elasticity?

[pantalones]

Hi all,

I've settled on KA as my flour of choice for taste (Neapolitan style pizzas for me).  Unfortunately, it has no elasticity whatsoever and has to be molded by thumbing from the center, and even then often tears/breaks as it gets thin.

So far i've found on the web:

• guar gum
• xanthan gum
• psyllium husk
• tapioca flour as an additive (no, it ruins the taste)
• Orgran Gluten Substitute
• Roll it out in advance and let it proof (no, that destroys all the bubbles and gives you sour flatbread)

So, what works? What can one do to actually stretch the dough by hand, or is this simply not possible if you want a good tasting pizza?

[tinroofrusted]

Where to begin?  KA is good flour and should be capable of the same type of elasticity as other quality flours. I don't think it needs any of the conditioners you mentioned.  A 20 minute autolyse should help if you are not doing it already. Also, adding your salt after the autolyse will help some.  If you do want to add some conditioners for additional extensibility, then I would recommend a small amout of lecithin. It does seem to improve extensibility of the dough. 

[red kiosk]

So, what works? What can one do to actually stretch the dough by hand, or is this simply not possible if you want a good tasting pizza?

Because it is gluten free, it will not stretch. Opening up the dough is really "pushing" out the dough. Using LOTS of GF sourdough starter will improve the workability of the dough, but nowhere close to that of regular dough with gluten. The taste can be there (very close) but the GF dough is a completely different animal. Check out this thread for some GF neapolitan pizzas that I baked  on the Blackstone using Caputo Fiore-Glut and a GF Ischia sourdough starter that I activated with Fiore-Glut.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,27585.0.html

Hope this helps and take care.

JIm

[pantalones]

Because it is gluten free, it will not stretch. Opening up the dough is really "pushing" out the dough. Using LOTS of GF sourdough starter will improve the workability of the dough, but nowhere close to that of regular dough with gluten. The taste can be there (very close) but the GF dough is a completely different animal. Check out this thread for some GF neapolitan pizzas that I baked  on the Blackstone using Caputo Fiore-Glut and a GF Ischia sourdough starter that I activated with Fiore-Glut.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,27585.0.html

Hope this helps and take care.

JIm

Thanks Jim. I responded to you in that thread too last night. The fioreglut is by far the least "wheatlike" taste of all the flours I've sampled over the past two years (and i even bought a tub of it). I use it for some baking, and have made some fioreglut-KA mixes that tasted decent, but it's too ricey in aftertaste for any discerning guest. My goal is for my friends to not even know I'm cooking with G-F flour, which the KA satisfies perfectly.

[red kiosk]

Well, if you like the taste KA flour, I would highly recommend activating a sourdough starter with it and develop a recipe that satisfies your needs. I've found that the presence of large amounts of GF sourdough starter really can change the taste and workability for the better. I agree that the Fiore-Glut by itself did not taste that good, but after the addition of the sourdough starter, it was a different dough. I plan to develop another GF sourdough starter and may just try out the KA GF flour for activation and baking. I'm curious with regards to it's more "wheat-like" taste. Thanks for bringing that up. Take care!

Jim

[pantalones]

Hi Jim, sorry if i wasn't clear. My sourdough starters (ischia and calmadoli, from sourdo.com) are both fully happy in KA G-F flour and have been going for about 6 months now. The only difference between them and the 00 Caputos I used to use are that they take a full cycle of activation out of the fridge, whereas the Caputo 00-based cultures used to spring to life even after 1-2 weeks of refrigeration.  BUT...I will try increasing the amount of the starter I use in my dough and see if that helps with pliability. Right now I'm at 10%, couldn't hurt to try 20!

Thanks again and I'm happy to be able to discuss such a niche issue with another knowledgeable person

[red kiosk]

No problem as we are both after the same result and are using the Blackstone oven. I'm curious to try the KA flour and will keep you updated. Thanks again and take care!

Jim