Im not sure if the problem im having is a gum line but we have some issues…Have you had them, what have you done to get rid of them besides temerature?..Too much cheese? sauce? or heat coming from the top not bottom…for a 16 inch pie we use 4 oz of sauce…We have a free thrower but we are in the 13-16 ounce range of cheese on a 20oz dough ball…Please help thx
First of all, lets determine if you have a gum line or not. To do this, cut a wedge of the pizza, then grasping it at the heel, tear it apart as if tearing a piece of paper. Watch the tear line as the crust is pulled apart. Does it tear cleanly or does it pull and stretch, forming a slight film between the two parts as they’re separated? If it does, this is an indication of a gum line. Next, now, look at the area just beneath the sauce, there should be just a very slight film or gray line under the sauce, this is normal. If you see a pronounced, thick (1/16 to 1/8-inch) gray line, you are the lucky recipient of a gum line.
You can research my past articles on gum lines for complete details, but in brief these are the most common causes:
- Cold dough and an impingement (conveyor) onen. (dough colder than normal)
- Baking the pizzas too fast and too hot. Applies to any type of oven.
- Pre-saucing the dough skins (if you’ve gotta per-sauce, lightly oil the dough skin first)
- Over thinning the sauce (compounds #3 above)
- Application of too much sauce (a real bummer if combined with #4)
- Excessive application of vegetable toppings, especially with a desk oven, air impingement ovens handle the excess moisture released from the vegetables much better.
- Excessive application of cheese may lead to steaming of the crust during baking (moisture trapped under the cheese)
- Air impingement oven not correctly set-up with regard to the type of finger configuration used.
Those are the high spots, I hope this or one of my articles helps.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor