My pizza tasters requested me to make another thin crust with semolina and they reminded me that the best one in this category was the one I did and reported on in Reply #4 above. And indeed it was the best one. The one I reported on in Reply #15 above was excellent, too, but it just wasn't exactly the same as that I did earlier. To me and mine, the formulation in Reply #4 closely resembles some Chicago thin crust pizzas that we recall. Not the light and tender only crust style, but a similar kind that had more of a crunch and crispness to it.
So I set about making a 14" thin crust following the same recipe and technique that I followed in Reply #4. I increased the ingredients to reflect the larger 14" size, rather than the 11", and returned to using vegetable (soybean) oil instead of corn oil that I did in the Reply #15 formulation. And I also returned to using KAAP flour instead of the GM Better for Bread flour. As it turned out, my pizza tasters and I, for this style pizza at least, have a preference for vegetable oil and KAAP with this formulation. I put a 15" size into the calculation tool so I didn't need to provide for any bowl residue (as I usually do when making a deep dish). The thickness factor entered into the tool was .08 and the formulation was:
Flour* (100%): 225.8 g | 7.96 oz | 0.5 lbs
Water (47%): 106.12 g | 3.74 oz | 0.23 lbs
ADY (1.5%): 3.39 g | 0.12 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.9 tsp | 0.3 tbsp
Salt (1.5%): 3.39 g | 0.12 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.61 tsp | 0.2 tbsp
Olive Oil (4%): 9.03 g | 0.32 oz | 0.02 lbs | 2.01 tsp | 0.67 tbsp
Vegetable (Soybean) Oil (20%): 45.16 g | 1.59 oz | 0.1 lbs | 9.94 tsp | 3.31 tbsp
Sugar (1.5%): 3.39 g | 0.12 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.85 tsp | 0.28 tbsp
Baker's Non-Fat Dry Milk (2%): 4.52 g | 0.16 oz | 0.01 lbs | 1.16 tsp | 0.39 tbsp
Total (177.5%): 400.79 g | 14.14 oz | 0.88 lbs | TF = 0.08
*Note: The Flour blend consisted of 80% KAAP flour (180.64 g. or 6.37 oz) and 20% Semolina flour ( 45.16 g. or 1.59 oz).
I again used Buzz' autolyse (flour resting) technique withholding roughly 1/3rd cup of flour for a half an hour before adding it to the rest of the mixed ingredients. I used the mixed dough some 6 or 7 hours later (i.e., same day dough), after punching the expanded dough ball down a couple of times. Using my reliable 14" dark, anodized nonperforated cutter pan from pizzatools.com, which was lightly oiled, I par baked the docked skin for 3 or 4 minutes at 475 degrees F, and baked the dressed pizza on the second from the bottom oven rack at the same temperature for approximately 15 to 18 minutes until nice and golden brown, turning from time to time in the oven, of course.
After cooking it up and tasting the first pieces, my tasters and I shouted "Bingo!" as it was -- we thought -- as great as the one we all felt was the best in this category . . . . as I first put together as indicated above. I could tell right away when I first cut into the cooked pizza with the wheel cutter that this was as good as the one before. I just heard and sensed through the cutter wheel that nice "crunch" that signified a crispy, yet light and tender crust. And I again think the small amounts of sugar and NFDM contributed to the nice finished color of the pizza crust as well as a positive effect on the texture..
After I cut the pizza in the Chicago "Chesdan" style, I intended to take pictures of some individual pieces. But the pizza was gobbled up so quickly, I was lucky to have the pictures of the pizza that I did. Another great pizzamaking experience. --BTB
