Although the toppings may steal the limelight, the key to creating a truly outstanding pie is your pizza crust! Using cold fermentation and hand stretching will create a light crust with lots of depth of flavour and a soft yet chewy texture.
Food lovers will know that the perfect slice of pizza needs a good base like the best pizza in Philadelphia. Places such as The Tomato Shack Salad & Pizza Co, Manayunk have mastered the art of dough handling to create a truly outstanding pizza experience.
Understanding How Dough Ferments
Fermentation occurs through wild or commercial yeast feeding on simple sugars to create gas and organic compounds. By increasing the length of time for fermentation to occur you will begin to see more advanced changes in the dough.
Cold Fermentation vs Room Temperature Proofing
By allowing your dough to slowly rise in a cold environment (38-42°F) you will begin to see some big changes in the chemistry of your dough. Proofing your dough at room temperature will cause rapid overgrowth of the yeast, creating lots of carbon dioxide gas to create volume but little depth of flavour.
Cold fermentation will cause a slow yeast reaction and will allow the enzymes in the dough to begin breaking down complex starches into simple sugars. This creates a subtle layer of organic acids creating a rich nutty smell and a slight sourdough taste.
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Enzymes & Protein Breakdown
During the lengthy cold fermentation stage, protease enzymes will begin to break down the tough gluten bonds in the dough creating a super elastic dough. Amylase enzymes will continue to break down the starches into sugars. This will impact how brown the crust will become when baked, creating a rich caramelised crust and a crispy finish.
Preparing Your Dough Matrix for Stretching
Controlling Temperature & Creating Aeration
If you try to stretch your cold dough ball straight from the fridge you will be left frustrated. The gluten will be tight and the dough will constantly rebound or tear. To help relax the gluten you need to leave your dough balls to warm to room temperature for around 2-3 hours. This will allow the gluten to fully relax and aeration will occur within the dough creating a soft and easy to handle dough.
Flouring and Workspace Preparation
To ensure your dough doesn’t stick, gently drop your dough ball into a bowl of fine flour or semolina. This will create a light coating. The semolina or coarse wheat flour will act as little ball bearings so your dough won’t stick to your surface. Gently brush off any excess flour to prevent your crust having a bitter burnt taste.
Hand Stretching Technique
Creating the Outer Rim
Begin shaping your dough to create the border (cornicione). Take your floured dough ball and press the pads of your fingers (ensure they are flat not pointed) into the middle of the dough. This will create a 3/4 inch border. This will push the carbon dioxide upwards to create the raised border.
Finger-Pad Press and Central Expansion
Flip your dough over and gently press your pads into the centre of your dough. This will create a wider flat floor. Gently work from the centre of your dough towards the inside of your border. This will create an even thickness. This will push the gas into the outside of your crust and flatten the middle.
Advanced Stretching Motions
After creating your basic disc shape you can begin stretching your dough using your hands. Experts creating the best pizza in Philadelphia will use these tried and tested methods to create an even thickness.
Knuckle Steering
Begin by making loose fists with both hands and gently place your knuckles underneath the centre of your dough. Ensure your thumbs are tucked in to prevent puncturing. Gently push your hands apart and begin to turn your dough on your knuckles. This will use gravity to pull the outside of the dough down and your smooth knuckles will stretch the centre.
Table Steering and Pulling
For those who may feel uncomfortable lifting your dough, using steering & pulling will give excellent control. Keep your palm flat in the centre of the dough and hold it gently onto your surface. Using your other hand gently pull the outside of your dough. Gently place back on your surface. Turn your dough slightly and repeat this pulling motion all the way around.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Once your dough has been well fermented and stretched it must be baked properly to get the most out of it. Even if your dough is amazing if you don’t consider the factors in your oven it may not turn out as expected.
Preventing Tears and Over-Stretching Thin Spots
Tears will usually occur as the dough is unevenly pressed, too cold or if you’re using your fingertips during the first stage. If you have a small tear in the centre of your disc don’t try to roll it back into a ball. The gluten will be too tight to stretch. Pinch the torn part together on your floured surface and gently press to seal. You can then add your toppings.
Using Maximum Heat
The final part to getting the most out of your fermented dough is getting the dough to experience thermal shock (oven spring). The high heat will cause the moist gas filled dough to expand as the carbon dioxide expands and the water turns to steam.
This will create large pockets inside. To get the qualities seen in the best pizza in Philadelphia you must bake your dough on a pre-heated pizza stone/steel at the highest temperature possible. This will cause instant heat transfer to the base of your crust.
Conclusion
Overall learning how to ferment and stretch pizza dough will transform your basic recipe into a craft. Taking the time to let your dough ferment for a long time in the cold will create a dough with lots of depth of flavour, easy digestion and perfect gluten. Learning how to shape your dough by hand will help retain the air pockets creating a crispy yet soft cornicione.
