Pizza cooked for an hour and still dough is undercooked!

[babaliaris]

Hello. I cook for years but I never made anything using dough like a pizza or bread.

Trying a few times, I found out I'm completely clueless and bad. I tried making bread, and it ended up being undercooked in the inside and ashes in the outside...

Now I tried to make pizza. Guess what? Undercooked in the inside and overcooked outside. Also I think I broke a tooth while eating it.

I preheated the oven with a metal pan and placed the pizza inside a round pan and then that round pan on top of the preheated pan.Sauce was not watery at all.

Here are some pictures:
https://ibb.co/z48XzY7
https://ibb.co/WHV98bw
https://ibb.co/cLvfnmV

I think the main reason was that the dough was too thick. I didn't roll it to make it thinner, I just took the whole thing while it was round and puted inside that round pan and applied some pressure on the top.

Can you also give me some advice when it comes to oven cooking and especially about dough recipes? My mother told me I didn't knead it enough, but she is a bad teacher :p She also said that I added too much flour. I kept adding flour until the dough was not sticky.

Thanks.

 

[Andy M.]

That is a very thick pizza crust. What temperature was your oven set to?

 

[babaliaris]

That is a very thick pizza crust. What temperature was your oven set to?

200 Celsius (392 Fahrenheit). Seeing some Italian videos now, they actually make the dough really thin. I didn't know that...

 

[Andy M.]

Typically, a thinner dough is more common. However there are thick crust pizzas too. If you do go with a thinner crust, I recommend a higher temperature. Up to 500ºF/260C. The pizza can be cooked through in 8-15 minutes.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Thick crust pizzas can work. you have to understand the bread-making process, and how dough react to yeast, temperature, moisture, and heat. Before you start playing with pizza, begin by doing research on yeast raised breads, and flat-breads. When you have a few of those under your belt, including doughs that are leavened with yeast, or baking powder (quickbreads,), then you can learn to make good pizza. One of the things I learned when i started making pizza was that too much sauce, or too many toppings, or both, will keep the crust from cooking through, no matter how long you cook the pizza. Also, the type of pan used makes a big difference. I like to use my heaviest cast iron, as once it is hot, it transfers heat at a steady, and predictable rate to the dough. Others use lighter pizza pans, with a pizza stone that is pre-heated to again provide a constant heat source for the crust.

You have given us the heat you used for baking. In order for us to really help, you need to provide the dough recipe you used, the sauce recipe, what toppings are on the pie, and the circumference of the pie. Then we will be able to help you troubleshoot, and make a good pizza.

For a tasty, easy pizza, that will taste great, and is easy to make, I suggest WalMart pre-made, uncooked pizzas, usually found just inside the door, in a refrigerated cooer on the left side. Purchase the plain cheese pizza. Then get your favorite top[pings, i.e. pepperoni, Italian Sausage, ham, olives, pizza sauce (or make your own), and maybe some fresh onions, and bell peppers. Pre-heat your oven to 425' F. Put on your toppings. Make sure than any additional sauce allows you to see through it to the underlying cheese. Then add a bit of each topping to that you can still see a bit of sauce between the ingredients. Finally, top with shredded, fresh cheese of your choice. My recommendations for cheese include any of the following, or a mixture of them,grated, with just enough to cover;
Parmesano Regiano, Pecorinao Rpomano, fresh Mozzarella, Asiago, provolone.

Though ia'm not a huge fan of many WalMart products, the crust they use is yeasty, partially cooked, and is a good thickness. Bake your pizza for 15 to 20 minutes, then, enjoy.

When you have learned to successfully made a good dough, then try adding the toppings, leaving an inch wide border all the way around. After your toppings have been added, fold the pizza in half, and press together the edges. Roll the edgers inward to seal the crust. Brush with melted butter, then egg wash. Let the dough rise for twenty minutes (yeast crust), then pop into the oven. Bake until golden brown. All of the fillings will be juicy, and full flavored.
This is the best way I know to make a pizza. The true Italian version of this is called a calzone, but is made with different fillings than a regular pizza. iN my home town, this creation was named a pizza pastie, as it resembles a Cornish pastry of the same name - pastie.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North.

 

[babaliaris]

Thanks for the tips! The recipe used for the dough was 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of yogurt (I found it on the internet). Because the yogurt wasn't enough to wet the flour and actually make it a dough, I added some water too. Because of the water, the dough was too sticky, so I kept adding flour until it wasn't (I saw that in a making bread video). Also I didn't know and I used a flour that is yellow not White because I thought it was a flour that grows by itself, so I didn't added that ingredient that makes the dough grow larger. Also I didn't let the dough rest.
So probably I did quite a lot of mistakes there.

For toppings I used red (sweet) pepper, ham, yellow cheese and tomato. For sauce I used ketchup :p

And yes, I completely covered the top of the pizza with toppings...

 

[medtran49]

Yellow flour? Did you use fine cornmeal, which is a corn flour? Wheat flour is white or light brownish if whole wheat. If you used all cornmeal, no wonder it was hard. Even if you used white wheat flour, a thick dough and no leavening means you basically made a very thick cracker. You've got to have some kind of leavening and that's usually yeast in a pizza dough.



When first starting out, you need to try recipes from a reputable site. Not all recipes on the internet are reliable.



Go to a web site like Food52.com, SeriousEats.com, TheKitchn.com (not a typo, no E), TheSpruceEats.com, FoodNetwork.com. All of them should have recipes for both thin and thick crust pizzas.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Basic Pizza Dough Recipes
Thin Crust:
2 cups unbleached bread flour (King Arthur or Dakota brand)\1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. active dry yeast (SAF brand if you can find itt on the internet)
3/4 cup luke warm milk
5 tbs. extra virgin olive oil, or cooking oil3 tbs. corn meal

Combine yeast and warm milk in a large bowl. Let sit until the mixture is frothy on top. Add the flour, 3 tbs of the oil, and salt. Stir this together with a wooden spoon.

Dust a large flat surface with a little flour. Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto the floured surface, and flatten to an inch thick disk.. Fold 1/3 of the dough to the center, and turn 90 degrees. Fold the side closest to you to the center. Turn again and fold again. Repeat for 10
minutes. This is called kneading, and it develops the elasticity of the dough that captures the little gas bubbles created by the yeats. This is what makes the dough rise.

When done kneading, form th e dough into a smooth ball and place back into the bowl. Cover with a clean linen tea towel and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. The dough ball will double in size during this time.

It isn't really necessary to let the odugh rise at all. But letting it rise gives the yeast time to feed on the starches, and sugars from the flour and milk, and to multiply. This gives the dough a more complex, and better flavor. To develop even better flavor, make the dough the day before you are going to bake it. Then diivde the dough into two equal portions, and place each into an air-tight freezer bag (such as a zip lock) The dough should be placed into 1 gallon bags. Put the dough-filled bags into the fridge and let sit overnight. The next day, remove the bags from the fridge and allow to warm for ten minutes. Then follow the remaining directions.

Press down on the dough ball to release the trapped gasses. Spread oil onto your pizza pan and place the dough ball onto the center of the an. Spread the dough evenly across the pan. Let sit for 5 minutes to rest. It will probably shrink toward the pan center. Again, spread it to the edges. Top woth sauce, followed by meat and veggies, then cheese.

Het your oven to 450' F. Place the pizza in and let bake for 20 minutes.l Remove from the oven and let cool enough to handle.

I find that a good pair of kitchen shears is the best tool for cutting the pizza. This pizza can be made on a round pizza pan, or in a heavy 11 inch cast iron pan (my preference, or on a 9 X 12 rectangular cookie sheet.

Thick crust pizza:
3 cups bread flour Plus 1/3 cup for dusting work surface
1 1/2 cups warm milk
2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp slat
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, or cooking oil

Combine luke warm milk, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Let sit until there is a foam top on the milk. Add e cups of the bread flour, and the remaining ingredients to the bowl. stir with a wooden spoon, or your hands, until well combined.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of flour over the dough, and knead for 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with a clean linen towel and let sit for 30 minute Punch down the dough, and remove to a well oiled, or buttered 11 inch cast iron pan, 12 inch round pizza pan, or 9 X 11 sheet pan. Spread 1/2 cup pizza sauce evenly over the crust, and spread toppings evenly over the crust..

Preheat oven to 45' F. Let the piozza sit and rise for 20 minutes afet adding toppings. The pven should be hot by the time the 20 minute rise time has elapsed. Place pizza in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are browned and crispy.

Rmove and serve.

My best pizza sauce:
12 oz. tomatoe puree, or crushed tomatoes
2 tbs. tomato paste
1 tbs. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tbs. coarse grind black pepper
1 tsp. granulated garlic powder
2 tsp. granulated garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground sage
1/4 tsp. ground fennel
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (red pepper, or red pepper flakes)

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn down heat and cover pot. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Use 1/2 cup of sauce foe a twelve inch pizza.
Pizza sauce main flavors are oregano, garlic, and pepper. The othr additions just make it more interesting. You can completely omit the basil in the sauce, and instead, sprinkle frehly chopped basil leaves on top of the pizza if you prefer. Remember, the sauce needs to be strong so thhat it can still be tasted in a thin enojugh coating to let the crust cook through.

Topopings can be anything youwant, so long as they aren't so thick as to preven heat from reaching the top of the crust. A good rule of thumb is that you need to be able to see the suaced crust between each pice of meat and veggies. Cheese should be shredded, oe if using fresh mozzarella, in little clumps, spread evenly over the pizza, again just thick enough to proved good flavor without smothering the izza completely.

If you want really tink toppings, pre cook the crust, with just the sauce on top, until it is just starting to brown. Then add toppings as tick as you want. Bake again until the crust edges are browned and crispy.

I tried making what I thought was going to be a spectacular pizza. I pre-baked the crust, and really loaded on sauce, and toppings, to include ham, pepperoni, Italian sausage, sauteed mushrooms, black olives, sliced onions and red bell peppers, and lots of mozzarella cheese. When it was done, I cut a slice and waited for it to cool enough that I wouldn't burn my mouth with each bite. I took a bite and found that there were so many ingredients that they all lost their individual characteristic flavors. It didn't taste good.

The key to good pizza toppings is that the ingredients must compliment, and balance each other, with all of them adding a little something good to each bite. depending on your mood, a great pizza might be nothing more than a good crust with oven roasted peppers, and grated parmesan cheese from the green can, mayne with some fresh basil leaves on top, or a good pizza sauce with thin ham slices, and little chunks of pineapple. Or, it can be a pizza with the works, as long as the toppingsd aren't too thickly applied.

Good luck with your pizza adventures.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[babaliaris]

Yes I didn't use yeast. The flour was actually from wheat. My mother told me it's from a kind of wheat that it's harder than the normal, from which the all purpose flour is made of.

By the way, can I use baking soda instead of yeast? I saw it in a YouTube video.

 

[babaliaris]

@Chief Longwind of the North thanks for the recipe and the tips! I will try it someday in this week! I lack some of the ingredients at this moment...

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

The flour you are describing sounds like semolina. It's great for making maccherroni, but it will work very well with pizza, giving the crust a crisp outide and chewy inside. You should be able to use it instead of bread flour.

Here are two tried and true recipes for pizza. I have used them both a multitude of times and they have never failed.

Grandma's Pizza​

Ingredients:

Dough

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• ¾ cup water
• 1½ cups bread flour
• 2¼ tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¾ tsp salt

Topping

• 28oz can tomato sauce
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 cups*mozzarella cheese, shredded
• ¼ cup*grated Parmesan cheese
• Assorted pizza toppings as desired

Instructions:

Dough
Coat a rimmed ½ sheet (18- by 13-inch) baking pan with 2 Tbs light olive oil.
Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined. With the mixer still running, slowly add ¾ cup water and 1 Tbs olive oil and continue to mix the dough until it comes together, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-low and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and pulls away from sides of bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to the greased baking sheet and turn to coat. Stretch dough to a 10- by 6-inch rectangle. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let it rise in warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours. Stretch the dough to the corners of the pan, cover it loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap and let it rise again in a warm place until slightly puffed, about 45 minutes.

Topping
Adjust oven rack to its lowest position and preheat the oven to 500oF.
Combine the tomato sauce, oil, garlic, oregano, and salt in a medium bowl and spread the dough with the sauce, allowing about ½ inch all around the edges. Add your desired pizza toppings such as anchovies, bacon, basil, ham, mushrooms, olives, onions, pepperoni, peppers, salami, sausage, etc.

Combine the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in a second bowl and sprinkle the cheese mixture over toppings. Bake the pizza until well browned and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Slide the pizza onto wire rack, and let it cool for 5 minutes. Cut into 18 equal pieces and serve.

Sicilian Style Pizza​

Ingredients:

• 1 medium russet potato
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1⅓ cup water
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2½ tsp rapid-rise yeast
• 3 tsp sugar
• ½ cup olive oil
• ⅔ cup marinara sauce
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Other toppings as desired

Instructions:
Place the potato in a medium saucepan and cover it with cold water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and cook the potato until a paring knife inserted into the center meets no resistance, about 15 minutes. Squeeze the potato through a potato ricer into a bowl, discarding the skin, and allow the potato to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes. You should have 6 ounces of riced potato.

Combine the flour, salt, yeast, sugar, and 2 Tbs of olive oil in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the water and mix on medium speed until the dough comes together and no dry flour remains. Add the cooled potato, increase speed to medium-high and mix until the dough is stretchy and smooth, about 6 minutes. The dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl but pull away from the sides.

Pour the remaining olive oil into a rimmed baking sheet and spread the oil over entire inner surface with your hands. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and rub the top surface with oil until thoroughly coated. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise at room temperature until it has spread out to nearly touch the rim of baking sheet, about 2 hours.
30 minutes before baking, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 500°F. Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the pizza dough. Using oiled hands and being as gentle as possible to maintain air bubbles, push and stretch the dough into the corners of the pan by pressing out from the center and lifting each corner and stretching it beyond the edge of the pan. It should pull back until the pan is filled with dough.

Spread approximately ⅔ cup of the sauce over top surface of the pizza dough with back of a spoon, leaving a 1-inch border all the way around the edge. Sprinkle the top of the pizza with half of the Parmigiano reggiano cheese, focusing on the edges of the crust. Bake the pizza in the 500°F oven for 5 minutes, remove it from oven, add any additional toppings, and spread the shredded mozzarella evenly over the surface. If you have extra sauce, dot the pizza with it in irregular spots.

Return the pizza to the oven and bake it until crust is well browned and the cheese is melted and lightly browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Allow the pizza to cool for 5 minutes, transfer it to a large cutting board. If the pizza sticks to the pan at some point, use a spatula to carefully loosen it. Cut the pizza into 8 or 12 rectangular slices, depending on how hungry you are, and serve.

 

[medtran49]

Yes I didn't use yeast. The flour was actually from wheat. My mother told me it's from a kind of wheat that it's harder than the normal, from which the all purpose flour is made of.

By the way, can I use baking soda instead of yeast? I saw it in a YouTube video.

Ah, you used semolina. That's fine to use, but I would use some regular all purpose flour as well, as semolina is made from a "hard" wheat.



Also, I wouldn't put a lot of spice in your tomato sauce at first. I'd start with just garlic and onion powder, plus some basil and oregano, obviously salt and pepper, maybe a small pinch of red pepper flakes to add some spicy heat. If you like that, then start adding some of the other spices to see if you like them. Oh, if the sauce tastes too acidy, add a pinch of sugar, cook for a few, then taste again and add more until you get a taste you like.



I don't use milk in pizza dough unless I'm making a deep dish pizza. Even then, I don't use all milk. Adding milk will give you a softer dough product, which you don't really want in a thin pizza. If you are going for thin, just use water.



I wouldn't use baking soda or baking powder for a pizza dough personally. Again, not all recipes on the internet are going to be reliable.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Just to throw another wrinkle into the pizza discussion, the famous Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, created by two brothers at Uno's, uses a buttery, shortbread crust, which uses baking powder as the leavening agent, instead of yeast. To me, it was rich, buttery, and flavorful. But I like the yeast-raised crust better. There are a great many who will disagree with me on that one. Uno's is world famous pizza.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[taxlady]

Babaliaris, under your picture it says that your location is Nea Tenedos. Is that in Greece?

 

[WhateverYouWant]

You need a yeast dough for pizza: yeah it CAN be done without it, but the results will not be great. You also need a stone or steel in a 500-550°F oven for best results. If you don't have one, you can also do it in a cast iron skillet.

Have a look at the following videos. This guy went absolutely viral on you tube after these videos, and I have tried them both with excellent results. And luckily, I have no problem getting the dry, whole milk mozzarella he seems unable to find in his area.

Using a Stone or Steel in the Oven:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzAk5wAImFQ&t=139s

Using a Cast Iron Skillet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYxB4QBlrx4&t=303s

 

[babaliaris]

Babaliaris, under your picture it says that your location is Nea Tenedos. Is that in Greece?

Yes.

 

[babaliaris]

Ok. I followed your receipes and I finally made it! But still something went bad... I used a flipped oven pan to cook the pizza. I preheated it at 446F (230C) and the oven generated a lot of smoke but I ignored it and inserted the pizza anyways. After 2 minutes I checked it and it was burned a little on the sides so I took the pizza out of the oven, dropped the heat at 356F (180C) and inserted it again. After 10 minutes it was ready.

My oven is 20 years old (belonged to my grandmother) so maybe it malfunctioned? I mean, on youtube I saw people saying "Use the maximum heat available by your oven" and I used only 446F which Is not a lot compared to other ovens... How did I manage to make it generate so much smoke???

The pizza was cooked in the inside this time and it was eatable. It tasted quite good actually, but still it wasn't as satisfiing as a good fast food pizza.

If you see the images below, the top seems undercooked compared to to other youtube videos about New York style pizza.

Can you see the pizza in the pictures below, and give me some advice about cooking techniques ? Why did the bottom cooked so fast this time and the top is a little undercooked? Was 446F too much? (Preheated for 10 minutes)

 

[WhateverYouWant]

How did I manage to make it generate so much smoke???

It's dirty. An oven won't smoke at high heat unless there is material in it that can burn.

And if you're gonna preheat the pan in the oven, I'd place the pizza under the boiler so that the top cooks faster. But probably better to follow the cast iron pan video I linked above. He heats the pan on the stove top with the pizza in it to get the crust brown... then finishes under the broiler.

 

[babaliaris]

Unfortunately all my frying pans have plastic handles and I can't put then inside the oven.

 

[WhateverYouWant]

Unfortunately all my frying pans have plastic handles and I can't put then inside the oven.

Wow... I was gonna say "just buy a cast iron skillet, they're cheap", but a Lodge L12SK3 12 inch skillet that can be had at WalMart for 20 Dollars is 94 Euros in Greece:

https://www.dimtsas.eu/en/products/...t-iron-cookware/cast-iron-skillets-and-covers

Maybe there are local brands available for less. You really should get one as it is so versatile (and practically indestructible).