bake - October 2012 - 34

breads

Artisan Pizza
Q: What is artisan baking? Committing to a deﬁnition for artisan baking can be a challenge. For some, it refers to an old style of bread baking. For others, it is related to the ingredient selection or the hand manipulation of the dough or appearance of the ﬁnished bread. For me, the focus is as much on the baker and her methods as it is on the bread. The baker is the artist behind the bread; the artisan bread. Q: What are some of the methods used by an artisan baker? Artisan bakers are truly committed to the craft of baking. Within that craft, they often utilize shorter mix times and longer, cooler fermentation processes in making their dough. These techniques lend to more complex ﬂavor proﬁles in their breads. The artisan baker is also committed to a simplicity and efficiency in their ingredients and their process. They utilize very few, if any, ﬂour or dough additives and the time needed to develop the product they desire to serve their loyal consumers. Q: How is the artisan baker inﬂuencing the world of pizza? We have noticed the trend of artisan bakers offering pizzas along with their breads. Because the artisan baker is used to employing a variety of techniques in the production of the various types of bread they offer, it was only natural that they incorporate these techniques in their pizza dough. As pizza operators sample these unique “artisan” pizza creations, they are intrigued with the results and want a better understanding of the artisan techniques. Q. What are a few examples of these artisan techniques? One good example is high hydration levels for their dough. Hydration is simply the measure of the amount of water goes into the dough. For most pizza operators, 50 to 55% hydration could be typical. For an artisan baker, a 60 to 70% hydration is within reason. It is true that the dough will be softer and challenging to work with, but the artisan baker is used to soft dough. The beneﬁt of the higher hydration, however, is that it will create a light, airy crust with a more irregular grain. Another example is longer, cooler fermentations. A pizza operator may be used to dough coming off the mixer at 80°F and then placing it into the cooler for 12 to 18 hours. An artisan Q. How important is making pizza with scratch dough? It almost goes without saying that scratch dough is critical to the success of an independent pizza operator. With an artisaninﬂuenced pizza, there really is no other option for an artisan baker but to use scratch-crafted dough. As I noted earlier, the baker is the artist behind their bread – or in this case, their pizza – and for a pizza, the crust is their signature.
TIM HU FF, GEN ER A L MILLS B A KER IES & FOODSERV ICE

to enhance their product. Rather, they rely on sound technique

baker may target 74°F dough that ferments in the cooler for 48 hours. This longer, cooler fermentation develops an amazing complex and ﬂavorful crust.

34 < OCT 2012 | bakemag.com

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bake - October 2012

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