Making the Perfect Pizza base at home ??

KPM.ie

I have tried everyone recipe going from all the pizza greats but still i get this heavy biscuity base when I make it at home. Any idea?? Surely it just cant be down to oven temp. Can anyone help with suggestions or tips?

fred funk }{

There's a pizza recipe in the cooking club forum. It's lovely and i use it all the time. Instead of plain flour I use '00' flour, it's more refined than normal flour and it's nicer. Roma do it and it can be got in Tesco.
My bases are nothing like biscuity at all.

enda1

KPM.ie wrote: »

I have tried everyone recipe going from all the pizza greats but still i get this heavy biscuity base when I make it at home. Any idea?? Surely it just cant be down to oven temp. Can anyone help with suggestions or tips?

Sounds like a couple of possible problems.

Main is probably that you are not kneading it enough.

Second , that you are using too little water.

Third that you are using too soft a flour.

Throw up a recipe and gimme a look at what your typical method is.
Include the ingredients and method, including detail on each step.

spurious

Strong flour and lots of kneading.

DaDartle

http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm

Interesting. Lots of info. on techniques, ingredients. also, Pizzamaking.com

davidm20

I regularily use a Jamie Oliver recipe, off the top of my head it is :

1kg flour,
30g Salt
30g sugar,
30g Yeast,
1 Pint Tepid water,
2 glugs olive oil.

That will make 5 thin standard sized bases... Have used it for a few years, but this week I used the Strong 00 flour and it made a massive difference.

Have both the metal trays and a pizza stone and don't really notice any difference.

KPM.ie

the link above from dadartle is very good, thanks for that

KPM.ie

I havent got into a Tesco's yet but this 00 flour sure is difficult to track down.

davidm20

KPM.ie wrote: »

I havent got into a Tesco's yet but this 00 flour sure is difficult to track down.

I only saw it in tesco(Newbridge) for the first time last Saturday week....Its in a bright Pink bag, don't know how i never saw it before, made them again last night, have to go back to tesco

Klove

I had the same problem til I discovered Nigel Slater's recipe in the Observer Food Magazine a couple of weeks back. He reckons you don't need to knead for 15 mins, that even 6 or 7 mins will do. Its so easy I couldn't believe it and have been making loads of it.

For 2 large or 4 medium pizzas:
500g strong flour
tsp sea salt
7g sachet of dried yeast
pinch of sugar
250 ml warm water

nicest pizza base I've ever made.

rubadub

Tescos do a pizza dough packet, I think you just add water, think it works out cheaper than buying ingredients separately since yeast packets seem pretty expensive for what they are.

fred funk }{

since yeast packets seem pretty expensive for what they are.

A pack of about ten sachets is less than a euro is Tesco.

rubadub

fred funk }{ wrote: »

A pack of about ten sachets is less than a euro is Tesco.

That is not too bad so, seems there is a tesco brand now, before you could only get mc dougalls

Mcdougalls Fast Action Dried Yeast 8X7g €2.66

Tesco Fast Action Dried Yeast 56G €0.99

I am guessing the tesco is also 8x7g sachets. The mcdougalls is 33cent a packet, and while that won't break the bank it is still relatively expensive considering you get a sliced pan for 65cent.


Tesco Pizza Base Mix 145G €0.79

Cooking Precautions

Adjust times according to your particular oven. (For fan assisted ovens cooking times should be reduced. For best results refer to manufacturer's handbook.) All appliances vary these are guidelines only. Check food is piping hot throughout before serving Not suitable for microwave cooking
Preparation Guidelines

Ingredients: 100ml (4fl oz) hand hot water; pizza topping. Method: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. 2. Empty contents of one sachet of the pizza mix into a bowl and stir in the hand hot water. Mix to a soft dough then knead well on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes until smooth. 3. Roll out into a circle approximately 20cm (8") diameter. Place on a greased baking sheet and turn up the edges of the base. 4. Leave to stand in a warm place for 10 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the pizza topping of your choice. Spread the prepared topping over the base to within ½cm (¼") of the edge. 5. Cook in the top of the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Ensure both topping and base are thoroughly cooked. Once cooked the pizza should be refrigerated and eaten within 24 hours.
Standard Frozen Guidelines

Sparks

From an earlier thread:

Sparks wrote: »

That's better, but I still prefer mine best

2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Cup warm water (not too hot, not too cold)
2 Cups bread machine bread flour (the highest protein flour you can get - the '00' italian stuff should do fine as well)
1 tsp yeast
Coriander (or my new favorite, dried jalapeno flakes)

All that into a mixer, and mix with the dough hook for about a minute to bring it all together, then turn off the mixer and leave it sit for 20 minutes.
Then knead with the dough hook for 15 minutes (btw, it's best to spray the hook with oil if you have one of those aerosol cans of the stuff, stops the dough climbing up the hook).
Test the dough at this point, see if you can pull it thin enough to almost see light and shadow through it without it tearing. If you can't knead for another few minutes and test again...
When you can, turn out onto a floured countertop, work to a doughball, divide into three or four parts, put into zip-top bags with a little olive oil and leave rise in the fridge for several days (I do this on monday for pizza night on friday).
Take out of fridge, leave for 30 mins to come to room temperature and wake up, then work to a pizza shape.

Get your oven as hot as it gets - turn it to full when you take the dough out of the oven and it should be okay when you're ready to cook. I cook mine on a stone, but I used to use a paving slab which was a lot cheaper (though not as effective for a wet dough like this). Get the pizza in shape on the peel and then paint the top with olive oil and bake for about 3 minutes to set - then add tomato sauce and toppings and bake for another 6-7 minutes.

It's slightly different to the good eats recipe, but I find it works well.

Speaking of good eats (you knew it was coming )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BhVPgllLW8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_-o0q3a2w4

fred funk }{

rubadub wrote: »

That is not too bad so, seems there is a tesco brand now, before you could only get mc dougalls

Mcdougalls Fast Action Dried Yeast 8X7g €2.66

Tesco Fast Action Dried Yeast 56G €0.99

I am guessing the tesco is also 8x7g sachets. The mcdougalls is 33cent a packet, and while that won't break the bank it is still relatively expensive considering you get a sliced pan for 65cent.


Tesco Pizza Base Mix 145G €0.79

It's still all fairly cheap. I can feed my family (two adults and two kids) a pizza dinner for about a fiver, which is pretty cheap and plus the kids love helping out and making their own pizza. They are also much healthier than the pre made stuff and taste yummy!

Sparks

fred funk }{ wrote: »

They are also much healthier than the pre made stuff

Very much so. And normal bread even more so - 80% of the bread in the UK and Ireland are made in a way that isn't exactly good for you. Quite a few people believe that that much yeast and that much salt causes health issues in some people. Wouldn't know myself, but I do think that the bread you make yourself is about 100% tastier than the bread you get from Hovis or Mooney&co. Especially if you're making baguettes and using a poolish (starter pre-ferment).