Here at DaybrookMead, we're convinced that the cornerstone of sensational pizza is the dough's quality. With over thirty years of refinement, we're thrilled to divulge key insights for your culinary ventures, though our signature recipe remains our trade secret. Follow these fundamentals to achieve pizzeria-level pizza dough in your own kitchen.
Choosing the Right Flour
The bedrock of superb pizza dough lies in using premium flour. Our suggestion is 00 flour, an ultra-fine Italian flour with a medium protein level (around 12%), ensuring a dough that's strong yet delicate. Substitute with bread flour if 00 isn't accessible, although this will alter texture marginally.
Optimal Water Temperature and Dough Moisture
The water's warmth can influence the timeframe of fermentation and shape the dough's texture. Employ cold water, roughly 45°F (7°C), for a slower fermentation that enriches taste. On the flip side, warmer water about 85°F (29°C) will speed up the process. A hydration percentage from 60-70% is ideal for most domestic ovens.
Yeast & Time: A Crucial Balance
A pivotal tip for richly flavored dough is to minimize yeast and maximize fermentation duration. With just 0.2% fresh yeast in proportion to the amount of flour, we allow our doughs to develop over 24-48 hours. This extended fermenting period fosters intricate flavors and results in a more digestible dough.
Salt's Role Beyond Taste
Salt does more than merely season the dough—it fortifies the gluten framework and moderates fermentation. Employ fine sea salt at a rate of 2.5-3% relative to the flour's weight, integrating it once your flour and water begin to merge to avoid direct yeast contact.
Fermentation: A Craft
Post-mixing, allow the dough a bulk fermentation at room temperature for two hours, then divide it into separate portions. Encase these in lidded containers and chill for 24-72 hours. During this refrigerated fermentation, enzymes act on starches, changing them into sugars, enriching the taste, and contributing to our crusts' appetizing browning.
Gentle Handling
When ready to cook, take the dough outside the fridge 1-2 hours beforehand to warm. Treat the dough with care to maintain the gas bubbles inside. Use your fingers for pressing and stretching the dough, as rolling out can deflate those vital air pockets.
Adding Heat
Although our brick ovens hit the 850°F (454°C) mark, typical kitchen ovens tend to plateau at 550°F (288°C). Compensate with a preheated pizza stone or steel for at least sixty minutes to secure that essential intense base heat, giving you that crisp shell with a fluffy core.
Perfecting pizza dough is more of an ongoing learning curve rather than a precise endpoint. Treat each dough batch as an opportunity for learning more about the art. Note down observations, tweak the variables, and find the sweet spot for your specific kitchen settings.
For a hands-on look at how we knead our dough, consider attending our monthly pizza-making sessions where Chef Julian will demonstrate these methods extensively. View our schedule of events for more details!