Flours, Pizza Dough Recipe and Pizza Questions

A Pot Roast Pizza from Pizza Therapy

Bev writes:

 Albert, I love your original dough recipe (Pizza Therapy Pizza Dough Recipe) but recently, upon your recommendation, bought Caputo OO flour.
(Antimo Caputo 00 Pizzeria Flour (Blue) 20 Lb Repack)

How will that flour change your recipe? The reason I ask is I love how your dough handles. It does not spring back and it was great to roll out and deal with . What will be different with the new flour?

 Also, what is up with this new recipe of yours? What is different about it
 and should I change to it.

 Also, I am having about ten people over for a pizza party. Have not done
 that before and am feeling a little nervous about making a lot of
 different pizzas and feeding everyone. Do you think I could pre-bake the
 crusts for a few minutes to aid in my getting a lot of pizzas out quickly?
 Or what do your recommend how I could pull it all off?

 Please guide me.
 Thanks in advance for your help and expertise.

My Response:

Hi Bev.

First thanks for the support....

Great questions, I will do my best!

I am a big believer in the theory of: if its not broke...don't fix it. That said, if what you are doing regarding pizza works, do not change it! Use the recipe and flour that you are comfortable and tastes best to you.

While I do use Caputo and recommend it, I have found it works best in a very hot oven. Such as when I am grilling pizza in my Mighty Pizza Oven. I have used it with good results in a wood fired oven as well.

For every day pizza in my home oven, I like Harvest King by General Mills...

In Tony Gemiginani's new book (the pizza bible) he talks about 15 different flours!

Each one should be used for a different type of pizza.

(The Pizza Bible: The World's Favorite Pizza Styles, from Neapolitan, Deep-Dish, Wood-Fired, Sicilian, Calzones and Focaccia to New York, New Haven, Detroit, and more)

I say stick with the flour that tastes good to you. Use the flour that you find tastes great and is easy to work with.

Over the last several years, I have modified my dough recipe a bit:

4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of yeast and 1 and 1/2 cups of water.

I make the dough the day before and let it proof in my fridge for a day.

Since I got Ton'ys new book, I plan on trying some of his methods to see what happen. I am sure I will be pleased with the results.

Again, if you are having a pizza party, that is not the time to change the recipe or ingredients. Go with what you have always done. 

Experiment by yourself. I think that is the safest.

I think you could par cook the crust, But I have found the best thing to do is to cook each pizza by itself. If your oven is hot hot hot and you are using a pizza stone (or two) you should be able to get your pizza out fairly quickly...

I hope this answers all of your questions.

Best of luck in your pizza adventures! I know your pizzas will be great.

And stay tuned for more info about Tony's new book: "The Pizza Bible".

I am just finishing up a review...and there will be a contest so maybe you can win one!

BTW: you owe me some pics of your pizza party!

pizza on earth,

albert