Your Favorite Dough Recipe

[MWTC]

Peter and All,

If you were invited to come over to someones house and make a few Pizzas, which dough recipe (all ready to go) would you bring over to show off your skills? You would be bring all the needed tools and ingredients, and baking in a regular oven.

MWTC 

[Pete-zza]

MWTC,

In the past, my practice has been to ask my hosts what kind of pizzas they and their guests might like. It really doesn't matter to me what type(s) of pizzas they might want, although I would stay away from using starters and preferments because of the complicated logistics, especially if I have to fly to my destination, as has usually been the case. In one instance, one of my hosts gave me a dough recipe she wanted me to try. Otherwise, I stick with straightforward recipes like the Lehmann NY style recipe, which is always a favorite, especially the 16" size, or Big Dave's Old Faithful recipe (which seems to be more popular among kids). I have also made Neapolitan style pizzas using 00 flour. If my hosts don't have a pizza stone, I bring a few pizza screens with me (which usually leads to my suitcase being opened by airport security personnel). I buy as many of the ingredients I will need at the other end, except for 00 flour and 6-in-1s that I either bring with me or order in advance for delivery to my hosts' homes.

Today I would bring my laptop with me, or else use my hosts' computer, to be able to access recipes on the forum and use the dough calculating tools and November's tools, and print out whatever I need. I'd rather show off that capability than my pizza making skills.

If I had to pick a single favorite pizza for the above purpose, even for a friend that is local, I suppose it would be the Lehmann NY style. I have made more of them than any other style and it is the easiest for me to make.

Peter

[MWTC]

With all your experience, what is the reason for choosing a recipe without sugar or honey?

MWTC 

[Randy]

Before I go further it is important to have tested any and all recipes before you go to someone else's place to make pizza.  I am telling you this from experience.  Bottom line is don't practice on people you may not know.

I would make three, maybe four different types.  A Chicago deep dish, a cracker crust like DKM's then American and or New York as Peter suggested.

Pull that off, and you truly have showed your skills.

Best of luck.

Randy

[Pete-zza]

With all your experience, what is the reason for choosing a recipe without sugar or honey?

MWTC,

As a general proposition, I tend to avoid sugars in all prepared foods (other than desserts) as much as possible, especially in processed foods where sugar, especially in the form of corn syrup, is often used, along with salt, as substitutes (and cheap ones at that) for actually trying to make the product taste better by natural means. I have read (from posts by Tom Lehmann) that the average person is unlikely to taste sugar in a yeasted product that is below about 4% of the weight of the flour. I have found that for a long-fermented dough, I won't usually taste the sugar in the finished crust below the 4% level. However, I am much more likely to taste it in a short-fermented dough (e.g., a 2-3 hour dough), even below 4%. I think there is something that happens in the dough in those two cases that creates that distinction. Apparently, the added sugar in the long-fermented dough gets used up by the yeast and is not there to contribute to sweetness in the crust, whereas in the short-fermented dough much of the sugar is still there. My reaction is if I can't taste the sugar at the levels used, why add it?

About the only times I use sugar (sucrose) in a dough recipe is 1) when a new recipe I am trying for the first time calls for it, or I am modifying an existing one for some reason, 2) when I want to make a dough that will last several days and I don't want the yeast to run out of food, and 3) when I think I may want to get more crust color. I don't use use sucrose for flavor contributions. As between sugar (sucrose) and honey, I prefer honey because I think it helps the rheology (flow characteristics) of a dough, and it is a more complex and natural form of sugar. But sugar is still sugar, no matter its form, and I am likely to use low levels of honey also to keep the sweetness down.

Peter

[Jack]

Ok, so I'm the oddball!

When I go to someone else's home to make a pizza, I usually make a Sicilian.  While I may prepare the dough in advance and refridgerate it, I final ferment my sicilian dough in the pan at room temperature for at least 6-8 hours before cooking, so I can make it anywhere easily or just take the cold dough, throw it in the car and go.  All ovens can hold 475°F, the temperature at which I cook my sicilian, and each pan is big enough to feed 6-7 people.

Cooking in a different environment has a lot of potential pitfalls.  In my opinion, a Sicilian has a lot less that can go wrong, as it has far fewer variables that affect the dough during both the fermentation period and during the cook.  Maybe it's my inexperience, but it's hard to show off my pizza skills in an oven I've never used before.  Plus, lots of folks out here on the west coast have never tried a Sicilian pie, and I love introducing folks to new foods.

Jack

[MWTC]

Jack,

Would you share your favorite Sicilian Dough Recipe.

MWTC 

[pizzaisgood]

Mine is an American/New york style. My family and friends love it.

20 oz King Arthur Bread flour by weight
12 oz ice cold water by weight
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp raw white honey
1 tsp IDY yeast

2-4 day refrigerated ferment.

My sauce is pretty simple

28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp sugar

[MWTC]

Where are you finding raw white honey?  I looked for it in a couple of stores but no luck.

MWTC 

[pizzaisgood]

This is what I use. There is an organic store called The Mustard seed that is somewhat local to me. They carry it. I have also found Raw honey on Amazon.com.  I want to try out this Hawiian organic white honey next.

[MWTC]

So Raw White Honey is Raw Honey? Thanks for the links.

MWTC 

[pizzaisgood]

So Raw White Honey is Raw Honey? Thanks for the links.

MWTC 

It is definitely white/yellow in color as opposed to the gold/brown honey that you mostly see in grocery stores. It is also very thick and is not a liquid/syrup at all. The honey is unprocessed and still contains all of the naturally occurring enzymes. Most honey that you get has been heated and filtered.

Here is another recipe from a member of this forum that uses raw white honey.

Thanks Adam