1/2 TBSP Sugar the problem?

[TimEggers]

Hi Guys,

I have been experimenting with my dough recipe for a few weeks now (yes I have had pizza everyday for well over 2 weeks now, and that's the way I like it).  I have been trying to get my dough to brown more so I added another 1/2 TBSP sugar into dough.  The recipe is basically Randy's American recipe as far as the flour, salt, water and sugar ratios go.  I am using 2 1/2 TBSP sugar in that recipe.

So my problem is dough burning.  Could a simple 1/2 TBSP sugar cause the pizza to cook that much faster?  Nearly 4 minutes faster?  The dough browns up very nice but the very under edge becomes too dark almost black.  I hate that.  I have never had this problem before adding more sugar.

Could that small amount of sugar really change things this much?

[Pete-zza]

Tim,

I will defer to Randy on the quantitative aspects of sugar in his recipe. However, you may want to try moving your screen up one rack level if you want to continue to use the higher amount of sugar, or shift from the bottom rack to the next rack up toward the end of baking. If you are using a stone instead of a screen, you might want to use a lower oven temperature (or raise the stone a level) and bake the pizza until it meets your requirements. Randy's crust browns up so nicely because of the large amounts of sugar and honey, and also because of the higher protein content in the high-gluten flour, which also translates into greater browning.

If you want increased browning, you might also consider using some dried dairy whey. It increases crust browning but doesn't increase sweetness in the crust (the whey includes sugar in the form of lactose, but the lactose has a very low sweetness factor compared with other forms of sugar). I would try 3% by weight of flour. Using dairy whey may also allow you to reduce the amount of sugar and honey in Randy's recipe if you so wish, since the dairy whey can pick up some of the browning slack and reduce dependence on the sugar and honey to promote crust browning. I found my dairy whey in the bulk bins at Whole Foods. It's an inexpensive item.

Peter

[TimEggers]

Oh darn it!  I did it again; I did not specify some key elements to my situation.  First I am using Bread Machine flour (just until I can get some KASL via mail order), and Cane sugar (no access to raw sugar).  So my dough I am sure behaves differently than Randy's.

Peter thank you once again for the great insights.  I have a long way to go but darn what a blast I am having!

I am also going to order a screen very soon.  Can you recommend a certain one?  Can I cut the pizza on the screen (sorry to ask this question, I have read it somewhere else but don’t remember where)?

Thank you again all of you!

[Pete-zza]

Tim,

Once you get your KASL, I suspect that you won't need to rely as much on the sugar and honey to provide increased crust browning. I recently used both dairy whey and vital wheat gluten in an all-purpose flour and got good browning in the finished crust. It's a good thought to keep in mind for future reference, but it won't matter much once you get your KASL.

Your comment on using cane sugar instead of raw sugar raises an interesting point. I recently substituted table sugar for raw sugar in a "thin" version of Randy's recipe and could taste the sweetness more in the crust than when I used raw sugar. I used table sugar because I assume that is what someone like Papa John's would use. Maybe Randy can tell us his rationale for using the raw sugar.

Pizza screens are available from many sources, including several online sources and many restaurant supply stores, and occasionally even on eBay (although the shipping costs may rule them out for only a single screen). And they are very inexpensive (even the large sizes like 18-inch are under $10). I researched and experimented with several brands of pizza screens and concluded that you can't go wrong with brands like Adcraft and American Metalcraft (AM). Pizzatools.com also has very good screens but they are more expensive (I love all their products). I think the pizzatools screens are U.S. made. Almost all pizza screens are made in India today.

You don't want to slice pizzas on the screens. That will damage the screens. You might want to buy a pizza tray for cutting pizzas, or use a cutting board or something like that. Some people cut the pizzas on the peel, but I don't do that personally because of the potential for gouging or otherwise damaging the peel. If you do a Google search, you will find many sources for pizza screens, trays, etc. You will also find a lot of additional information, including sources, if you do a search on the forum or look under the Equipment and Supplies boards. You might find it cost effective to make a list of pizza items you want to own and buy them at the same time.

Peter

[Randy]

Raw, Turbindo or cane sugar was chosen to increase the depth of flavor.
You don't need to raise the sugar content.  Raise your oven temperature to 500F

Randy