How to Make Chewy Pizza Dough

Pizza is one of the world’s most popular and varied meals. The toppings and ingredients combinations are nearly limitless, and everyone enjoys customizing it.

The consistency of the crust is one of the primary distinctions in pizza taste preferences. Do you like chewy or crunchy foods?

In this post, we’ll look at what gives pizza dough its texture and how to make sure your dough is always chewy.

Flour Affects the Consistency of Pizza Dough

As you are surely aware, the components you use in your cuisine are important. The kind of flour you choose when preparing your own pizza dough has a big impact on the consistency.

Most pizza recipes call for 00 or bread flour, which contains more gluten than all-purpose flour (or cake flour, which should never be used for pizza). Bread flour has around 13% gluten, whereas 00 contains approximately 12%.

The gluten is what gives bread its doughy, chewy texture. If you want chewy pizza dough, look for a recipe that asks for 00 or bread flour.

Make careful you don’t just switch out the flour types in a recipe that asks for all-purpose flour, since the chemical interactions between the components (usually yeast, flour, water, and salt) are sensitive and may be drastically changed by even little alterations.

There is also a distinction between 00 and bread flour, with 00 being the preferred of the two. The extra protein in bread flour might cause the dough to become difficult, particularly if it has been sitting out for more than 15 minutes.

Although the protein level is just slightly reduced, many cooks (both professional and home) believe that the modest decrease helps to keep the crust from toughening.

Use a Long Rise Time and Knead, Knead, Knead

Allowing the yeast to rise at a leisurely rate may also aid in the creation of wonderfully chewy pizza dough. If you do this, you will need to select a recipe that contains a lot of salt, since salt regulates the rate at which the dough rises.

Once the dough has risen, knead it according to the recipe’s directions, but pay more attention to the texture and appearance of the dough than the length of time you’ve been kneading. It should start with a bunch of small bumps but smooth out towards the end.

Roll Out

The way you roll out the dough has a less dramatic influence on the chewiness of the dough than one would first believe, but it is still a factor.

One of the most essential things to remember while rolling out your dough is to work quickly. Rolling the dough stretches the gluten out further (technically, continuing to knead), which affects the consistency.

That is why most experts advocate spreading out the dough with your hands rather than a rolling pin. You may not have a perfectly round pie, but you will end up with a better-tasting pie.

Roll it out to approximately a half-inch thickness if you want a chewy crust. Any thicker, and the dough will be uncooked on the inside.

Alternatively, follow the size specifications on your recipe for the rolled-out dough. Furthermore, do not roll it too thin or it may burn.

Bake it Right

The equipment you use to bake pizza will also affect the consistency of the dough.

Ideally, you have an oven that can reach extremely high temperatures; the greater the temperature, the better. Consider the finest pizza you’ve ever had: chances are, it came from a hot pizza oven.

A pizza stone should also be used. This one-of-a-kind product uniformly absorbs and distributes heat, giving the crust a chewy exterior.

Other Chewy Pizza Dough Tips and Tricks

Don’t overcook it

Although it may seem apparent, it is important stressing that you should not overcook your pizza or dough. If your toppings should or must be properly cooked, prepare them ahead of time.

Raw vegetable toppings like broccoli and asparagus, for example, should definitely be cooked, as should raw meat toppings like chicken and even thick bacon.

Measure your ingredients with a food scale

wonderfully proportioned ingredients are another secret to wonderfully soft dough. Get rid of your measuring cups and spoons for the most precise measurements.

Use a food scale instead. You’ll always have the appropriate quantity.

Use filtered, room-temperature water

Have you ever heard someone remark that the water in New York City makes pizza taste better? That remark does have some validity.

It is important to consider how your water is filtered and how it comes out of the tap. For the greatest results, we highly advise using bottled water or room-temperature filtered water.

I Did Everything the Same, but My Dough Is Different: What Gives?

Many variables may influence the result of pizza dough, which can be frustrating for amateur cooks.

For example, if you use the same recipe in the same kitchen with the same oven and other equipment twice, once in the dead of winter and once in the summer, the difference in temperature may alter your dough. Humidity, in particular, may have a significant influence on the quality of your pizza dough.

Similarly, altitude might have an effect on the result. Are you visiting friends in Denver? You may not feel like making pizza for supper.

Inactive yeast is another cause of lousy pizza dough. Keep yeast in the freezer and replace it every six months.

Enjoy Your Pizza

Making the perfect pizza is an art, and one of the main reasons is that everyone’s perception of ideal pizza is different.

It will be worth it once you discover the appropriate recipe and procedures for you, and you will never have to call Dominoes again!