What is a Gum Line?

[caltheide]

I see this referred to in quite a few posts but what is it?  Is it a good thing or a bad thing?  If good, how do I achieve it, if bad how do I avoid it? Thanks, Cindy

[Pete-zza]

Cindy,

See Reply 16 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,2623.msg22865.html#msg22865 and Reply 7 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,10938.msg98087/topicseen.html#msg98087. You might also read the rest of the posts in the same threads.

Peter

[mkevenson]

Cindy, welcome, from one who grew up in So CAl. Anyway I also had never heard of a gum line till your post.
Did a search by typing "gum line"
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?action=search2

didn't read all the posts but it seems not desireable.

Mark

[TXCraig1]

It's not a good thing. It's when you get a layer of gummy, undercooked dough in your pizza. It's basically gelatinized starch that didn't expand.

Here are some more thoughts from Tom Lehmann on the subject: http://www.pmq.com/mag/2003september_october/tom_lehmann.php

[Pete-zza]

There is a regional pizza chain in the Northeast called Papa Gino's that bakes its pizzas at a fairly low temperature, the result of which is that the pizzas develop a gummy or gum line characteristic. Oddly, there are people who actually like that effect. Member scott r is one of them. At Reply 83 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,8167.msg71459.html#msg71459, scott r even discusses one way of achieving that result.

It's a little hard to see, but the Papa Gino's pepperoni pizza shown in the middle photo at Reply 98 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,8167.msg75762.html#msg75762 had a gum line.

Peter

[norma427]

Sometimes Steve (Ev) and I do enjoy a little bit of a gum line in Sicilian pizzas.  We hardly notice them when eating that style of pies and really they aren‘t that detrimental to us.

Norma