Making pizza dough with a mixer

Faith

Does anyone here make their pizza dough with a mixer? If so, I have two questions:

1. How long and and what speed do you knead it at?

2. My dough comes together, then kind of wraps itself around the dough hook and just bounces off the bowl. It doesn't look like it's getting much kneading. How do I stop this happening, or is it okay? If I take it off the hook, it just ends up back there within a minute.

Dizzyblonde

I give it about five minutes at just below medium speed. Mine gets welded to the dough hook too, so I usually stand nearby with a knife and remove it several times.

Toto Wolfcastle

I give it about 5 minutes on a medium speed too. I find that if I have a lot of dough it doesn't wind around the hook. Recently I've been making a slightly wetter dough and it doesn't wrap around the hook either.

Faith

Yeah, I'd been giving it around 5 minutes too, but my last batch wouldn't stretch more than a couple of inches without tearing. I saw a couple of recommendations online to give it about 15 minutes at medium speed.

My flour is pretty high in gluten, my yeast is active and it does rise well. It just won't stretch out like it's supposed to :mad:.

Toto Wolfcastle

I've been using this recipe (but I've been using more beer than water) and it stretches really well. The stretching and folding bit really makes a difference to the air bubbles.

Mixing it for longer wouldn't be any harm though as long as you keep an eye on it.

Dizzyblonde

Maybe it needs a little more water?

Faith

Toto Wolfcastle wrote: »

I've been using this recipe (but I've been using more beer than water) and it stretches really well. The stretching and folding bit really makes a difference to the air bubbles.

Mixing it for longer wouldn't be any harm though as long as you keep an eye on it.

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Maybe it needs a little more water?

Reading that recipe is making me think it is too dry! I'll try it with more water and a longer kneading time and report back

Faith

Update time! I made dough yesterday. I added a lot more water than usual; probably an extra 50 ml or so? (The quantities were enough for 2 bases). I also kneaded the bejaysus out of it . Medium speed, and I kept it going until a piece of dough could be stretched until it was nearly transparent without tearing. I made the first pizza today, and it was delicious! So light and crispy, and I could hand stretch the whole thing with no difficulty. I'm still not getting great air bubbles, but I think I need to leave the dough in the fridge for another few days to get that .

TheKBizzle

10 minutes on medium speed, cover and let rise then knead again and use. The wetter the dough the more air bubbles I find.