How do I make a Chewy Stretchy Pizza Dough?

Question

Like the dough you would find in a Mellow Mushroom... the kind that's tough enough for you to toss, stretch, and spin yet still give you a nice thin middle with a perfect bubbly outer crust.

I have a stand mixer if that can be used.

My stand mixer is a 700-watt Cooks I got from JCP... it's pretty powerful. But what would be better.... use the machine for the kneading or just for mixing and do the rest by hand?

Answer 1

Chewy stretchy dough has lots of gluten in it. Make sure you are using bread flour which has a higher gluten content. If you want to add extra gluten, Bob Mills sells it as Vital Wheat Gluten in a 1-lb package available at most grocery stores (they have it with other specialty grains like cracked wheat, gluten-free flour, soy flour, potato flour, etc.)

In the morning (preferrably because the earlier you start, the more time the malted barley--an additive in flour, has time to break down the starch in the flour and turn it into sugar. This is a natural sugar which makes the taste of your dough slightly nutty and delicious) or at least 1 1/2 hours before dinner, mix together:
2 cups warm water (not above 120F--it will kill your yeast)
1-2 tsp yeast (active dry)
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp gluten flour (optional)
Cover at let sit.

Add:
2 tsp salt
2-4 T sugar (optional and you can vary the amount depending on your taste)
2-3 Tbsp olive oil (also optional but helps with the stretchiness)
2 cups flour

Mix this on low in a stand mixer and then look inside to see if the dough is pulling away from the sides. You will most likely need between 1 to 2 more cups of flour (remember a cup of flour can be vastly different depending on who is measuring, so don't add flour if you don't need it).

Do a pinch test. Stop the mixer and pinch some dough. If the dough sticks all over your fingers, add more flour. If it pulls away and leaves your fingers sticky, but not necessarily covered in dough, you're probably good. Mix it some more (around 7 minutes in a stand mixer, not more than 5 in a Bosch or K-tec).

Do a window test. Stop the mixer and pull a piece of the dough gently away from the main blob. Is it tearing? Does it stretch nicely and can you make a little window if you pull it gently? Can you see through the dough without it tearing a while in the middle? This is perfectly kneaded gluten and will produce an amazing crust (or bread, or breadsticks, etc.).

It doesn't have to be perfect for great crust, but that is what you're ultimately aiming for. Let the dough rest for a few minutes (or as long as you want) to let the gluten relax and get ready to stretch.

Form your crusts and let them rise.

We bake our pizza at 450F and prefer it to any brand name.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Pizza dough is the simplest kind of bread dough there is. It's nothing but flour and water, a little salt, a little yeast and maybe a little oil. Look at pizza dough recipes and use the one with the fewest ingredients.

Bread flour works better than all-purpose because it has more gluten. For pizza the more the better. In fact you could use bread flour and -add- a tablespoon or so of gluten, which you buy separately. (Or when you go shopping, look for protein content on flour--the more protein the more gluten!) Gluten is what makes dough stretchy and bubbly.

After that it's all technique. Most problems with home-made bread is that it's not kneaded enough. With pizza dough it's almost impossible to over-knead. If you have a dough hook on your mixer that will do a good job, otherwise you have to knead it by hand for about 20 minutes!

You want to be able to make a 'window' with the dough. This is how you test to see it's kneaded enough. Take a piece of dough about the size of a marble, flatten it out between your fingers and stretch it out in the middle. If the dough is kneaded enough, you can stretch it out into a thin membrane that you can see light through, about the same translucency as waxed paper.

There is no way to learn to do this except through doing it. 'Tossing' or 'throwing' a pizza is also largely a matter of practice. Around here it's becoming a lost art, there are very few places where they do it anymore. 8^<

(Edit: Giggles' recipe looks good! Fluffem suggests adding semolina. Semolina is a special, coarse flour for making pasta, very high in gluten. It could be seen as an alternative to adding gluten.)

Answer 3

Chewy Pizza Dough Recipe

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do I make a Chewy Stretchy Pizza Dough?
Like the dough you would find in a Mellow Mushroom... the kind that's tough enough for you to toss, stretch, and spin yet still give you a nice thin middle with a perfect bubbly outer crust.

I have a stand mixer if that can be used.

Answer 5

read this!

A friend gave me this recipe for pizza dough. It is quick, easy and delicious!"

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 20 Min
READY IN 1 Hr 5 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 1 large crust
US METRIC

About scaling and conversions

INGREDIENTS
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar


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DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Answer 6

It's all in the kneading, my dear. You have to practice kneading and developing the gluten in the dough to a stretchy but not tough consistency. It's really a skill!

Answer 7

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Answer 8

You need to use a mix of regular flour and semolina flour. Go to www.kingarthurflour.com and look at their recipes. They sell various flours if you can't find them in your local groceries.

Answer 9

pizza hut, look for it in the phone book

Answer 10

add gum.