“The magic of pizza and the foundation for it – the dough – is often hidden behind closed doors, but as a restaurant group, we love to celebrate the craft and the process behind everything we do,” says co-founder and Chef Ryan Pollnow. “It’s why our handcrafted pasta production is on display in our Flour + Water Pasta Shop, as well. Our flagship Pizzeria dough room is at the center of the restaurant, located between our full-service dining room and our quick-service Pizza Shop space. It’s the heartbeat of our flagship and entire pizza program.”

Flour + Water is joined by other pizzerias, large and small, looking to perfect dough making and management. When Pizza Today visited our 2021 Pizzeria of the Year, Razza Pizza Artigianale in Jersey City, New Jersey, owner Dan Richer was in the midst of building out a dedicated dough room.

In Editor In Chief Jeremy White’s December 2021 feature article, Richer said, “We’ll be able to better control variables in that room. We’ve got water lines dialed in to the exact temperature we want, we’ll control the air temperature in there to what we want. It’s going to make such a difference to our consistency and our ability to put out the pizza dough we want to put out.” Four years later, we caught up with Richer for an update.

Rose City Pizza, a ’90s-themed pizza joint in Covina, California, took a different approach and adapted a space previously used for dry storage into a designated dough area. Owner Brian Nittayo was looking to address environmental issues impacting the consistency in his dough-making area, which was by a back door.

The three pizzerias have very different dough room setups, but they share a common drive to make the best pizza dough they can.

What Is a Dough Room?

Typically, a dough room is a self-contained temperature-controlled room or area for dough making. Alastair Hannman (aka The Pizza Buddha), a pizzeria consultant who worked with Nittayo to convert a storage area into a dough room, says, “To me, a dough room is a room that is separated from the hot line. What I mean by that is it is not susceptible to the oven temperature. It’s got a residual humidity under 75 percent to where you are able to maintain it.”

Dough rooms aren’t new. Many pizzerias over the years have incorporated dough rooms into their pizza dough-making process. As techniques changed, operations shifted to using fermentation shelves a.k.a. fermentation containers.

Dough-making environments are constantly shifting, and operators are constantly looking for ways to add consistency to the dough process. Enter dough rooms of today.

Dough Room Features Focus on Tech and Consistency

Razza’s dough room is all business. Richer says, “Our equipment includes a spiral dough mixer and a water meter – something I’ll never build another restaurant without. The water meter has proven to be a huge time-saver for accurately dosing the correct water quantity and temperature. It is also connected to a water chiller, which eliminates the need for ice. While water chillers can be pricey, they are especially beneficial in hot climates. We have a Thermoworks node, which is a thermometer that tracks the temp of the room 24/7, and you can set alerts to be notified if the temp is outside of the range that you set. Ideally, the dough room would have its own dedicated AC unit, but that can be expensive.” Richer commends installing an air filtration system, if possible. The room includes a proofer/retarder, which he says was a mistake because the compressor can affect the room’s temperature.

Flour + Water features include a 70-quart spiral mixer, four proofer retarders, a blast freezer for its upcoming frozen line, dough rounder, scales and a small 6-kilo max capacity spiral mixer. “Other features include wall-mounted filtered water for use in our dough, and a table made from a recycled paper composite material called Richlite. We love Richlite here, as the table doubles as both a prep table and a dining table for guests when the space transforms to a semi-private space for larger parties at night,” says Pollnow. “The surface has natural grip to it which is essential for portioning dough balls, and it can be cleaned easily, so it offers an aesthetically pleasing dining surface for our guests at night.”

In addition to the mixer, Nittayo wanted to automate his dough-making space. “We have the dough divider and the dough rounder,” he says.” Everything flows. We have the water meter. It measures out 24 pounds, exactly into the mixture.” Automation has paid off tenfold for Nittayo as Rose City is able to generate more output and labor efficiency. The dough-making efficiency, along with new conveyor ovens and reducing the menu size, has even sparked him to lower prices.

Fermentation Temperature

When it comes to dough texture and flavor, one of the most significant benefits is the vital element of dough making: temperature. “Those characteristics can be achieved at any temperature, but without temperature control, your results will be inconsistent from day to day. Having a dough room allows us to control the ambient temperature, which is especially important when using preferments of any kind and when bulk fermentation lasts longer than 30 minutes.”

With Flour + Water’s build out, they took advantage of San Francisco’s mild weather. “The room is equipped with air conditioning, but because of the location of the dough room within our space (away from windows and the heat of our Pizza-Master electric deck ovens and kitchen equipment), the space sits between 72 and 74 degrees, year-round – without the use of AC. We’re constantly monitoring the temp and humidity in the room to portion dough at that true room temperature.

Think of the room itself as a clean room. For Flour + Water and Razza, the spaces are enclosed rooms. Razza has floor-to-ceiling tiled walls and floor drains so it is easy to clean. It also features a window to help employees not feel claustrophobic. At Rose City Pizza, Hannman and Nittayo went with a new version of FRP wall panels with the smooth side out to make cleaning easier.

Since Nittayo made use of an existing dry-storage area that had air conditioning duct work, he was able to simplify the conversion and add clear vinyl curtains at the entry to the area, limiting the exposure to other areas of the kitchen and storage.

While costs can vary depending on size of room and features included, Nittayo’s conversion was a few thousand dollars, according to Hannman, not including the addition of the automated equipment.

Dough Rooms Are ‘a Luxury’

Pollnow realizes a dedicated dough room may not be an option for other pizzerias. “We recognize building a dough room is a luxury, but it’s not a necessity for great pizza production. Because our dough room will be acting as a commissary for satellite Pizza Shops and our retail frozen pizza line, we built it to be large. But if you are looking for similar benefits in terms of temperature control, we do recommend investing in a proofer retarder, especially if you are working in a setting that runs hot because of other equipment.”

Richer concurs. “I’ve been making pizza for more than 20 years, but it’s only in the past three years that I’ve had a dedicated dough room. It is possible to achieve consistency if you truly understand your space, can be flexible in the moment, and are able to adapt to daily changes.”

Denise Greer is Executive Editor at Pizza Today.

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For those that know me, pizza is life but sports are LIFE. I started playing various sports as a kid and have continued an active lifestyle into adulthood. I mean, you have to with all the pizza! The first thing coaches ingrain in you are warm-ups and cool downs. They might not harp on them like they do technique or other elements, but it is the first and last thing you do in every practice or session no matter what the activity of the day is. For the body, warm-ups are essential to prime the body for any major activity and cool downs help with recovery and both build endurance. Now, you might be thinking how in the heck or why is she talking about sports when this is about all things pizza and dough. Well, heat and cold play as crucial a role in great tasting dough as it does in performing in peak athletics. You wouldn’t want to sprint the first mile in a marathon without properly warming up and you also wouldn’t want to make a dough and then cook it right out of the mixer. Both require time and proper temperature control.

Laura Meyer, owner, Pizzeria da Laura, Berkley, CA

Fermentation requires a few ingredients, but the major one is yeast. The strain of yeast we are most preoccupied with, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is most active between 85 and 95 F. Anything above 110 degrees and it will begin to die and the clock starts ticking in regards to longevity. Before I even mix a batch of dough, I am thinking about temperature. This is the one factor that will play a crucial role in not just proper fermentation but also flavor development. During fermentation many things are happening at once. Yeasts are looking for simple sugars to eat so they can reproduce, and different bacteria are also looking for food so that they can also survive. There are many bacteria fighting it out for dominance, especially within sourdough, but Lactobacillus is the primary one we analyze because this bacterium produces lactic acid which is where we get a lot of the flavor in our dough, aside from salt. While both yeast and bacteria are looking to survive, enzymes are breaking down complex sugars into simple sugars providing more food for yeast. 

The yeast produces alcohol and Lactobacillus bacteria create lactic acid. As long as there is a food source available, they will continue to consume and produce, but when the dough ages to a point where there is too much alcohol, a different bacteria known as Acetobacter comes in and feeds on the excess of alcohol and then produces acetic acid which is more
astringent like white vinegar.

All of this is happening within our dough as soon as we mix a batch of dough. The goal is to balance the length of fermentation so that we create maximum flavor while still ensuring usability. Right now, everyone loves to talk about how hydrated their dough is and how old it is. Well, there’s a tightrope we walk when it comes to this. Yeast is most active in warm environments, but you do not want them to be so active that they consume all of their food source before the bacteria is able to produce the acids needed for flavor. The clock starts as soon as you begin mixing. 

For those who live in warm environments, temperatures can be a blessing and a curse. In Italy there isn’t as much refrigeration space as here in the U.S. This means a lot of pizzerias are fermenting their dough in ambient warm environments. The key to this is control. If the day is warmer than usual, ice-cold water in the batch will help slow down yeast activity. As well, decreasing the total amount of added yeast in the dough will ensure it ferments properly at the warmer ambient temperature. If you do not compensate the amount of yeast when fermenting in warm temps, your dough will most likely not reach the length of maturation time you are aiming for, resulting in less flavor. If you think about it, less yeast in a batch means a larger food source available. If there’s too much yeast, that means there’s less of a food source available resulting in your dough dying sooner.

Cold fermentation on the other hand is a blessing if used correctly. In the U.S. we are always trying to maximize refrigeration space. For dough the use of cold fermentation can be a tool to increase flavor as well as make sure your dough ferments on your timetable. There are so many moving parts to restaurants that your dough schedule needs to be as streamlined as much as possible. For those using solely warm fermentation, this requires a lot more attention to detail. If the room becomes too hot, you will be moving your dough around. If the room is too cool, then you are chasing the warm spots. The use of refrigerators gives you more time if you have it. When yeast is in a cold environment, activity slows down. In a refrigerator held between
35 and 40 F, yeast slows to a crawl. When yeast activity is slowed down, bacteria has a chance to produce the acids needed for flavor. When someone says they are using five-day-old dough, they are most likely using a refrigerator.

Neither solely using warm or cold fermentation is better than the other. Both are great and useful when it comes to making tasty dough but understanding the effects of both is crucial. We are always looking for a way to control our product and make it as consistent as possible. Knowing the role temperature plays in the lifespan of your dough is essential. As soon as you understand the balance of time and temperature, the real fun begins.

Laura Meyer is the owner of Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley, CA.

>> Explore answers to more common pizza dough questions in Troubleshooting your Pizza Dough: What’s wrong with my pizza dough? <<

The post Pizza Dough Room Temperature or Refrigerated Fermentation, Which is Better? appeared first on Pizza Today.

Laura Meyer is Chef at Capo’s and Administrator and Teaching Assistant at the International School of Pizza in San Francisco.

Over the years, I have taught many pizza makers embarking on a new journey. There seems to be a handful of questions I always get. “When do I know my pizza is done?” is probably a question I get once per class. For beginners, learning to stretch and top dough is a daunting task … let alone getting it off the table and into the oven. Cooking the pizza seems to be a step that is always an afterthought. We think about ovens – but what happens to our product once it is in the oven is a different thing entirely. Some people prefer timers, but I think they are useless. For one, kitchens are loud enough without the incessant beeping of multiple timers. In the end, timers only act as a preemptive warning that a pizza may be done; during a busy night, ovens begin to cool down as pizzas are rotated in and out. Learning how your equipment changes during busy periods – as well as how your dough and product changes with it – is key. Instead of relying on timers, what I do is look at color. Every single time the oven door is opened – whether a new pizza is going in or a fully cooked one is coming out – I assess the color of every single pizza on that deck. If the doors have glass, I am looking through those as well, but the opening and closing of the door is an indicator to me that I should be looking.

Color can come from several different things. The main reasons pizzas take on color when baked is because of the Maillard reaction and caramelization of sugars. The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids, proteins and sugars. During the cooking process, a crust is formed, changing the flavor but also creating the variance in color that we see when pizzas are finished cooking. Sugars are extremely attracted to moisture, which means doughs with varying hydrations will have slightly different colors. Caramelization of sugar is different from the Maillard reaction in that no amino acids are necessary (just as not all sugars are equal in terms of concentration of sweetness for the same amounts). The caramelization of sugars and the resulting colors all are different depending on the type of sugar present. This is why Neapolitan pizzas brown differently than New York style. Blisters and leoparding as opposed to even golden brown are indicators of doneness but are at two ends of the spectrum. Intensity of heat combined with natural sugars present in flour will blister more as in Neapolitan pizzas. Lower temperatures and added sugar like plain white sugar or diastatic malt will lend a more golden brown.

Recipes that call for added sugar normally use white, granulated sugar or malt. One way to change color is by substituting these sugars with another. Malt is normally in a dry, powdered form, but it can also be found in a liquid form and comes in three varieties: light, amber and black. Honey, agave, molasses, cane sugar and sorghum are other sweeteners in syrup forms. If you are a stickler for getting your percentages and hydration exact, liquid sugars like honey and agave have a small water component. The fact that these sugars are in liquid form will add moisture to your overall hydration; they also give varying degrees of amber and red hues to your finished pizzas.

There are other ways to add color to your dough besides sugar. Blending in different grains is an easy way to change the color of your final product – flour options include whole wheat, rye and ancient grains such as einkorn, spelt and Khorasan. These grains have varying levels of gluten, so blending small quantities into your dough recipes will change the final coloration of your dough as well as the inside crumb color without affecting the final gluten
development.

Another way to add color to your dough is by changing the water and the oil. Instead of using regular water, try adding the liquid from tomatoes, beer, stock or even juice! Juice especially will be high in sugar, so this will affect how quickly the dough browns in the oven. Adding any of these also will add flavor and aroma to your finished pizza. With oil, consider using chili oil, pumpkin seed oil or even sesame oil for a different spin on pizza.

Lastly, one of the best ways to add color to any dough is by adding purees, powders or squid ink. A concentrated puree like tomato, ube (a type of purple potato) or fruits like blackberries will give a dramatic color to your dough. If adding purees to your dough, you will want to consider its thickness, as a thin puree will mean extra water. You will want to compensate for this by decreasing the water in your recipe to maintain the same percentage. Powders such as cocoa and charcoal will give intense color. Squid ink is another ingredient that is more commonly found in pasta but can be easily incorporated into pizza dough. When it comes to adding intense colors to your dough with powders, purees and squid ink, start with small quantities. Too much of anything will start to affect the overall structure of dough and affect gluten development. Adding color can be a fun experiment for any pizza maker, but it can be hard to cook. If your total hydration is high and you are using an added ingredient or a different sugar, knowing when the pizza is done can be very tricky. Finding the right cook temperature will also be key as high hydrations need longer bakes at lower temperatures, but sugars will caramelize at various rates.

Playing with color can be fun, but understanding how basic doughs take on color during baking is key. Learn the basics and then experiment, experiment, experiment! Start small, but know the sky is the limit when it comes to making dough.

Laura Meyer is chef at Capo’s and administrator and teaching assistant at the International School of Pizza in San Francisco.

The post Knead to Know: Find ways to add color to your pizza crust appeared first on Pizza Today.

Flour Protein Content

There are a number of things that can cause a pizza crust to become excessively tough or chewy. The tough and chewy stage is set when a high protein (very strong) flour is used to make the dough. Pizza crusts made with a high-protein flour of 13 percent or more can have a wonderfully light and crispy eating characteristic when the pizza is fresh and hot out of the oven, but upon standing for much more than 10 minutes it can become tough. This can happen on a buffet serving line, or in a box and/or insulated bag while the pizza is being transported to a customer’s home. The development of toughness is a result of moisture migration from the hot, moist toppings into the dry, crispy crust portion of the pizza. This is the reason we have those neat “ripple sheets” that you can set the pizza on in the box. The idea here is to hold the pizza off of the bottom of the box, thus allowing channels for the moisture to escape from the bottom of the pizza. We have found over the years that pizzas made from a slightly lower protein flour (in the 12 percent protein content range works will be just as crispy as pizzas made with a higher protein flour, but they will not become as tough and chewy over time.

Pizza Gum Line

Another cause of a tough and chewy crust is the development of a gum line in the pizza. The pizza can be baked so it looks great, and it will even have a good crisp to it, but when you take a close look at the inside of the pizza you might see a gray line just below the sauce. This is a gum line. The gum line represents a portion of the crust that has not been fully baked. As a result it has a greater moisture content than the rest of the crumb portion of the crust. After baking, moisture quickly moves out of this gum line and into the lower moisture areas (think crispy areas) where it does its dastardly deed of creating toughness and chewiness. If this is the cause of your problem, you will need to take steps to correct the gum line. This can include baking a little longer at a slightly lower oven temperature, not pre-saucing the dough skins, not thinning the sauce quite so much (try to get your sauce to about 12 to 13 percent solids), or you might be able to correct things by just applying a very thin coating of oil to the surface of the dough skin before saucing it.

We use fresh, compressed yeast. Does it make any difference how we add the yeast to the dough?

Best Practices for Adding Yeast

Yes, it does. A common way to incorporate the yeast into pizza dough is to add it into the water containing the salt and sugar. This is not a recommended practice as it can lead to damaged yeast, resulting in inconsistent yeast performance. This happens as a result of the potentially higher osmotic pressure of the salt/sugar solution. What this means is that the salt and sugar, under certain circumstances, could pull moisture — including essential enzymes and amino acids — out of the live yeast calls. This can lead to soft dough conditions, as well as less-than-ideal fermentation characteristics. To avoid this, we simply recommend that the salt and sugar never be allowed to come into direct contact with each other, even when in a solution. This is recommended for all kinds of yeast, not just compressed yeast.

We see that a good number of operators are in the habit of putting the yeast into the water and stirring it until the yeast is “dissolved.” But, frankly, I’ve got better things to do with my time, so we can dispense with stirring the yeast in the water. Just crumble it a little and add it right on top of the flour and it will get mixed into the dough just fine. I promise.

With all of this said, there is one small exception that you do need to be aware of. When using a vertical cutter mixer (VCM), the dough mixing times are so short that it can be difficult to get the yeast thoroughly dispersed throughout the dough without a little help. This help comes in the form of adding the yeast as a suspension. Put the yeast into a bowl containing a portion of the dough water, then add the yeast. Next, use a hand whisk to stir the yeast until it is completely suspended, then add it right on top of the flour in the mixing bowl. This won’t be a problem if you happen to use active dry yeast (ADY) since it must be pre-hydrated in a small portion of warm water anyways. But if you are using instant dry yeast (IDY) you are going to have to pre-hydrate this one too. Do this by putting the IDY into about five times its weight of 95 F water and stir using a wire whisk until the yeast is fully hydrated and suspended in the water, then pour it onto the flour in the mixing bowl. Be sure to reduce the amount of water added to the bowl by the same amount of 95 F water used to hydrate the yeast so that your dough formula remains in balance.

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