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Pizza Dough: Tips, Troubleshooting, Storage


markf424

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The one time I tried to pre-make pizza dough was a disaster, and I didn't try to keep it for more than a couple of hours. I separated the crusts with wax paper, and the moisture from the dough softened the wax paper and it all became one, gooey mess.

I don't know that cornmeal on wax paper, unless you used a TON of it, would help much with that effect. I doubt even with a huge amount it would work. I would think the meal would hydrate and just merge with the rest of the goo.

Unless you separated frozen dough with something more sturdy than wax paper, you'd have the same problem when they thawed.

Maybe, MAYBE, and I'm really not recommending it, heavy duty plastic wrap between the dough layers would work, maybe if you sprayed them with Pam or oiled them so they didn't stick, but without a trial run, I wouldn't trust it.

Par-baking, if you're really married to this plan, seems to me to be the only way to get a decent outcome.

--Roberta--

"Let's slip out of these wet clothes, and into a dry Martini" - Robert Benchley

Pierogi's eG Foodblog

My *outside* blog, "A Pound Of Yeast"

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I used to work at a pizza place where we got our dough pre-made and pressed (I never saw a dough ball the whole time I worked there). They were kept in large plastic bags with about 10-15 dough-discs stacked with cardboard (like pizza box cardboard) between each and stored in a walk-in cooler. They were allowed to proof at some point. Then I think they went into the reefer under the prep table. My recollection is that the dough seemed pretty normal (the hydration level may have been on the low end of the scale).

So it seems to me that this should be doable. But I'd sure like to test it before showing up somewhere with ingredients for 15 pies.

[edit]After reflection, I seem to recall white blotches on the dough. So I think the cardboard was floured.

Also, I searched the pizzamaking.com forums and Monical's pizza appears to do something similar as well. Except they use rounds of cardboard which are also used as templates to trim the sheeted dough. But they go into the reefer on the cardboard (don't know if they were stacked). Dough made Monday A.M. is for Tuesday afternoon/evening.

Edited by IndyRob (log)
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Well it looks as is everyone has confirmed my suspicion that I would end up with a giant nasty ball of dough.

I'm thinking that ill just build a large tortilla press. I know that pizza enthusiasts are cringing but I think this could work. Does anyone have any experience?

I really have appreciated all of your input.

Thanks again

Scott

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I'm not really a pizza enthusiast despite growing up in Chicago, but the idea of a tortilla press for pizza dough still has me cringing. You might get the desired shape but the thickness would be all wrong, wouldn't it? You'd have the thickest dough in the center, which is great for a tortilla designed to hold food, but do you want the edges of the pizza dough to be the thinnest parts?

As for sticking, I think flour might help more in that regard than cornmeal, but without testing, it's really hard to estimate how much flour you'd need to keep it from sticking, and that would depend on the rate of cooling in your coolers, the humidity, and all sorts of other unpredictable factors that you'd be hardpressed to plan against even with testing.

I think the best option would be precooking and then thoroughly dusting with flour. Maybe keep them in separate large ziploc bags stacked?

Good luck with your dilemma and I hope it all works out!

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You sure you can't just shape the dough with your hands? I make my pizza dough quite moist, stick it in a ziplock bag that's been oiled and keep it in the fridge for a few days. It's soft to form the crust with my hands -- never use a pin to roll it out. If not, then par-bake them.

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I am in with the hand shapers unless you are pre-baking. Pizza dough is a stretch versus push/roll situation. Plus if you pre-roll it will contract I would think. I like the earlier idea about a dough helper. How many would you be making at one time based on the grill size(s)? Can not imagine all at once so you have a bit of time between pizzas? Help though I think is essential.

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Well, I'm actually a pretty decent pizza roller as one of the restaurants I used to work at served some specialty pizzas. However, here's my only thoughts about rolling it out that day...if I have 15-20 pizzas to do and every pizza takes 2-3 minutes (or more) to roll out that means I'll be spending 45 minutes to an hour rolling out dough at a tailgate. I'm sure I could probably get some people to help, but the results would be very spotty and with 30-40 people wanting to eat I want to make sure I can get them out fast.

I can get two pizzas on the grill at a time and they take probably 5 minutes a piece.

Maybe I should just scrap this idea...unless someone thinks that a giant tortilla press will be ok...remember, I'm going to load these things with toppings (buffalo chicken, the works, red sauce and fres mozz, philly cheese steak, etc) and my crew will be drinking quite a bit.

Keri - do you think if I rolled the edges it would work?

Does anyone have any unique pizza ideas too?

Thanks again everyone!

Scott

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Given the circumstances you will be cooking under,I really think prebaking, brushing with olive oil (as opposed toa flour sprinkle which i suspect will dull the taste) and storing between cardboard would be your best bet, especially if you are wanting to get them out quickly at the do. Transport problems will be limited, you could keep them in a cooler without ice, so no condensation problems and your life will be easier without sacrificing flavor. My feeling is that using a press to make bases on site will be not much easier than rolling them out, if only because of the dough quantities you are dealing with for a Pizza compared to a tortilla. But it might be worth an experiment.

As for topping: an "Aussie" has ham and egg on it. And for some reason tandoori chicken is a favourite, although not mine.

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  • 2 years later...

I have recently been making pizza dough. I make a batch, let it rise, split it into 4 portions and make a pizza using one. It is good. The remaining three I put into individual plastic bags and freeze. ( I have pizza once a week ). The next week, two days prior to making pizza I take it out of the freezer, put it in the refrigerator after it has thawed and when I make pizza it is good. After that when I go to make pizza it does not rise. I can store supermarket pizza dough in the freezer for a month and it rises. What am I doing wrong?

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