Yeast Dough Basics

• Pizza dough is essentially a flatbread, and it follows the same rules as any other yeast-risen bread. The dough must have enough gluten to form long, elastic strands, which trap the carbon dioxide created by the yeast. When the crust is baked, those tiny pockets of gas expand and give the dough its characteristically puffy texture and large holes. Pizza dough is usually a soft, wet dough, the kind known to bakers as a "slack" dough. It's a little harder to handle than stiff dough, but easier to stretch thin. It can be prepared either through quick fermentation or slow fermentation.

Quick Fermentation Recipes

• Some recipes are intended to produce a serviceable pizza crust in a relatively short time. Most call for an envelope of yeast, or 2 1/2 tablespoons, for three to four cups of flour. Given a warm and draft-free place to rise, the dough can be fermented and ready in less than an hour. This is convenient, but produces a rather bland crust. Small amounts of malt flour or malt syrup, buckwheat flour, or other flavorful flours can be added to the basic recipe to produce a more nuanced flavor.

Slow Fermentation Recipes

• Slow fermentation recipes take the opposite tack, using as little as a quarter of the yeast called for in quick fermentation recipes. Once the dough is mixed, it's left to rest overnight in the refrigerator. During those hours, the yeast and beneficial bacteria in the flour will begin breaking down its carbohydrate molecules, releasing the natural sugars and creating new flavor molecules. When the dough is eventually baked, it will produce a rich, golden crust with a much deeper and more complex flavor. The tradeoff is the additional time and planning needed.

Using a Starter

• One way to enjoy the convenience of a quick-fermenting dough and the flavor of a slow-fermenting dough is to use a starter. Mix up a small batch of dough from a slow-fermenting recipe, and keep it in your refrigerator. Every week, remove half of the dough and replace it with an equal quantity of flour and water. When you want to make your quick-fermenting pizza dough, add an amount of starter equal to one-quarter or one-third of the batch of dough and knead it in thoroughly. Your dough will still rise quickly, but it will have much of the deep flavor created by slow fermentation.