Lehmann?

[gdimarca]

Tom,
What is the difference when adding either vegetable oil, liquid shortening, or lard to the dough mix. What unique properties do they add to the dough. Which one is better to use. Also how would I go about getting a more chewier textured crust?

Thanks for your input

 

[Tom_Lehmann]

Vegetable oil and liquid shortening should be added to the dough only after the flour has been mixed for a couple minutes, allowing it to hydrate prior to the addition of the liquid fat. Failure to do so can allow the liquid fat to soak into a portion of the flour thus reducing it’s ability to produce gluten, and in doing so, leading to inconsistencies in the dough performance. Lard has a unique flavor that it imparts to the finished crust, as do other forms of fat, such as butter, flavored margarine, olive oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, etc. In a carry out pizza system, shortening tends to provide for a slightly chewier carry-out/delivered crust while liquid fats tend to provide for a more tender eating carry-out/delivered crust. When consumed fresh, such as with dine-in, there is no perceiver difference in texture resulting from the use of oil or solid fat in the crust. Keep in mind that solid fats do not need to be added in a delayed manner as the liquid fats do. This is because they do not soak into the flour, but rather, they must be physically mixed into the flour/dough.
To achieve a chewier textured crust go with a higher protein content flour such as All Trumps, or delete the fat entirely from your dough formula.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

 

[gdimarca]

Tom,
Thanks for your quick reply. I am currently using Cerasota all purpose flour. Can you mix an all purpose with a high gluten flour? Does that do anything to the dough and what percentage would you use? Also does a butter vegetable oil give the dough a more buttery tasting crust?

thanks

 

[Tom_Lehmann]

Ceresota flour can be blended with a high or higher protein flour to give a chewier finished crust texture. I would start at a 50/50 blend and go from there. The buttery flavor of a butter oil should impart some of that same flavor to the finished crust just as a butter flavored margarine would.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

 

[gdimarca]

Tom,
I have been experimenting with your basic dough recipe and have come up with a very great tasting dough. The only part that I substituted was using liquid shortening instead of vegetable oil. The dough is great however, it feels like a water ballon. It is very sticky and hard to pass thru a roller. What do you suggest I do? Also is the taste the same using a solid liquid shortening as compared to the clear liquid?

Thanks for your input

 

[Tom_Lehmann]

Unless there is a difference in the flavor of the fat, the type of fat used to make the dough will not affect the flavor of the finished crust.
Keep in mind that water content of the dough is not a constant as are the other ingredients, this means that the water content (absorption) may change from time to time, or with the type of flour used, so, by all means, don’t be afraid to reduct the dough absorption to a lower value to improve the way the dough handles through the sheeter.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

 

[gdimarca]

Tom.
What do you mean by reducing the absorption? Are you referring to the water content? Also does pure liquid shorteing have more water content than creamy liquid shortening? One last question, I hope, does adding more water to dough mixture make the dough more cripsy?

thanks again (working on the perfect dough crust)

 

[Tom_Lehmann]

Yes, reducing the absorption means the same as adding less water to the dough, or reducing the amount of water added to the dough.
Neither pure oil, or liquid shortening contain any water, they are both 100% fat, but as liquids, they will effectively have a similar affect on the dough as water with regard to dough viscosity. Both oil and liquid shortening will contribute to making the dough somewhat softer feeling, and more easily stretched in the same way as adding more water to the dough would. This is the reason why, in some cases, like when we are pushing the dough absorption to the max, we must actually reduce the amount of water added when we increase the oil content, failure to do so would result in a dough that would be softer than desired. I was just out on a consulting job last week and we had to make a significant increase in the oil content of the dough, to do this without allowing the dough to get too soft, I had to reduce the water by the same amount as I had increased the oil content. Don’t worry about this though as this only happens in rare cases.
To answer the last part of your question, yes, adding more water to the dough does contribute to making for a crispier finished crust. To maximize the dough absorption you keep increasing the dough adborption until the dough begins to get sticky or difficult to handle, then back of a little (about 2% of the flour weight is usually sufficient) and that is the maximum absorption for your dough, with your dough management procedure, and your forming procedure. This should give you the crispiest finished crust with regard to dough absorption. Do keep in mind though that there are other things that affect the final crispiness of the crust too aside from dough absorption.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor