Just thought that I would throw this out cause it has been an issue I have had with my dough and thought others might benefit.
The issue is that for the last few months of making pizza dough, every time, or nearly, I stretch my dough it is flimsy and does not cooperate like the pics I have seen in numerous videos.
Responses from members here to this question, (problem), thank you, have led me to believe that my dough has not developed it's gluten sufficiently to allow "normal" stretching, heaven forbid tossing, without the dough tearing, or just falling apart.
The obvious solution, to my mind, is to get more gluten development.
The problem, is how?
I understand that there are 2 basic ways of incorporating fluid,(hydration), into the flour. Machine mixing, with a dough hook or other various style paddles, and hand mixing. Both of these being done in a bowl.
I have asked previously if hand mixing and kneading would work, answers were positive.
I have read, however, that no hand mixing/kneading will accomplished the task as well as a power mixer:
"The Art of Pizza Making", trade secrets and recipes, by Dominic De Angelis, 20th anniversary edition,
Pg 34: KNEADING BY HAND, " The basic fact is that dough kneading by hand will never match the tenderness, texture and consistency of dough kneaded with a mixing machine."
Now I am old enough to realize that you can probably find an opinion on anything, written somewhere, about anything, and that you will find conflicting opinions published by "knowledgeable" authors on every subject.
Be that as it may, for a rookie trying to develope a new skill, well we will see........
Another confusion, (perhaps only to me), is the idea that I have read here, regarding over kneading.
So at any rate I have decided to try to accomplish the original goal of gluten development, without regard for "over kneading", and to do it by hand. I figure that if I can get good gluten development, so that I can handle my dough reasonably well, I can focus on "over kneading as a second step.
The results so far have been encouraging. Although a small sampling, with my last dough, I was able to handle, stretch and form a pie without difficulty. I have another dough in cold ferment mode now and will see if I have some consistency with the gluten development issues.
All is not perfect, and may take a long time, but this is what I love, a challenge, a problem solving adventure, and one I can EAT as a result.
Happy Sunday!!!!!!! GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mark
