First NY Pizza...

[jam4ar]

Hey folks.... Made my first NY style pizza tonight... well the dough was NY style.. but I topped it more like a chicago style(sliced Moz, Pepperoni, Diced Tomato, Parmesan. cheese, basil) .  It was good, actually... In my opinion (and my wife's) really good. 

I used a recipe I found on the forum under a thread that had a collection of recipes found around the internet.  I used it because I wanted something quick that I could mix and proof if less than 4 hours. 

As I said, it was good, but the crust wasn't as.... "poofy"? as I'd like..... I'm looking for something similar to Papa John's... the taste was close, but I still need a fluffier crust.  Could I solve this by letting it proof longer? or perhaps proof, stretch/pan the dough, then proof some more?   I'd like to try the lehman recipe when I get a bit more time.

I guess the root question here is.. what characteristics will dough have that has been proofed quickly vs. dough that has proofed slowly. 

thanks
-Josh

[Pete-zza]

Josh,

Generally speaking, a dough that ferments and is used quickly will have a poorer gluten structure, poorer crust structure, less crust color, less crust flavor, and be more prone to bubbling in the oven than a dough that has been permitted to ferment for long periods of time, especially in a refrigerated environment. It is common for pizza operators to make a "rush" dough under emergency conditions by using a lot of yeast and very warm water and a 3-4 hour rise time, but the results will not be nearly as good (in my opinion) as one that undergoes long fermentation times. There are a lot of biochemical actions that take place within a dough that require adequate time to produce the best results.

If you are looking for a Papa John's style, I suggest that you take a look at Randy's American pie recipe posted under the American pizza style board on this forum. It's an excellent recipe.

Peter