Hey Brenda! King Arthur question

Mik · 17 Apr 2020, 14:54

I have all the stuff to make great pizzas tonight - except crust. My delivery service has shorted me pizza crusts two weeks in a row now and my Kroger delivery yesterday did too! Don't have any yeast.

But I do have KA self rising flour - have you ever tried their St Louis style recipe?

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/st-louis-style-pizza-recipe

brenda · M Mik 17 Apr 2020, 14:48

@Mik
Wow! I've never tried that recipe. For a thin crust, I think it could be great. I've learned that the cracker crusts often rely on baking powder, not yeast.

Give it a go! I may do the same next weekend.

King Arthur seldom disappoints. Now you have me curious about this recipe.

Mik · 17 Apr 2020, 15:27

Me too. I like very thin crust. Either that or a thick, crispy-edge crust like Detroit-style (Jet's 8 corner pizza - awesome).

brenda · M Mik 17 Apr 2020, 15:01

@Mik

For another time, when you can get some semolina:
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/ultra-thin-pizza-crust-recipe

brenda · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 15:30

Speaking of semolina, we've been really enjoying this recipe:
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/sicilian-pizza-recipe/

This makes a thicker crust, one that gets that crunchy bottom crust and edge. It also makes a large pan, a half sheet pan, full of goodness. It reheats the next day very well for a quick lunch for hubby, maybe for me. Handy!

Mik · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 16:18

I have semolina, Bob's Red Mill. No yeast!

Aqua Letifer · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 16:26

Did someone say yeast??

xenon · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 16:28

Mik · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 16:30

The world turned upside down.

xenon · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 16:34

I've been using long rise / overnight recipes to preserve that precious precious yeast.

Also - I've been eating too much bread. (Actually. I've resolved to cut back to only pizza)

Mik · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 19:06

I chickened out and bought dough from Dewey's where The Princess used to work.

Optimistic · 17 Apr 2020, 19:41

Unlike pretty much everywhere else on the internet, the comments section at KAF is actually really helpful The people who monitor those boards do a great job of responding to questions raised and troubleshooting issues.

I've had my eye on this recipe for a few months. I love NY style thin pizza if I buy it, but if I'm baking it, I like the thicker crust:

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/crispy-cheesy-pan-pizza-recipe

xenon · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 19:41

@Optimistic said in Hey Brenda! King Arthur question:

Unlike pretty much everywhere else on the internet, the comments section at KAF is actually really helpful The people who monitor those boards do a great job of responding to questions raised and troubleshooting issues.

I've had my eye on this recipe for a few months. I love NY style thin pizza if I buy it, but if I'm baking it, I like the thicker crust:

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/crispy-cheesy-pan-pizza-recipe

Thanks for sharing that, Optimistic. I'm going to try to repurpose one of my pizzas to this method. Looks so good.

Optimistic · 17 Apr 2020, 20:37

Brenda, xenon, and others that bake. . .do you weigh your flour? I don't, and am wondering if I need to start doing so. Maybe that contributes to my crappy bread-making endeavors of late.

xenon · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 20:00

Game changer for me. Might be because some of my flour was sitting around for a while and packed quite tight.

My first foray into bread making a few weeks ago was a disaster. Got a digital scale from amazon for about $12.

Game changer.

I tested some of my flour weight on the scale after to confirm. I was way off. YMMV

Mik · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 20:04

Yeah, weighing is very important in baking. It's chemistry.

xenon · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 20:05

Another big benefit has been that you can convert recipes you like into ratios - and scale them up and down with accuracy once you have a scale.

I had a recipe for 5 pizza dough balls. I only wanted 3. Multiple all the weights by 3/5.

brenda · wrote on 17 Apr 2020, 20:37

@Optimistic
Opti, for bread, yes, weigh your flour until you get really comfortable making a certain recipe. The first several times I make a new recipe, I always weigh the flour. My challah bread is one I've made so many times, I can tell just by feel whether it needs more flour or liquid. My frequent pizza dough is the same way, I just measure and adjust. With varying humidity and temp, a given recipe will need tweaking to get the desired texture. On a cold winter day, I just know I'll have to add a bit more liquid. On a humid day, probably not.

Something that new bakers sometimes find difficult to manage is the hydration level for the dough, especially if it's meant to be a wet dough, actually sticky. Don't be afraid of sticky dough. Just wet or oil your hands, or use a bench knife to move it around. A good high hydration will help you get a nice moist bread. The oven never adds moisture to your bread. LOL. You have to make sure it's moist before you bake it, and that often means a sticky dough. People keep adding more flour to make it easier to handle, and then they're disappointed with dry bread.
Sticky is good!

Jolly · 17 Apr 2020, 20:50

How about a pizza crust made with beer?

Optimistic · 17 Apr 2020, 22:45

@Jolly Sounds delicious!

Ok, that´s it then, I´m sold on the scale. Most of my baking is cakes and cookies type-stuff, and I mostly stick to my favorite recipes. Working without a scale has not been an issue before. I´m also not really sure why I was able to have success with yeast dough years ago but lately not--but xenon, now I´m wondering if it´s because my baking ingredients are a bit on the older side, and maybe my flour has settled.

Ok, what about about a thermometer to measure water temps for the dough? Necessary?

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Hey Brenda! King Arthur question