Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

OK, I was about to ask what leoparding was but thought you all would laugh at me and say something like "It's when you brush the dough with leopard oil" or "It's making pizza while wearing a left over costume from the musical "CATS" and I might half believe you .

Now I'm really curious. What is it? Your WFO bash this weekend sounds fun. Put a glass of wine in my hand or a Hendricks Gin martini and I'll cook all night .

-Dino

[heliman]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

Yes - 48 hrs (not by choice though). Went out for dinner with an old school friend last night ... but tonight is the night.

Will also bake on Sunday in the WFO as I have to get the oven ready for a bash I have got next week for the guys at work (yea, I was conned into doing it!!!). I will supply the dough/wood and they are covering the cost of the toppings, booze etc. Sounds like a fair deal to me.

So Dino, have you had any experience with leoparding - or managed to produce it on the crust of your pizzas? This is certainly my next challenge...

Rossco

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

Tom: sounds like a good plan. 30 minutes does sound like the balls would be too cold to stretch nicely. I did it that way initially: put the bulk ball ("big ball" as you put it) in the fridge overnight however I now follow what I THINK most do and that is form the small balls when you finish kneading the bulk ball. Like I said, it was OK the other way but I've had such great luck since I changed. See earlier posts by Texassourdough on this thread #'s 43,45 where Jay talks about handling them as little as possible until you're ready to stretch the small balls into pies which means forming them before overnight rises.

Ya Rossco, I did those in the wfo last weekend.

Seriously? 48 hour retarded dough? Cool can't wait to hear how it worked for you. Take care, Dino

[heliman]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

Just to clarify, my problems were largely attributable to the two elements: Firstly, the dough amount in the mixer was too small to be mixed correctly and the kneading time had been too short. The dough was therefore not being kneaded sufficiently well to produce the gluten required. I seemed to have got the rest of the process right like fermentation and autolyse and since rectifying the two problems the quality of the dough has greatly improved.

Dino - your pizzas look great. Did you do them in the WFO? One thing I will definitely be doing this weekend in my WFO is attempting to get some leoparding on the crust. Some have suggested that this is the sign of a great Neapolitan pizza, but I think it has good aesthetic appeal so will see if I can do it. I have got a new IR temp gun which will come in handy to check oven temp.

I have a batch of 48 hour fermented balls so will crank them up in the electric oven this evening. Slightly modified method using cold water and a bit of VWG to get the protein level up. The balls have grown about 2 x normal size so I am interested to see the results. I used .5 yeast to prevent over fermentation so hopefully the dough is still in good condition. Will report back later.

Rossco

[tlw12]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

cold dough might be the problem. Took it out of the fridge cut it and let it the balls set for about 30min then tried to stretch. I going to try another batch tonight and let it set in the fridg overnight in the big ball.
Tom

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

I still can't help but feel IMHi-eO (the i-e stands for inexperienced) that more hydration is the problem to dough that can't relax. However, Rossco has had problems with overly floppy dough too and thinning. I've found that I really need the balls to come back to room temp and get warm enough to rise a bit at room temp before shaping so they are really relaxed. Tlw12: do you think you are working with the dough too cold?

Rossco, my last dough batch came out great. I hope I can repeat it. Since I hand kneaded it, it seemed a bit stiff to me but I balled them anyway, retarded overnight until 2pm next afternoon. Let them warm up until I made pizzas 2-3 hours later. I make my pizzas small, 9-10" and stretched out easily. Crust was great. See the farther pic for this batch. Closer pic was a month old previously frozen dough ball I experimented with.

[dmun]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

I am having the same problme with the caputo FB flour. Trying my third batch. The stuff is like a slinky. Stretches back real quick and very hard to make into a round. All problem solvers will be helpful. I thought my yeast was bad on first batch. Dough is real stiff.

The stiff dough may be a clue. It may not be wet enough. Tell us about your proportions and your dough handling technique, and maybe we can be of help.

[dmun]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

I love capers too, and I get tired of paying for those ridiculous little bottles they have in the supermarket. Has anyone tried to buy them by the tub, like at the following link?

Mustapha's Moroccan Non-pareil Capers, 4-Pound Tub: Amazon.com: Grocery

[Mitchamus]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

Mmmm.. mushrooms anchovies & olives.....

I love anchovies as well... the best part is - when I make one I actually get to eat it!

[tlw12]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

I am having the same problme with the caputo FB flour. Trying my third batch. The stuff is like a slinky. Stretches back real quick and very hard to make into a round. All problem solvers will be helpful. I thought my yeast was bad on first batch. Dough is real stiff.
T

[heliman]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

Thanks for the feedback Dino..

Yes, the dough was kept VERY cold - even autolysed in the fridge!

One of the most popular requests I have is for the very simple anchovy and capers (in vinegar) and I sometimes add black olives or mushroom for a variation. The combo of salty anchovy and sour vinegar capers is fantastic and I normally have to make at least 2 or 3 per session to appease the guests.

I have heard negative responses during casual discussions about using anchovy on pizzas but that is normally from people who haven't tasted it! Tasting it should convert most of the opposition!!!

Look forward to seeing the results of your baking session tomorrow. I'm sure that they will be of your usual high standard!!

Rossco

[dmun]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

BTW: I'm so jealous of your anchovies on your pizza. I've got company tomorrow who'd run out the house screaming if put them on.

I don't get the anchovy hatred either. I love that intense salty flavor.

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

Rossco, nice holes in your pizza dough. It looks great in the cut portion picture.

I just made a batch only an hour ago and also plan on firing the wfo tomorrow too. You went really cold (icey water and breaks during the kneading) to keep the dough from heating up. Your results look good. I used 2/3 chilled water for the same reason AND after autolyse for 30 min, added the salt then I hand kneaded for about 10 minutes, no KA mixing at all just to see if it keeps the dough cooler and makes any difference. I've had smoother dough and I don't dare do a window pane test since it would fail. I'm betting on the gentle handling of the dough to turn it supple. We'll see.

BTW: I'm so jealous of your anchovies on your pizza. I've got company tomorrow who'd run out the house screaming if put them on. Cheers, Dino

[heliman]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

Update: New method
================

Made a batch of dough last night using a slightly different approach:

Flour 672.7 g
Water 430.5 g
Yeast 3.4 g
Salt 13.5 g
(added gluten flour - 54 g replacing some of the pizza flour)

Chilled, flour and water (starting to form ice).

Autolyse 20 mins (in fridge)

Kneaded 5 mins, stopped, kneaded 3 mins, stopped, kneaded 2 mins (max temp = 23 C)

Light knead then cut into 4 portions.

Made balls then placed in fridge overnight.

Took one ball out and gave it 2 hrs to get to room temp.

Baked it as short while ago and was very pleased with the results, though I'm sure that it would have been even better in the WFO. May crank the WFO up tomorrow to put it to the test.

Rossco

[thezaman]

Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????

those are beautiful pizzas !! i need to scroll back and check you recipe .