 grams salt
3 grams active dry yeast

First, mix the flour and water, and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Using a stand mixer set a low speed (use #2 for a minute or two, go to #4, then back to #2 with a KitchenAid mixer), blend the water and flour until you have reached a dough ball. It should take a couple of minutes. Once you have incorporated all of the flour, stop, and let everything rest for 20 minutes. This period will allow the flour to fully absorb the water.

Next, add the salt and yeast, and knead the dough for 10 minutes.

Then, make a large dough ball, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 90 minutes. It should have doubled.

Then, cut the dough into four balls (about 215g each). Shape the pizza balls, and set them on a floured surface to rest for at least 30 minutes. If you start in the morning or the night before, make your dough balls in advance and put them in the refrigerator.

If you use Caputo Tipo 00 flour and the moist (65% hydrated) recipe, and you handle your dough gently, you will reward you with a supple, silkly pizza base that is easy to shape, springs in the oven, and tastes great.
James

James, Question about the yeast. Why is it that the dry yeast is combined with water and flour? Don't you have to proof it first or at least put it in warm water to dissolve?

[TropicalCoasting]

Re: Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

Love this thread
but
Could someone please post and sticky the perfect sourdough pizza base by weight too?
I got this down pat Im still struggling with the sourdough version

[JamieC]

Re: Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

I'm not sure the yeast amounts in this recipe are internally consistent. I made a batch of 1.5kg Caputo 00 flour using the "by weight" ratios, and the 9 grams of ADY called for looked like a lot, but I went ahead. I bulk proofed at 62 degrees and it tripled in volume in less than 3 hours. It was similarly active after forming balls (and still proofing at 62 degrees) for a few more hours. When I checked a volume-to-weight conversion for dry yeast (at Wood pizza oven Building wood burning brick bread ovens), it said that 1 Tablespoon of dry yeast is 8.5 grams. This recipe's amounts aren't consistent (or even very close) with that, if you look at 1/2 teaspoon converting to 3 grams. I think the volume measure (1/2 teaspoon per ~500 grams of flour) is the correct one, not the weight measurement. When I cut the yeast (Fleischman's ADY) to half of the weight (4.5 g ADY for 1,500g flour) it works much better. Using the traditionaloven.com conversion calculator, it says that 1/2 teaspoon (0.1667 Tablespoon) of ADY should be 1.4 grams.

[deejayoh]

Re: Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

If you are cooking that in a normal oven with pizza stone, you should check your floor temp. I know in my home oven it's tough to get the pizza stone over 450 degrees (based on IR thermometer readings). That is not really hot enough to get a crispy/chewy crust.

But then, that is why I am building a WFO!

[jecrab]

Re: Perfect Pizza Dough by Weight

James, I need some help here with the salt recommendation please. Here is the recipe from the PDF Pizza Stone E-book from the website:

Vera Pizza Napoletana Dough Recipe
Step-by-Step
Ingredients
By Volume
? 4 cups Molino Caputo Tipo 00 flour.
? 1 1/2 cups, plus 2-3 Tbs. water.
? 4 tsp salt.
? 1/2 tsp active dry yeast.

Is this the recipe you recommend or the other one with less salt.
Thanks, I also posted a thread titled "Forno Bravo dough problems" that I would really appreciate your response/help, thanks Jason