Pro tip: stop kneading your pizza dough so much, seriously

I was ready to give up on my grandma's pizza recipe because the crust always came out dense and tough. After like 8 failed batches, my neighbor (he's 70 and makes pizza every Friday) told me to barely touch the dough. Just mix it, let it sit for 20 minutes, do like 5 folds, then straight to the fridge overnight. It came out airy and perfect for the first time ever. Has anyone else found that less handling actually fixes your bread issues?

2 comments

2 Comments

emery_hall26d ago

My third batch of sourdough was literally a brick I could have used to patch my driveway. I was kneading it like it owed me money and wondering why it fought back. As soon as I stopped trying to "develop the gluten" like the fancy blogs say and just left it alone, it turned into actual bread. The fridge overnight thing is a game changer too, it does all the work while you sleep. Were you doing the whole slap and fold technique too before your neighbor saved you?

thea_carter26d ago

@emery_hall honestly sounds like my spirit animal with that brick driveway comment. You don't slap dough, you slap the person who told you to slap dough. I tried the whole aggressive kneading thing once, felt like I was fighting a floury ghost. Letting it sit in the fridge overnight is basically cheating but I'll take it. My grandma would roll her eyes but her recipe was never this good anyway.