I’ve been doing this for a while, but it’s a problem I’ve never solved. Dunno if it’s my crust recipe or something I need to do during construction.
The recipe is as follows:
- 1c water, 120°F
- 1 packet dry active yeast (2.25tsp)
- 1Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2Tbsp olive oil
- 3.5C white flour
- 1tsp salt
- Mix the yeast and sugar in the warm water, wait to bloom
- Add everything else and mix into dough.
- Knead, proof
- Roll out, transfer to pan
- Second proof (optional)
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Construct pizza with favorite toppings
- Bake at 425°F for 15min or until cheese is sufficiently browned
Step 7 usually has jarred marinara, meats (except pepperoni), spices, and cheese, and all the veggies (and pepperoni) go on top.
Still, the very middle part of the pizza ends up a little doughy, just where the sauce meets the crust. The outside of the pizza is just fine, but the only thing I can think is that the sauce is adding too much water. Do I need to add a layer of oil before the sauce, or should I try to reduce the sauce before adding it? Should I reduce the temp and increase the time?
Thanks!
Edit: Everyone has had some great ideas. I’ll have plenty to try!
I’m German so I have good access to Italian flour, for Pizza I use Caputo Pizzeria (for which I pay Eur 2.50 per kg). I order a few packages online.
Typical supermarket flour here has a lower protein content - so it can hold less water.
The Caputo is about 3 times the price of supermarket flour, but 1kg of flour is 6 (round) pizzas, so the difference is a few cent per pizza.
Check youtube for good information - damn, I forget the name of the channel, it’s a married couple showing Italian cuisine , he’s American she’s Italian. They have a video how they make the rectangular pizza in the household oven.
This is crazy, chatgpt just found what I was looking for from roughly the above description:
https://www.pastagrammar.com/post/authentic-italian-pan-pizza-in-teglia-recipe