We have been open for two months. In this two months, I feel like the pizza dough is coming out different every time, even though we use the same ingredients and the same amounts. I have been worried lately because I see a gum line in my pizza dough and I don't know what to do to get rid of it. Usually, I use 25 grams pressed yeast, 330 grams sugar, 200 grams salt, 2QT corn oil, 4 QT water, and ten scoops of flour. I don't know if my dough mixer is not doing the job, if the oven is not hot enough, or if I am making a mistake somewhere in the process. Any suggestions?
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What kind of mixer are you using? What oven temperature do you use? In what sequence do you add ingredients? And ... excuse me... do they really use corn oil for authentic NYC pizza?– rackandbonemanMay 1, 2018 at 20:44
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1Most mixers will not be able to properly homogenize ten flour scoups at once, especially if these are made of hard plastic or metal. Also, very few machines mix volume and weight measurements for ratio-critical ingredients well - as do very few people for that matter.– rackandbonemanMay 1, 2018 at 20:47
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(previous comment was about the corrected "ten flour scoops" - SCNR. Could you weigh one scoop of flour?)– rackandbonemanMay 1, 2018 at 21:01
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1What is a gum line?– GdDMay 2, 2018 at 8:41
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5My first thought says that "ten scoops of flour" is your problem. Without weighing the flour you can't possibly know that you're getting the same amount every time, as it will pack differently with every scoop.– senschenMay 2, 2018 at 11:18
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2 Answers
First point I would not is that the mixer you mention (Avantco MX20 20 Qt.)is not recommended for pizza dough as stated here
Secondly this not withstanding the capacity of this mixer for bread dough is 16-18 lbs (7-8 KG approx). By my calculation you are trying to mix around 30 lbs (14 KG). Avantco MX20 20 Qt. specification
My recommendation as a short term measure is halve your batch size. In addition as recommended by others, weigh ingredients. Measuring dry ingredients by volume will always be variable.
As a long term solution research in to getting a specialist mixer for pizza dough.
answered May 2, 2018 at 8:45
One reason you are getting variations in your dough is because you have variations in your amounts. Volume measurements are not accurate enough for consistent baking, you need to switch to weight measurements for all ingredients including the water and oil. A little more or less flour in each scoop makes a significant difference. Use your scale for everything including liquids and you eliminate measurements as a factor.
Once you eliminate measurements the rest is technique (equipment and its use) and environmental conditions like temperature and humidity. Working to results rather than times in a consistent way will get you more predictable outcomes.
