Sodium Bicarbonate

[Zeppi]

If I'm not mistaking ,I've read somewhere that someone used Sodium Bicarbonate
in the dough recipe but cant find it anymore !

If that is true ,what does it do ?


Louis

[Pete-zza]

Louis,

If you do an Advanced forum search (http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?action=search;advanced) or a Google Custom forum search (accessed at the bottom of the Pizza Index page), using the search terms "bicarbonate of soda" or its more common name "baking soda" (without the quotes), you will get many hits. However, I believe the thread that covers the use of baking soda most comprehensively is the thread at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13686.0.html. That might be the thread you had in mind because of its recency since you joined the forum.

Peter

[Zeppi]

Louis,

If you do an Advanced forum search (http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?action=search;advanced) or a Google Custom forum search (accessed at the bottom of the Pizza Index page), using the search terms "bicarbonate of soda" or its more common name "baking soda" (without the quotes), you will get many hits. However, I believe the thread that covers the use of baking soda most comprehensively is the thread at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13686.0.html. That might be the thread you had in mind because of its recency since you joined the forum.

Peter

Thank's Peter!

I'll do some reading !  by the way, I did'nt know that baking soda was Sodium bicarbonate !!
Thank's for the input !..you never stop learning ! 

Louis

[Pete-zza]

Louis,

Another name is bicarbonate of soda.

Peter

[PiedPiper]

I never put it in pizza dough but when I was a kid I use to work at Auntie Anns pretzels.  After rolling them out and shaping them we would dip them in a solution of baking soda and water.  The purpose of this was to give it its color while it baked.

[The Dough Doctor]

Louis;
I can't come up with any good reason for wanting to add baking soda to a pizza dough formula/recipe. It will raise the pH of the dough away from the favorable lower pH (acidity) for yeast activity and flavor development. Dipping the dough into an alkali (soda) will impact both the crust color and the flavor of the finished product. This is what gives a pretzel its unique flavor. Take a piece of pizza dough, roll it out under your hands to form a thin string, dip it into hot (200F) soda water solution (15 grams soda in 85 grams of water), then sprinkle on a little sea salt, place it on a parchment paper lined baking pan and bake at 450F until golden brown in color and you Will have the beginnings of a pretzel.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[Pete-zza]

Tom,

Some time ago, I tried a cracker-style dough recipe including baking soda that you posted at the Pizza Today website (unfortunately, the link to the recipe is no longer active). There is even an entire thread devoted to the recipe at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,5173.msg43956.html#msg43956.

Also, Norma has conducted many experiments using pizza mixes such as put out in pouches by General Mills (Betty Crocker) and others and that include baking soda. See, for example, the list of some of those products that I put together in Reply 23 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13686.msg137206.html#msg137206.

Some pizza chains also use baking soda in their "thin and crispy" pizzas. An example is the Domino's thin crust pizza (http://www.dominos.com/pages/ingredients.jsp).

Peter

[The Dough Doctor]

Peter;
I see where you are coming from. Yes, those dough formulas do contain soda, but not in the context of just soda alone. The soda in the formulas that you have referenced is shown as a constituent part of a leavening system. That is why it is shown in brackets. As you will note, there are also leavening acids included with the soda, such as Monocalcium phosphate (MCP), sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP), there can also be glucano delta lactone (GDL), sodium aluminum phosphate (SAPP), and now that sodium reduction is all the rage, look for calcium acid pyrophosphate (CAPP) to become more popular.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor