Gum Line vs. Temp

[zaafreak]

First, I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread over the years.  The information is invaluable.  Long story short: I recently built a LBE extremely similar to Boatman's and have been churning out pizzas as good as or better than the pies I grew up with in northern NJ. My basic recipe:

KABF 100%
H20 61%
Salt 1.5%
ADY 0.4%
EVOO 1%
TF .065
However, I discovered that optimum baking temp is 625 to 650 ish. At temps exceeding 675, my pizzas, while great looking on top and bottom, have a bad gum line. This pheonomena gets worse as temperature increases.

Is there a way to cook at higher temps and avoid the gum line or should I be happy with what I have?

Typical 650 pizza:

[Jet_deck]

What happens if you lower the hydration a couple points and cook at the higher temps?

[zaafreak]

I haven't tried lower hydration.  I'll try 58 % and see what happens.  Thanks for the suggestion.

I go easy on the sauce and have even put sliced mozz on the dough with the sauce on top but still have the gum line. 

 

[norma427]

zaafreak,

A gum line can come from different things.  Some of things can be a sauce that is too watery which then migrates into the dough, or saucing a pizza and then letting it sit too long before adding the other dressings.  You could also try oiling your skin to see if that helps with a gum line.  I don’t think many places do that though.  A gum line can also come from the dough not rising sufficiently during baking, especially under the center portion. 

If you search gum line under the Google search feature on the bottom of main forum page, there are many pages that can tell you more about gum lines and how to try to prevent them.

Norma

[zaafreak]

Norma,

Thanks for the suggestion.  I found an article in PMQ by Tom Lehmann that discusses the causes of gum lines.  He gives 4 explanations, three of which definitely don't apply to my situation: I don't use runny sauce, my pizzas are in the LBE less than a minute after saucing and I don't use any sugar in my dough. Therefore, my gum line is attributable to the efficient top and bottom heat of my LBE.  He suggests decreasing the temp 50 degrees and increasing the cook time. Which is exactly the solution I stumbled upon by experimenting.

I guess there is not much I can do except enjoy my NJ style pizzas (which really are exceptional, thanks entirely to everything I've learned at this site) and wait for the WFO to make Neapolitan pies.

Thanks!

[Boatman2]

I'm glad you found my building of the LBE helpful. I don't think I'm getting a gum line at higher temp But I may not know what to look for. I have found the most important thing is to play with the gas flow while baking at different temp. How did you set up your stone? Did you use a tray to set your stone on? I think the air buffer helps with the balance. Maybe you could post some photos.       
     
                                                  Bob