I request just a bit of guidance and maybe some clarification if possible.
I love thin crust pizza.
I worked at Pizza Inn from before the Italian BuffetTM till after they were franchised away.
Most of that time I was a store manager.
I've made 10s of thousands of their pizzas, mostly thin due to the buffet.
We mixed a bag of PI branded flour, water, oil, and a vacuum pack of yeast.
Threw the dough in a small trashcan and rolled it to the front of the store.
It didn't always get long to proof (1-3hrs). (Depended on how much I drank the night before 
)
The dough was never mealy. Much drier than the pan, but never mealy.
We didn't parbake the crust.
We had what were essentially convection ovens: hot air blown around with a conveyor belt.
So, if anyone is still reading and interested in giving me a nudge.
Why are most proof times so long here ?
Why is most dough mealy ?
Why is it mostly parbaked ?
Is it temp issue ?
A batch size issue ?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
I'll try, but I don't think this is going to be much help.
I ferment my dough for a long time because it develops better flavour, stretches easy, and rises better in the oven.
I don't have a mental picture of what a "mealy" dough looks like, so can't offer an answer.
To me "meal", in terms of flour, brings to mind a coarse grind. e,g, oat meal.
Many here like "tipo 00" flour, about as fine a grind as you can get.
I don't read the thin crust forums much, but don't think many people at all on this forum believe in parbaking the dough.
If I want a thin crust, I stretch it thin. If I want it a bit "cracker-like", which is what thin crust means for some people, I bake it for as long as I can without burning the toppings.
Some might achieve that aim by parbaking I guess, but not me. I just cool my wood fired oven off a bit, don't have a rolling flame over the top, and cook it longer at the reduced temperature.
I treat the dough handling pretty much the same regardless of batch size.
Never been to a Pizza Inn. Don't think they are here in Oz.
They didn't use a dough sheeter and a dough docker to roll out their thin crusts by any chance?
