As one of the top pizza places in Dunedin, here at Fairway Pizza we make plenty of pizzas every day. A very important part of that process is making the pizza crust. So today we’re going to talk a little bit about that process and what it involves!
Pizza Places Explain the Science of the Pizza Crust!
The process of making pizza dough is all about chemistry!
The basics of pizza dough can be found in flour, salt, yeast, and warm water – although every pizza place has their own spin on adding extra ingredients and special touches that make their pizza crust their own.
To begin making the dough, the pizza chef combines these ingredients together in a bowl. Once mixed together, the dough is rolled out and kneaded for around five minutes. Once the dough stops feeling sticky, it is then formed into a ball. The ball of dough is then allowed to “proof”. Proofing is where you allow the pizza dough to sit in a covered bowl at a warm temperature anywhere from one to three hours. Many people believe that the longer a dough is allowed to proof, the better the dough tastes because the flavor has longer to develop.
As the dough proofs, it begins to rise or get bigger. This increase in size occurs because the yeast that was mixed into the dough begins to break down the complex sugars in the flour. As the yeast breaks down these sugars, it creates carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide is what makes the pizza dough grow in size or “proof”.
Once the dough has proofed, it will be approximately double in size. From here, the dough is rolled out to create a pizza base. Rolling pizza dough is tricky because the gluten in the dough makes it want to pull back, so every time you roll out the dough, you will notice that it starts to contract and get smaller.
One trick to making the perfect pizza dough is rolling it out to the right thickness.
The “Thickness Factor”
The “thickness factor” is a number that the pizza industry uses to calculate crust thickness. This “factor” is a mathematical expression that helps the chef to know how much dough is needed to make a particular type of pizza and the diameter that dough should be rolled out to. The truth is, though, that chefs who have made as many pizzas as we have are able to perfectly eye dough to create the perfectly sized pizza base!
Looking For Pizza Places in Dunedin?
If you’re looking for delicious pizza places in Dunedin, come on by and pay us a visit here at Fairway Pizza! You’ll find us on Alt 19 and we’re open from 11 am to 10 pm Sunday through Thursday and Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm.