Pizza dough is too soft to stretch well
When I make Neapolitan pizza dough, the dough is so soft and supple that I can hardly work it into a round shape before it is stretched far too large and overly thin in areas.
After I mix the dough(ingredients below), I let it sit on the counter for 24 hours, then refrigerated for another 48 hours. Finally, I pull the dough out of the refrigerator and let it warm for 45 minutes on the counter before using it.
At this point, the dough is so soft I only have mere seconds to form it over my knuckles before it droops into an oblong football shape. I oftentimes only work it in my hands for 2-3 seconds than transfer it to my work surface for a bit of stretching by pinch/pull. I still am not getting a round shape because it is so soft. What can I do to make the dough more workable but still achieve Neapolitan results?
Dough Recipe:
- 500g Antimo Caputo 00 Flour
- 383g Water
- 16g Sea Salt
- 1g Active Dry Yeast
- 900g Total / 76.6% hydration
Best Answer
It actually sounds like your dough is good, your description is just what I'd look for in a dough. It may be your technique which is the trouble. It's takes practice to hand stretch dough right, you could try using a rolling pin instead.
You should be able to stretch your dough very thin and still have it hold together. If your dough is breaking easily then you may not have enough gluten development. If you still want stiffer dough then you could go for a higher gluten content, or go for a lower hydration level, say 70%.
EDIT: One thing I've found with pizza dough is that if you try to stretch it too far too quickly it will be uneven and prone to breaking. I've found that if you stretch it part of the way then leave it a few minutes it will relax a bit and be easier to work with.
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Quick Answer about "Pizza dough is too soft to stretch well"
Simply knead flour into the dough until the dough becomes firm, smooth, and not sticky. Just add a small handful of flour at a time and work it into the dough.Why is my pizza dough so fragile?
Tearing crust is a common pizza dough problem. If the gluten in your pizza dough hasn't developed enough, it can cause your dough to tear easily. Developed gluten is what gives your dough its pizza crust texture. If not processed enough when stretched, your dough will try to bounce back to its original ball shape.Why does my pizza dough tear when stretching?
Every great pizza starts with good a pizza dough recipe. That said, the two main reasons your dough tears, when you stretch it, is the lack of gluten development and improper stretching technique.How do you make pizza dough stronger?
The more gluten in the flour, the more elastic the dough, and the firmer the baked crust will be. Kneading the dough liberates starches that are attached to the proteins and allows the gluten to form networks that make the dough strong and stretchy.Why my pizza dough doesn't stretch? 1+1 Reasons 🧐 Pizza stretching tricks
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