I have a pretty bad pizza habit, and I was trying to 'cheat' a little
the last couple of times by using frozen bread dough for the crust.
I'm sure that this is illegal in some states. Nonetheless, it only
turns out 'ok', with the biggest problem being that the crust is fine
around the edges, but as you move towards the center of the pizza it's
still doughy. I'm trying to determine if my problem is the dough, or
the technique. Here's what I'm doing:

1) Thaw the frozen bread 'loaf' in the fridge overnight per the
package destructions.
2) Place the thawed loaf in a covered container on the counter and let
rise for 3 hours, per package destructions.
3) Prepare toppings (cook meat, chop vegs, shred cheese, etc)
4) The dough doubles in size just as one would expect after 3 hours.
5) I then roll the dough out on a 16" circular pan (tin plated
steel). I'd say that the dough is about 3/16" thick or less all the
way across, excluding the 'handles' built up on the edges.

The first time, I added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. At the
20 minute mark, it seemed to work out perfectly, as the cheese was
melted and bubbly, and the crust was a nice golden brown. However, as
previously stated it was fine on the edges but doughy in the center.

The second time, I prebaked the crust for about 10 minutes first, THEN
added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. After the prebaking, the
crust rose to about 1/2". I didn't mash it back down before adding
the toppings. In the end of the whole baking sequence, it turned out
no different than the first time. In fact, the 1/2" rise that it had
was gone, and it was back down to 3/16" and doughy.

Regarding toppings, it is sauce, cheese, sausage, onion. I make it a
point to go light on the sauce and toppings so that it (normally)
cooks evenly and well.

Am I doing something wrong, or is the dough just not right for this
application? Thanks.

-J

On Apr 2, 8:31*pm, phaeton > wrote:
> I have a pretty bad pizza habit, and I was trying to 'cheat' a little
> the last couple of times by using frozen bread dough for the crust.
> I'm sure that this is illegal in some states. *Nonetheless, it only
> turns out 'ok', with the biggest problem being that the crust is fine
> around the edges, but as you move towards the center of the pizza it's
> still doughy. *I'm trying to determine if my problem is the dough, or
> the technique. *Here's what I'm doing:
>
> 1) Thaw the frozen bread 'loaf' in the fridge overnight per the
> package destructions.
> 2) Place the thawed loaf in a covered container on the counter and let
> rise for 3 hours, per package destructions.
> 3) Prepare toppings (cook meat, chop vegs, shred cheese, etc)
> 4) The dough doubles in size just as one would expect after 3 hours.
> 5) I then roll the dough out on a 16" circular pan (tin plated
> steel). *I'd say that the dough is about 3/16" thick or less all the
> way across, excluding the 'handles' built up on the edges.
>
> The first time, I added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. *At the
> 20 minute mark, it seemed to work out perfectly, as the cheese was
> melted and bubbly, and the crust was a nice golden brown. *However, as
> previously stated it was fine on the edges but doughy in the center.
>
> The second time, I prebaked the crust for about 10 minutes first, THEN
> added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. *After the prebaking, the
> crust rose to about 1/2". *I didn't mash it back down before adding
> the toppings. *In the end of the whole baking sequence, it turned out
> no different than the first time. *In fact, the 1/2" rise that it had
> was gone, and it was back down to 3/16" and doughy.
>
> Regarding toppings, it is sauce, cheese, sausage, onion. *I make it a
> point to go light on the sauce and toppings so that it (normally)
> cooks evenly and well.
>
> Am I doing something wrong, or is the dough just not right for this
> application? *Thanks.
>
> -J


I don't think it's the dough itself. It sounds like 1. you might have
the temp too low, 2. you're not leaving it in the oven long enough. 3.
your oven's calibration might be out of whack or 4. your dough is too
thick. There are a lot of reasons a pizza dough might not get done
towards the middle but too low a temperature would be my first
suspicion. When I make my own I always go with a pre-heated 400 degree
oven for 25 minutes or so, but that's me and I'm not a fan of really
thick crusts. I never tried it with one of those frozen bread dough
things but I can't imaging that being the problem. In fact, it might
be a good time saver.

On Apr 2, 9:31�pm, phaeton > wrote:
> I have a pretty bad pizza habit, and I was trying to 'cheat' a little
> the last couple of times by using frozen bread dough for the crust.
> I'm sure that this is illegal in some states. �Nonetheless, it only
> turns out 'ok', with the biggest problem being that the crust is fine
> around the edges, but as you move towards the center of the pizza it's
> still doughy. �I'm trying to determine if my problem is the dough, or
> the technique. �Here's what I'm doing:
>
> 1) Thaw the frozen bread 'loaf' in the fridge overnight per the
> package destructions.
> 2) Place the thawed loaf in a covered container on the counter and let
> rise for 3 hours, per package destructions.
> 3) Prepare toppings (cook meat, chop vegs, shred cheese, etc)
> 4) The dough doubles in size just as one would expect after 3 hours.
> 5) I then roll the dough out on a 16" circular pan (tin plated
> steel). �I'd say that the dough is about 3/16" thick or less all the
> way across, excluding the 'handles' built up on the edges.
>
> The first time, I added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. �At the
> 20 minute mark, it seemed to work out perfectly, as the cheese was
> melted and bubbly, and the crust was a nice golden brown. �However, as
> previously stated it was fine on the edges but doughy in the center.
>
> The second time, I prebaked the crust for about 10 minutes first, THEN
> added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. �After the prebaking, the
> crust rose to about 1/2". �I didn't mash it back down before adding
> the toppings. �In the end of the whole baking sequence, it turned out
> no different than the first time. �In fact, the 1/2" rise that it had
> was gone, and it was back down to 3/16" and doughy.
>
> Regarding toppings, it is sauce, cheese, sausage, onion. �I make it a
> point to go light on the sauce and toppings so that it (normally)
> cooks evenly and well.
>
> Am I doing something wrong, or is the dough just not right for this
> application? �Thanks.
>
> -J

I would try docking the crust before putting the toppings on. That
will keep it from puffing up so much. Also, brush a light coating of
olive oil on the crust before adding the sauce and toppings. That
will help keep the sauce from soaking into the crust and making it
soggy

On Apr 2, 10:37*pm, Christopher Helms > wrote:
> On Apr 2, 8:31*pm, phaeton > wrote:
>
>
>
> > I have a pretty bad pizza habit, and I was trying to 'cheat' a little
> > the last couple of times by using frozen bread dough for the crust.
> > I'm sure that this is illegal in some states. *Nonetheless, it only
> > turns out 'ok', with the biggest problem being that the crust is fine
> > around the edges, but as you move towards the center of the pizza it's
> > still doughy. *I'm trying to determine if my problem is the dough, or
> > the technique. *Here's what I'm doing:
>
> > 1) Thaw the frozen bread 'loaf' in the fridge overnight per the
> > package destructions.
> > 2) Place the thawed loaf in a covered container on the counter and let
> > rise for 3 hours, per package destructions.
> > 3) Prepare toppings (cook meat, chop vegs, shred cheese, etc)
> > 4) The dough doubles in size just as one would expect after 3 hours.
> > 5) I then roll the dough out on a 16" circular pan (tin plated
> > steel). *I'd say that the dough is about 3/16" thick or less all the
> > way across, excluding the 'handles' built up on the edges.
>
> > The first time, I added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. *At the
> > 20 minute mark, it seemed to work out perfectly, as the cheese was
> > melted and bubbly, and the crust was a nice golden brown. *However, as
> > previously stated it was fine on the edges but doughy in the center.
>
> > The second time, I prebaked the crust for about 10 minutes first, THEN
> > added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. *After the prebaking, the
> > crust rose to about 1/2". *I didn't mash it back down before adding
> > the toppings. *In the end of the whole baking sequence, it turned out
> > no different than the first time. *In fact, the 1/2" rise that it had
> > was gone, and it was back down to 3/16" and doughy.
>
> > Regarding toppings, it is sauce, cheese, sausage, onion. *I make it a
> > point to go light on the sauce and toppings so that it (normally)
> > cooks evenly and well.
>
> > Am I doing something wrong, or is the dough just not right for this
> > application? *Thanks.
>
> > -J
>
> I don't think it's the dough itself. It sounds like 1. you might have
> the temp too low, 2. you're not leaving it in the oven long enough. 3.
> your oven's calibration might be out of whack or 4. your dough is too
> thick. There are a lot of reasons a pizza dough might not get done
> towards the middle but too low a temperature would be my first
> suspicion. When I make my own I always go with a pre-heated 400 degree
> oven for 25 minutes or so, but that's me and I'm not a fan of really
> thick crusts. I never tried it with one of those frozen bread dough
> things but I can't imaging that being the problem. In fact, it might
> be a good time saver.

I forgot to mention that I'm baking at 350F

In article
>,
phaeton > wrote:

> > I don't think it's the dough itself. It sounds like 1. you might have
> > the temp too low, 2. you're not leaving it in the oven long enough. 3.
> > your oven's calibration might be out of whack or 4. your dough is too
> > thick. There are a lot of reasons a pizza dough might not get done
> > towards the middle but too low a temperature would be my first
> > suspicion. When I make my own I always go with a pre-heated 400 degree
> > oven for 25 minutes or so, but that's me and I'm not a fan of really
> > thick crusts. I never tried it with one of those frozen bread dough
> > things but I can't imaging that being the problem. In fact, it might
> > be a good time saver.
>
> I forgot to mention that I'm baking at 350F

That's nowhere near hot enough. :-)
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

On Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:39:51 -0600, Omelet >
wrote:

>In article
>,
> phaeton > wrote:

>> I forgot to mention that I'm baking at 350F
>
>That's nowhere near hot enough. :-)

I preheat my oven to 500 or higher, if it will go higher..and let the
stone heat for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

Christine

"phaeton" ha scritto nel messaggio
>I have a pretty bad pizza habit, and I was trying to 'cheat' a little> the
>last couple of times by using frozen bread dough for the crust.

as you move towards the center of the pizza it's
> still doughy.

Allow to rise, smush down, use oily fingers to flatten and spread one half
of the dough (or less) and top and cook immediately in a well preheated oven
set at MAX.

Prebaking is giving a conditioned dough conatining milk and fat a chance to
become bread. I used to do this, but not any more. It's too easy to make
the ordinary now that pizza doesn't come upon me suddenly. They are
thicker, yes. They're OK. Just not like real pizza.

On 4/3/2010 1:37 AM, phaeton wrote:
> On Apr 2, 10:37 pm, Christopher > wrote:
>> On Apr 2, 8:31 pm, > wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> I have a pretty bad pizza habit, and I was trying to 'cheat' a little
>>> the last couple of times by using frozen bread dough for the crust.
>>> I'm sure that this is illegal in some states. Nonetheless, it only
>>> turns out 'ok', with the biggest problem being that the crust is fine
>>> around the edges, but as you move towards the center of the pizza it's
>>> still doughy. I'm trying to determine if my problem is the dough, or
>>> the technique. Here's what I'm doing:
>>
>>> 1) Thaw the frozen bread 'loaf' in the fridge overnight per the
>>> package destructions.
>>> 2) Place the thawed loaf in a covered container on the counter and let
>>> rise for 3 hours, per package destructions.
>>> 3) Prepare toppings (cook meat, chop vegs, shred cheese, etc)
>>> 4) The dough doubles in size just as one would expect after 3 hours.
>>> 5) I then roll the dough out on a 16" circular pan (tin plated
>>> steel). I'd say that the dough is about 3/16" thick or less all the
>>> way across, excluding the 'handles' built up on the edges.
>>
>>> The first time, I added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. At the
>>> 20 minute mark, it seemed to work out perfectly, as the cheese was
>>> melted and bubbly, and the crust was a nice golden brown. However, as
>>> previously stated it was fine on the edges but doughy in the center.
>>
>>> The second time, I prebaked the crust for about 10 minutes first, THEN
>>> added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. After the prebaking, the
>>> crust rose to about 1/2". I didn't mash it back down before adding
>>> the toppings. In the end of the whole baking sequence, it turned out
>>> no different than the first time. In fact, the 1/2" rise that it had
>>> was gone, and it was back down to 3/16" and doughy.
>>
>>> Regarding toppings, it is sauce, cheese, sausage, onion. I make it a
>>> point to go light on the sauce and toppings so that it (normally)
>>> cooks evenly and well.
>>
>>> Am I doing something wrong, or is the dough just not right for this
>>> application? Thanks.
>>
>>> -J
>>
>> I don't think it's the dough itself. It sounds like 1. you might have
>> the temp too low, 2. you're not leaving it in the oven long enough. 3.
>> your oven's calibration might be out of whack or 4. your dough is too
>> thick. There are a lot of reasons a pizza dough might not get done
>> towards the middle but too low a temperature would be my first
>> suspicion. When I make my own I always go with a pre-heated 400 degree
>> oven for 25 minutes or so, but that's me and I'm not a fan of really
>> thick crusts. I never tried it with one of those frozen bread dough
>> things but I can't imaging that being the problem. In fact, it might
>> be a good time saver.
>
> I forgot to mention that I'm baking at 350F

You need to have the oven at a much higher temperature.

phaeton wrote:
> I have a pretty bad pizza habit, and I was trying to 'cheat' a little
> the last couple of times by using frozen bread dough for the crust.
> I'm sure that this is illegal in some states.

Indeed. Hee. I was wondering, just being nosy, why don't you
buy frozen pizza dough? That's what I do, anyway. I really
don't like a bready pizza.

nancy

phaeton wrote:
> I have a pretty bad pizza habit, and I was trying to 'cheat' a little
> the last couple of times by using frozen bread dough for the crust.


Long ago in the "way back when"....

I was going to college in Wisconsin and was broke. A local bread
factory (Elm Tree Bakers) had a retail store and they sold bags of
frozen bread dough.... 10 loaves for $1. Small cans of tomato sauce
were also 10 for $1 at the Piggly Wiggly and there were at least a half
dozen local cheese places and one of them usually had mozzarella on
sale... cheap.

Used to make a home made pizza for under 50 cents. When you only had
$10 to spend on food for a week, that was a great deal.

George L

On 4/3/2010 1:37 AM, phaeton wrote:
> On Apr 2, 10:37 pm, Christopher > wrote:
>> On Apr 2, 8:31 pm, > wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> I have a pretty bad pizza habit, and I was trying to 'cheat' a little
>>> the last couple of times by using frozen bread dough for the crust.
>>> I'm sure that this is illegal in some states. Nonetheless, it only
>>> turns out 'ok', with the biggest problem being that the crust is fine
>>> around the edges, but as you move towards the center of the pizza it's
>>> still doughy. I'm trying to determine if my problem is the dough, or
>>> the technique. Here's what I'm doing:
>>
>>> 1) Thaw the frozen bread 'loaf' in the fridge overnight per the
>>> package destructions.
>>> 2) Place the thawed loaf in a covered container on the counter and let
>>> rise for 3 hours, per package destructions.
>>> 3) Prepare toppings (cook meat, chop vegs, shred cheese, etc)
>>> 4) The dough doubles in size just as one would expect after 3 hours.
>>> 5) I then roll the dough out on a 16" circular pan (tin plated
>>> steel). I'd say that the dough is about 3/16" thick or less all the
>>> way across, excluding the 'handles' built up on the edges.
>>
>>> The first time, I added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. At the
>>> 20 minute mark, it seemed to work out perfectly, as the cheese was
>>> melted and bubbly, and the crust was a nice golden brown. However, as
>>> previously stated it was fine on the edges but doughy in the center.
>>
>>> The second time, I prebaked the crust for about 10 minutes first, THEN
>>> added toppings and baked it for 20 minutes. After the prebaking, the
>>> crust rose to about 1/2". I didn't mash it back down before adding
>>> the toppings. In the end of the whole baking sequence, it turned out
>>> no different than the first time. In fact, the 1/2" rise that it had
>>> was gone, and it was back down to 3/16" and doughy.
>>
>>> Regarding toppings, it is sauce, cheese, sausage, onion. I make it a
>>> point to go light on the sauce and toppings so that it (normally)
>>> cooks evenly and well.
>>
>>> Am I doing something wrong, or is the dough just not right for this
>>> application? Thanks.
>>
>>> -J
>>
>> I don't think it's the dough itself. It sounds like 1. you might have
>> the temp too low, 2. you're not leaving it in the oven long enough. 3.
>> your oven's calibration might be out of whack or 4. your dough is too
>> thick. There are a lot of reasons a pizza dough might not get done
>> towards the middle but too low a temperature would be my first
>> suspicion. When I make my own I always go with a pre-heated 400 degree
>> oven for 25 minutes or so, but that's me and I'm not a fan of really
>> thick crusts. I never tried it with one of those frozen bread dough
>> things but I can't imaging that being the problem. In fact, it might
>> be a good time saver.
>
> I forgot to mention that I'm baking at 350F

First thing to do, turn up the heat. Commercial pizza ovens run 550.
Very few home ovens can do that. Just turn it up all the way and let it
preheat for a while.

phaeton wrote:
> On Apr 2, 10:37 pm, Christopher Helms > wrote:

>> I don't think it's the dough itself. It sounds like 1. you might have
>> the temp too low, 2. you're not leaving it in the oven long enough. 3.
>> your oven's calibration might be out of whack or 4. your dough is too
>> thick. There are a lot of reasons a pizza dough might not get done
>> towards the middle but too low a temperature would be my first
>> suspicion. When I make my own I always go with a pre-heated 400 degree
>> oven for 25 minutes or so, but that's me and I'm not a fan of really
>> thick crusts. I never tried it with one of those frozen bread dough
>> things but I can't imaging that being the problem. In fact, it might
>> be a good time saver.
>
> I forgot to mention that I'm baking at 350F


I think the main problem is the crust is too thick. Try pressing it
into the pan with your fingertips and get it a lot thinner -- 1/8",
and thinner in some places. The dough might also have conditioners
in it to keep it soft, which is working against you.

I bake my pizzas with the oven set and 425, and my oven runs hot.
It's probably actually 475 or 500. Takes about 12 minutes usually,
when I use bread flour. I made a pizza using all purpose flour and
it took a lot longer to bake (I thought that was kinda weird)

Bob

On Apr 3, 8:51*am, George Leppla > wrote:
> phaeton wrote:
> > I have a pretty bad pizza habit, and I was trying to 'cheat' a little
> > the last couple of times by using frozen bread dough for the crust.
>
> Long ago in the "way back when"....
>
> I was going to college in Wisconsin and was broke. *A local bread
> factory (Elm Tree Bakers) had a retail store and they sold bags of
> frozen bread dough.... 10 loaves for $1. *Small cans of tomato sauce
> were also 10 for $1 at the Piggly Wiggly and there were at least a half
> dozen local cheese places and one of them usually had mozzarella on
> sale... cheap.
>
> Used to make a home made pizza for under 50 cents. *When you only had
> $10 to spend on food for a week, that was a great deal.
>
> George L

That sounds awesome, George. Where in Wisconsin, which school, and
what was your major?

I just checked, my oven will go to 550F.

I'm preparing another 'crust' for tomorrow. I'll mash it down a
little thinner, coat it with olive oil, and bake it at 550. We'll see
how it goes.

Nancy: I've never seen frozen pizza dough. Refrigerated, yes (which
sucks, IMHO) but not frozen. In theory I could just make some regular
bread dough with flour/yeast/water/sugar etc. I've done that before
and it's alright, but as I said, I'm trying to cheat a little here.

-J

On Sat, 3 Apr 2010 18:47:06 -0700 (PDT), phaeton >
wrote:

>Nancy: I've never seen frozen pizza dough ...

Many Italian specialty stores sell frozen pizza dough. Trader Joe's stores sell
frozen pizza dough. Maybe there's one of those near you?

-- Larry

On Sat, 03 Apr 2010 23:45:04 -0400, pltrgyst >
wrote:

> On Sat, 3 Apr 2010 18:47:06 -0700 (PDT), phaeton >
> wrote:
>
> >Nancy: I've never seen frozen pizza dough ...
>
> Many Italian specialty stores sell frozen pizza dough. Trader Joe's stores sell
> frozen pizza dough. Maybe there's one of those near you?
>
They gave up on the fresh dough?

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

phaeton wrote:

> Nancy: I've never seen frozen pizza dough. Refrigerated, yes (which
> sucks, IMHO) but not frozen. In theory I could just make some regular
> bread dough with flour/yeast/water/sugar etc. I've done that before
> and it's alright, but as I said, I'm trying to cheat a little here.

Hey, I hear you! I buy the frozen dough! But any supermarket where
I live sells the frozen dough, I really don't know where you live, but
you might be surprised.

nancy

Ok, so this time I 'sealed' the dough with a thin layer of olive oil.
My oven goes to 550F in normal mode, so I set it to that. I didn't
think it would take the 20 minutes to bake, so I just put it in and
kept an eye on it.

At the 10 minute mark the cheese was melted and the edges were
starting to burn, so I took it out. It's much improved now. Still a
little doughy, but I noticed that letting the pizza sit for 10 or 15
minutes seemed to improve that.

It's still not perfect, but it's much better. Thanks for the tips!

-J