The purpose of this lab was to learn how to make pizza dough, practice the technique of stretching the dough, and then preparing it for cooking either as a pizza or a panzarotti.
Safety and Sanitation
Standard safety and sanitation practices are used. I washed my hands with soap and warm water, I wore a hairnet, and I wore an apron as well. When using the dough mixer, the guards were used properly, and the mixer was stopped before anything was done with the dough.
Tools and Equipment
All three foods used a dough mixer. In addition, a pizza paddle, some metal bowls and cups, a measuring spoon, a jug, and a scale was used.
Ingredients
The three foods shared the same recipe, consisting of 450g of flour, 1 tbsp of oil, 275g of water, 4g of instant yeast, 7g of sugar, and 7g of salt. This recipe was doubled, and each group (of 3-4) made 1 batch.
Procedure
To start with, each station was set up with a few metal bowls, a scale, and some measuring spoons. First, all the dry ingredients were measured into a bowl, then set aside. Next, a jug was filled with the appropriate amount of water, and a small cup was filled with the 2 tbsp of oil. To start with, everyone added their dry ingredients one at a time to the dough mixer. Then, once everything was evenly mixed, everyone added their water in between mixes. Finally, everyone added their oil to the dough mixer. The dough was mixed until it was ready, then it was taken out and cut into evenly sized pieces. Mine was then rolled into a ball by dragging it across the work surface. Then, it was put in a bag with some oil to rise. All the dough rose in the fridge overnight, but it could probably rise in an hour or two.
Pizza
Procedure
To begin, some flour was spread on the work surface, and the dough was carefully removed from the bag. First, the dough was covered in a light layer of flour, and then it was pressed hard from the center outwards with my fingers. After a long time, the dough was flat enough to move on to the next step. First, I folded the dough over the palm of my hand to pick it up, and I hit the excess flour off of it. Then, I passed the dough back and forth between my hands to stretch and spin it. Once the dough was ready, I placed it on a pizza screen, and spread one spoon of tomato sauce, one cup of cheese, and some pepperoni on it. From there, it was placed in the pizza oven for ~10 minutes, until golden brown. Then, I assembled a pizza box, and the finished pizza was placed in the box.
Challenges
The most difficult part about the pizza lab was probably pressing the dough when making it into a pizza.
Successes and Growth
I would say that I stretched my pizza quite well, and the final product came out great.
Advice for Beginners
My advice for anyone making a pizza like this for the first time is to take your time and follow the instructions carefully. It's not very easy to make a pizza that tastes gross, but you need to make sure that it rises properly, and is stretched enough.
Final Evaluation
I would rate my first pizza as an 8/10. It tasted wonderful, with great savoury flavour from the tomato sauce, and some slightly spicy pepperoni. The dough's texture was light, but crisp on the outside. The pizza looked very appetizing, with a nicely toasted crust and a topping of melted white cheese. The labour involved wasn't too bad, and I found the stretching of the dough to be very enjoyable.
Panzarotti
Procedure
To begin, some flour was spread on the work surface, and the dough was carefully removed from the bag. First, the dough was covered in a light layer of flour, and then it was pressed hard from the center outwards with my fingers. After a long time, the dough was flat enough to move on to the next step. First, I folded the dough over the palm of my hand to pick it up, and I hit the excess flour off of it. Then, I passed the dough back and forth between my hands to stretch and spin it. For the panzarotti, I placed it on a metal tray, and put one small spoonful of sauce, one spoonful of cheese, and some pepperoni slices on top. Next, I folded the panzarotti in half, and flattened out as much of the air as possible. Then, I pressed the edges together all along the panzarotti until it was sealed, and I cut the edges flat. From there, the panzarotti went into the deep fryer until golden brown. Finally, the finished panzarotti was placed in a bag with a piece of wax paper around it.
Challenges
The hardest part when making the panzarotti was sealing the edges. If I couldn't get the edges flat enough, it wouldn't be able to go in the deep fryer.
Successes and Growth
Despite the panzarotti being harder to make than the pizza, I did quite well in stretching the dough enough to fit all the filling inside, then sealing down the edges of the panzarotti.
Advice for Beginners
If you make a panzarotti, don't put too much filling inside, or it could burst. Be sure that the edges of the panzarotti are flattened down enough, because if they aren't, then it might come open in the deep fryer and make a mess.
Final Evaluation
I would rate my panzarotti to be a 10/10. I loved the taste of the fried dough on its own, but mixed with the rich flavours of the filling, it was wonderful. The texture of the panzarotti was great like the pizza, but the appearance was quite different. It was like a small golden loaf. The labour was very intensive and I wouldn't make a panzarotti very often, but it was well worth it.