Shrinkage problem

[grandpa]

I have been trying to make this pizza dough for a while now and can not get it so I can stretch it with my fists. The flour I am using is a store brand all purpose enriched unbleached flour. I firm the flour into the cup. The recipe makes two fourteen inch pizzas.

1. Mix 3 cups flour and ½ teaspoon iodized salt.
2. Put 2 teaspoons sugar and one ¼ oz (7 gm) packet of quick rise yeast into 10 oz warm (110 - 120 degree) water in a large bowl. Stir. Let set 20 minutes. (My water is softened)
3. Add one cup at a time of the flour mix to the water mix.
4. Put 3 tablespoons of EVOO in a large bowl. Place the smooth side of the dough into the oil, then turn the dough over to coat the other side. Cover with a cloth and let set for one hour.
5. Punch  the risen dough  down, take it out of the bowl, dust with flour and knead a little.
6. Divide the dough in half and refrigerate it for use within three days.

When I take the risen dough out of the bowl, it is wet and sticky with the OO, so I dust it with more flour so I can handle it. Sometimes I stiffen it a little with more flour. When I try to stretch the dough with my fists, it quickly develops large holes. I have been able to successfully make a fourteen inch shell by pressing the dough out (not rolling). The part that was refrigerated is a different story. It won’t stretch without developing large holes and I can’t even press it to shape because it severely shrinks back.

So what am I doing wrong?

[buceriasdon]

Hi, How long do you allow the dough to come to room temp. after removing from the fridge?
Don

I have been trying to make this pizza dough for a while now and can not get it so I can stretch it with my fists. The flour I am using is a store brand all purpose enriched unbleached flour. I firm the flour into the cup. The recipe makes two fourteen inch pizzas.

1. Mix 3 cups flour and ½ teaspoon iodized salt.
2. Put 2 teaspoons sugar and one ¼ oz (7 gm) packet of quick rise yeast into 10 oz warm (110 - 120 degree) water in a large bowl. Stir. Let set 20 minutes. (My water is softened)
3. Add one cup at a time of the flour mix to the water mix.
4. Put 3 tablespoons of EVOO in a large bowl. Place the smooth side of the dough into the oil, then turn the dough over to coat the other side. Cover with a cloth and let set for one hour.
5. Punch  the risen dough  down, take it out of the bowl, dust with flour and knead a little.
6. Divide the dough in half and refrigerate it for use within three days.

When I take the risen dough out of the bowl, it is wet and sticky with the OO, so I dust it with more flour so I can handle it. Sometimes I stiffen it a little with more flour. When I try to stretch the dough with my fists, it quickly develops large holes. I have been able to successfully make a fourteen inch shell by pressing the dough out (not rolling). The part that was refrigerated is a different story. It won’t stretch without developing large holes and I can’t even press it to shape because it severely shrinks back.

So what am I doing wrong?

[c0mpl3x]

stretching the dough on knuckles is a finishing technique, not an entire stretch.  lock your crust in on a bed of flour, and with one hand move it away from the other pulling the dough to size.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbkfDqA8yKg" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbkfDqA8yKg</a>

[Pete-zza]

c0mpl3x,

That is a good video. It shows the method that I have seen used at my local Papa John's except the workers use a dough docker and sometimes give a final toss at the end. Is that the general method you use at Papa John's?

Peter

[grandpa]

I take the dough out of the refrigerator about an hour and a half before I stretch it.

Grandpa

[c0mpl3x]

c0mpl3x,

That is a good video. It shows the method that I have seen used at my local Papa John's except the workers use a dough docker and sometimes give a final toss at the end. Is that the general method you use at Papa John's?

Peter

the method i use myself, depends on where i am.  when i am home, i start my dough 'sticky side up' meaning that the side that would be against the tray or container (i always store my dough so there is 'skin' top and sides), i lock my crust.  then i finger stretch it out to size most of the way, with a few slaps to knock the flour off.

when i am at PJ, i start sticky side down.  i lock my crust first.  then i give it a gentle stretch out to about twice the size.  then i flip it over so its sticky side up, and give it a 'smoothing' stretch (to rid out any thick spots, and to NOT over-stretch the thin spots) i do this, and i think i'm the only one, to eliminate topping migration towards or away from the crust.  the entire time i am 'stretching' on the table, i am rotating my dough.   then i dock and slap as normal.  i follow the correct PJ SOP when it comes to dough handling, whether its cheesesticks pizza skins calzones breadsticks etc

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhcTKeslAmk" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhcTKeslAmk</a>

this video is close to correct.  most managers don't flip the dough after crust locking, but i prefer to do it that way.   it gives a 'puffier' crust, that isn't so hard to chew.

[grandpa]

Great videos. I'll give those techniques a try. I would still like to know why my dough shrink so bad that I can't even do the first step. Am I getting the dough too dry or perhaps kneading it too much?  Was the dough in the video kneaded after it was punched down?

Thanks for your input.

Grandpa