Ball your dough or just slabs stretched out?

[Bobby Lawn]

Interested in what the gurus here think for Detroit doughs.

Some people ball up the Detroit dough and let it rise in the pan. Others cut to weight and start pressing from there.

Any advantage or disadvantage to balling?

I'm in the process of developing my workflow for small DSP pop ups (@75Pies on instagram) and since it's a one man operation I want to maximize my time.

My current workflow is poolish wednesday night. Dough mixed thursday morning. Fridge until next morning. (<this may change, but it's what I'm starting from) Pull out the dough and cut to weight.

Lately I've skipped the balling step and put slabs of the dough in the lightly greased Lloyd's pans and started pressing from there (ala Hudson & Packard, Detroit Style Pizza Co., etc..)

My bread mentor says that balling up would take longer to work it in the pan and since I'm not trying to get a perfect circle for a round pie, he says that it's redundant. Does this seem correct? I believe so, but don't want to assume.

Thanks in advance for your insight

[scott r]

The balling is a strength building step.  If you need to build strength its a good thing, if you are already too strong its a bad thing.

[nanometric]

Let the final product be your guide.

[foreplease]

I usually make more than one so I bulk and do a couple folds a couple times. Several hours later, beginning an hour before time to dress pizzas, I portion the dough working it as close to not-at-all as possible. I shape with damp hands, pulling gently (nothing resembling kneading or balling which would tighten things up) into sort of a log shape not quite as long as the pan. I put it into a pan lightly greased with Crisco and push it out toward the edges. It usually takes me 3 somewhat effortless tries spaced 20 minutes apart to reach all 4 edges and corners.


I’ve also plopped a fermented (loosely shaped) dough ball in the center of the pan (when making only one) without much difference in degree of difficulty and success.



Typing this just gave ma an idea I may try next time. At the time I put the log shape in the pan, use the bottom of the other pan (and either dampen the top of the log or dampen or grease the bottom of the other pan) and GENTLY press the dough out, then let it rise for ~30 min. If I try it and it comes out well I will post.

[Bobby Lawn]

I usually make more than one so I bulk and do a couple folds a couple times. Several hours later, beginning an hour before time to dress pizzas, I portion the dough working it as close to not-at-all as possible. I shape with damp hands, pulling gently (nothing resembling kneading or balling which would tighten things up) into sort of a log shape not quite as long as the pan. I put it into a pan lightly greased with Crisco and push it out toward the edges. It usually takes me 3 somewhat effortless tries spaced 20 minutes apart to reach all 4 edges and corners.


I’ve also plopped a fermented (loosely shaped) dough ball in the center of the pan (when making only one) without much difference in degree of difficulty and success.



Typing this just gave ma an idea I may try next time. At the time I put the log shape in the pan, use the bottom of the other pan (and either dampen the top of the log or dampen or grease the bottom of the other pan) and GENTLY press the dough out, then let it rise for ~30 min. If I try it and it comes out well I will post.

I'm liking this 'log' shape idea.

Please report back if you try the 'pan pressing' method you just discovered.   

[PelletPizzaJoe]

I ball... let ferment for about half the total time I want to ferment...   flatten the dough a little and stretch it sideway a little... and let it ferment a about 25% more ( of the total ferment time ), stretch into the pan shaped like the pan... let rest a little, stretch the corners in better... then let finish fermenting in the pan until I am ready to add toppings. Liberal amounts of oil can be used during the stretching

The final looks like this.

[Bobby Lawn]

I ball... let ferment for about half the total time I want to ferment...   flatten the dough a little and stretch it sideway a little...

Sounds like you're making a log (slab...etc..). Have you tried it without balling and notice any difference? Or are you like me and figure pizza dough always has to start with a ball?

Trying to figure out if a ball is redundant if you're not making a perfect circle and stretching out to get a good cornicione.

[Pizza_Not_War]

If I was making pan pizza I'd letter fold instead of a ball as it's a preshaping method which makes the stretch easier. If your dough is very extensible it probably doesn't matter.