Can anyone replicate Totino's crust????

[lilbuddypizza]

Say what you will, Totino's has a unique and tasty crust in the frozen pizza world. I know they used to make larger 11 or 12 inch frozen pies, but I haven't seen them in years. So my only other solution to fulfillment is to eat 2 of the little ones. Has anyone ever made a crust like Totino's? I can't even imagine how they do it.
THX!

[scott r]

theres definitely a LOT of oil/shortening/fat in there.   also, a pretty low hydration, probably around 50%    Good luck! 

[Pete-zza]

To see the ingredients used to make any of the Totino's frozen pizzas, go to the list of pizzas given at http://www.generalmills.com/Home/Brands/Pizza/Totinos_jenos/Brand%20Product%20List%20Page#{D55FF78B-A3BA-4CD0-B5EC-7E19C7EB73D9}. Two slices (one half of a typical Totino's pizza) will give one about 100% of the total daily requirement of sodium that the government would like to see, or two thirds of the current recommendation.

Peter

[Pete-zza]

Since General Mills owns the Totino's brand, I would think that a GM flour is used to make the crusts. The closest flour that I can find at the GM flour website, on the Professionals side, is the H&R all-purpose flour at http://www.gmiflour.com/gmflour/Flour_SpecSheet/HR%20%20Bleached14314.DOC, but without any malting.

Interestingly, it appears that all of the Totino's crusts include both dry yeast and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). Also, the meat-based pizzas include both sodium aluminum phosphate (SALP) and sodium bicarbonate, along with dry yeast. SALP and sodium bicarbonate are used in a product called WRISE (by The Wright Group) in an oil (palm oil) encapsulated form in take-and-bake and frozen doughs. They kick in during the baking of the pizza. So, if the yeast doesn't perform as desired, the dough will still rise because of the SALP and sodium bicarbonate. The WRISE product is described at http://www.thewrightgroup.net/images/stories/downloads/Wrise-101595_productdatasheet.pdf.

Peter

[lilbuddypizza]

Incredible replies!! Thanks!!!