cane sugar vs. diastatic malt

[Tory]

I've recently been reading that if I'm using Caputo 00 flour to make pizzas that I will be baking in a conventional oven, if I add sugar to the dough recipe, it will help brown the crust.

So, I guess I'd like to know, would it be better to use actual 'cane' sugar (C & H or other brand), or better to use diastatic malt??

I've already done one recipe where I used sugar and I got pretty nice results (I cooked the pizza on a stone near the top of the oven and used the broiler element to char the crust).
But I guess I'd like to know if I'd get better results using diastatic malt rather than sugar.

I know some of you will scream 'heresy' for my even suggesting adding sugar or malt to a Napolitano recipe, but until I can get my WFO built, I'm stuck using a conventional oven.

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated, thanks.

[TXCraig1]

Wouldn't it be simpler and more straightforward (and less expensive) to just use AP flour?

[scott123]

Tory, if you're striving for NY style browning and working with an oven that can only give you NY style bake times, then you might as well commit fully to the style and use NY style bread flour (and, as Craig pointed out, save some money).

[dmcavanagh]

I agree, I've tried "00" under the broiler in my conventional electric oven, and even though it was edible it sure wasn't as good as a simple NY style made with (in my case a combo or bread and ap) flour.

[Tory]

Well, the 00 flour was given to me as a gift, so I'd rather use it than waste it.

[scott123]

Ah, a gift. Got it.

Okay, I think, if you're looking for browning, diastatic malt is a little more reliable, but, if you don't have it on hand, I'm not sure that it's worth buying just to use with one bag of Caputo.

Caputo doughs can be NY-ified by lowering the yeast quantity and extending the fermentation clock, preferably with some refrigeration.  3 days is probably a safe target to shoot for, depending on your hydration, but you could probably go into 4 and 5 without jeopardizing the dough.

I would lower the yeast, extend the ferment to 3 days and also add some sugar.

In addition, oil helps with browning.  Go with 2% oil.

What's your current bake time? What's your fermentation regime presently and how much yeast are you using?

[Pete-zza]

Tory,

Diastatic malt, or barley malt, provides a source of alpha-amylase enzyme to attack damaged starch in flour to release natural sugars. However, 00 flours have low levels of damaged starch. It is possible to add diastatic malt to a 00 flour, but you might do better just to use ordinary table sugar (sucrose). If you want to read more on this subject, see Reply 46 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,17555.msg179560.html#msg179560, and also the series of posts following that one.

To use up your supply of 00 flour, you might consider combining it with a high-gluten flour, or other high protein flour, as Dom DeMarco does in his pizzeria.

Peter

[Tory]

Ok, Scott and Pete-zza. Thank you for your wonderful advice. I'll try those suggestions. This is wonderful info   Thank you again.

[Redshirt]

I agree with both Craig and Peter.  I would personally mix it in small increments instead of wasting the flour.  A Pontiac Fierro painted Ferrari Red will never outdo a Ferrari.