lidding or covering the dough boxes for extended refrigerated storage (one to three days). When discussing this I always make sure to mention that the dough balls should be lightly oiled after being placed into the dough box, as this will prevent excessive drying or crust formation on the dough balls during the cross-stack period. Do I have to cross-stack the dough boxes? Yes, unless you want to experience the problems mentioned above. But if you want to have a process that doesn't require cross-stacking dough boxes there are two other options for you: 1. Place the dough balls onto aluminum sheet pans, lightly oil the dough balls and slide the pan into a food contact approved plastic bag. Then pull the bag down tight onto the dough balls and fold the open end down under the end of the pan as you place it into a vertical wheeled stand with about a five-inch shelf spacing. Place the pans of dough into the cooler as quickly as possible. The plastic will not inhibit cooling of the dough as a lidded box will, so it will allow for faster cooling of the dough with minimal condensation formation on the inside of the bag. 2. Use individual plastic bags (like bread bags), oil the dough ball and drop it into a plastic bag, twist the open end into a pony tail and tuck it under the dough ball as you place it onto a sheet pan or shelf in the cooler. In both of these cases the oil on the dough ball helps the dough release from the plastic when you go to use the dough balls. In most cases you can reuse the plastic bags a number of times before replacing them. A LESS OFTEN ENCOUNTERED REASON FOR A STICKY DOUGH IS THE USE OF MALT as an ingredient in the dough. More specifically, the use of diastatic (enzyme active) malt. If the flour you're using is un-malted and you are just trying to provide a normal malt level to help fermentation and promote crust color development during baking, all that is needed is 0.25 percent of a 20-degree Lintner value dry malt powder. But of recent I have seen a number of cases where malt syrup is being added to the dough to provide a unique flavor to the finished crust. In these cases the amount of malt syrup can be two percent or more. If the malt product is diastatic it will hydrolyze too much of the starch into sugar making for a sticky dough that cannot be corrected. In this case just make sure the malt syrup you are planning to use is a non-diastatic malt syrup - which is really nothing more than a type of sugar syrup that provides a uniquely different flavor to the baked crust - and you'll be just fine.n TOM LEHMANN is a former director at the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kansas and Pizza Today's resident dough expert. 2 8 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8https://www.dutchessbakers.com/ https://www.dutchessbakers.com/ http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM