Pizza Today - September 2020 - 20

KNEAD TO KNOW

you want in a dough: great structure,
complexity of flavor and texture. While
she is normally a fan of using a starter
method, by utilizing time and fermentation she created an outstanding pie.
However, not every pizzeria has the
time or space for extended periods of
fermentation. Which is why a lot of the
new artisan pizza makers are utilizing the
indirect method of making dough. Why
would you use one pre-ferment over
another? They are all very unique in their
own way, yielding different results.

Mother Dough

It all starts somewhere, and where it starts
can make a huge difference

By Audrey Kelly

veryone knows, or at least they
should, that the most important
part of a pizza is the dough. It
is what defines the style of pie you are
making, holds up the gorgeous sauce you
spoon on top and the bubbly cheese you
smother it in. Yes, I know some people
judge a pie by the latter two, but without
crust there is just a sloppy mess of ingredients. The dough is also what makes
each pizzeria unique. Flour, water, salt
and yeast. All staple ingredients. What
your process is can set you apart from
others that are doing similar styles. Are
you using a direct or indirect method?
Do you use a mother dough? If so, is it
a sourdough starter, biga or poolish? I've
played around with all of these methods
and each creates a different final product.
By using a direct method, all of your
ingredients are incorporated in a single
stage of production. With an indirect
method, a pre-ferment such as a biga,
poolish or levan is mixed in advance of
the dough and allowed to ferment. It is
then added to the dough, using multiple
stages.

John Arena, owner of Metro Pizza
in Las Vegas, points out that the
method you use is often determined
by time and space. "Crucial to either
method is an appreciation for time as a
major component of dough flavor and
structure. Each method is actually just a
different way to manipulate time. Direct
method has the advantage of simplicity.
If you have the space to do extended fermentation, direct method can yield outstanding results that are very manageable.
Indirect method is a way to add depth
and complexity to dough by manipulating
time. In essence, adding a pre-ferment
gives your dough maturity in less time
because the pre-ferment has been allowed
to age without a yeast inhibitor (salt)."
The direct method seems to be more
common in a lot of old-school places.
And, when done correctly, it can make a
fantastic dough. That's not to say that the
younger generation of pizzaioli can't master the method. Last year at the Caputo
Cup in Naples, Italy, Laura Meyer of Capo's in San Francisco not only competed
with a direct dough ... but won the whole
competition. Her pizza had everything

Sourdough starters are probably
the most diverse. A starter is basically
cultivating the wild yeast that is in the
air by mixing flour and water together.
Each will be a little different depending
on what bacteria is in their air, what kind
of flour they incorporate and how often
they feed it. Maintaining a sourdough
starter also takes a little more attention
than some of the other methods. They require longer bulk ferments and a watchful eye depending on the temperature
and time of year. However, I feel that it is
well worth the added effort.
While a sourdough starter is a natural
yeast, bigas and poolish are both preferments using commercial yeast. The
difference in the two is the hydration
level. A poolish is much wetter, using a
1:1 ratio of flour and water. Meanwhile,
a biga is a little drier using a 2:1 ratio
flour to water. You can use instant dry
yeast (IDY), Active Dry Yeast (ADY)
or fresh yeast, but Arena points out that
it is helpful to be consistent in the type
you use. In his own wise words, "Using
the same ingredient over and over will
develop an almost intuitive sense of how
the ingredient performs. In time you will
develop a rhythm and relationship with
your dough and your methods."
Even if you use a set type of yeast and
method, it's always great to play around
and know how to utilize other methods.
Especially in times as uncertain as the
pandemic. Sourdough has seen a bump
in popularity and curiosity from pizza
makers and home bakers alike. The idea
of a looming commercial yeast shortage
may have contributed to that.

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Pizza Today - September 2020

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