I would like to make a pizza base that is similar to takeaway pizza, in other words a base that is quite thick, spongy, chewy and stretchy. Domino's and Papa Johns are examples of the kind of base, but most takeaway pizza places do something similar. The base is usually covered in quite a bit of cornmeal.
I have tried all sorts of ways, plain flour, strong bread flour, extra strong bread flour, more oil, less oil, drier dough, wetter dough etc. and I've have always kneaded well for at least 12 minutes. My base turns out soft but always comes apart really easily, far from the chewy and stretchy nature of a typical takeaway base.
I do not have a pizza oven, my oven can only reach a maximum of 250C.
So does anybody know the secret to a good takeaway style base?
Best Answer
For a chewy pizza base, use bread flour. Do not use oil. Bread flour has a higher protein content that will help gluten form. Gluten makes the connections that keep dough together. Fat inhibits gluten formation.
A recipe of just water, flour, salt, and yeast mixed, kneaded, allowed to rise until doubled, and then rolled out will get you what you want. Make sure to roll out quite thin. Preheat your oven absolutely as high as it goes with a stone inside. Put your toppings on maximum one minute before they go into the oven so that the sauce does not make your dough soft. Place pizza on preheated pizza stone - cooking time at high temperatures will be quite short (max 10 minutes).