Crust never turns out right.

[tronester]

That is true, they are by volume.  I will use a scale next time.

The two major issues are that the crust is much too dense, as well as too "springy".  That is, when I am stretching out the dough it is difficult to get it to stretch all the way out, it keeps springing back to a smaller size.

And I couldn't get it to windowpane at all.  It rips extremely easily.

Am I not kneading enough?

[Chicago Bob]

Am I not kneading enough?

Too much      

[Chicago Bob]

Here you go....remember, the search function is your friend!   

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,19441.msg190342.html#msg190342

[Chicago Bob]

Okay, thanks for answering so many questions. If your dough is too sticky, it probably means that the dough has not been mixed enough or there is too much water in the recipe. The latter depends on the brand of flour a bit as some brands can hydrate or accept more water than others. For instance King Arthur rates their flours as being able to absorb 61% +/- 2% (all purpose flour) or 63% +/- 2% (for their high protein flour).

The reason I asked so many questions was to try & figure out exactly how much water (%) was in your recipe & whether that amount was likely to work. It's hard to get an exact number with cup measurements though because depending on how much the flour is packed when you scoop it, etc the amounts can vary by 15% or so. That's enough error to make a difference. But anyway, assuming that you use what is called the "textbook" method of flour measurement & Gold medal A.P. flour.. it appears that you have 63.5% water in your recipe.

Here's your recipe converted to baker's percentages
100% flour
 63.5% water
 0.97% salt
 0.94% IDY

Quite a few recipes on this site use about 63%, but it is definitely on the high end, the upper limit of what some flours can handle. Most commercial pizzarias use something closer to 58%. Still it should be doable if your kneading is efficient, so let's look at the rest of it first.

The amount of salt looks low to me and the amount of yeast & water temperature is on the high side. I would suggest trying a dough with more salt, less yeast & room temperature water. This should put you close to a sweet spot where the only real variable is the kneading, so you can concentrate on that. The higher protein (better for bread) flour should give you superior results. Not only should it be able to handle a few more percent of water, it will result in a chewier product that is usually considered desirable for NY style pizza.

I would suggest trying something along the lines of
100% bread flour
 63.5% water
 1.9% salt
 0.47% IDY

In cups that should be approximately
6 cups flour
2 cups water, room temperature
2.5 tsp salt
1/2 package yeast (1/8 oz)

You will probably need to knead the dough by hand for 5 - 10 minutes. It takes a little time for the flour to absorb all of the water, so even if it is still a little sticky at the start it should be fine, just slightly tacky when you are finished kneading. Then put it in the fridge immediately after you finish kneading. And when you go to use it, allow it to warm up at least 2 hours before using it.

And let us know how it turns out. I think that this will give you good results. If you still have problems I think we would have to look closer at how you are measuring the flour & water. And your kneading technique. The difference between 58% & 63.5% is only about one ounce. So you can see that if you don't measure the water or flour carefully you could end up in the 70% range which will guarantee a wet, sticky dough.

.

btw, 2 cups of water to 6 cups of flour is not 63.5%...it's 33.3 and you gonna have a HARD time with that dough ball.

[Pete-zza]

btw, 2 cups of water to 6 cups of flour is not 63.5%...it's 33.3 and you gonna have a HARD time with that dough ball.

Bob,

The hydration percent is calculated by dividing the weight of the two cups of water by the weight of the six cups of flour. The answer is, indeed, somewhere around 60%. The actual value will depend on how the flour and water are measured out.

Peter

[parallei]

Chicago Bob,

2 cups of water to 6 cups of flour is, in fact, about 63%.  In Baker's Percentages that is, which is what the fellow is working in.  (weight water/weight flour).  Most recipes here are in Baker's Percentages.....

(473.18/750.94g)*100 = 63%

Peter beat me too it...

[Chicago Bob]

Yes, of course, sorry. I got a 'lil cornfused there while they were deciding what measuring method to use,my bad!