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I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!!!!

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prooney82

New member
I’m sure you’ve been asked this question a million times before…so I guess one more won’t hurt. My pizzeria currently puts out around 200 large pizzas on an average friday night. I am the only one making pizzas, so this can get a little crazy at times. I have tried to pre-stretch skins prior to my rush hour(s), but they dry up within half an hour…resulting in the bottoms cooking very unevenly. The dough also ends up with super thin spots scattered throughout the skins…any feedback would be much appreciated!!!
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!

Sounds like the conditions in your shop must be exceptionally dry as they should last a couple hours easy. Maybe put one of those vinyl covers over the rack if you can’t overcome your conditions???

We will bake off dried out skins sometimes for ourselves but have never had an issue with uneven cooking or scattered thin spots due to dryness. Thin spots sound like stretching issues. Maybe stretching while the dough is too cold?

Maybe not enough oil in dough?

The only symptoms of dry dough we have experienced is the outer edge cracking up but over a much longer period of time.
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!

Those thin spots are most likely due to the way you are stretching the dough skins. One thing that I have found to work very well is to use a sheeter to pre-open the dough balls to roughly 2-inches less than full diameter, then finish opening the dough by hand. This still gives a full hand tosses appearance, as well as all of the characteristics, but it does so without the thin spots in the center (unless you really work at getting the thin spots). Once you have opened the dough up with a sheeter, place the dough on a screen and put into the cooler for about 20-minutes, then stack on a tray or cardboard circle, with a piece of parchment paper between each dough skin, store on a wire tree rack and cover with a plastic bag or rack cover. The doug can be kept for up to two hours this way. I like to do this in preparation for the busy periods. It will really help to speed things up when you get slammed.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!

Thanks for the advice! Our biggest limiting factor is our work space(or lack of). The walk-in cooler is only 6x6 and is already packed. We simply don’t have the space necessary to store the skins in our cooler. Hopefully your advice will work out and worst case… we’ll make it through!
TANKS AGAIN!!!
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!

You do 200 large pizzas… by yourself… in one night…?
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!

I use 15 shelf pizza racks with clear plastic trash bags over them to keep the skins from drying out.

I change out the bags every 3-5 days. It has worked great for years and I can generally keep skins up for 60-90 minutes without noticeable effects. (I try to shoot for 1 hour max, but don’t notice much difference even up to two hours. It also seems to improve the bake.)
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!

Pizzachop:
For the sake of any food safety or health inspectors who might also be tuned in to this channel, you did mean to say “food contact approved, or restaurant approved”, clear plastic bags, didn’t you. I thought you did.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!

err…right!

Of course that’s what I meant! :lol:
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!
Tom Lehmann:
Pizzachop:
For the sake of any food safety or health inspectors who might also be tuned in to this channel, you did mean to say “food contact approved, or restaurant approved”, clear plastic bags, didn’t you. I thought you did.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
Click to expand...
Does anyone have a source for washable/reusable vinyl or plastic covers to fit a table-top pan rack like this:
http://www.katom.com/Merchant2/products/166/166-19029.jpg?

My googlefu is failing me - I can’t seem to locate a vendor that sells anything which would work.
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!

Large plastic bage work well, but are reusable for only a short time. We have had them made for us at a local upholstery shop. Use a couple Velcro tabe to secure the front panel rather than zippers. It’s cheaper and works better too. Or, you might give the dimensions to Kristy Buchmeier at Prarie View Industries [email protected] 402-729-4058. They have them available for their racks, and I’d bet that they have one that will come pretty close to sizing up for your rack too. She will need to height, depth, and width to see if they have one that will match, or come close.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!
brad randall:
Tom Lehmann:
Pizzachop:
For the sake of any food safety or health inspectors who might also be tuned in to this channel, you did mean to say “food contact approved, or restaurant approved”, clear plastic bags, didn’t you. I thought you did.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
Click to expand...
Does anyone have a source for washable/reusable vinyl or plastic covers to fit a table-top pan rack like this:
http://www.katom.com/Merchant2/products/166/166-19029.jpg?

My googlefu is failing me - I can’t seem to locate a vendor that sells anything which would work.
Click to expand...
Hey, does that mean us Aussie have something you guys don’t ??? :lol: :lol: :lol:

I bought 8 rack covers last year for $15 each on E-Bay in Australia. They are heavy clear vinyl with a heavy duty zip up the front. They go neatly over the top of the 18 pizza high racks. Keep the moisture in and actually keep the dough nice and soft, plus keep flies off the (a BIG problem where we are in summertime).

I swear by these and they are a lot better than plastic garbage bags, and are health certified to boot.

Dave
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!

Dave;
That was a great price on those rack covers!
Do you remember if you bought them from an individual or from a vendor selling them on E-Bay?
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
 
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Re: I am having some trouble pre-stretching my dough skins!!

Tom they were and still are available from a someone in Melbourne, Victoria. I think he may be a clearance house or something like that.

A company who manufactures pizza boxes etc was selling them for $25 each but they took them off their listing and replaced them with something they said is better for $45 each.

I’m more than happy with mine though.

They are still on E-bay.com.au under Restaurant and Catering / Other Restaurant and Catering with this link

http://business.shop.ebay.com.au/i.html … p3286.m270

Dave
 
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