Huge bubbles in pizza dough
I made some pizza dough and let the individual dough balls rise in the fridge for a day. The following day I took them out of the fridge so they could come up to room temperature so the dough would be easier to handle when I make the pizzas.
Problem is when it was at room temperature some massive bubbles (could probably fit a tennis ball in them) emerged from the doughballs.
Is this normal or have I done something wrong? How should I deal with these bubbles, do I pop them or just let them be?
Best Answer
A longer rise can certainly yield large bubbles, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Popping them before stretching works just fine, and a little more force working near where the bubble was will keep the spot together when it cooks.
To much kneading will make the dough tough, but if it has been in the refrigerator all day, then a little more/extra won't hurt anything.
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Quick Answer about "Huge bubbles in pizza dough"
Big Bubbles, Big Trouble Bubbles result from natural and necessary processes involved in making crusts — fermentation and temperature. Sugar and yeast ferment, trapping carbon dioxide and moisture in the dough that expands when heated and causes bubbles of various sizes.How do you prevent big bubbles in pizza dough?
Letting your dough rest in the refrigerator at least overnight and up to a couple of days before rolling out will stop big bubbles. The bubbles are co2 gas being released by the fermentation caused by the yeast.How to avoid Bubbles Pizzas with Massimo Nocerino
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Answer 2
If those bubbles appear in only one or two dough balls, you can simply pop them and it's going to be ok. If most of the dough balls have this problem, I would knead the dough once more.
Irregular rising is a sign that there isn't enough gluten in the dough. The gluten would normally trap the gas produced by the yeast in small bubbles evenly throughout the dough. If there's not enough gluten, the small bubbles split the dough and combine into big bubbles. Rolling the dough out then pops most of the bubbles, leaving you with a flat and hard pizza base.
On the other hand, overworking the dough produces too much gluten, which leads to a chewy, sometimes gummy-like pizza base. The true art of pizza making is finding the golden spot between overworking the dough and not working it enough.
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