Help with DKM thin crust.

[captain-insano]

Having problems with the dough. The first time I made this it came out ok not great but edible. Second time the crust did not puff at all and was thin and tough. The dough ball broke in half and I had a hard time rolling out a flat piece big enough to fit on my pan. Mixed up a new batch friday night and everything seemed to go ok. I did notice that the risen dough ball had cracks in it. When I went to roll it out today the dough seemed to not want to stay together. There were rips and tears in it. How do you get the dough to roll out in one piece? Please help.

[duckjob]

How long do you let your dough sit at room temp before trying to roll it. I've found that if you don't let it warm up for at least 2 hours, its a bit tough to work with. The last few thin crusts i've done have been counter rises, so no refridgeration at all.

[captain-insano]

I never put in the fridge at all. I tried the parbake for five minutes too. I did notice something. When I placed a piece off crust that I had trimmed from the outside directly on my stone it did not poof like the first time I made it. I have not docked my dough at all the last two times I have made it. Should the dough be a solid mass or should it have cracks in it?

[duckjob]

The ball itself will have cracks in it, but once you roll it out, it shouldn't. Just out of curiosity, are you using volumetric measurements or weight? Because this recipe has such a low hydration level, it is easy to mess up, either too dry or too wet if you are using volumetric measurements.  Here is a walk through that I did for the Lehmann cracker crust recipe with pictures. It has slightly more water than DKM's, but it handled pretty similar, a little easier though because of the additional water.
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,1069.0.html

[buzz]

Check out my cracker crust recipe already posted--it works beautifully!

[captain-insano]

Duck I am using volumetric measurements. Time to buy a scale or try a little more water. I am also using a stand mixer and not a food processor. I never do get the cornmeal consistency. Thanks for your help.

[duckjob]

Buying a scale made a huge difference for me. I also use a stand mixer. If you let it go long enough, you will get that cornmeal consistency, usually takes about 10 minutes on speed 3(kitchen aid)