I recently saw some videos of how dominos makes their pizzas (try the youtube website, search for domino’s pizza) and was wondering how they get their dough to be so easy to work with. These guys open up their dough balls right on the counter top without having to through the dough in less than 30 seconds, and the dough retains its shape perfectly. Do they have some secret ingredient in their dough, or do they have special handling/proofing procedures or something? Any insight at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
I think their secret ingredient is a steaming pile of $hit because that is certainly what their pizza tastes like.
As far as secret ingredients or techniques, I don’t have a clue. My hunch is it’s in the training and repetition of what they do. I have a former Domino’s manager working for me part-time, and her dough slapping and handling is so awesome, it’s like an art. I also have a former PJ’s guy working for me, and he’s pretty darn good as well. They both know exactly how many slaps it will take to get the dough spun out to their target size.
The big guys’ training is pretty remarkable.
pizza guerilla,
I know just the guy to ask: Tom Lehmann. Go to the home page of this site. Click on “ask the experts” and post again. -J_r0kk
can you give an exact link for the dominos pizza dough? I’d be really interested in seeing it
I interviewed an ex Dominos manager and he told me they use a pre mix dough which only needs water added. (This is in Australia).
He said this way they have consistent product every time. I know PH do a pre mix just add water as well.
I would rather do my own mix any day, mainly because it is a great mix.
Dave
Here in the U.S. their dough is supplied from commisaries. I haven’t gone back to see just how they make their doughs as of recently, but in the past they produced a fresh dough at the commissaries and distributed it as a refrigerated dough to the stores within their supply area. As a result, the dough as it arrived at a store was at least 1 day old, and it would end up being stored for another day or so in the stores cooler before it saw the prep table, hence, the dough was at least two days old when it was first being used and then it might be used over the next couple days or more. This dough had a lot of fermentation on it at the time of forming, and it is this fermentation that gives the dough it’s easy to open and easy to stretch properties. Anyboby who has ever taken our Practical Pizza Production course has seen this type of dough in action as we make it all the time. If you were out at the NAPICS Show this past week and stopped at the Test Kitchen you also had a chance to see this same typeof dough and the affects of fermentation in action. We were opening up 9-ounce dough pieces to fit a 12-inch baking disk without any problems what so ever, we were also showing how we get biochemical gluten development through fermentation by opening that same 9-ounce dough piece up to about 30-inches in diameter. The gluten film was thinner than paper and you could read print through it, and it didn’t tear. These characteristics are pretty representative of what you get when you allow the dough balls to ferment naturally for 16 hours or more. If you go to the RECIPE BANK you will find a dough formula and procedure that is designed to closely emulate the Domino’s dough in both performance and flavor characteristics.
By the way, the Domino’s dough isn’t a bad dough, it’s just what happens to it after it leaves the store that ain’t so good.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor