The Pizza Therapy Forum and Pasta Therapy Forum

[pizzaprices]

The method of measuring flour in the kitchen has changed at least four times in the last 150 years and varieties of flour even more often. Does your recipe call for sifting, excavate and level, spoon and level, or tumble plus any one of the former three? http://www.gmflour.com/gmflour/ourheritage.asp#
http://www.cyberspaceag.com/kansascrops/wheat/breadhistory.htm
Yeast are very fragile, and though they need moisture to reproduce and work their magic the wrong temperature will make the dough sticky. It's worth noting here that the flour must also be the right temperature. It doesn't make any sense to mix a nice warm bath of yeast into cold flour and expect anything but sticky dough. You can read about it by clicking on the last link in the dialogue on this page, 'Chart'.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/bread/activity-yeast.html
The primary purpose of ageing and kneading is to stretch and miniaturize the gas pockets in the dough, finish distributing the yeast, and coax the dough into becoming more homegenous. The reason pizza builders throw and twirl the dough instead of using a roller is to avoid breaking or collapsing the gas pockets in the dough. Dough can also be coaxed into shape by draping it over a large diameter horizontal rod and changing the position of the dough often. Avoid crushing or rolling the dough. Store your dough for aging on a high shelf where it's warmer. A damp linen dishtowel or other fabric that won't drip draped over the open pan works best for keeping the dough warm and moist during the ageing process. Do not use a microwave on your dough for warming as it will burst the bubbles and kill the yeast. Want your finished pie fluffy on both sides? Flip it over while it cures. If your fresh baked pizza dough smells like the fresh-out-of-the-oven home made bread your grandmother made you've done it right. The first two loaves out of my mother's oven never cooled down to room temperature before they were devoured, buttered or plain.
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http://www.geocities.com/pizzaprices/pizzaprices.html

[CJ]

Good Tips

One more:

Avoid over flouring your work surface or peal.
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Southern Yankee