On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 16:37:00 -0000 (UTC), Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

>On Wed 24 Oct 2018 09:19:38p, U.S. Janet B. told us...
>
>> On Wed, 24 Oct 2018 15:03:10 -0700 (PDT), Silvar Beitel
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>The "Pizza with everything" thread ("RFC: Every topic a rathole!")
>>>got me thinking about crusts. I've decided the pizza I like
>>>best[1] has a blistered crust, i.e. crisp on the bottom, chewy
>>>above that, but with large(ish) air pockets. The Goog is full of
>>>"guidance" on how to get that at home. What's *your* advice?
>>
>> overnight the dough in the fridge will get you blistery crust
>>
>
>How does that work exactly? I've made a lot of home pizza dough with
>generally very good results, but never blistered. Nor have I thought
>to put it in the refrigerator. Obviously that must make the
>difference, and I will definitely try that, but I'm curious as to
>what makes it work. TIA

I can't explain it chemically to you. I just know that the
incorporation of old dough or retarding the dough (refrigerating the
dough) will make gas bubbles in the body of the dough and crust of
bread. Of course, if when punching down you don't eliminate the
larger bubbles in the dough you can get large bubbles. I'm sure
we've all watched in horror as our bread in the oven developed a large
disfiguring bubble.
Retarding the dough overnight does also increase the flavor. "Long
slow fermentation allows yeasts and bacteria to generate more flavor
compounds " (Harold McGee - "On Food and Cooking")
I just know what happens when I retard dough.
If I am making a soft, rich, sandwich bread I do not retard the dough.
(rich means contains eggs or milk or fats-butter)
Straight dough is generally accepted as a good application for
retarding. Straight dough is flour, water, yeast and salt.
Hope something I said made sense and I wasn't overly wordy.
Janet US