The process of pizza making is a complex endeavor for those of you who have never tackled it before. Making a high-quality pizza takes time and patience, the right ingredients, and an understanding of the process to make it all happen correctly.

Some say it’s an art, and others claim it’s a science, but one thing is certain: it is by no means an easy thing to accomplish on your own. Even if you’ve been in the business of making pizza for years, you can still mess it up and have to start the dough over if you’re not paying close enough attention.

Fortunately, a dough press can simplify a significant portion of the pizza-making process. Read on to learn more about how to create the perfect pizza dough with a dough press. Provide your restaurant’s guests with consistently delicious pizza crust using this essential tool.

Proof the Dough First

Before trying to work with your dough, you must ensure that you proof it first. This process may not seem like a step that should include pressing, but the product must proof to get the best possible result.

The flour in your dough must bond with the yeast to form gluten, which is what makes the dough so tacky and stretchy. This step is necessary when you press the dough. Otherwise, it will remain a dense clump.

If you press it flat enough, the edges will begin to split and fall apart because it won’t have those gluten bonds to hold it together. Gluten has a dual role, both helping the flour become elastic so that it stretches and ensuring it stays intact.

Flour or Oil the Plate

Before you add anything to your press, you always want to inspect it to ensure it’s clean. If not, scrape and clear the debris, no matter how large or small. This buildup can incorporate itself into your dough, so making a habit of cleaning the press every time is essential.

Once you flour or oil your plate, prepare it for your dough. Make sure to thoroughly cover the whole surface of both plates before applying the dough to avoid problems.

Round and Center

Before you put your dough on the plate, it’s always wise to roll it out and stretch it a few more times to keep the elasticity strong. This will also help to moisten the dough again. You should do this for two or three minutes to create an even consistency.

Oil or Dust Dough

Once you place your dough on the plate, you will want to lightly oil or flour it to prevent it from sticking. This step will also come in handy when the pizza press machine is in operation. A pinch of one or the other should work fine, so long as it covers the dough ball.

You want to avoid using too much oil or flour as it can make the dough too oily and mushy. Too much flour will cake up and leave clumps in your dough. Inspect your dough for any troubling consistencies before operating the press. Remember that any residual dough left on the machine can make cleaning more troublesome, so coating the dough at this stage can save you time later.

Close the Plates Until They’re Flush

When you close the plates, you’ll want to do it slowly but with a firm push. Once you feel resistance, you’ll know that you have pushed the press all the way, and the machine cannot squeeze the dough any thinner. If you leave it too long, you could potentially squeeze the dough too tightly and ruin the bonds, which would result in it sticking to the plates.

Hold the plates in place for at least five seconds to allow the dough to form into this shape. This process will ensure that you have a perfectly even and flat crust.

Move the Dough From Plate to Pan

After you have pressed your dough, you’ll want to work quickly. First, ensure you’ve washed your hands before handling the dough to prevent cross-contamination.

Because the pressing process bonds the gluten so tightly, it will try to pull itself back together. This means that when you press the dough, you need to move it immediately to a pan and start topping it to prepare it for baking. If you wait, the dough will overproof, making it fluffy and large and potentially changing its texture when you bake it.

Dough Press Care

If you want to continue to use the perfect pizza dough each day, you’ll need to take care of your dough press as best as possible. This means you’ll need a daily routine of cleaning your plates and the exterior of your machine.

Only clean the plates with mild soap and water when you’re working on them. This mixture will prevent any residues or chemicals from sticking to the plates and potentially cooking into your dough which could be a serious health hazard. It won’t take that much soap either, so just a few drops of liquid soap on a rag with warm water should do the trick.

After scrubbing the plates down, rinse the rag and scrub again to remove the soap. Once you finish this step, wipe everything down with a dry cloth.

If you fail to make it a habit to clean your dough press, you will see that both the quality of your press and your dough will degrade over time, making it an inferior product. Stay on top of your machine maintenance to achieve consistent results every time.

With diligence, you can create the perfect pizza dough by using a dough press in your establishment. These tools can be a valuable asset to a business, expediting your dough-handling process and ensuring you create a crust your customers love.

If you’re seeking the perfect pizza press for your business, contact our experienced team at Pro Restaurant Equipment. We’re happy to provide the food preparation equipment you need and answer any questions you may have. Reach out today to learn more about how our inventory of quality products can improve your restaurant.