Okay, let’s talk about my try with high-gluten flour for pizza. I’d been hearing about it, you know? People saying it’s the secret to getting that really chewy crust. The kind you get at some old-school pizza places. I figured, why not, let’s see what happens.
Getting Started – The Dough
First thing was getting the flour. Wasn’t too hard, just looked for bread flour, basically. It’s got more protein, that’s the key part they say gives it the chew. Grabbed a bag.
Then, mixing time. Pretty standard stuff went in:
- The high-gluten flour
- Water (lukewarm, always)
- Yeast (just the regular active dry kind)
- A bit of salt
- Tiny splash of oil, maybe olive oil? Helps the texture, I think.
Right away, mixing it, the dough felt different. Stiffer than when I use regular all-purpose flour. Like it had more muscle already.
The Hard Part – Kneading
Now, the kneading. This was the real workout. Seriously. This dough fights back. It’s strong. You gotta put some elbow grease into it. I went at it for a good 10, maybe 15 minutes. Just kept folding, pushing, turning. You can feel the gluten developing, the dough getting smoother but staying really elastic. If you’re used to softer doughs, this feels way different.
After the battle, I shaped it into a ball, put it in a lightly oiled bowl, covered it up, and let it sit. Gave it about an hour, maybe a bit more, in a warm spot. It puffed up nicely, doubled roughly. Looked good.
Shaping and Baking
Getting it into a pizza shape was… interesting. That elasticity from the gluten? Makes it want to spring back constantly. You stretch it out, it shrinks back a bit. Took some patience. Couldn’t rush it. Just gently worked it outwards on the counter with plenty of flour so it wouldn’t stick. Forget about tossing this one in the air, at least for me!
Got it shaped, moved it onto my peel (dusted with cornmeal, helps it slide). Added sauce, cheese, the usual toppings. Nothing fancy this time, wanted to focus on the crust.
Slid it onto a super hot pizza stone in the oven. Cranked the oven up as high as it would go. Baked it till the edges were puffed up and golden brown, cheese all melted and bubbly. Maybe 10-12 minutes?
So, How Was It?
Pulled it out, let it cool for a minute (the hardest part). Then cut into it.
The crust? Yep, definitely chewy. Like, noticeably chewy. You had to bite and pull. It had structure. Great texture. The bottom was crispy, the edge had that nice chew. It wasn’t tough, just… substantial. It made a difference, for sure.
Was it worth the extra effort, especially the kneading? I’d say yeah, if that chewy texture is what you’re really after. It’s not an every-week thing for me maybe, because it does take more work. But for that specific kind of bite? High-gluten flour delivered. Give it a try if you feel like wrestling some dough.
