| p>Making pizza dough at home only requires a few | | | | closely mimic the pizza crust that is similar to your |
| simple ingredients, a great pizza dough recipe, and little | | | | neighborhood pizza shop. |
| knowledge, and a few tools and techniques. There is | | | | Use fresh yeast. If you have some yeast stuck in the |
| nothing better than making pizza dough that is | | | | back of your refrigerator that has been there since |
| homemade and you will certainly taste the difference | | | | your teenager was just a baby, throw it out and |
| when compared to store bought products or to your | | | | purchase fresh yeast. Yeast is an active, living |
| local pizza shop. | | | | microorganism and will need to be alive to produce the |
| The pizza crust is usually the area that gives most | | | | gases for making pizza dough. The process of |
| people frustration when making homemade pizza, but | | | | activating yeast will tell you whether you have dead |
| it is the central element to creating a great pizza. | | | | yeast, there is also an expiration date stamped on the |
| Making pizza dough is often thought of as a | | | | package. |
| mysterious and confusing process, but it does not | | | | Whether you know it or not the water coming out of |
| have to be that way. | | | | your tap changes all of the time. In addition, in some |
| Many Variables | | | | parts of the country the water is softer than other |
| Flour, water, salt, and yeast... | | | | areas where the water is harder. This difference in |
| These four simple ingredients are all that is required for | | | | water will have an impact on your baking. |
| making pizza dough, and while we naturally would | | | | Putting it all together |
| assume that this is an easy process and we can't go | | | | So, even though there are only a few ingredients used |
| wrong, sometimes it is the simple things that prove | | | | in making pizza dough, there are many variables |
| most difficult. | | | | affecting the successful outcome of each dough. |
| There are a couple of other variable that can affect | | | | While some of them are in your control many are not, |
| your pizza dough, altitude, temperature and humidity | | | | and the best approach is to simply select good quality |
| can change the absorption or bake times considerable. | | | | flour, purchase fresh yeast, and generally ignore the |
| These elements do not usually change dramatically | | | | rest of the variables. Now is the time to roll up your |
| from one day to the next, so they only need | | | | sleeves and get your hands dirty. I encourage you to |
| consideration during change of seasons or when you | | | | begin by making pizza dough by hand so that you can |
| travel to another location. | | | | develop a feel for what works and what doesn't. The |
| So, our ingredients can greatly affect the outcome | | | | knowledge and feel you develop will also help you |
| when making pizza dough. Commercial flour is actually | | | | solve the other variables once you understand what a |
| a blend of several types of flour. The flour is blended | | | | good dough feels like. |
| to try and create a consistent final product, because | | | | Our best advice for making pizza dough is just do it, |
| the characteristics of wheat vary significantly from | | | | get your ingredients together, get your hands dirty and |
| field to field. | | | | have some fun. Your first dough may not turn out |
| The final product, your finished pizza dough, will be | | | | exactly the way you want, don't worry about it just try |
| greatly affected by the flour you use. The most | | | | it again. Maybe you should not wait until 20 guests are |
| common types of flour used are: All Purpose, Bread, | | | | coming over for dinner to try making pizza dough, but |
| and High Gluten. The home chef is most familiar with | | | | otherwise practice, practice, practice and before you |
| All Purpose flour, but most pizzerias use some type of | | | | know it you will be making the best pizza in your town. |
| High Gluten flour. Good quality high gluten flour will more | | | | |