VOLUME 3/NUMBER 21 Pizza Crusts

Practical technology from Lallemand Inc.

Pizza Crust Production

O DISCUSS pizza crust production, duction of shells and topped pizza shells, rect diameter, which, in the case of topped we have to approach the subject automated lines are the trend. and boxed pizza shells, promotes the mis- Tfrom two aspects. First, we can di- Sheeting is the process normally used conception by the consumer that they are vide the pizza industry by the type of pizza by wholesale bakeries to produce thick being shortchanged by the producer. desired, whether it be a thin crust pizza or pizza crust. Mixed dough is sheeted through Stamping is the process normally used a thick crust, “deep dish,” pizza. Second, a series of progressive rollers, and the pizza by wholesale bakeries to produce thin pizza we can segregate the industry based on the shells are die-cut to the appropriate shape. crust. In this process, the mixed dough is production process used to make the pizza. Proper handling characteristics are impor- divided to the desired weight and then tant to the dough to maintain a consistent given an intermediate proof to relax the PRODUCTION PROCESSES thickness and texture without tearing. dough. The dough balls are transferred to a Pizza production on the large scale gener- Equally important is the absence of any hot press that stamps the dough to the ally produces frozen pizza dough, frozen shrinkage of the pizza dough directly after desired thickness to achieve the correct parbaked pizza shells, and frozen fully cutting or during the baking cycle. Shrink- diameter. Again, maximum extensibility topped parbaked pizza shells. In the pro- age results in poor quality due to lack of cor- without being sticky is critical to achieve Continued

PIZZA CRUST PRODUCTION PROCESSES

mixing stamping ingredients

floor time divider interm. THIN CRUST WHOLESALE conventional rounder proof press mixer

parbaking/ baking cooling topping freezing

mixing sheeting cutting ingredients hearth oven blast freezer

floor die cutter time extruder sheeting conventional WHOLESALE THICK CRUST rolls mixer

mixing dividing retarding floor hand topping baking ingredients warm-up forming

PIZZERIA 35-40 F floor ( ( time hearth mixer refrigerator oven Pizza Crust Production (Continued) the desired size and to prevent shrinkage. fully baked then cooled before application Pizzerias typically use a traditional man- The negative side of this process is that it of the topping and freezing. Frying is also ual process to produce both thick and thin is considerably more labor-intensive than used as an alternative to baking. When crusts. Mixed dough is divided to the de- the previous process, and the pizza shells freezing topped pizza dough that hasn’t been sired weight, retarded until needed, then often lack the uniformity of cut shells. baked in any way, water can migrate into hand-formed, topped, and baked. Inte- Variations are common in the whole- the dough, resulting in soggy crust. This can grated dry pizza mixes are a useful option sale production process. For topped pizza be a big problem in thin crust pizza where for pizzerias, as the dough quality and con- shells, the crusts are normally parbaked or crispness is desired. sistency are guaranteed by the mix suppli- er. The pizza mix can be supplied with or without the inclusion of dry yeast. PIZZA CRUST PRODUCTION CONDITIONS INGREDIENTS CHEMICALLY YEAST-LEAVENED LEAVENED YEAST-LEAVENED Thin crust pizza recipes call for a strong THIN CRUST PIZZA THIN CRUST PIZZA DEEP DISH PIZZA flour (13 to 14 percent protein) that will Ingredients: give a strong dough after mixing and that Flour 100.0 100.0 100.0 can be baked into a pizza crust that will Water 55 – 60 55 – 60 60 – 70 not absorb liquid from the topping and Sugar 1 – 2 0 – 2 1 – 5 become soggy. Often, gluten is added to Salt 1 – 2 1 – 2 1 – 2 increase the protein level. Water absorp- Shortening or oil 3 – 14 3 – 14 2 – 5 tion is kept low (55 to 60 percent) and Instant yeast* 0.5 – 1 0.5 – 1.5 shortening levels are kept high to avoid Calcium propionate 0.2 – 0.3 0.2 – 0.3** 0.2 – 0.3 sticking during stamping. Shortening lev- Gluten 1 – 2 1 – 2 els are also important in this process to Baking powder 0.5 – 4 maintain finished crust texture. Thin crust Optimal dough 90 – 95°F 75 – 80°F 80 – 90°F pizza can also be made with chemical leav- temperature (32 – 35°C) (24 – 27°C) (27 – 32°C) ening rather than yeast. Floor time (minutes) 10 – 15 0.0 10 – 20 Thick crust pizza recipes call for a Baking temperature 500 – 600°F 500 – 600°F 400 – 500°F lower protein flour (12 to 14 percent) to (260 – 315°C) (260 – 315°C) (204 – 260°C) provide a more breadlike texture. Water * For frozen, unbaked pizza dough, fresh yeast at levels from 3 to 5% is preferred. ** For dough with baking powder, sodium propionate is preferred. absorption is higher, from 60 up to 70 per- cent, sweetener levels are higher to sup- port more yeast fermentation, and short- Pizza Crust Problem Solvers ening levels are lower.

ALLEMAND BAKING understands the Fermaid® glutathione-rich inactive challenges of making quality pizza yeast products are natural dough reducing L crusts and can help you optimize agents that can replace L-cysteine and pro- your formulation to yield a dough with vide the dough extensibility needed to sheet superb handling and baking characteristics. or press the dough piece to the desired dia- Instaferm® 01 instant dry yeast is the meter and avoid shrinkage and snapback. most convenient way to solve all your yeast Using Fermaid® dough relaxers to opti- problems and help give you the perfect pizza mize mix time minimizes the effect of flour every time. Instaferm® is unsurpassed in fer- changes, improves machinability, and mentation activity and product consisten- avoids both “bucky,” undermixed doughs Lallemand Baking Update is produced by cy. For producers who prefer fresh yeast, and sticky, overmixed doughs. Fermaid® Lallemand Inc. to provide bakers with a source of practical technology for solving Lal^Ferm® fresh compressed (block) and dough relaxers also provide a dough that is problems. If you would like to be on our crumbled (bag) yeast are available. For the smoother and easy to handle, with the added mailing list to receive future issues, or if very large pizza crust producer, Lal^Ferm® benefit of a crust that rises slightly more you have questions or comments, please is also offered as liquid yeast cream for abso- during baking to improve the texture. contact us at: lute handling convenience and consistent Lallemand is committed to continuous LALLEMAND Inc. product quality. innovation and will spare no efforts to 1620 Préfontaine Automated pizza production places tre- match your needs and deliver value to you Montréal, QC H1W 2N8 CANADA mendous pressure on the handling qualities and your customers. tel: (800) 840-4047 (514) 522-2133 fax: (514) 255-6861 of the dough and can cause shrinkage and email: [email protected] snapback problems. Traditionally, chemical www.lallemand.com reduction, either by cysteine or sodium To the best of our knowledge, the information in metabisulfite, was the answer; but recent Lallemand Baking Update is true and accurate. How- trends are moving away from these products ever, any recommendations or suggestions are made without warranty or guarantee. and have created the need for consumer- friendly ingredients. © 1996, 2011, 2021 Lallemand Inc.