Scuola di Pizza: Part I, The Dough

Earlier this week I attended a pizza making class at Pizzeria Mozza's "scuola di pizza." Faithful readers of this blog (are there any?) will recall that nearly four years ago I wrote about Mozza on the eve of its opening here. Since then, the restaurant has become a staple in LA and so successful that soon the Mozza empire will be expanding to Singapore, of all places. I like the place and I like the pizza, even if it is not really in the Neapolitan style that is much more au courant. So, I jumped at the chance of taking the class, even though it came at a fairly steep price ($150) and significant risk (that they might not be teaching the actual recipe, but rather some dumbed down version allegedly "more accessible to the home chef" but which also coincidentally protects Mozza's trade secrets. See my previous comments on secret recipes here).

The class turned out to be pretty good, even if there were a few disappointments. I'm going to write up everything we learned. In this post, I will talk about the dough. In later posts, I will move on to the sauce, toppings, and final preparation of the pizza.

If you have ever tried to make bread or pizza dough, you know how challenging it is to do it well, and more particularly, how changing very subtle variables (not just the ingredients, but also the mixing and dough handling methods, ambient temperatures, and rising times) creates very different results. That's why it can be hard to duplicate a specific crust without good instruction. Mozza's dough has a unique quality. It is crisp and chewy without being doughy. I was curious about a few things. What type of flour are they using? Is it a natural starter or a traditional yeast raised crust? Are there any additions to the dough beyond the basics (flour, water and salt -- and I assure you it is possible to make an extraordinary pizza with just these ingredients). What is the moisture content of the dough? How is the dough handled at each stage?

When I got to the class, I eagerly flipped through the supplied recipe book to start answering these questions. Once I'd read through the dough recipe I was worried: I could tell that there was no possible way this was the recipe they used in the restaurant. The provided recipe took only three hours from start to finish. It is simply impossible to make a perfect pizza dough in three hours; fermentation times of 24 to 72 hours are typically used by professional bakers. And I could tell that other factors (like the amount of yeast used) was a multiple of the amount that would be used by a professional baker. Typically home bread recipes compensate for the short rising time by adding yeast; that's why home baked bread often has an unpleasant, excessively yeasty taste. I was half ready to confront the teacher on these facts.

I didn't have to; he opened the class by admitting that this was indeed a dough recipe "adapted for the home kitchen" (grrr). And he did say that the "professional recipe" did require a 72 hour fermentation. But, there were two things that comforted me. First, I suspect that the basic mechanics of the dough are likely the same as the "real thing" and with some experimentation I think I can adapt it to a 72 hour fermentation. And second, in under a year the Pizzeria Mozza cookbook will be printed, and it will include the entire detailed recipe for those who want to tackle it.

In the class we were able to try this dough and compare it to the real thing, and I will say that it was pretty good -- much better than any other three hour pizza dough I have ever tasted. So, this is still a recipe worth knowing and there are quite a few subtle tips I picked up. I left happy to learn it.

First, to answer the questions I came in with:

What kind of flour? I learned that the flour that Mozza uses is called Mello Judith. This is a commercial flour made by Conagra which is only available in 50 pound bags from restaurant suppliers. I did manage to buy a bag of it, so if anyone wants some let me know and I can share. It is a moderately high protein content flour (about 11.9%), but slightly lower that some bread flours. You definitely want a bread flour for this recipe, but the specific flour can have big results on the end product, so I think it's a good idea to use the same one they do. Protein content is also not the only variable; there are different types of wheat and ash content. The way the wheat is aged also impacts the product.

What ingredients? In addition to flour, water, salt and yeast, the Mozza dough contains olive oil, honey, rye flour, and wheat germ. I have never used wheat germ in a dough before, but it strikes me as a good idea. It adds a great nutty flavor. Very little is used, so you would never even suspect that it is there. A small amount of rye flour also enhances the flavor.

Natural starter? This recipe doesn't need a natural starter, and the chef said that the restaurant doesn't use one either. The restaurant recipe uses a traditional sponge dough and a 72 hour fermentation. What this means (most likely) is that about half the flour from the recipe is mixed with an equal proportion of water and a small amount of yeast. This is allowed to ferment for a couple of days, and then the remainder of the flour and water is added and then handled according to the recipe. I plan to try a 72 hour fermentation using this technique.

Moisture Content? Most professional recipe doughs have a substantially higher moisture content than typical home recipe doughs. They are very sticky and hard to deal with if you don't know the right techniques. Mozza's is no exception. The recipe presented was 85% hydration (the ratio of water to flour in the final dough, by weight). I'm working on a bread right now that is at 90% hydration, so some doughs are even wetter. If you check any home recipe, you'll find much lower suggested hydration (once you work out the math).

Dough Handling Techniques? The recipe includes a 14 minute machine knead (in multiple stages). This might not be necessarily in the 72 hour fermentation as over longer periods, dough basically kneads itself. The dough is very lightly handled for the most part, and instead of being punched down it is lightly folded like an envelope (see below). There were also a few ideas I hadn't heard for rolling the actual dough balls.

So without further ado, here is the recipe they presented.

INGREDIENTS: (yield: 6 pizzas)
22 ounces warm tap water
1/2 ounce compressed yeast (if dry yeast is used, the amount might be different)
26 ounces bread flour (they use Conagra Mello Judith)
1/2 ounce dark rye flour
1/4 ounce wheat germ
1/4 ounce mild honey
1/2 ounce kosher salt

a) water in bowl of kitchenaid mixer

b) add yeast; let sit to dissolve

c) add all ingredients EXCEPT salt (this is important; adding salt too early to a yeast dough interferes wth it)

d) mix using dough hook on low speed, 2 minutes

e) increase speed to high (#2 on kitchenaid) and mix for 6-7 minutes

f) add 1 to 8 tbsp of flour, ONE tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. it will be VERY wet and it won't come away clean from the sides of the bowl). This was to me, one of the most essential parts of the recipe to get right.

g) continue to mix for another 5 minutes

h) place the dough into a greased cermaic, plastic or glass bowl (NOT metal)

i) cover with plastic wrap tightly, sealing the bowl with another piece of plastic wrap or twine (I hadn't seen this done before).

j) let rise at 68-70 degrees for 45 minutes

k) turn dough out on to a floured work surface. "turn each edge of the dough toward the center, acting as if the dough has four sides" (this is the gentle punching down operation)

l) put the dough back in the bowl, cover again with plastic and let rise another 45 minutes

m) divide dough into six 7 ounce balls

n) the actual process to shape into balls is somewhat difficult to describe without pictures or a video...

o) the balls are proofed on a floured sheet for one more hour before being shaped into pizzas

to be continued...