Pizza crust can be divided into two types: thick slice and thin slice. Thick crusts are like bread, while thin crusts are like soda crackers, each with a different texture and recipe. Regardless of the thickness of the crust, frozen pizza crust is mechanically formed. Mechanical molding can be divided into the extended pressure cutting method and the pressure mold to make the dough into a flat disk or other shapes.
1. Pressing and cutting
The dough is first rolled out, then pressed several times to form a ribbon, and then pressed into thin slices of about 0.32cm to 0.64cm for thin crusts, and then pressed to 0.64cm or more for thick crusts to 0.95cm for thicker crusts, and then cut into rounds or other shapes, and then the leftover dough can be recycled for use.
2. Molding
The traditional molding method requires the dough to be mixed and divided for 5 to 10 minutes, and then molded 1 to 2 times to make the crust the same diameter as the baking pan. By using two presses, the dough will not shrink, and it is better to relax the dough for 2 to 3 minutes. Before baking, holes are punched on the crust with a blunt needle to avoid bubbles on the surface during baking, and this step is also required for the pie crust made by the extended pressure cutting method. In addition, the dough for molding needs to be softer than that for extruding, so that it can be easily molded.
The temperature at which the mold is pressed is also important to note. For frozen pizzas, where the final baking is done by the consumer, it is usually more appropriate to press the dough (hot press) or (press and cut), but when the consumer buys the finished product after baking, it is more appropriate to use the cold press molding method. The hot pressing method should reduce the temperature and time of the mold to avoid overheating so that the bulking agent will not finish reacting. Usually, the temperature of the mold should be set at 190℃ to 218℃, and the temperature of the bottom baking pan should be set at 177℃ to 204℃ for 4 to 6 seconds, which can be varied according to the composition of the dough and the thickness of the crust. If you want the crust to have a raised edge like a handmade pizza, you can use a special hot press mold to make it; it's more labor-intensive and less effective to raise the edge of the crust by cutting it with an extension press.
Many frozen pizza makers will add 10% certified cornmeal to thin pizza crusts or 20% cornmeal to the bottom of thick pizza crusts, which makes the crusts easier to remove from the conveyor belt without sticking to the surface and gives them a crispier crust; and most importantly, it creates the texture of a handmade, freshly made pizza, which is much more appealing to consumers.
Use of raw materials
Flour: Flour: Generally, we use a mixture of hard red winter wheat and hard red spring wheat milled flour or refined flour, with a protein content of 11.7 to 12.8% and an ash content of 0.45% to 0.475%, cooked and added barley malt or nutrients can be added to the flour.
Thin-crust pizza is usually made with flour that has a higher protein content (11.5% to 14%) because the higher protein content allows the gluten to form completely, continues the sauce to moisten the crust, and results in a crisper crust. While high-protein flours can also be used to make thicker crusts, low-protein flours produce a less shrinky dough and a chewier, less tough crust.
Adding activated gluten compensates for the difference in flour specifications, allowing the same ingredient to be used for both thin- and thick-crust pizzas, and preventing the transfer of moisture from the sauce, which gives thin-crust pizzas a certain bite. It is common to add 1% to 2% activated gluten to low-protein flours to make thin-crust pizza, with each 1% addition increasing the protein content of the flour by about 0.6%.
Salt: Traditional thin-crust pizzas are usually salted only 1.0% to 1.5%, while thicker crusts may be salted 1.5 to 2.0% to enhance flavor. Since the chemical puffing method already produces salt, the amount of salt used will be less than that of the traditional yeast puffing method.
Sugar: Sugar is used as a nutrient for the yeast during fermentation and to deepen the color of the crust after baking. For spontaneous frozen pizzas that don't require yeast (or a small amount of it), you can use reducing sugars such as dextrose or high-fructose corn syrup and honey, both of which give good crust color.
Oil: Because chemically enlarged pizza crusts lack fermented flavor, the type of fat used is very important to the final flavor of the crust. Olive oil is generally the most commonly used, because it has good flavor but is more expensive. In order to reduce costs, only 10% to 20% olive oil is used, with other fats and oils mixed in. Pizza crusts made with thin crusts or pressure molds usually have more fat added than thick crusts and pressed and cut doughs. Insufficient fat will make the dough sticky, with poor liquidity and uneven molding, and the moisture in the sauce will easily spread to the crust and make it become moist. The amount of fat added is usually 3% to 15% of the flour. If the pizza needs to be frozen for a long time, you should consider using corn oil, soybean oil, or olive oil, which are not easily oxidized and have a high degree of stability.
Puffing acid: Sodium aluminum phosphate has a similar puffing effect to gluconolactone. The puffing effect of lactone is similar, but its final product flavor is different, and the neutralization value and price are not the same. The crust of sodium aluminum phosphate has a cookie flavor, while gluconolactone has a sweet taste. lactone has a sweet flavor, and the differences need to be understood when developing new products. If you want to develop frozen pizza for breakfast food, it is more suitable to use the cookie flavor produced by the puffing acid of sodium aluminum phosphate, and if you want to develop frozen pizza with snack flavor, it is more suitable to use gluconolactone. lactone is more suitable. Generally speaking, sodium aluminum phosphate is still the most commonly used as an expansion acid.
The neutralization values for sodium aluminum phosphate and gluconolactone are Lactone have a median value of 100 and 45, respectively, which means that for every pound of baking soda, 1 pound of sodium phosphate is used, and for gluconolactone, 2.2 pounds of sodium phosphate and gluconolactone are used. Lactone would require 2.2 lbs. Sodium aluminum phosphate is cheaper and less expensive than gluconolactone. Lactone is cheaper and less expensive, so it is more cost effective to use sodium aluminum phosphate. However, the use of bentonite only accounts for 0.5% to 2% of the flour, accounting for a very small cost, so it should still be compared to the quality of the product after the actual trial before choosing the appropriate bentonite.
Boosting soda: Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and potassium bicarbonate can be used as baking soda for dough. Potassium bicarbonate can be used to reduce the content of sodium ions in the dough, but sodium bicarbonate is still the most commonly used baking soda.
Yeast: Fresh enriched yeast is usually used because glutathione, which is produced by the death of dry yeast, weakens the gluten when it is refrigerated and is more problematic to use. The typical amount of yeast used is 0.25 to 2%, with most recipes using 0.25% to 0.75% yeast concentrate. Fresh yeast has a short shelf life and it is recommended that it be purchased in small quantities. It is also important to pay attention to the conditions under which the yeast is transported and stored. For example, it is best to keep the temperature in the range of 3°C to 7°C until just before adding it to the dough, as too high or too low a temperature will reduce the activity of the yeast.
Water: The amount of water added is very important to the nature of the dough. Excessive water will make the dough too soft and sticky, poor mechanical maneuverability, and may flow over the baking rack during baking; however, when not enough water is absorbed, the dough will not be able to flow well and the crust will not be able to expand to the desired height and volume, resulting in a tough, shoe-like texture. The best way is to start with 50% water and then make small adjustments, mostly between 48% and 54%, depending on the amount of water absorbed by the flour and the recipe.
Reducing agents: Lcysteine, or glutathione produced by dead yeast, is most often used as a reducing agent for pizza crust. They reduce dough tension, shorten mixing time, and prevent blistering or peeling of the molded crust. The amount of reducing agent added is 10 to 25 ppm by weight of the flour for the press cut method and 45 to 60 ppm for the press molding method. Excessive amounts of reducing agent can cause the dough to soften and flow over the baking rack during baking, resulting in a poor quality pizza.
Steardrops: Steardrops are not often used, but sometimes 8% to 12% is added to the dough to make the air holes in the pizza crust more uniform. The stearin remains intact when added to the dough and mixes in, only to melt and run out during baking, creating voids inside the crust.
Pizza freezing and packaging
The dough is usually frozen as soon as the crust is formed to harden it, then sauce and toppings are added, then frozen a second time, then removed and lined, then heat-shrink-wrapped in polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride, and then stored frozen for at least 48 hours before being distributed for transportation. It can be stored in the frozen state at 23°C for 4 to 6 months, or at 21°C if the base consists of frozen pizza crust. If there are vegetables in the toppings, they should be frozen at 29°C to 32°C or refrigerated at 40°C to 62°C to prevent the sauce and vegetables from separating during thawing or baking.
Making a Self-Raising Pizza Crust
The mixing step is usually completed within 15 minutes to avoid excessive mixing, which may cause the dough to become hot, sticky, and full of air bubbles. If the dough is molded by pressing, it is usually stirred for 3 to 5 minutes to make it into lumps (it can be stirred for a little longer), and the dough that is not fully stirred has a better mechanical operability, and the crust will not be too tough after baking; if it is over-mixed, it will make the dough soft and poorly molded, and the baked pizza will be small in size and too tough, with a bad taste.
If the crust is molded, the dough should be softer, and a small amount of oil can be added 5 to 10 seconds before mixing to make it easier to remove the dough from the mixing bowl. Generally, no fermentation or rising is done for self-rising pizza doughs that use chemical bulking agents, but sometimes a 10 to 15 minute rise can be done after mixing, but if the dough is left to rise for too long before molding, it will become sticky and full of air bubbles, which will make the molding process unsatisfactory.
Chemically expanded dough usually does not carry out steps, the traditional production method is to mix and into all the dry materials, then add the water containing yeast into the dry materials and mix at low speed for 2 minutes, add the fat and continue to mix for 4 minutes, and then mix at medium speed for 2 minutes until the dough combines to form a ball, divided into small dough, if there is added yeast to allow it to ferment for 10 to 20 minutes, and then by hand or mechanical shaping. The dough is then shaped by hand or mechanically. In automated production, the dough is extruded into a crust and then cut, or molded with a hot press. The molded crusts can be allowed to rise for 15 minutes to give them a more complete structure and a special fermented flavor, and then they are frozen to harden and make them easier to handle.
Frozen crusts are sent to the final processing area to add sauces and fillings, and then returned to the freezer to be frozen and packaged.
Generally, traditional baking of ready-to-make pizza is done using a tunnel-type oven, with an inlet temperature of 204 degrees Celsius, an outlet temperature of 315 degrees Celsius, and a baking time of about 3 to 5 minutes. Frozen pizza is generally taken out of the freezer and baked directly, the pizza may be placed on the upper level of the oven, without a baking tray or must be placed on a baking tray, or even some of them must be preheated baking trays, but there are also can be placed directly into the cold oven set at 204 ° C to 232 ° C to directly warm up the baking temperature, depending on the design of the product.
The main reason for the popularity of chemically enlarged pizzas is that they save time on fermentation and allow busy people to savor their food quickly. And in the past to accommodate the yeast dough must be fermented at 20, 30 degrees Celsius temperature, the production staff have to work in the hot environment of the situation, but also with the switch to chemical expansion agent and changed, many advantages of the chemical expansion of the pizza crust prospects are promising.