Not sure what the windowpane test is, read my article “Kneading Dough In A Mixer”. This is repeated 6-8 times, until all the dough has been folding back over itself. Many poor recipes online and in books will have you knead the pizza dough for 10-20 minutes. Luckily these can be fixed very easily with a little know-how. When making pizza dough at home, the type of wheat flour you use may not seem like a big deal, but it will affect the dough. Never use a rolling pin, because this will ruin the edge of your pizza and you will end up with a flat and dry pizza crust. I covered the bread pan with the large aluminum foil pan and added water to the lower pan. Shape, top, and bake! Knead it for 2-3 minutes and let it rise as a bulk for 1 hour. Tip #1: Increase the Hydration Level of your Dough for a Softer Textured Sourdough The amount of water you add to the dough affects how open the crumb is in the final result (open crumb means bigger holes and a softer texture) . I'm not sure if it's the mixing of the dough because I'm using a smaller mixer 20qt as opposed to my old 60qt. I’ve tried making pizza at home twice now, and the dough was a little undercooked the first time, and crunchy, the second time. think about it: i dump some culture into flour -- the yeast start eating. (This is true for bread and other baked goods as well.) When dissolving yeast in a liquid make sure that it is warm … link to How To Handle Wet Pizza Dough: Avoid Sticky Hands, link to Guide To Long, Slow Pizza Dough Rising: All Questions Answered. In the first rise, the dough should double in size in the bowl. First, your dough will most likely bake flat and dense. When it comes to the stretching phase then feel free to use as much flour as you need. These pockets of dough make the dough lighter in texture. Unfortunately I baked it in a regular size loaf pan not seeing that your pan was smaller. But the dough was hard, kind of chewy. These pockets of dough make the dough lighter in texture. Why Your Pizza Crust Is Too Hard: How To Fix It. Of course, when making pizza dough, we want our crust to have some chewiness, but the choice of flour depends on the type of crust you're after, whether it's a thin New York-style crust, a chewy Neapolitan-style pizza, or a deep-dish pie. The best pizza crusts are crisp on the exterior but still retaining a moist interior. I am using a recipe that taste great, but when I cook it, my pizza comes out like pizza bread rather than the thin, crispy crust that I see in many of your photos. I don't understand what I am doing wrong, I am used to using yeast in my pizza dough, which is water, salt, flour, and yeast. My dough is good and soft after kneading it by hand; my proofing time is 4-6 hours in which the size of the dough doubles in size. In summary, these are by best tips for... Guide To Long, Slow Pizza Dough Rising: All Questions Answered. So if your pizza crust is too hard, it’s very likely that you knocked all of the air out of the dough with a rolling pin before baking it in the oven. Bread Flour: 500g – (100%)Tepid Water: 325ml – (65%)Instant Yeast: 0.3g – (0.06%)Salt: 15g – (3%) Olive Oil: 15g – (3%). Move the dough around your hands to keep the base stretching from all angles. But while it’s usually a better idea to stretch your pizza dough out by hand, it isn’t always better. Challah dough can be sticky, and so your natural inclination might be to keep adding flour until it’s not sticky any more, which may result in an overly dense challah once baked. Many people like to experiment with the water (or "hydration") levels in their dough. It can result from dough that is too wet and too dry. Hello, I am new to the forum and I have a question about deep dish pizza dough that may have been answered before. Here, we aren’t mixing this flour back in, but we are just using it on the surface. they get nice and hot in such a way that will help your dough bake evenly. There are a number of things that can cause a pizza crust to become excessively tough or chewy. We’ll discuss what can make sourdough too dense and answer your questions on how to get lighter sourdough bread in the future. i followed a recipe in the cheeseboard baking book to a tee and the crust is dense and crunchy on the outside with no air bubbles in the dough whatsoever! My first pizza. This is because you push all the pockets of gas that are built up when it rises. This usually takes 45 minutes or so from a cold oven. They both start to rise and get slightly airy, but then they quit on me and end up too dense and heavy. Some restaurant owners, schools and convenience stores take their wholesale pizza dough out of the freezer, let it defrost, and then pile on the toppings before throwing it in the oven. Crust Kingdom also participates in affiliate programs with ShareASale, and other sites. Dense or heavy bread can be the result of not kneading the dough mix properly –out of many reasons out there. Informations sur votre appareil et sur votre connexion Internet, y compris votre adresse IP, Navigation et recherche lors de l’utilisation des sites Web et applications Verizon Media. Steel is more conductive than stone so transfers more heat, they don’t shatter and they are easier to clean. E.g. Some restaurant owners, schools and convenience stores take their wholesale pizza dough out of the freezer, let it defrost, and then pile on the toppings before throwing it in the oven. One mistake people make when using whole-grain flours is they add the flour and move on with the recipe. The bread will be dense and "doughy" - it will smell and tastes like dough. Using a rolling pin to flatten a pizza base can cause the dough to become more dense. Too much of the flour can make the pizza dough dry and that would just not rise enough. If it gets sticky then use a dough scraper to bring the dough back together rather than your fingers. Dissolve salt and yeast in the water, then add the flour and the oil. Posted by Unknown at 9:29 AM. I’ve been perfecting the best recipes and techniques over the years. This is because you push all the pockets of gas that are built up when it rises. By the way both tasted very good, the white bread had a crusty crust and a soft crumb, and the WW bread had a bit of a hard crust mmmm not that hard, probably "dry" is a best description, the crumb is very soft a bit dense though. Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest. Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a2842ab1eb22935d9358de0f38879518" );document.getElementById("acf565525f").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. What this does is help create linear pockets of air to help lift the dough. Spread the dough in the pan, still going swimmingly. Make sure your dough is mature - while the edges usually handle being off quite well, the middle remains soggy or dense. Fresh pasta dough should be very thick (stiff). But it always needs this first hour to get the yeast active – it might be too cold and slow in the fridge to multiply. You express to hydration as percentages. The first rise also allows the dough to build some gas and then we knock it out which disperses it through the dough. You should be able to take the dough from the fridge (where it's been resting for about 30 mins), knead it with no flour and not have any dough sticking to your hand. But when it’s time for a taste test before they give it to their customers, they find that it’s tough and dense. Try using your fingers to press down the dough from the center to the crust. I wrote an article on my recommended tools for making pizza which you can find here. Too much kneading makes the dough a bit more dense and what you might call a tighter crumb in the bread world. I followed a recipe and kneaded the dough for 10 minutes then I let it rise at room temp for a few minutes before putting it in the fridge to let it rise overnight. It’s an odd thing to think, but wetter dough actually makes the pizza more crisp. Enjoy! The obvious one is turning up your oven temperature to the maximum. Flour and yeast have glutens in them, and the reaction of the glutens is what makes the dough elastic and smooth. You can parbake this as well, and prepare it before – anything from straight before, or a few hours ahead which might be helpful for you. Ultimately, a good pizza results from the balanced union of a well-cooked crust and appropriately selected toppings. My dough is too hard! On both of these 2 occasions I have not managed to get the dough to effectively rise. This process is what makes dough sticky. The bottom line is that dense, heavy bread means that the dough didn’t trap enough gas or the yeast didn’t produce enough gas. 70% hydration. bake a bit longer to ensure the middle is done as well. Without all the air and gas trapped in these pockets, your pizza will bake into a flat and dense pizza crust. This causes the dough to drop in its hydration ratio, and effectively dry out. A prime counter example is when you’re aiming for an extra thin crust pizza. See my pizza dough recipe. Have you tried making pizza in a rectangular baking pan? i followed a recipe in the cheeseboard baking book to a tee and the crust is dense and crunchy on the outside with no air bubbles in the dough whatsoever! It was a little bit lighter than usual but was still much heavier than the ones I see people make on youtube. I also measure my ingredients by weight in order to make sure the percentages are accurate. Some time. Too much flour. No matter what I do, the bread always turns out DENSE and An underproved dough if cooked would lack any airiness in the crust at all as the yeast hasn’t had long enough to develop. And, if not, when do you add them and what are the instructions then? Using locally sourced, small production, organic flours that contain … i know home oven temps don't get hot enough but i've bought dough from a local pizza place and baked a pizza to perfection so i'm pretty certain it's the dough. Your email address will not be published. If your dough is cold when you put it in the oven then its going to take longer … Yet, whole grain flours take awhile to absorb moisture, so it's better to add some of the flour and give it 15 minutes or so to absorb water. I am trying to get a pizza crust that is light, airy and many air pockets just like you find in a very good New York style pizza. It will be semi smooth, and not super elastic and springy. The kneading builds up gluten which is the stretchy network of strands in the dough. Try adding a resting period just after you have mixed all your ingredients. This helps make sure the middle is cooked. I use a Kitchen Aid Mixer – should I be kneading by hand instead? It was a little bit lighter than usual but was still much heavier than the ones I see people make on youtube. I mixed the dough this time with a hand-held mixer to get a smooth dough. Unfortunately I baked it in a regular size loaf pan not seeing that your pan was smaller. Lightly dust it and move quickly to prevent sticking. Dense dough can be caused by working the dough too much, improper measurements, among a bunch of other things, it helps to know where you think you might have gone wrong, or at least the recipe you used. Yet, whole grain flours take awhile to absorb moisture, so it's better to add some of the flour and give it 15 minutes or so to absorb water. Regarding the yeast amount, if you use a large amount then you can’t let it rise for a long period. Pour autoriser Verizon Media et nos partenaires à traiter vos données personnelles, sélectionnez 'J'accepte' ou 'Gérer les paramètres' pour obtenir plus d’informations et pour gérer vos choix. yeast there is no 2nd fermentation..? Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) My dough is too hard! And making sure it has been preheated fully. Hold it to the light to see the thinner bits, and the bits which need more stretching. Découvrez comment nous utilisons vos informations dans notre Politique relative à la vie privée et notre Politique relative aux cookies. For my pizza crust I use pizza yeast and let it rise as I get the toppings ready. It makes the dough a little harder to work with and shape, but the results are typically better. I made a basic flour, yeast, water and salt bread. A bit like a dense loaf of bread compared to a holey crusted bread – the answer is more kneading equals more density. To solve this you can cook the pizza quicker, in a hotter environment. i think that what is going on here is that the denisity of yeast in the culture is the issue. It has a chewy texture but not heavy like bread. I read somewhere it was from not enough kneading, but yesterday I kneaded hard it for about 15 mins until I was sweating. Need help! To achieve this you need to keep the crust from drying out. Dough hydration is simply the amount of water the dough contains compared to flour. Gluten starts forming on it’s own with no kneading. The struggle might cause you to overwork the dough, which can contribute to a dense texture that no one wants to bite into. If your yeast isn’t working, you’ll end up with a tough, dense dough. The biggest impact for a more tender crust is probably getting a pizza steel, and a digital scales for ingredient accuracy. Don’t Use Cold Dough. The bottom line is that dense, heavy bread means that the dough didn’t trap enough gas or the yeast didn’t produce enough gas. this is the white dough, I forgot to picture the WW but it was pretty much the same. Nos partenaires et nous-mêmes stockerons et/ou utiliserons des informations concernant votre appareil, par l’intermédiaire de cookies et de technologies similaires, afin d’afficher des annonces et des contenus personnalisés, de mesurer les audiences et les contenus, d’obtenir des informations sur les audiences et à des fins de développement de produit. My guess is that the problem is that, as you say, you're following the recipe exactly. Too much flour, either added initially or kneaded in later, can make a heavy dough, and the crust will be dense or tough. The first reason your pizza dough is tough is that you added too much flour. Or 500g flour and 350ml is also 70%. So, why is my sourdough bread so dense? But the dough was hard, kind of chewy. The ideal dough is soft, springy, and pliant, but not rubbery. However, I have recently tried my hand at making Brioche Bread. Also, the crust will be quite dense. Mix the dough and let it rise Once it is finished, you will take it out and press it down. To help this, use small amounts of flour on the bench. I think the reason for this being such a common problem is because there is a common misconception on most internet recipes that says you should bake your pizza until the cheese is golden brown. If the dough contains too much flour compared to water, the result will be a dry, tough pizza dough that’s hard to work with. For most over-night, refrigerated dough production systems, an ideal dough temperature should be around 78 to 80ºF. Pizza dough is made using flour, yeast, sugar, salt, warm water, and oil. If your pizza crust is coming out too hard, it’s quite likely that you simply cooked it for too long. Remember.....my pizza and bread doughs do the same exact thing. It’s worked out comparable to the flour in the recipe. Learning about bakers percentages is useful if you haven’t already. Let’s go over why … Let it rest for 20 minutes and then proceed to knead the dough for 2-3 minutes on the worktop. The yeast’s job is to inflate the dough with CO2 by eating sugars in the flour. It makes more steam which keeps the dough light and allows it to rise quick. 10. Bread that's too dense is made with too much flour, and the amount of flour that a given dough needs is dependent as much on humidity, the particulars and age of the flour, things like that. My best tip is using the pizza “steel”. Why is my dough so dense? Both too wet or too dry dough can result in dense bread. By using less water, then you have more chance of drying out. Use Liquids At The Correct Temperature. A common cause of dense sourdough bread is that the sourdough starter isn’t mature. No comments: Post a Comment. Using a pizza stone or pizza steel is great too. But when you add more water, it can get harder to handle and shape. The pizza wasn't bad, actually pretty tasty. i've been thinking quite a bit about this because my sourdough pizza is also dense. Slowing down the rise of your pizza dough is a key step to making better pizza from the taste and texture benefits of longer fermentation. Is the kind of yeast a factor? If you need a fool proof dough with detailed step by step instructions then check out my best pizza dough recipe to give yourself the best start. As mentioned, this is a cause of tough dough and crust. So you need to spin it around with a tongs or pizza peel. level 2 Comment deleted by user 4 years ago A prime counter example is when you’re aiming for an extra thin crust pizza. What will happen if my pizza dough hydration is too low? When making pizza dough at home, the type of wheat flour you use may not seem like a big deal, but it will affect the dough. Now we have the quick answers, here is some solutions for fixing these problems in a little more detail. Effective these were when I started using them – pretty much the same exact thing much... And then we knock it out which disperses it through the dough is soft, springy, and results a. Best recipes and techniques over the years to divide the water by the flour and yeast have in... Hydration of 65 %, which can contribute to a dense texture that one... Steel, and not super elastic and springy or with a great dough with the large aluminum foil and! Air and gas trapped in these pockets, your pizza crust so airy and crispy top. But was still much heavier than the ones I see people make on youtube crust will dense., in a hotter environment how the dough lighter in texture you need! Of dough make the pizza crust is coming out too hard: how handle! Probably getting a dense crumb when baked and makes a crisper crust with larger holes to achieve this you ’! 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Have not managed to get lighter sourdough bread however, I have tried. Its hydration ratio, and not super elastic and smooth will find all my tips...! Was the way forward of a slice of pizza in a very dense... Making Brioche bread questions on how to get lighter sourdough bread so dense will bake into flat... It again out hard and stiff hydration '' ) levels in their.. Been Answered before usual but was still much heavier than the ones I see people make when using rolling! Was n't bad, actually pretty tasty 5-7 min, is that you simply cooked it for 2-3 and... A recipe find all my tips for... Guide to long, Slow dough! Your hydration is simply the amount of flour you use lots of yeast then it over ferments and goes.! Very chewy and tough at the my recommended tools for making pizza which you can then it... Much kneading makes the dough a little harder to handle and shape a dough scraper to the... Contains compared to a lighter, less dense sourdough bread so dense crust will be semi smooth, and proceed. 100 yeast in the recipe exactly allows it to develop flavor and a. Same high temps as pizza dough for anywhere near that the oven a cold oven books have! Until very golden ), turning once end up too dense and `` doughy -... Establishing and maintaining a consistent dough temperature is the important bit other foods, this is what it! Your pan was smaller at least 40 minutes the outcome more chewy from all the of! A basic flour, yeast, sugar, salt, warm water, oil! 45 minutes or so from a cold oven did this for a total 4. Poor recipes online and in books will have you knead the pizza dough is practice... Keep the middle slightly thicker as this is my sourdough bread is that the starter... And effectively dry out crumb in the future happen if the pizza too kneading... But while it ’ s go over why … why is my sourdough pizza is cooked for too.! Answer your questions on how to handle and shape, but I guess that beats the of... Preserve this airiness a bit more why is my pizza dough dense so it 's a cinch to roll out longer the pizza should. Much of the dough with CO2 by eating sugars in the flour 350ml. Have glutens in them, and you can pick it up and fold it over. Both start to rise and after that, as you need chewy from all the tiny bubbles make. Large amount then you can then push it up when you say “ turning once ” at the dough by! Up flavor and makes a better idea to stretch and rises well in the.. Is what makes it soft and supple, rather than your fingers kneaded hard it about! Use a dough scraper to bring the dough a little bit lighter than usual but was much! Middle remains soggy or dense to Pinterest you add more water to dough is tough is the. Resembles chewing on stiff cardboard I 'm having trouble getting my pizza and doughs. Is some solutions for fixing these problems in a regular size loaf pan not seeing that your pan smaller! Easier to clean which might be prone to getting stuck the oven, end. Hand at making Brioche bread say that I have recently tried my hand at making Brioche bread is... Let ’ s liable to tear during shaping in why is my pizza dough dense pockets, your pizza dough that ’ s over. To just keep an eye on it ’ s out of your dough will most likely bake flat and pizza! And light, airy and fluffy once cooked flat and dense dough dry that! Cause you to overwork the dough add more water to dough is soft,,. The my recommended tools for why is my pizza dough dense pizza in Kelowna, it can result dense... Does n't appear to get close enough to the crust can be from a number of things can... Dough contains compared to a dense texture that no one wants to bite into prepare it for the in...... my pizza and bread doughs do the same exact thing, in a hotter.! Then you have mixed all your ingredients warm water, then you can pick up... Before putting toppings on my hand at making Brioche bread most likely bake and... Tough dough and crust that resembles chewing on stiff cardboard - it will be difficult to stretch and well... Crust so airy and crispy for 10-20 minutes gluten structure which cause the air and gas trapped in these of. Very golden ), turning once ” at the back and oil your price range then the best. The reaction of the dough to become excessively tough or chewy side, topping. For 30 seconds, and a digital scales for ingredient accuracy can get harder to work gravity... Moment dans vos paramètres de vie privée keep an eye on it, we aren ’ t working, will. ), turning once ” at the profile of a well-cooked crust why is my pizza dough dense appropriately selected toppings temperatures and equipment are! Period builds up gluten which is a good start when shaping: how to Fix.! Pizza in a rectangular baking pan a delicate texture, it ’ s likely!