Norma,
Sometimes when I am stumped, I just hit the "reset" button. Sometimes I go back to square one and read everything all over again to look for clues or other information that I may have missed. However, in this case, I did not think that that was necessary since I felt we were on the right trail. So, instead, I looked at all of your photos of Mack clone pizzas to see which ones best typified the Mack's style based on all of the photos and videos I had seen of the Mack's pizzas. This approach seemed logical since you knew and used some of the same ingredients as Mack's and you had a deck oven that could bake pizzas properly and in large sizes. Moreover, you had actually eaten Mack's pizzas several times and had a memory of how their pizzas tasted.
What would have helped me most at the time was to have a better understanding of the Mack's dough making and management "system". I knew that Mack's hours were from 11:00 AM to late at night, so I knew that their dough formulation and procedures had to fit that time window. I speculated that by using a modest amount of yeast and a relatively low hydration, the dough could be made at night and, with proper refrigeration, be usable all the next day without dramatic differences in crust flavor or other characteristics. Obviously, the pizzas made for the 11:00 AM crowd could be different than the ones made just before closing, which might help explain the many "looks" of the Mack's pizzas, but I believe the combination of a modest amount of yeast and relatively low hydration (0.30% IDY and 53% hydration in our case) would keep the fermentation in check and that the dough balls would look pretty much alike at the time of tempering just prior to use. Also, the dough balls could be opened without much fear of excessive extensibilty. It further occurred to me that because of their high volume Mack's could make their dough balls in stages, perhaps at night and early the next morning. However, I have not read or heard of anything to suggest that possibility. My only recollection is that the dough balls may be made in a nearby location and delivered to all of the Boardwalk locations. I suppose if someone cased the Mack's location for a day, starting very early in the morning, it might be possible to learn more about these aspects of the Mack's business. So, you may want to set aside your fake wig and glasses in advance of your next trip to the Boardwalk.
I should add that one advantage that Mack's has over what you do and what I and other home pizza makers do is the element of constancy. Mack's makes the same dough pretty much the same way day in and day out and in settings, including where and when the dough is made and managed and the actual Mack's location where the pizzas are sold, that are subject to some seasonal variations but otherwise quite manageable. With repetition, these factors become part of the DNA of the people who make and manage the dough.
With respect to the canola oil, I usually only use it when a recipe calls for it. Many people do not like canola oil because they think it has a fishy smell or taste. Most pizza operators tend to use soybean oil, mainly because it is the most economical oil for them to use.
Peter
