I want to know how to determine the amount of dough (in grams) to use per pizza (or per type of pan). I play around with different dough recipes and different pans; sometimes I have too much dough for one pizza, other times not enough and it gets stretched too thin (same with my patience 😂). Quite a dilemma - please help solve with your expertise! 🍕
I wanted to include a graphic in Pizza Night that essentially answered this question but space was so tight and I had to cut back some of the extra material... but now you have me thinking it would be fun to have a graphic made to share here and as "bonus" content. Stay tuned! It's a great question.
One other lid suggestion I've found to come in handy is universal silicone lids for mixing bowls -- these ones fit over skillets and Dutch ovens, too, and are helpful if I don't want to transfer the dough out of the vessel that I just mixed it up in. https://madeincookware.com/products/silicone-universal-cookware-lid/pomme-red
Can I ask why you don't recommend mixing up the dough in the straight sided vessel? I've been mixing my sourdough in that and keeping it in there to rise as I'm just lazy and don't want to wash another bowl. I use a danish dough wisk so I feel pretty confident that I'm getting everything when I'm mixing but want to make sure I'm not missing another reason why I should mix in another bowl and transfer.
That's a great question, and it's really just my personal preference — you're not missing anything. I find I can mix dough better in a bowl than in a straight-sided vessel. I also prefer to do stretches and folds in a bowl than a straight-sided vessel (when I'm making sourdough breads and pizzas). It's really just a user experience thing for me, and this doesn't mean you can't mix dough well in a straight-sided vessel. It sounds as though you have a good method with your Danish dough whisk. I'm all about finding what works for you, and if that means cleaning one fewer vessels, I am all for it!
Hi- I couldn’t seem to find a place to leave a general comment, so I will leave it here. I recently splurged on an indoor pizza oven, the Breville Pizzaiola. I find that there is definitely a learning curve for determining the right settings and doughs. Since I have seen your video where you use an outdoor pizza oven, I am wondering if you are able to give some tips on using these type of appliances. I have yet to find a site that supports these products, beyond a few basic recipes. I have had mostly great success with it, but also a few mishaps with it. It is a high end product, so I can see why it might not have a lot of supporting sites or a book. Perhaps if you contacted Breville for the purpose of supporting it through your site or for perhaps a future book, they might even offer you the appliance free! In any case, maybe through your connections in the field, you could just direct me and others where we might benefit from experienced users of it.
Thanks. I am enjoying your website and newsletters and have pre-ordered your new book
Caryn I have that oven, and I actually have been meaning to review that here... I will soon. In the meantime, what I find to be helpful is to make smaller sized dough balls. I use balls that are roughly 220 grams each as opposed to 250 grams each. Because space is so tight in there, I find the smaller size helps.
Second, for settings: I use the manual settings — do you know how to switch the oven to manual? — and I set the deck temp and the top temp to 750ºF. I bake it for two to three minutes… definitely keep an eye on it. I always find the first pizza is a little wonky ... if it's too dark, I'll lower the temp slightly.
Thank you so much for your reply. Yes, I do know how to change to manual mode, but the instructions that come with the oven really don’t explain how to use that mode. That is why I would love more information on how to best use it for pizza and other things.
So I make my dough in my bread machine and then I refrigerate it for 24 to 36 hours. I use 3 Rubbermaid "take along" containers. I haven't tried it yet, but when I go to warm up the dough from the fridge the next time, I will take the lid off, let the air out of the dough, and leave the dough in the container on my counter for several hours to get the dough to warm up and rise again. Does that sound like a good idea? If it is, this makes making a pizza even more fun and easy.
OK, sorry, I just read where you said in a post below that you should take the dough out of the refrigerator vessel because the vessel takes too long to warm up. So I'll go back to the way I have been doing it - I'll take all three balls and put them on an oiled cutting board, cover them with Saran Wrap and let them sit for 60 to 90 minutes. Can't wait to get your book....wooohoo for pizza.
Yes, it's best to remove the dough balls from their vessels right when you remove them from the fridge for the reason you note — so they warm up more quickly — but also because you're less likely to mangle them when they are cold/straight from the fridge.
Great post! I love my KA 2 quart round and square lidded containers! In a pinch I also use a pyrex bowl and cover it with an elasticized bowl cap - just like a shower cap. Reusable and my dough stays moist.
salami Calabrese (preferably or soppressata or any dried Italian cured meat that you like... I find the quality varies but I generally really like the salami Calabrese)
pickled peppers (optional... I love Mama Lil's but banana peppers or sweet hot cherry peppers all work great)
homemade ricotta (or store bought)
for the homemade: heavy cream, whole milk, salt, vinegar
I would take the containers of individual dough balls from the fridge to the counter. I never considered putting it in another container. Is the difference huge?
I do find it helpful to remove the dough ball from its fridge storage container and transfer it to another for a final proof for a few reasons:
1. The fridge container is cold, so keeping the dough in the cold container means it will take longer for the dough ball to get to where it needs to be before baking.
2. As soon as you bring your vessel from the fridge to room temperature, the dough ball will begin to grow and expand due to the the warmer room temperature. If it stays in the smaller vessel at room temperature, when you're ready to extract it, it will be harder to remove without deflating and mangling it. If you transfer it to a roomier vessel right away, you're giving it the space it needs to relax and expand during its final proof. And then, when you're ready to remove it and shape it, you'll be able to gently lift it out of the container and begin stretching it without harming its shape.
I've been flirting with buying that Ooni stack for so long now. (Side note: their dual-platform scale is amazing and I highly recommend! Do you love it as well?)
I use the round 4-cup Pyrex storage containers for my cold proofs, which are the same dimensions as the Ooni containers, but require separate lids and definitely use more vertical space when you stack them.
For bulk fermentation and final room temp proof I use these Wild Clementine reusable dish covers: https://www.wildclementine.co/ The round bowl covers, work great for bulk fermentation (and cold proofing my bread!). I have a flat sheet pan cover, which I usually drape over my pizza dough during final proof. The lining is PUL plastic (food safe), so I don't have problems with it sticking to the dough and it cleans up really easily. I LOVE these covers.
I also have a set of silicone lids like Lukas mentioned (and love them!) but I'd never seen the universal option. I wish I'd known about that before I bought the Misen set!
Seeing your bubbly dough makes me think I need to revisit my fermentation/proofing times. Clearly I am not pushing my dough far enough. Lol.
I love the dual-platform scale! So accurate. Highly recommend as well.
Thanks for sharing all of these ideas Carrie! I ordered that lid Lukas mentioned and I'm very excited about it, but I am going to check out the Clementine dish covers, too. They're so cheerful!
Ali (at Wild Clementine) is in the process of restocking and adding a bunch of new prints. If you follow her on IG she shares previews all the time. The new prints are really nice, so I’d wait for them to come out before ordering. ;) She’s also super flexible about custom orders if you want something she doesn’t have in her shop. :)
I do not recommend freezing sourdough actually - it just doesn't perform as well even after short periods in the freezer. I'd suggest parbaking any leftover rounds you don't use on your pizza night: stretch them out; then bake them for 60-90 seconds. Freeze those once they are cool.
4 quart pyrex are my fave!!!!
So handy!
I want to know how to determine the amount of dough (in grams) to use per pizza (or per type of pan). I play around with different dough recipes and different pans; sometimes I have too much dough for one pizza, other times not enough and it gets stretched too thin (same with my patience 😂). Quite a dilemma - please help solve with your expertise! 🍕
I wanted to include a graphic in Pizza Night that essentially answered this question but space was so tight and I had to cut back some of the extra material... but now you have me thinking it would be fun to have a graphic made to share here and as "bonus" content. Stay tuned! It's a great question.
Bonus content for pre-orders!!! 🙏🏻
oooh I'm eyeing those Ooni stacks!
One other lid suggestion I've found to come in handy is universal silicone lids for mixing bowls -- these ones fit over skillets and Dutch ovens, too, and are helpful if I don't want to transfer the dough out of the vessel that I just mixed it up in. https://madeincookware.com/products/silicone-universal-cookware-lid/pomme-red
So smart! Love this. I have a skillet I've been looking to get a lid for — I think this will be the one. Thank you for sending!
Can I ask why you don't recommend mixing up the dough in the straight sided vessel? I've been mixing my sourdough in that and keeping it in there to rise as I'm just lazy and don't want to wash another bowl. I use a danish dough wisk so I feel pretty confident that I'm getting everything when I'm mixing but want to make sure I'm not missing another reason why I should mix in another bowl and transfer.
That's a great question, and it's really just my personal preference — you're not missing anything. I find I can mix dough better in a bowl than in a straight-sided vessel. I also prefer to do stretches and folds in a bowl than a straight-sided vessel (when I'm making sourdough breads and pizzas). It's really just a user experience thing for me, and this doesn't mean you can't mix dough well in a straight-sided vessel. It sounds as though you have a good method with your Danish dough whisk. I'm all about finding what works for you, and if that means cleaning one fewer vessels, I am all for it!
Perfect sense!!! 🙏🙏🙏 grazie for the zippy reply and all the helpful info! ❤️
oooh thank you for this post! we are building a pizza oven and about to start focusing on my dough recipe! so helpful 🙏
Yay!! Outdoor ovens are so much fun :) :) :)
May is 'find the perfect pizza dough recipe' - can't wait to dig into your newsletter and order your book! Exciting 😊
Awww thanks :)
Hi- I couldn’t seem to find a place to leave a general comment, so I will leave it here. I recently splurged on an indoor pizza oven, the Breville Pizzaiola. I find that there is definitely a learning curve for determining the right settings and doughs. Since I have seen your video where you use an outdoor pizza oven, I am wondering if you are able to give some tips on using these type of appliances. I have yet to find a site that supports these products, beyond a few basic recipes. I have had mostly great success with it, but also a few mishaps with it. It is a high end product, so I can see why it might not have a lot of supporting sites or a book. Perhaps if you contacted Breville for the purpose of supporting it through your site or for perhaps a future book, they might even offer you the appliance free! In any case, maybe through your connections in the field, you could just direct me and others where we might benefit from experienced users of it.
Thanks. I am enjoying your website and newsletters and have pre-ordered your new book
Caryn I have that oven, and I actually have been meaning to review that here... I will soon. In the meantime, what I find to be helpful is to make smaller sized dough balls. I use balls that are roughly 220 grams each as opposed to 250 grams each. Because space is so tight in there, I find the smaller size helps.
Second, for settings: I use the manual settings — do you know how to switch the oven to manual? — and I set the deck temp and the top temp to 750ºF. I bake it for two to three minutes… definitely keep an eye on it. I always find the first pizza is a little wonky ... if it's too dark, I'll lower the temp slightly.
Thank you so much for your reply. Yes, I do know how to change to manual mode, but the instructions that come with the oven really don’t explain how to use that mode. That is why I would love more information on how to best use it for pizza and other things.
Got it! OK, I will try to post something about the Breville Pizzaiolo soon :)
So I make my dough in my bread machine and then I refrigerate it for 24 to 36 hours. I use 3 Rubbermaid "take along" containers. I haven't tried it yet, but when I go to warm up the dough from the fridge the next time, I will take the lid off, let the air out of the dough, and leave the dough in the container on my counter for several hours to get the dough to warm up and rise again. Does that sound like a good idea? If it is, this makes making a pizza even more fun and easy.
OK, sorry, I just read where you said in a post below that you should take the dough out of the refrigerator vessel because the vessel takes too long to warm up. So I'll go back to the way I have been doing it - I'll take all three balls and put them on an oiled cutting board, cover them with Saran Wrap and let them sit for 60 to 90 minutes. Can't wait to get your book....wooohoo for pizza.
Thank you Barbara!
Yes, it's best to remove the dough balls from their vessels right when you remove them from the fridge for the reason you note — so they warm up more quickly — but also because you're less likely to mangle them when they are cold/straight from the fridge.
Great post! I love my KA 2 quart round and square lidded containers! In a pinch I also use a pyrex bowl and cover it with an elasticized bowl cap - just like a shower cap. Reusable and my dough stays moist.
Those shower cap-like covers are great! I do love those KA 2-quart containers so!
Thanks! I like to be prepared. Just preordered Pizza Night!
I get it! I made the sauce and the ricotta today :) And thank you... means so much 💕💕
Any chance of an ingredient list for upcoming pizzas?
Hi! OK, this week, the pizza will be topped with:
no-cook tomato sauce (which you can find in the notes of this recipe: https://alexandracooks.com/2024/01/06/thin-and-crispy-gluten-free-pizza-crust/) for which you will need:
28 oz peeled plum tomatoes
garlic
olive oil
salt
red onion
salami Calabrese (preferably or soppressata or any dried Italian cured meat that you like... I find the quality varies but I generally really like the salami Calabrese)
pickled peppers (optional... I love Mama Lil's but banana peppers or sweet hot cherry peppers all work great)
homemade ricotta (or store bought)
for the homemade: heavy cream, whole milk, salt, vinegar
Oh goodness of course! I’m so enjoying your Friday pizza posts!
Thank you, Susan :)
I would take the containers of individual dough balls from the fridge to the counter. I never considered putting it in another container. Is the difference huge?
I do find it helpful to remove the dough ball from its fridge storage container and transfer it to another for a final proof for a few reasons:
1. The fridge container is cold, so keeping the dough in the cold container means it will take longer for the dough ball to get to where it needs to be before baking.
2. As soon as you bring your vessel from the fridge to room temperature, the dough ball will begin to grow and expand due to the the warmer room temperature. If it stays in the smaller vessel at room temperature, when you're ready to extract it, it will be harder to remove without deflating and mangling it. If you transfer it to a roomier vessel right away, you're giving it the space it needs to relax and expand during its final proof. And then, when you're ready to remove it and shape it, you'll be able to gently lift it out of the container and begin stretching it without harming its shape.
Thanks for explaining that! Makes sense- will definitely try!
I've been flirting with buying that Ooni stack for so long now. (Side note: their dual-platform scale is amazing and I highly recommend! Do you love it as well?)
I use the round 4-cup Pyrex storage containers for my cold proofs, which are the same dimensions as the Ooni containers, but require separate lids and definitely use more vertical space when you stack them.
For bulk fermentation and final room temp proof I use these Wild Clementine reusable dish covers: https://www.wildclementine.co/ The round bowl covers, work great for bulk fermentation (and cold proofing my bread!). I have a flat sheet pan cover, which I usually drape over my pizza dough during final proof. The lining is PUL plastic (food safe), so I don't have problems with it sticking to the dough and it cleans up really easily. I LOVE these covers.
I also have a set of silicone lids like Lukas mentioned (and love them!) but I'd never seen the universal option. I wish I'd known about that before I bought the Misen set!
Seeing your bubbly dough makes me think I need to revisit my fermentation/proofing times. Clearly I am not pushing my dough far enough. Lol.
I love the dual-platform scale! So accurate. Highly recommend as well.
Thanks for sharing all of these ideas Carrie! I ordered that lid Lukas mentioned and I'm very excited about it, but I am going to check out the Clementine dish covers, too. They're so cheerful!
Ali (at Wild Clementine) is in the process of restocking and adding a bunch of new prints. If you follow her on IG she shares previews all the time. The new prints are really nice, so I’d wait for them to come out before ordering. ;) She’s also super flexible about custom orders if you want something she doesn’t have in her shop. :)
Any idea when you’ll be demo-ing the Gozney? I’ve been looking at that one.
I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner... it's 7º here this morning 🤣 As soon as it warms up slightly, I will give it a go. Stay tuned.
I love the sourdough pizza dough but I usually need to freeze the dough… what do you freeze your dough in??
I do not recommend freezing sourdough actually - it just doesn't perform as well even after short periods in the freezer. I'd suggest parbaking any leftover rounds you don't use on your pizza night: stretch them out; then bake them for 60-90 seconds. Freeze those once they are cool.