Napoletana Pizza dough not elastic and breaking
I made a Napoletana Pizza dough with the following amounts: 4 cups of flour, 2.25 teaspoon of Salt, 1 teaspoon of active yeast, 12 ounces water and 1 teaspoon of sugar
After kneading, I left it rise for 8 hours at room temperature and then put it in the fridge for 2 days. Then I took it out and let it rest for another 2 hours before shaping.
When I started shaping, the dough was a bit sticky. Playing with some more flour I could start shaping it but the dough itself would shrink when I was pulling back, so it was hard to create the good shape. Also, at same point it was breaking.
I ended up to using a rolling pin.
What was the issue? What did I miss in my recipe/process?
Best Answer
You probably didn't knead the dough for long enough, so the gluten in the dough wasn't fully developed. There are two useful tests to determine if your dough has been kneaded properly.
1.The Poke Test
Form the dough into a ball and, using a floured finger, give it a poke. If the indentation springs back, your dough is nearly ready - knead more lightly until you try test 2. If the indentation remains, keep kneading.
2.The Windowpane Test
If your dough passes the Poke Test, knead it a little more, then pull off a chunk of dough and stretch it with your hands. If the gluten is sufficiently developed, the dough will stretch thin enough to see light through, without breaking. If the dough breaks, knead it some more.
When shaping, even properly developed dough can spring back after shaping if you've just removed it from the bowl. Let the dough relax for a few minutes before trying to shape it again.
Try and avoid adding more flour if you can - wet dough is good dough. Semolina flour is a good alternative to prevent sticking.
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Quick Answer about "Napoletana Pizza dough not elastic and breaking"
If the dough breaks, knead it some more. When shaping, even properly developed dough can spring back after shaping if you've just removed it from the bowl. Let the dough relax for a few minutes before trying to shape it again. Try and avoid adding more flour if you can - wet dough is good dough.Why is my pizza dough not elastic?
The main reason pizza dough is not stretchy is improper gluten development, the gluten strands are too tight because the dough doesn't get enough time to relax, you're using the wrong type of flour, the dough is too dry, or the dough is too cold.Why is my dough tough and not elastic?
Overworked dough can happen when using a stand mixer. Dough will feel \u201ctight\u201d and tough, as the gluten molecules have become damaged, meaning that it won't stretch, only break, when you try to pull or roll it. Underworked dough on the other hand, won't form a ball shape easily.How do you increase elasticity in pizza dough?
Combine gluten and water, and a network of long, unorganized, knotted gluten strings will form. Kneading aligns these strings, creating a dough you might be able to stretch so thin you can almost see through it. The more gluten, the more elastic, stretchy and strong the dough will be.12 Errors in Pizza Dough Making You Should Avoid - Top 12 Errors!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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