BIG bag of PIZZA DOUGH
I'm thinking of buying couple bags of pizza dough from an Italian Deli for my pizza party. I bought a bag before and left it out at room temp for a few hours before stretching it out. I had trouble forming a nice circle and was wondering what I can do to handle it better? Should I form them into balls when it reaches room temperature and place a towel on top for ten minutes or in a bag with a little olive oil?
Anyone have tips on handling store bought fresh pizza dough??
yum
Feb 06, 2008 11:59PM
I've had success with the dough, by taking it out and letting it come to room temp, just barely...maybe even working it when it's a little cool, but before it starts rising again. I made some dough on Saturday, immediately put it into the fridge in a greased plastic bag, very loosely closed, took it out at about 4 on Sunday, punched it down, prepared the baking pan with oil and cornmeal, then started working it, and made a perfect circle for the second time ever. I'll not try to work warm pizza dough again!
AnnieG
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I portion the dough into 1 lbs balls, or the size of a softball if you are using a standard pizza pan. Let these rest under a floured towel for 1 hour.
I have learned that coating your hands with water or olive oil helps with forming, but you need to form them in 2 stages, as the gluten will cause the first forming to contract slightly. You can bake them after shaping, but if you desire a chewier crust, allow the formed rounds to proof another 30 minutes.
The perfect circle looks nice, but most great pizzas are slightly misshapen. They still taste great.
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