thin crust dough

[system]

can anyone explain the process of making a good quality thin dough! Should I cut back on the yeast so that the dough does not get a good rise or what?

 

[snowman]

lness3:

can anyone explain the process of making a good quality thin dough! Should I cut back on the yeast so that the dough does not get a good rise or what?

No, you’ll end up with unleavened bread, which frankly, is disgusting. A good thin crust dough is simply thicker than pan pizza dough. A good thin crust (crackery crust) is rolled out in a sheeter. I’ve not seen one that could be hand-formed with any ease.

Another thing you’ll need is good heat. 350 degrees ain’t gonna cut it.

Tom Lehmann will probably be by with better technical information like oil and yeast ratios, but in the mean time, make sure your dough is pretty darned thick (less water, more flour).

 

[ADpizzaguy]

I think the key with thin crust dough is the mix time… you don’t want to mix it as long as you would for a thicker crust. The longer you work the strands of gluten in the flour the more it will stretch them which will alllow the dough to rise more. When I worked with Pizza Hut, we mixed our pan dough for over ten minutes, the thin dough was mixed for under three. Of course, like the person above said you need to use a sheeter/dough roller. And it’s best if the thin dough is aged a bit I think.

 

[pizzapirate]

snowman:

lness3:

make sure your dough is pretty darned thick (less water, more flour).

Its my understanding that adding more water makes the dough more workable when hand tossing. From what you are saying, if I add more water the finished crust will also be less crispy?

 

[Patriot_sPizza]

IMAO thin crust dough requires a flour like All Trump, normal H20 and has a day or 2 of cooler rest/proofing…less water is never a good idea for a hi-protein flour

we use 19/20 oz. of dough for an 18" pizza and hand toss it…comes out paper thin (in a conveyor yet!)

 

[wa_dave]

We use the same dough for our thins, just less of it.

Normal large 13" we use 450gm but for thins we use 320gm. All our dough goes through sheeters and then hand rolled with a spike dough roller. The sheeter tension is incresed by 50% to roll it out thinner.

Cooks thin and crispy with no problems and no hassels making different dough and mucking around with formulations.

Dave

 

[system]

I use trumps flour and have tried to take a 10oz dough ball to make a 14" pizza and we slap and dock it out paper thin but the edges still puff up a bit like hand tossed so it is not a true thin crust.

 

[snowman]

pizzapirate:

snowman:

lness3:

make sure your dough is pretty darned thick (less water, more flour).

Its my understanding that adding more water makes the dough more workable when hand tossing. From what you are saying, if I add more water the finished crust will also be less crispy?

If you work it by hand, you won’t degass the dough as well. Crackery and crispy aren’t the same things. The amount of water in the dough will affect the “fluffiness”. Crackery isn’t fluffy.

 

[system]

lness3:

can anyone explain the process of making a good quality thin dough! Should I cut back on the yeast so that the dough does not get a good rise or what?

are you looking for a thin and crispy,
thin and cracker
thin and chewy
each has a different dough profile

 

[pizzapirate]

what is the difference between crispy & cracker?

I want to achieve a good crunch when bitten into. Not sure if that means crackery or crispy according to the terminology here.

 

[snowman]

pizzapirate:

what is the difference between crispy & cracker?

I want to achieve a good crunch when bitten into. Not sure if that means crackery or crispy according to the terminology here.

crusty bread is crispy. A cracker is crispy. Crusty bread is not crackery. Pizza Hut’s “thin & crispy” is crackery.

Crackery crust will sort of crumble when you bite into it. It has dense layers of crispiness. I guess there’s just no “bread” between the top and bottom of the crispy. I’m sure there’s a better way to explain it, but it’s the “anti-biscuit”.

St. Louis and Chicago style pizzas use a crackery crust (the similarity stops right there). New York is thin, but soft.

There are only three ways to differentiate yourself from every other pizza joint… the crust, the sauce, and the cheese (toppings can vary, of course, but not all pizzas have other toppings).

 

[Tom_Lehmann]

Actually, we use the same dough a lot of the time for both thick and thin crusts. Just cut the scaling weight for the thin crust to something in the 8 to 10-ounce range for a 12-inch pizza and you will be set to go. For a hand tossed pizza you wil want to keep the dough absorption up there to keep the dough easy to shape. It is also easier to stretch a soft dough out for a super thin crust than it is to stretch a stiffer dough out. If you want to make a cracker type crust, begin cutting the water back and use a sheeter ot form the dough piece. The stiff consistency will inhibit dough spring/jump in the oven resulting in a much flatter overall crust profile with more of the cracker like characteristics. If you will go to the RECIPE BANK you can see some of the dough formulas that I’ve posted for both thin and thick crusts.
By the way, a good (thin crust) dough formula will look something like this:
Flour (high protein) 100%
Salt 1.5%
Yeast (IDY) 0.375%
Olive oil 2%
Water 47% for a cracker type crust or 56% for a New York style crust.
Sugar is an optional ingredient in thin crust dough. I personally, don’t use it, but if you wish to use it, go with 2%.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor