Valoriani reveals all the secrets for a great pizza dough – 1st part

Last February, an event called “Come nasce una pizza” took place in Refrattari Valoriani showroom. During this event, some selected Tuscan restaurateurs were introduced to the secrets hidden behind the making of a great pizza dough. For those who missed it, here are some answers to the main doubts about ingredients, leavening and making process for a yummy pizza.

• What does the pizza wholesome goodness depend on?

The pizza wholesomeness depends on both objective and subjective factors, since every single person’s taste is different. As an objective parameter, we could say that a pizza is good when digestible. This feature can be obtained with a deep knowledge of ingredients and with a proper making process. First of all, it is important to choose the most suitable flour for your demand, then on its basis the most proper making process needs to be followed. Briefly, the quality depends on the lightness and the digestibility of the product.

• Which one is the most suitable pizza flour?

The flour is classified on the basis of its refining level: the whiter it is, the more it is refined: we start from the 00 flour, to the 0 one until the whole one. The pizza can be made with any kind of flour, since any product has its own end use. For the classic pizza, that needs to bake in a short time and to support an ingredients topping, the most suitable flour is the white one. In fact, this flour is able to keep the rising gas and to blow up fast, in order to release the water from the dough and to reach the right consistency. A pizza is well baked when the inside has a clear colour and it is crispy outside.

• What does leavening mean?

The leavening is the swelling of the dough: the first step happens at the end of the making process, a second step happens inside the oven. The gas developing is fundamental, since a dough that has not had a proper leavening cannot bake as it should. The digestibility is not just linked to this process, but it depends also on its extension for the time needed. This chemical-enzymatic process, is called “maturation” and it can have different durations according to the kind of flour used. It does not depend on the refining, but on the protein content (flour strength): the flour disposition, once kneaded with water, to develop the gluten shield, which is to say the element that appears as an elastic and resistant tissue capable to give mechanics to the dough. The strength of the flour depends on the features of the milled wheat, since every kind of wheat has its own characteristics on the basis of its protein percentage.

• How do you choose the flour?

The flour needs to be chosen according to the time we can give to the maturation process, since its purpose is to the develop the proper acidity level. The “weaker” flours, with a lower protein level, are more suitable for short maturations, while the stronger ones needs a longer process.

The dough life can be divided into 3 phases:

–      Rising leavening: young dough

–      Usability period: proper leavening and maturation, optimal acidity level

–      Leavening collapse: excessive maturation, dough too acid

On the basis of the flour strenght, the duration of the three phasis is different. For the weaker flour the life cycle last a day, the medium strength flours last until the following day, while the stronger flours (for which usually the maturation happens in the fridge) last up to 5-7 days.