Need help with Tom Lehman's NY style pizza

[osipov.tima@gmail.com]

Hi everyone! I started practicing making NY style skins according to Tom Lehman's formula.

Flour   100 %               
Wate     60 %         
ADY      0,5 %         
Salt      1,7 %         
Oil       1 %         
Sugar    1 %   

First I dissolve ADY in water at 110 F and let it still for 10 minutes. Then I mix the dough using a planetary mixer 1 minute at first speed and then 6-8 minutes at second speed. Let it bulk rise at room temperature for at least one hour. Then I form balls and retard for one day.

My first problem occurs when I make balls, the dough turns out to be very sticky and like a mess even though the hydration level is moderate. Still I handle to make dough balls.

I bake on a screen in a deck oven with temperature of "sky" set at 320 C and with temperature of deck set at 380 C. The oven's manual states 4 min time of baking. But following these instructions I have cheese turning brown before the crust is fully baked, actually cheese is burnt whenever I try to get a pie fully baked. So I have to choose between white crust and burnt cheese.

I would appreciate any help and advice on my issue!

Tim

      

[buceriasdon]

Tim, Some people lightly flour the divided dough mass, others like myself lightly oil my hands for balling. This works well at least for me as when I'm done I can slip the ball into a food safe plastic bag and place in the fridge. You might try and up your sugar a point or so to see if that helps with browning. It may also be you may have to try another brand of cheese.
Don

[osipov.tima@gmail.com]

Today I baked three pies two on a screen and the third on the stone directly which turned out perefectly. Do I need to increse the deck temperature if I use screen?

[atom]

I flour my hands before I start to form my dough balls. With some practice you can learn to form your balls fast before it starts sticking to you. When I put it in the container to rise it usually gets coated with some spray oil (pam). What flour are you using?

[David Deas]

Wet your hands and the dough will never stick to them.

[buceriasdon]

I am new to screens myself but what has been working for me is to take the pizza off the screen after the two minute point and finish on the deck.
Don

Today I baked three pies two on a screen and the third on the stone directly which turned out perefectly. Do I need to increse the deck temperature if I use screen?

[franko9752]

I have been playing with screens lately, i would just leave a screen in the oven on the deck, cook the pie first on the deck and if the bottom looks good but the top needs more time i move the pie on to the screen already on the deck, works pretty good.

[osipov.tima@gmail.com]

I flour my hands before I start to form my dough balls. With some practice you can learn to form your balls fast before it starts sticking to you. When I put it in the container to rise it usually gets coated with some spray oil (pam). What flour are you using?

I use farina 00 flour mixed with all purpose bread flour 50 % and 50 %.

[osipov.tima@gmail.com]

I am new to screens myself but what has been working for me is to take the pizza off the screen after the two minute point and finish on the deck.
Don

I want to set this type of procedure for baking and my pizza shop (first on a screen and finish on a stone) ..guess I need more time experimenting.. Thanks everybody for advices!

[buceriasdon]

Please do keep us updated on your experiments.
Don

I want to set this type of procedure for baking and my pizza shop (first on a screen and finish on a stone) ..guess I need more time experimenting.. Thanks everybody for advices!

[The Dough Doctor]

Osipov;
At the temperature you're baking at the specific brand of cheese that you are using in browning excessively, so when you bake the pizza right on the stone you are getting the bottom done faster than you would if using a screen. This means that the top and bottom of the pizza are being baked more closely together. With the screen, the baking time will be longer, but the cheese can't be subjected to a longer bake or it will burn. Increasing the baking temperature will only result in the cheese burning faster, so the solution is, when baking on a screen you must actually reduce the baking temperature to something in the 500F/260C range and bake the pizza for a longer time. If you find that the cheese still gets too dark, you might need to change to a different cheese manufacturer.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[osipov.tima@gmail.com]

Osipov;
At the temperature you're baking at the specific brand of cheese that you are using in browning excessively, so when you bake the pizza right on the stone you are getting the bottom done faster than you would if using a screen. This means that the top and bottom of the pizza are being baked more closely together. With the screen, the baking time will be longer, but the cheese can't be subjected to a longer bake or it will burn. Increasing the baking temperature will only result in the cheese burning faster, so the solution is, when baking on a screen you must actually reduce the baking temperature to something in the 500F/260C range and bake the pizza for a longer time. If you find that the cheese still gets too dark, you might need to change to a different cheese manufacturer.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

I thank you Tom for your attention to my problem. In about one hour I will try to follow your advice setting the temp at 260C and bake longer. But I still have two questions: what is the right time for a pizza baking on a screen at 260C? And the second question is do I need to turn of the upper heating ellement in the oven?

Generally speaking I face two issues: the cheese is burnt and the rim of a pie doesn't get brown just little bit gold in a few spots

Thank you

Tim

[osipov.tima@gmail.com]

Please check out my pizza. I used Tom's formula. 36 hours of cold fermentation, hand tossed pizza with mozz and dorblu cheese.

It's one of my best pies so far and that is how I want my pizzas to be at my pizza shop.

All opinions and suggestions are welcomed

Tim

[osipov.tima@gmail.com]

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[The Dough Doctor]

Tim;
Try "decking" the pizza. This is where the pizza is removed from the screen during the last minute or so of baking and finished right on the deck. It helps immensely to improve the bottom bake.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor