cooking home made thin crust pizza?

[sweetheart]

I'm attempting this seemingly simple concept and am already very happy that a home-crust is 1000 times better than average pizza restaurant... but i have some questions if you know....

I'm using olive oil in the crust, and the dough is very sticky sticky after rising... and it is very difficult to roll it out flat and super thin... and then get it on to a pan (with holes) without tearing the pizza... is there a trick? Any crust recommendations are very welcome.

I've cut a piece of slate to use as a baking stone, heated up to 500 degrees in the oven and that is working a charm... do i really need to use the pan with the holes in it for the first 5 minutes of cooking, or would the stone alone (understanding the logistical problem of getting a paper thin crust off my counter and on to a flaming hot stone in the oven) That frikking dough is stuck to every place in the kitchen it is so frustrating to clean up...

After eating, my skin smells i think from the yeast... my skin also smells from garlic for days after eating it... is there a secret with the yeast...

Flours... are some better for pizza?

After making the crust, i put on store bought "pizza sauce"... do you know a good way to make this from scratch? recipe links? I have a feeling that after mastering the dough, the next trick is that sauce.... and what spices would you use... rosemary, thyme? ground juniper berries?

[flamingyouth]

1. Semolina flour

Are you using that in the dough?

I use an actual pizza stone - it's somewhat porous, so it doesn't stick as much. But we also make our crusts a bit thicker, so it just might be very challenging to get it so thin!

For the sauce, use oregano, basil and rosemary (all fresh, if possible). A bit of dried thyme is good too. This is all off the top of my head - I'm sure other people will have more ideas.

Ah, the smell of garlic hands! Mine are perpetually so!

[writestuff13]

2. flour

When the dough gets too sticky and tears, throw in some flour. It always helps.
Also, place yellow corn meal on the pizza peel before sliding it on the pizza stone as well as sprinking some corn meal on the stone.
That prevents it from sticking

[SOteric]

3. Hard flours, high gluten flours

flours formulated especially for breads are better for pizza crust.

I'm curious about the exact forumultion that you're using. A well-made pizza crust should not be sticky after proofing. It should have a texture that is very similar to your earlobe; smooth, supple and elastic. Even if you 'roll it out' with a pin instead of stretching it on the backs of your hands, it should not be sticking to the counter.

I use:

16 oz unbleached bread flour
.33 ounces salt
.33 ounces instant (dehydrated) yeast
.75 ounce honey
1 ounce of extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup of buttermilk (full fat), at room temperature and
1 cup of a sourdough starter I make at home


Your pizza sauce should be fairly thin. A really thick, chunky sauce sogs out the crust, as do too many 'weighty' toppings.

[GOPisEvil]

4. Pssst...gluten...

;-)

[ForrestGump]

6. Who're you calling a gluten?!

I ought kick you right in the glutes for that.....

[SOteric]

7. Thanks.

What would I do without you to find all my typos and mental lapses?

[ForrestGump]

5. Bachelor version:

Tortilla or pita bread
Jarred marinara with extra garlic (powdered) and basil (dried)
Mozzarella or some other kinda cheese
Stick it in the oven or, if you don't mind it floppy, microwave it

Fast, easy, and even somewhat palatable.

:-)

The One-Minute Chef strikes again.

Hark! I hear the sound of domestic dispute over a meal that's taking forever to prepare. I'm needed elsewhere! Awayyyyyyyy......

[lazarus]

8. From someone who worked in pizza for years

first, use lots and lots of flour. Best flour to use to make the dough is the flour made for bread machines, it has the highest gluten content.

Second, use lots and lots of flour.

Third, use lots and lots of flour. Flour everywhere. Also, don't roll the dough out.

After it's risen, and you've punched it down and separated it, you ball it up, right? Then let it have a second rise? At that point, you dock it. Use your fingertips for this. Start at one edge, press down, leave a ridge on the very edge. Work your way around, then work your way through the middle. Then stretch it out. Personally, I like throwing it. I used to throw it behind my back and catch it still spinning, but that's just showboating. Just hold your hands out palm down, slightly curved and separated, with the dough draped over them. Sort of toss and turn the dough, letting the centrifugal force do the work.

The key to really thin crust is stretching the dough way out. Stretching is much much better than rolling for a variety of reasons that escape me right now, but it just is. Trust me. :D

Since you're using flour all over the place, the dough shouldn't stick to anything.

Now, to get it on that blazing hot stone. Do you have a peel? This is a giant wooden or metal spatula used for pizza. If not, cheat and use a thin cookie sheet. Set the dough out on the cookie sheet, and top it. Make sure the dough is right on one edge of the sheet. Then set that edge on the back edge of the stone, give the sheet or peel a good shake, the pizza should slide back, tough the stone, and you can slide the sheet/peel right out. If you have troubles with this, one cheat is to sprinkle the sheet/peel with cornmeal before you put the dough down. It works.

As for sauce, I don't use it. I just drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle some chopped fresh rosemary, maybe some buffalo mozzarella, a few black olives, some torn basil, maybe a few slices of extremely thin tomatoes, something like that.