Does anyone here cook pan style pizzas in their pizzeria?

[Tayyab123]

Hi, we are amongst the few who cook pan style pizza’s. I am interested to know if anyone here cooking in that method, and if so, what is your most effective method to use?

I am currently going through a crisis trying to sort out the most effective method of handling things for me and my staff. We encounter problem after problem. We cook in a conveyor oven at about 450F for about 6 minutes. We have been experiencing a big ‘gum line’ problem. The dough is very doughy, customers have been complaining saying im selling them uncooked pizza.

Please help me out guys. What can i do to better things and have more control over my dough going out properly cooked and tasty.

The current bakers percentage we use are:

100% flour
56.5% water
6% olive oil
4% sugar
1.75% salt
.375% IDY

 

[bodegahwy]

We have done them for years. We use a deep pan and line the pan with the dough. Our oven settings are pretty similar to yours. A bit cooler and a 7 minute bake. We put the pan in with the dough half way. Then we build the pizza and run it all the way through. Then we cover the pie using a pizza tray as a cover and run it all the way through again.

 

[Tayyab123]

We have done them for years. We use a deep pan and line the pan with the dough. Our oven settings are pretty similar to yours. A bit cooler and a 7 minute bake. We put the pan in with the dough half way. Then we build the pizza and run it all the way through. Then we cover the pie using a pizza tray as a cover and run it all the way through again.

Wow, does that work out for you? Do customers not mind waiting that long? and is it not difficult training staff to manage such a process?

 

[bodegahwy]

No problem training. It is not complicated thing. Yes, customers will wait if they want deep dish pizza. They understand when you tell them it takes almost 3X as long to make.

 

[Tayyab123]

No problem training. It is not complicated thing. Yes, customers will wait if they want deep dish pizza. They understand when you tell them it takes almost 3X as long make.

Oh, your making the American style deep dish pizzas with the sauce on top?
I’m making just normal pizzas but in a pan.
how do u prepare your dough? Do you pan it after mixing and use from fridge?

 

[Daddio]

I am cooking in pans. The gum line was a problem for me until I changed my time and temperature. I am using Edge 60 ovens and have my time set to 8:40 at 470°. I put all toppings under the cheese.

 

[jokergerm]

All we do is pan pizzas. Toppings under the cheese. Mm ps360wb. Set at 500 7 min

No real gum line issues unless it’s a 10 topping pie

 

[bodegahwy]

Oh, your making the American style deep dish pizzas with the sauce on top?

Yes, sauce on top.
We use a 25oz doughball in a 14" X 1.75 pan. We hand toss the dough to size and lay in the pan pulling the dough up the sides right before we bake.

 

[Tayyab123]

I am cooking in pans. The gum line was a problem for me until I changed my time and temperature. I am using Edge 60 ovens and have my time set to 8:40 at 470°. I put all toppings under the cheese.

My gum line is a big problem though! It is significant. I will the temp change and see if it makes a difference.
What is your dough handling process?
Do u pan the dough straight after mixing or later? Do u use pans from fridge or from room temp?

 

[Tayyab123]

All we do is pan pizzas. Toppings under the cheese. Mm ps360wb. Set at 500 7 min

No real gum line issues unless it’s a 10 topping pie

My gum line is a big problem for us! It is significant. Pizza seems uncooked when its actually cooked. I will the temp change and see if it makes a difference.
What is your dough handling process?
Do u pan the dough straight after mixing or later? Do u use pans from fridge or from room temp?

 

[Tayyab123]

If you guys don’t mind me asking, what are your bakers percentages?

 

[GotRocks]

We started doing pan pizzas a few months back, I got some steel 12" pans, seasoned them (Read; Blackened them heavily)

We had some issues at first, but then changed the build and they get topped in 2 stages to fix it,
We found that if we put sauce directly on the dough, we’d never get them baked properly. So we do dough, cheese, meats, after a short bake time, we pull them out, hit them with the sauce, the veggies, and more cheese and finish the bake.

We also use a fair amount of olive oil in the pan to get a fried dough texture, and make sure we get cheese on the edges of the pan for crispy caramelized cheese edges, they’ve been popular here since we are the only place doing pan pizzas since pizza hut burned down a few years back (I had nothing to do with that, I have a solid alibi)

 

[GotRocks]

Wow, does that work out for you? Do customers not mind waiting that long? and is it not difficult training staff to manage such a process?

Most people who like pan pizza know it will be a longer wait time, so We have never had anyone complain.

Heck, my first (and last) time at the original Uno’s in Chicago, I waited 2.5 hours outside, in drizzle just to get a taste of one of their deep pies.
Sadly, that was a wasted 2.5 hours of my life that I can never again regain

 

[Trey]

Tayyab, what type of flour do you use?

 

[Tayyab123]

I use a 12.5% unbleached flour. Its called Bravo dont’t think you will have heard of it. My pizza has improved now i cut down the oil and sugar and it seems to be doing a lot better

 

[Georgiascp]

We do pan pizzas but not deep dish just a regular pan pizza. I have also worked with screens in my previous location so what you use is pretty much a matter of preference and also what type of pizza you want to make. Previous location we were doing new york style pizza you cant do this in a pan. When we took over this location their dough process was also different than what we do now. Before they would sheet pizzas into the pans let them proof then when they would get an order they would dock the crap out of the skin and when the pizza came out it was a very compressed bread. I didnt like this so we changed it up a bit. Our current method is we sheet out dough into pans, stack them and let them proof till the skins are nice and puffy put away in fridge and use as needed. We do this method per shift if they sit for a whole day they dont quite cook well. End result is a nice fluffy crust that looks like a thick crust but with less bread. I too thought we were having a gum line problem so after some research which involved trouble shooting all of the problems listed in the article by tom lehman about gum line we didnt end up having one. I believe i read somewhere where tom had posted or written (I dont remember where it was) to take your pizza and tear the pizza instead of cutting it and you will be able to see if your bread is cooked or if you have a gum line. I believe he said that when the pizza is cut with the cutter it stretches that thin layer of dough that is underneath the cheese and gives the appearance of a gum line. Try cooking a pizza and dont cut but just take it with your hand and tear it and you will be able to see if you bread is cooked on the inside or if you do have a gum line. Also I like the flavor that the pan pizza has as it does fry a bit in the pan we have a high oil content in our dough so no need to add extra to the pan.

 

[durbancic]

Our current method is we sheet out dough into pans, stack them and let them proof till the skins are nice and puffy put away in fridge and use as needed. We do this method per shift if they sit for a whole day they dont quite cook well. End result is a nice fluffy crust that looks like a thick crust but with less bread.

Do you sheet out all of your dough at the beginning of the day, for the whole day? It usually takes appx 4-5 hours for our dough to be as large as you are referring to in order to accomplish that. Maybe your dough has a higher yeast content? We use 0.50% yeast and it is instant active dry.
Also, are you pulling directly from walkin to make pizzas, or letting them temper a bit at room temperature before they are being used? If I am reading it right, the fact that your dough is puffy and airy makes it cook better, not the fact that it is cold?
Do you still dock the dough at all?

 

[bodegahwy]

Ideally we proof our doughballs at room temp. When making a pie we hand toss and lightly dock for both flat and pan pizza. For pan, we lay the dough in the pan pulling the dough up the sides and then par bake by putting it in through the side at about half way. That makes the dough rise up and get nice and puffy.

 

[Georgiascp]

Do you sheet out all of your dough at the beginning of the day, for the whole day? It usually takes appx 4-5 hours for our dough to be as large as you are referring to in order to accomplish that. Maybe your dough has a higher yeast content? We use 0.50% yeast and it is instant active dry.
Also, are you pulling directly from walkin to make pizzas, or letting them temper a bit at room temperature before they are being used? If I am reading it right, the fact that your dough is puffy and airy makes it cook better, not the fact that it is cold?
Do you still dock the dough at all?

We pull the dough balls from the walkin sheet into pans and let them proof at room temperature. When they have proofed in the pan we put them away some go in the prep table I have pulled out the racks so they can’t fit and the rest go in the walkin. Our yeast content is 1% active dry yeast. During the summer they proof quick about an hour a little less. During the winter time about a couple of hours. I have a small table close to the oven that I set the pans on so they can be close to heat. We do this for the shift if they sit all day they cook funny. If you under proof and put in the fridge they also cook funny. We do not dock the dough I don’t like the effect on the finished product and we don’t let the dough balls sit to get room temperature we sheet them cold. The end result is a fluffy and crunchy crust. Any left over dough in the pans we through into the next batch of dough which I was initially throwing away until someone on here mentioned to throw in the next batch of dough so there is no waste. I am actually thinking of cutting back a bit on the yeast as sometimes I feel like it’s too much but I have to experiment first.

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[durbancic]

We pull the dough balls from the walkin sheet into pans and let them proof at room temperature. When they have proofed in the pan we put them away some go in the prep table I have pulled out the racks so they can’t fit and the rest go in the walkin. Our yeast content is 1% active dry yeast. During the summer they proof quick about an hour a little less. During the winter time about a couple of hours. I have a small table close to the oven that I set the pans on so they can be close to heat. We do this for the shift if they sit all day they cook funny. If you under proof and put in the fridge they also cook funny. We do not dock the dough I don’t like the effect on the finished product and we don’t let the dough balls sit to get room temperature we sheet them cold. The end result is a fluffy and crunchy crust. Any left over dough in the pans we through into the next batch of dough which I was initially throwing away until someone on here mentioned to throw in the next batch of dough so there is no waste. I am actually thinking of cutting back a bit on the yeast as sometimes I feel like it’s too much but I have to experiment first.

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So you are using active dry yeast- you create a small water/yeast mixture before you add it to the dough, correct?
Are you using high gluten flour or different?

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