how long does the dough balls have to be out to make a pie when under the prep table?is the prep as cold as the cooler or can they be made into pies right from the prep table? still cant decide on press or hand toss so if both could be answered thank you.
The reach-in cooler under your prep table will be at the same temperature as your walk-in cooler. The dough balls should be stored at room temperature for about 90-minutes after they are removed from the cooler. This tempering procedure will improve the handling of the dough and also reduce bubbling during baking. The only time that I ever like to store dough under the prep table is when I use it for making take and bake pizzas where I want to have a cold dough. I’ve written a number of articles on the different forming methods, but in a nutshell, pressing v/s hand tossing; pressing will require a more relaxed dough than hand tossing if dough memory/snap-back are to be held to a reasonable level. Pressing also results in a flatter overall finished crust appearance. Hand tossing results in a lighter textured finished crust, and a finished crust with a higher , more pronounced raised edge, but hand tossing done wrong can result in overly thin center section to the skin which results in soft crust character or even a dreaded gum line in the center section.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor