Dough Re Me

We've said it time and time again, it's all about the dough. No dough, no pizza. And, as we have said before, the Publix pizza dough is great for a Plan B - as was proved last week - but it just can't beat home-made dough.

This week we are having our Pizza night on Tuesday to accommodate some people from out-of-town that would like to join us. It actually worked out better that way since Larry had to work late last night anyway and is off today. This is actually a doubled blessing because he can now keep an eye on the dough and see if any of the three batches I made failed in which case he can make a run to Publix for Plan B. Yes, I know, be positive, have faith. I know all that. And, I agree completely. However, reality has proven that sometimes things just go wrong. At times you have bad flour, or your yeast is defunct or maybe Ol' Murphy is just having a field day with you. You can never tell which way it is going to go. The best way is just to be hopeful and prepared all at the same time.

Speaking of flour, for all you culinary novices out there like me, I have now discovered that the best flour to use is Self-Rising Flour. I know in the Rachel Ray Recipe she doesn't really specify except for where she gives a tip on how to convert the dough to Wholewheat and there she mentions All-Purpose. But, with last week's failed batch I just know that the flour was the problem since it happened two weeks in a row and the only difference was the flour I used. In the past I have always used Self-Rising Flour and switched to All-Purpose thinking, "Surely the Yeast mixture is enough!". I don't know why or what or when or whatever, I just know that in the past I never had this problem so being a culinary novice, I stick to what works and don't veer too far out of that sphere.

This morning I made three batches of dough as opposed to the two I normally make. We'll see how it goes. And just to prove my point, I set out three bowls of lukewarm water with a teaspoon of sugar and a packet of Active Dry Yeast in each bowl. They had equal setting times and they all looked different. One bowl had a yeast  foam cloud on the top touching the rims of the bowl whereas the other two were either weak or average looking. Same ingredients, same techniques, some type of yeast, yet different results. I'm sorry that I didn't think of taking a picture when I was making the dough but one day when the white iPhone comes I will buy one and do a video one day of the dough-making process and post it on here.

And, for all of you that lean slightly to the OCD side of things the dough-making process will be cheap therapy for you. I deal with this daily. When I whisk the dough, oil and yeast mixture together the shaggy dough forms and then invariably pieces of shaggy dough will get flung from the bowl and land all around me - on the floor, counters or on me. It's quite messy, but nothing that can't be cleaned up. Like I said, this will be a freeing exercise for you.

The other alternative is to have an actual standing mixer like Rachel Ray says to use. Perhaps, though, you're like me in that you are in your late twenties and your appliance wish list hasn't quite made it to that Kenwood just yet and all you possess is a cheapy Hamilton Beach hand-mixer seeing as you really don't bake but like to have one regardless... Well, don't despair. My little Hamilton Beach hand-mixer has provided pizza for many, many pizza nights thus far. Will I retire it as soon as the Kenwood crosses the threshold? Absolutely - and I'm sure that I'll be blown away by the sheer brilliance of the new machine.

I just wonder if I'll have any contact with the dough when I upgrade. Here I go back to being OCD. I don't really like getting my hands dirty but since I've been making pizza dough I have found that after I've used the hand-mixer the dough still needs a touch of kneading and then I get to "play with my food" as such. I know your parents said never to play with your food but I really just think they were wrong! Play, for goodness sake, please play with your food. Loosen up and just enjoy it.

Actually, "playing" with the dough really gives you an idea of how it turned out. If it is a little sticky like glue then you need a dash of flour in which case you sprinkle some on the dough and knead it in until it is less sticky. So, there you go, a really good reason to play with your food.

Some parting words, just remember that this dough making process is not a science. Many times the same actions will not yield the same results. The secret is - as Mr. Churchill once said - "never, never give up".

Since Pizza Night is tonight, check back tomorrow or Thursday for the results!