Using sugar when making pizza dough
A lot of the recipes that I've seen on YouTube and different forums have used four main ingredients when making pizza dough - flour, water, yeast, and salt. I'm confused because I though sugar is also a main ingredient since yeast feeds on it. Would y'all recommend always adding sugar to the pizza dough recipe? Also, what if the flour that's being used already has a few grams of sugar - should I still add sugar to the list of ingredients?
Best Answer
There are plenty of fermentable sugars in the flours commonly used in pizza making. Additional sugar is completely unnecessary.
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Quick Answer about "Using sugar when making pizza dough"
Sugar helps create a fine crumb and also tenderizes dough, making it more extensible. In large amounts it can over-tenderize to the point where the gluten structure collapses. Sugar also promotes browning, and in larger amounts improves the shelf life of the bread product.Is pizza dough made with sugar?
Some pizza doughs are made with sugar, and others are made without. Typically, we find that dough destined to be baked at high temperatures is made without any added sugar, while those that will be baked at lower temperatures (425 to 450 F) will contain at least some sugar to assist in crust color development.How much sugar should you use in pizza dough?
Salt: Salt adds necessary flavor. Sugar: 1 Tablespoon of sugar increases the yeast's activity and tenderizes the dough, especially when paired with a little olive oil. Cornmeal: Cornmeal isn't in the dough, but it's used to dust the pizza pan. Cornmeal gives the pizza crust a little extra flavor and crisp.Does sugar help pizza dough Brown?
More sugar will naturally brown more, but it will also sweeten the dough. Try adding 2% of the flour weight in sugar as a starting point. You could increase this by a percentage point a time until you find it suits your taste. If you don't want to add sugar directly to the dough, you can also brush sugar on the crust.How Does Sugar Affect Bread Dough? The Effects of Sugar Explained
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Answer 2
Sugar helps the dough rise faster, and increases browning. So using it is a matter of taste, and what you like in a pizza. If you're in for a day-long rise in the refrigerator (for example), you won't need any extra sugar. If you want it faster (say, an hour rise in a warm proofing box), a little extra sugar can help.
If you're happy with the way your pizza browns, leave it out. Extra sugar could even cause it to burn, especially if you're using very high heat. If you feel like your pizza could use an extra pinch of Maillardy goodness, add a little sugar (and be prepared for a shift in rising times).
Answer 3
The sugar is not for the yeast. It is for adding browning in a home oven that cannot reach the 600-900 degrees of commercial ovens.
For example, in this Peter Reinhart's Neo Neapolitan pizza recipe he advises to use a tablespoon of sugar to make four 10oz dough balls. https://www.bakepedia.com/peter-reinharts-neo-neopolitan-pizza-dough/ If I recall correctly, most of his recipes in his American Pie include 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Answer 4
The Enzyme Amylase helps break down flour starches into complex sugars that add to crust color, taste of the final produce and feed the yeast to produce Carbon Dioxide (bubbles). Slow rise gives the enzymes time to do their jobs. A quick discription
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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