I’ve been doing this for a while, but it’s a problem I’ve never solved. Dunno if it’s my crust recipe or something I need to do during construction.

The recipe is as follows:

  • 1c water, 120°F
  • 1 packet dry active yeast (2.25tsp)
  • 1Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2Tbsp olive oil
  • 3.5C white flour
  • 1tsp salt
  1. Mix the yeast and sugar in the warm water, wait to bloom
  2. Add everything else and mix into dough.
  3. Knead, proof
  4. Roll out, transfer to pan
  5. Second proof (optional)
  6. Preheat oven to 425°F
  7. Construct pizza with favorite toppings
  8. Bake at 425°F for 15min or until cheese is sufficiently browned

Step 7 usually has jarred marinara, meats (except pepperoni), spices, and cheese, and all the veggies (and pepperoni) go on top.

Still, the very middle part of the pizza ends up a little doughy, just where the sauce meets the crust. The outside of the pizza is just fine, but the only thing I can think is that the sauce is adding too much water. Do I need to add a layer of oil before the sauce, or should I try to reduce the sauce before adding it? Should I reduce the temp and increase the time?

Thanks!

Edit: Everyone has had some great ideas. I’ll have plenty to try!

  • Porto881@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    19 hours ago

    100%. Get one OP, especially if you’re going through the work of making your own dough

      • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
        3·
        12 hours ago

        They can be had for pretty cheap, really, but I prefer putting my fresh made pizzas in a cast iron skillet.

        Go one tier lower from the middle rack of the oven and cook at 450 instead of 425. Make sure your pizza stone or skillet is pre heated and fully up to temp with the oven before putting in the crust you made (like, pull out the skillet from the oven, set the crust in and put back in oven.). Put a fair amount of butter or olive oil in a skillet just before laying in the dough.

        Don’t use the convection setting on your oven. You want the heat to rise from under the skillet/stone. It’s also why you go to a lower rack than the middle. It gets the bottom hotter and more crispy faster.

        Obviously, you’ll have to adjust your times a bit for when to put in the sauce and toppings.

        A great part about using a skillet is that not only will it cook similar to a stone, the ability to add butter and oil to the bottom really adds to the crisp texture of the bottom of the crust, and if you pull out out of the oven because your toppings are all done, but you find the crust still isn’t quite crispy enough or not quite done as you’d like, you can cook it a bit more on the stove top. Your pizza game will be 200% better. I’m a huge lover of non thin crust crispy crusted pizzas and I’ve been using a stone for frozen pizzas and a skillet for my fresh made pizzas for the past 20 years.