Can a professional take a look at my recipe/technique?

[PDT]

I have been practicing for 6-8 months now to make a 'perfect' pizza at home, but I have only been amazed with my results once. Here is my recipe:

500g 00 flour (or strong bread flour if I don't have 00 )
325g water
1 tsp salt
10g fresh compressed yeast
1tbs sugar
sometimes add 2tbs olive oil.

My technique is:

Add yeast and sugar to warm water (110-120 degrees f)
Mix and let stand for 10mins as I weigh other ingredients

Mix all ingredients together and knead for 10 mins on the bench by hand. Often have to add some flour if mix is too wet/sticky.

Put dough in a floured bowl and cover with damp towel, let rise in warm room for 1-2 hours (depending on how hungry I am/ how much Time I have)

Put onto bench and knead by hand for 5 mins to knock air out of the dough and cut into 3 balls, which I let sit for 15 mins before pressing out into 11" crusts.

I use a convection oven at 250 degrees Celsius (480 Fahrenheit) and use a 12" pizza stone. My oven has a pizza function which heats from above and below. (not sure if this is a good thing? )

My results are usually 'ok' and there is never any leftovers, but somitimes I am dissaponted. Is there any element of my recipe or technique that can be changed? I like the American style 'papa johns' airy crust with a bit of crunch and chew, but mine often end up floppy and crust is undercooked in the centre. Quite often it's too chewy and a little too tough.

Thanks!

[buceriasdon]

Did the recipe directions call out that you place the risen dough on the bench and knead by hand for 5 minutes to knock air out of the dough and cut into 3 balls, then let sit for 15 minutes before pressing out into 11" crusts? 15 minutes rest after rekneading is insufficient time for the dough to recover and loosen back up, it is unnecessary and will lead to some of the problems you mention. Simply divide the dough ball and make the skins, don't reknead. If you do a bulk rise and then divide and reshape they need more time to relax before working on. Better to divide at the first and let them rise from that point then stretch into skins.  How long do you preheat your pizza stone as you didn't say? Do you find the second or third crusts to be underbaked, a sign your stone has not recovered enough heat to bake correctly or that the stone is poor quailty.
Don

[PDT]

I didnt use a recipe as such, just used techniques that I picked up by reading various recipes.

So just take the risen dough from the bowl, cut into 3 and use them? No need to 'knock back' the dough?

I let the stone heat for about 25 mins at 480 degrees, its only 1/4 inch thick. I allow 10 mins for it to re-heat and dont find much difference between each pizza.

[buceriasdon]

1/4" thick stone and 25 minutes preheat just won't cut the mustard. If you want to up your game, you need the get a thicker stone and preheat at least an hour. For now preheat for at least an hour. The reason I prefer to divide and ball after the first knead is you have a head start on having a round shape to work with forming the skin rather than a triangle.
Don

[PDT]

A new stone is on the list, thanks for the suggestion.

Still unsure about your advice on the dough, So no knocking back or 2nd knead required? Just use directly once risen?

[buceriasdon]

No a second kneading is not required, this is pizza, not bread. Even breads call for another hour or two after punching down. The rekneading rebuilds the gluten matrix which requires time for it to relax before it can lose it's elasticity brought on by the reknead. For some high hyration pizza doughs periodic stretch and folds are used to build the gluten structure but they are followed by an extended ferment period before use.
Don

[PDT]

Thanks for the help, much appreciated

Ive got some dough rising now, will try this technique and see if it helps.

What are peoples thoughts on using semolina when shaping crusts? My local papa johns use what I believe to be fine semolina rather than flour on the bench while shaping the crusts.

[buceriasdon]

If I could get semolina on a regular basis I would use it.

[PDT]

Thanks for the help, much appreciated

Ive got some dough rising now, will try this technique and see if it helps.

What are peoples thoughts on using semolina when shaping crusts? My local papa johns use what I believe to be fine semolina rather than flour on the bench while shaping the crusts.

Good news is that by a simple change in technique, everyone thinks my pizzas are the best I have ever made! Next time I will let the balls rise seperately as shaping them is a little tricky after cutting the batch of dough into 3.

Thanks buceridadon.

[Pete-zza]

What are peoples thoughts on using semolina when shaping crusts? My local papa johns use what I believe to be fine semolina rather than flour on the bench while shaping the crusts.

PDT,

As noted at Reply 2 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6758.msg58197.html#msg58197, I always understood that the bench flour used by Papa John's was actually a blend of semolina, white flour and soybean oil. The actual description of the Dustinator blend, from Papa John's itself, can be seen at Reply 3 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,7551.msg64598/topicseen.html#msg64598. Subsequently, one of our members, c0mpl3x, who until recently worked for Papa John's, narrowed the composition to fine semolina flour, finely ground durum wheat flour and soybean flour, as noted in Reply 6 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13725.msg138789.html#msg138789.

Peter