Why does a pizza stone make my pizza dough bread-like?
I have an aluminum pizza pan with a perforated bottom. It looks like this:
Not long ago I purchased a pizza stone, which I got mainly because everyone raves about them. However, the results have been quite disappointing. The aluminum pizza pan consistently produces a thin, crispy crust. But the pizza stone produces a much thicker crust with a bread-like consistency -- not at all what I'm looking for. It's not soggy or anything, just thicker and more bread-like.
The dough recipe is straightforward: flour, water, salt, yeast, and a slow overnight rise. I make two pizzas from the recipe and do one on the stone and the other on the pan. The oven and stone are preheated to 550F/288C for 45 minutes before cooking. I do one pizza at a time, both on the top rack. So all the factors are exactly the same except the stone vs. pan.
Why does the stone produce this thicker, bread-like texture? Is there any way to counteract that or do I now own a heat sink and I should stick to using the pan?
Best Answer
Your aluminum pan is allowing moisture to escape from the bottom and the top, whereas the stone does not, so the stone will have more rise. To use a stone, after much trial and error, I have to roll that dough out super thin, like 3-4 mm, prebake in the hot oven for 4-5 minutes, pull it out, add the toppings, then finish for another 6-7 minutes.
Also, different flours will bring a different gluten content, which are the sticky bonds that will allow you to roll it thinner without it contracting at every roll. I use 1/2 semolina flour and 1/2 plain flour, I can roll it thinner that way.
Be not dismayed, a breadier crust can be fantastic, you can load more stuff on it.
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Quick Answer about "Why does a pizza stone make my pizza dough bread-like?"
But the pizza stone produces a much thicker crust with a bread-like consistency -- not at all what I'm looking for. It's not soggy or anything, just thicker and more bread-like. The dough recipe is straightforward: flour, water, salt, yeast, and a slow overnight rise.Why does my pizza dough turn out like bread?
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 is my pizza cakey?
Doughy pizza caused by low heat Even if your pizza dough is properly proved, a low temperature oven can lead to a doughy pizza. The high temperature of a pizza oven creates an effect called \u201coven spring\u201d. This is where the dough rises as it cooks. The higher the heat of the oven, the more the dough rises.Can you put pizza dough directly on pizza stone?
Roll out your dough, put the toppings on your pizza and, using a pizza peel, place it directly on your Pizza Stone in the oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes at 240\xb0C / 475\xb0F / Gas Mark 9. The thinner the dough, the higher you should set the oven temperature: up to 250\xb0C / 480\xb0F / Gas Mark 9 for very thin dough.Is it better to cook a pizza on a pizza stone?
When the pizza is placed on the stone the crust begins to cook immediately, mimicking the cooking style of a traditional brick oven. Using a pizza stone will ultimately give you faster cook times and far better crust.12 Errors in Pizza Dough Making You Should Avoid - Top 12 Errors!
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Answer 2
Just thought of a couple other wacky thoughts that exceeded comment status...
ATK also had a recommendation to preheat the stone and bake pizza on a higher rack near the top of the oven. Probably marginally hotter there. They went one extra step in preheating: just before applying the pizza, they turned the oven to broil for an additional shot of intense heat for a few minutes of additional preheat; this might help your stone get hotter than the oven can go for a short time. Might be worth investigating. Note well! -- Be sure to switch back to bake before putting the pizza in!
Another ATK says thinner crust could be achieved by retarding the fermentation by proofing in the fridge for a few days, but you don't seem keen on changing the recipe/technique.
If you really don't want to use the stone, you could break it into a few pieces and use the resulting bricks to simulate a hearth. Place them on end (vertically) surrounding (same rack) what you're trying to bake. By preheating they will retain and radiate heat on the sides, more than you'll get out of your average oven. Books by Daniel Leader and Peter Reinhart discuss this home "hearth" baking.
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