Mobile Pizza Oven- Dough Balling Practice?

[pizzablogger]

I saw something I thought was odd last week.

A person selling pizza from a mobile wood fired oven had individually wrapped each dough ball in plastic.

That wasn't so unusual...but they were not really dough balls. Watching closely, one could tell that they were roughly hewn pieces of dough....some more oblong in shape, some round. Like they literally cut portions from the bulk mass, weighed them and just wrapped them up without any further shaping.

I'm pretty certain this lack of shaping/surface tension was one of the main culprits for the lack of lift at the rim, as it's doubtful much CO2 was retained in these cuts of dough.

Is this a normal-ish practice for a mobile WFO? The only other one I have been to had individual dough balls placed in proofing trays as normal, with plastic wrapping put over the topmost tray to keep air from forming skins on the dougballs below.

Just curious. Thanks --K

[BrickStoneOven]

IDK about mobile but one of the places I worked at did the same thing with their small pizzas. The reason they did this was so they could stuff as many dough balls as they could into a proofing tray. They would weigh, ball, bag and stuff. It was pointless because the doughs would be all different shapes and it did infact as you said effect the oven spring. There would be like 30-35 dough balls in a box.

[PizzaDiFiore]

I saw something I thought was odd last week.

A person selling pizza from a mobile wood fired oven had individually wrapped each dough ball in plastic.

That wasn't so unusual...but they were not really dough balls. Watching closely, one could tell that they were roughly hewn pieces of dough....some more oblong in shape, some round. Like they literally cut portions from the bulk mass, weighed them and just wrapped them up without any further shaping.

I'm pretty certain this lack of shaping/surface tension was one of the main culprits for the lack of lift at the rim, as it's doubtful much CO2 was retained in these cuts of dough.

Is this a normal-ish practice for a mobile WFO? The only other one I have been to had individual dough balls placed in proofing trays as normal, with plastic wrapping put over the topmost tray to keep air from forming skins on the dougballs below.

Just curious. Thanks --K

Did you see this in Baltimore?

[pizzablogger]

Did you see this in Baltimore?

No

[JConk007]

Not something I would do? By chance, any pics or better desription of the Mobile unit. tyoe oven? size?, trailer? Would you say the as the temp at 500 for the dough blobs? Did you Get a chance to time pie? taste one. Bagged shredded cheese? Sorry but I am  very curious on the mobile guys offerings and procedures?
Thanks
John

[PizzaDiFiore]

Got the tenative "OK" from the Maryland Department of the Environment.  It's enough to make me comfortable with moving forward with our plans.  Working on floor plan and financing.  We're looking for a late '11 or early '12 opening!  Getting stoked!  Now, I just need to narrow down my oven.  SF or Cirigliano Forni? 

[pizzablogger]

Got the tenative "OK" from the Maryland Department of the Environment.  It's enough to make me comfortable with moving forward with our plans.  Working on floor plan and financing.  We're looking for a late '11 or early '12 opening!  Getting stoked!  Now, I just need to narrow down my oven.  SF or Cirigliano Forni? 

Add Forno Napoletano into your list of ovens to consider.

Excellent news PizzaDiFiore! Happy for you. --K