My first Lehmann pizza

[katef]

I made my first Lehmann pizza last night.  I used the following quantities, but the dough seemed too sticky when I was kneading and added an unknown quantity of flour (shame on me). 

Flour (KA Bread Flour): 11.28 oz - 100%
Water: 7.1 oz - 63%
ADY: .42 tsp (rounded up to .5 tsp) - .5%
Salt: 1.7 tsp - aprox. 3%
Olive Oil: 1.42 tsp - 2%
Raw Sugar: 1 tsp - aprox. 1%

I know I had a heavy pour on the olive oil, which is probably why my dough seemed so sticky.  I dissolved the yeast in just a small amount of the water as advised, though I did a pinch of sugar to the yeast as well, which was not advised.  I kneaded the dough for 8 minutes as recommended in the Lehmann recipe and let the dough set in the fridge for 48 hours and set the dough out about 4 hours before shaping it.  Shaping the dough was really easy, it was really elastic and came into a circle shape really quickly.

The flavor was perfect.

I cooked the pizza on a screen at 450F for what seemed like a long time for this style of pizza, 14 minutes and though the pizza was really good overall, the end result was a little bit crispier than I was shooting for, I was hoping for a more foldable pizza, so any suggestions of what to do next time would be great.  I'm really hoping the answer is not a pizza stone because I don't want to preheat my oven for an hour, but since the winter is coming, I'm certainly happy to consider all options.

Thanks for the help!

[Pete-zza]

katef,

Everything you did seems to be in order, except that I think that 3% salt is too much. However, if you like a lot of salt, I won't attempt to encourage you to use less. There is nothing wrong in adding a pinch of sugar to the yeast as it is being rehydrated. You just don't want to dump all of the sugar in with the yeast in my opinion.

The best and easiest way to get a less crispy crust with a given dough recipe is to bake the pizza at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time. When a pizza is baked at a lower temperature for a long period of time, as you did, the usual result is a drier, crispier crust. That is the result of moisture in the dough being driven out by the long bake and the effects of the heat on the protein in the flour. If you increase the bake temperature, less moisture will be driven out of the dough. In your case, I would increase the oven temperature to its highest setting, which is around 500 degrees F or so for most standard home ovens. I would also use the lowest oven rack position, or possibly one level up depending on your oven. I think that these simple measures should solve your problem. If not, keep good notes of what you do and come back for another diagnosis.

Peter

[katef]

Thank you so much for your help.  I only wanted to change one each time I made a pizza so I could get it right, but I wanted to know the best thing to change first.

I would actually lower the salt a bit too, but I didn't want to get bogged down in the little stuff, when the issue was really the level of crispiness.

Kate

[Pete-zza]

I would actually lower the salt a bit too, but I didn't want to get bogged down in the little stuff, when the issue was really the level of crispiness.

Kate,

I think that salt is one of the most important ingredients in a dough. In fact, I think it may well be the most important ingredient. It regulates the fermentation process and affects yeast (the leavening agent), enzymes (which convert starch to sugar for use as food by the yeast), and the strength of the gluten structure (which determines how much gas can be retained). It can even affect final crust color. For a good explanation of salt's role in a dough, you may want to read this piece from King Arthur: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/professional/salt.html.

Peter

[aptfive]

...63% hydration for KA bread flour is too high ..sticky ..sticky ..your better off with a 59% hydration for KA bread flour ..Caputo flour as well =)

[Pete-zza]

...63% hydration for KA bread flour is too high ..sticky ..sticky ..your better off with a 59% hydration for KA bread flour

aptfive,

As discussed in this post, http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,4646.msg39204.html#msg39204, the King Arthur bread flour has a rated absorption of 62% +/- 2%. So, it should be able to handle 63% hydration, and even higher. However, as also noted in the same thread, there can be conditions that affect the usable hydration rate. For example, if your flour is very fresh with a lot of its original moisture in tact, it might be a bit harder to get a 62-64% hydration. One of the measures I use to improve the hydration of the flour is to sift the flour before using. I also use the combination of whisk/flat beater/C-hook with my basic KitchenAid stand mixer to squeeze more water into my doughs. I have been able to get 65% hydration with all-purpose flour and 69% with the KASL. With the Caputo flours, I am able to easily get to around 62% hydration (the rated absorption is 55-57%) without experiencing wet doughs. Normally, however, I try to stick close to the rated absorptions or maybe a couple percent higher. 

For those who like to toss their dough skins, I often suggest lower hydrations. Pizza operators rarely use the high hydration rates that our members seem to prefer. They (pizza operators) mostly use 57-59%, or thereabouts. As you have apparently done, one should try to find the number that produces the best results under the circumstances.

Peter