Need Help Translating Pizza Dough Recipes...

[DeBee]

Greetings.  First Post.  I was thrilled to find this forum and realizing that some people are as fanatical about pizza as me.  I have been trying for years to make pizziarra style pizza at home with little success until I came upon this site...

I have two dough recipes in my collection gotten by bribes and luck but they are institutional in size and somewhat incomplete.  I would like to post what I have and I hope that fellow members may be able to fill in the blanks...


The first is what is characterized as "Pittsburgh Style".  Before anyone gets purist on me that is what the owner of the place called it.  It has a very puffy chewy crust around the rim with a hint of crunch around well developed bubbles tapering to a New York style middle floppy and leathery.  The sauce is long simmered and slightly sweet.  Generous meat toppings usually and plenty of cheese...

3 oz. Yeast
2 inchest of warm water let sit 10 minutes

7 1/2 oz Sugar
2 small cups of vegetable oil (cups size unknown)
7 1/2 oz Salt
1 bag of flour (type unknown but in a big brown bag...)

Mix 14 minutes then let sit for 45 cover with plastic wrap let sit 2 hours then straight stack....


Any help refining this recipe would be greatly appreciated...


Dough #2 is a good standard American type that I begged for and made a scene about.  You really can't wait to take the next bite...

3 oz Yeast
5 oz Sugar
18 oz Oil
3 Tubs of Flour
10 oz Salt

Mix approx 12 minutes yields 16 large.

Note the water quantity is unknown...  The proof and retard stages need to be discovered also...

I've gotten raw dough from the shop and it is a delight to work with- you can even stretch is when it is cool and it bakes up well at 550 degrees.  I'm still trying to get a pizza screen...

Any insight appreciated...

[Steve]

Welcome to the site, DeBee!!

Both recipes probably call for the use on one sack of flour (most likely 25 or 32 pound sacks). Most recipes start off with the flour being the main ingredient, then the rest of the ingredients are expressed as a percentage of the flour (called "Bakers Percentages").

Since a 25 (or 32) pound bag of flour is the norm, then that's my guess on the "100%" part of the equation. So, the "three tubs" of flour is most likely one sack of flour. But, I could be wrong.  

[Randy]

Try one of the recipes on this site.  The ones you posted are basic dough recipes.  I think you will be happy with the results.

Randy

[DeBee]

Oh yes I have tried the New York Dough with KASL flour and instant yeast.  Two hour rise then into the fridge until dinner time the next day.  I topped the dough with 6in1 tomatoes run through a sieve and simmered with italian spice blend (P.S. I won't simmer again- it killed the fresh flavor)(or use italian spice blend again either)(5 cans remain!).  Stella mozzerella cheese only as topping.

The result was similar to a Freshcetta frozen pizza- my crust had basically no flavor but good chew and great color-- it also didn't puff the way I like it to...  Yet, it was my best attempt to date...  I wonder what I am doing wrong?

Both recipes are from pizza shops that went out of business despite a good product.  The second recipe/shop just the other day.  I got three dough balls from them just last night- used one and made a delightful pie even from cold dough right out of the fridge!...  I'm going to try to post a pic of it later...

May we assume a 25lb. bag of high gluten flour then for the above recipes???  How common is a 32lb. bag???  Also I think the 'tub' is a 6qt. dough bucket...

[Steve]

DKM's "Pizza Inn" recipe calls for a 32 pound sack of flour. DKM... can you answer this one?  

[DKM]

Only the old thin crust recipe used 32lbs and the recipe was later changed to a 25lbs bag.

Based on recipe I would say, it is high gluten flour.

DKM