Pizza Q&A Part 2
Lately I have been experimenting with baking my pizzas directly on the grill on a sheet of parchment paper. Without the tray, the heat is will make the bottom crust even crispier.
Last month I answered your pizza questions and today I am addressing a few more so that you can make pizza like a pro.
Why isn’t my dough rising? Pizza dough can be so fickle at times and while my pizza dough mix takes much guess work out of the process, sometimes the dough may not rise. So much depends on environment and temperature. If the water is too cold or too hot it will affect the yeast, if your kitchen is too cool or drafty or too hot and humid, that can affect the outcome. With a few precautions and some experience, you can reduce those risks. The water should be about 38 degrees C. Without a thermometer, the water should be very warm to the touch, not hot and not cold. The right water temperature ensures that the yeast wakes up, too hot kills it. Once the dough is kneaded, I cover my bowl with cling wrap or a cover as well as a towel to keep it out of the light. I often put it in the pantry to keep it away from drafts. With a controlled environment I find I get the best results. Lately, I have been lightly coating my kneaded dough ball with oil. This keeps the dough moist and soft. Another thing that affects the dough is time, so if you leave the dough to rise longer, it will rise more. Dough will rise in the refrigerator too, but it will be slowed down considerably and may take as long as 24 hours to fully rise.
Do I need to put cheese on my pizza?
Not always, I make a dessert pizza using grated apples and I don’t find that I miss the cheese. A few people I know are lactose intolerant or vegan and use cheese alternatives. If you use a flavourful sauce and delicious toppings your pizza could be absolutely delightful. Besides, it’s your pizza! You can dress it as you like.
Can I put fruit on my pizza? Absolutely! I’ve been seeing Instagram and Pinterest posts where people are putting sliced pears and figs mixed with flavourful and spicy sausage. I have not tried it myself, but I think that if you can imagine it and appeals to your taste buds, why not. Pizza toppings are really only limited by our imaginations. A word of caution though, you just want to be careful about the humidity of the toppings, you really want to avoid having a soggy bottom crust.
How can I get the bottom crust crispy?
Lately I have been experimenting with baking my pizzas directly on the grill on a sheet of parchment paper. Without the tray, the heat is will make the bottom crust even crispier. You can prepare the pizza on a tray and slide the parchment paper directly onto the grill. Without a pizza peel it may be a challenge getting the pizza out of the oven, but with the help of a spatula you can easily slide it directly to a tray or plate. If you don’t have parchment paper, try aluminium foil.
How long will the pizza dough last? A week in the refrigerator and about 3 moths in the freezer.
Can I freeze my uncooked pizza? Yes, I do that frequently, just let it thaw out about half an hour to an hour before baking it at 500 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes on the middle rack.
What do I do if I want smoked salmon or prosciutto on my pizza? For smoked salmon, I pre-bake the pizza shell and let it cool before adding cream cheese, smoked salmon, onions, tomatoes and capers. For a prosciutto pizza, add the cold meat just after taking the pizza out of the oven, that way the cured meat will not get cooked or dried out. Add a few fresh Basil leaves to it and enjoy!
I will be at the Cookshire, Marché de Noël, on Saturday, November 29, 2020, from 10am to 4pm at Victoria Hall, 125 rue Principale W. Hope to see you there.
I will be happy to answer any of your pizza related questions, contact me through my website at:
www.bradsgourmet.com.