If your pizza dough balls are flat, a common reason, especially if you're cold fermenting, is that they have relaxed and flattened out during cold fermentation in a dough tray, particularly if there was too much space between them.
Understanding Dough Relaxation During Cold Fermentation
When pizza dough undergoes cold fermentation (a slow, controlled rise in a refrigerated environment), its structure can change significantly. If you're using a dough tray to ferment multiple dough balls together, rather than individual containers, they have the opportunity to relax and spread out.
- Dough Tray Environment: Unlike individual containers that provide support and prevent excessive spreading, a dough tray allows the dough to spread laterally.
- Gradual Relaxation: Over the extended period of cold fermentation, the dough's gluten structure naturally relaxes. This relaxation, combined with gravity and the lack of individual support, causes the dough balls to gradually flatten.
- Excessive Space: The problem is exacerbated if there is too much empty space between the dough balls in the tray. More room allows the dough to relax further and expand outwards, leading to a significantly flatter shape.
The Solution: Reballing Your Dough
Fortunately, if your dough balls have flattened during cold fermentation, it's an easily fixable issue that doesn't compromise the dough's quality.
To fix flat dough balls, simply give them a reball at the start of your final proof (step 5). This means gently reshaping each dough ball into a tight, round sphere right before you let them come to room temperature for their final rise before baking.
Benefits of Reballing:
- Restores Shape: Reballing brings the dough back to a desirable, round form.
- Tension Development: It helps re-establish surface tension, which is crucial for achieving a good rise and an airy crust when baked.
- Improved Handling: Tightly balled dough is easier to handle and stretch into a pizza base.
Summary of Cause and Solution
To quickly identify and address this common issue, refer to the table below:
| Condition Leading to Flat Dough Balls | Resulting Dough State | Effective Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Cold fermentation in a shared dough tray | Dough balls gradually relax and flatten | Reball at the start of the final proof (step 5) |
| Too much space between dough balls in the tray | Dough relaxes excessively, becoming very flat | Reball at the start of the final proof (step 5) |
