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[IndyRob]

This is a little more than just a random thought.  Many years ago I was in a Little Caesar's that was being totally slammed.  Having worked in a pizza place I really pitied them that night and just decided to be as patient and pleasant as I could be while I waited for my pizza.  To pass the time I tried to closely (yet unobtrusively) observe everything I could about their methods.  It became apparent that someone (or everyone?) had a test coming up because questions were posted on the walls all over the back of the store.  Some I could answer, other's I had reasonable guesses at.  But one flummoxed me altogether - "What is the Purpose of the Oil in the Dough?"

Years later I'm very happy with my doughs.  I use oil in almost all of them, but don't in one.  I also once misinterpreted a focaccia recipe and added way too much olive oil (but accidentally duplicated a type of bread I had always wondered about).  So I know the effect (well, some effects), but I still don't know what LC would deem as the correct answer to the question.

[Pete-zza]

So I know the (well, an) effect, but I still don't know what LC would deem as the correct answer to the question.

IndyRob,

I'm not sure what LC would deem to be the correct answer either, but you can see my answers at Reply 1, third paragraph, at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,7915.msg67933.html#msg67933.

Peter

[IndyRob]

Thanks Pete-zza, as complete as it seems, I think it must certainly be in there.  For convenience, I'll quote the relevant paragraph.

Oil serves many purposes when used in or on pizza dough. When used in the dough, it coats the gluten strands, which helps improve the rheology (flow) and plastic qualities of a dough, making it more extensible (stretchy) and easier to handle and shape. The oil in the dough also helps to prevent moisture in the dough from evaporating too quickly, thereby resulting in a more moist crumb in the finished crust. If the oil is also accompanied by a lot of sugar, which also helps retain moisture in the dough, the finished crust and crumb will be soft and tender rather than crispy. These are characteristics that you will find in an American style crust, such as the crust of a Papa John's pizza. The oil in the dough also adds flavor to the crust. When the oil is used on the dough, it has good thermal transfer characteristics. This is what creates the "fried" crust effect when the oil is used, especially in large amounts, in a pan or disk that is used to bake the pizza. When the oil is used on top of the dough, it helps improve top crust color but it also captures and retains the flavors and "juices" of the toppings as they cook. Of course, oil also contributes to mouthfeel, which is a characteristic that people generally like.

I suspect that the first point might be it.  In fact I imagine that "It makes it stretchy" might have been an acceptable answer.  But then again, LC (as rumoured by some here) does tend to have long shelf lives for their dough balls, so maybe the moisture retention angle has legs.

I guess I'd have to throw out the "fried" crust (although they do seem to use this on their pan pizzas), and crust-color aspect - since the question was specifically about "in" and not "on" or "under" the dough.

[Guts]

I have only logged 18 Hrs 40 minutes But Learn something new ever time I log in! Good question.

[Pete-zza]

IndyRob,

I once attempted an LC clone, as discussed at Reply 73 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,1515.msg33473.html#msg33473, in which I used around 3% oil. At that level, the coating of the gluten strands would be an important function of the oil but flavor is also a significant factor. In fact, I once asked Tom Lehmann (via email) what the purpose of the oil is in a NY style dough, and his answer, which I have reproduced at Reply 700 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,576.msg61557.html#msg61557, was that the oil improved the flavor of the dough. Tom didn't know my knowledge level on the subject so I think he would have given a more detailed and technical response had he known of my level of understanding of the subject.

The moisture retention function of oil in a dough comes into effect mainly during baking when the heat of the oven tries to drive out moisture in the dough.

Peter

[IndyRob]

I may have tried that recipe.  I'm not sure.  I did try an LC recipe from this site and got a good result.  Well, good as far as matching LC goes, but I've fallen out of love with basic LC pizzas.  Though I still love the baby pan pans and have the authentic equipment to make 'em.

Wow, the second link you posted turns into quite a furball.  But it's interesting in that I noted that one of my doughs didn't contain oil - and that's my interpretation of a NY style.  I haven't had a proper NY style pizza, but was guided by local joints that claimed that heritage.

[Pete-zza]

IndyRob,

I had completely forgotten the "furball" as you described it  .

Little Caesars, Papa John's and Domino's, all of which specialize in the American style pizza, use doughs that tend to be high in oil and sugar. I believe that that was also true of Pizza Hut for its older doughs but appears to be much less so since they went to frozen doughs for most of their pizzas (at least in the U.S.). When I did my Papa John's clone experiments at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6758.0.html, I greatly expanded my knowledge base on the use of high levels of oil in pizza doughs. For the NY style, I rarely use more than 1% oil. If I am making pizza dough to be frozen from the outset for later use, I will use more than 1%, as do most commercial producers of frozen dough balls (like Lamonica's, Rich's, etc.), to improve the texture of the dough and possibly mitigate the damage that freezing does to yeast. So, that's another function of oil in the dough.

Peter