How do I get a crispy crust for wood fire oven pizza? Do I knead the dough enough for a windowpane test? Do I add oil while kneading?
By crispy I mean real crisp on the base yet smooth as you bite further into it. Not crispy crunchy like short crust pastry.
Best Answer
This may be more of a function of cooking surface and temperature, but there are a couple of other issues too. Traditional Neapolitan pizza is fermented at least overnight (which reduces the the need to knead intensely because gluten develops over that time). This type of pizza dough has a fairly high hydration and no oil. We are talking 70% hydration. You will also want to use 00 flour, which is milled powdery soft. It's cooked on a stone surface at a very high temperature (600 - 700F), for a short time (2 -3 minutes). Thus achieving a crisp exterior. If you have a wood fired oven, I would recommend your first experiment be a high-hydration dough with 00 flour, and an overnight ferment. There is also a technique to stretching this dough. I am sure you can find some videos on the net, but it does result in a center that is thinner than the edges, as another poster suggested. Do not use a rolling pin to stretch your dough as you will ruin the effect.