Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting your journey, deciding on the right bread or pizza dough recipe can feel overwhelming. With so many options to choose from, it’s essential to consider your skill level, available time, and goals for the finished product.

If you’re new to bread baking or you want to try making pizza dough for the first time, or you just need a quick recipe, we’ve got you covered. Likewise, if you’re a bread enthusiast looking for a challenge or planning an event, there’s also something here for you.

Let’s break it down to help you find the perfect recipe to suit your needs.

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For Beginners: Bread and Pizza Dough Made Simple

If you’ve never made bread or pizza dough before, it can seem intimidating. But don’t worry—we’ve got easy recipes that are perfect for first-timers. All these recipes require less active time and come together quickly overall, with straightforward instructions.

Direct Thin-Crust Pizza Dough

This direct thin-crust pizza dough is a variation of our master recipe. We developed this time-saving technique with busy schedules in mind—you can make this dough, from start to finish, in under 2.5 hours without compromising on quality. It yields a crust that is sturdy, crunchy, and has great flavor.

Other pizzas to try from Modernist Pizza:

• Direct New York Pizza Dough (Vol. 4:136)
• No-Knead Brazilian Thin-Crust Pizza Dough (Vol. 4:182)

French Lean Bread

With just four ingredients—flour, water, salt, and yeast—French lean bread is a perfect starting point for new bakers. These loaves are simple yet iconic, and the baguette is the quintessential example. It’s not only a classic but also a great way to build your bread-making confidence.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

If you’re in the mood for something sweet, try our Cinnamon Raisin Bread. This bread is beginner-friendly, deliciously sweet, and requires just 20–30 minutes of active time and about 3 hours of inactive time. Plus, the mixing and shaping methods are great for practicing basic techniques.

Other beginner breads to try:

• Portuguese Sweet Bread
• White Sandwich Bread (Modernist Bread at Home, p. 239 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:289)
• Jewish Deli Rye (MBAH, p. 252 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:306)

These recipes are simple to follow, require minimal equipment, and provide a solid foundation for dough making.

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For Bread Bakers Trying Pizza for the First Time

If you’ve baked bread but haven’t ventured to pizza yet, you’ll find the techniques familiar. These recipes are perfect for exploring new pizza styles while building on your existing skills.

Detroit-Style Pizza Dough

Unlike other bread-like pizza doughs that require a preferment, our Detroit-style master dough can be prepared entirely on the same day you plan to bake. After mixing the dough to nearly full gluten development, it undergoes two 15-minute bench rests separated by a four-edge fold. This process relaxes the gluten strands, making it easier to shape the dough to fit the pan.

Other recipes to try:

• Focaccia Dough (Modernist Pizza Vol. 2:148)
• New York Square Pizza Dough (Vol. 2:152)
• High-Hydration al Taglio Pizza Dough (Vol. 2:158)

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Breads and Pizza Dough for Busy Days

Need bread or pizza dough that’s ready in a day or less? Focus on direct dough recipes that skip the preferment stage, or, in the case of pizza, emergency dough recipes. These recipes don’t require overnight proofing and fit easily into a single day.

Quick Bread Recipes

• Challah: A delicious option that takes less than 7 hours.
• Direct Farmer’s Bread: A faster alternative to our master recipe; done in less than 7 hours.
• Second-Chance Sourdough: Enjoy sourdough in just 9 hours!

Other bread recipes that take less than 9 hours:

• Direct Ciabatta (MBAH,p. 222 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:162)
• Direct Focaccia (MBAH, p. 231)
• Pain de Mie (MBAH, p. 244 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:296)
• Hamburger Buns (MBAH, p. 260 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:320)

Quick Pizza Recipes

• Direct Thin-Crust Pizza Dough: Ready in just 2 hours and 15 minutes.
• Detroit-Style Pizza Dough: Takes less than 4 hours.
• Any of our “emergency pizza” recipes from Modernist Pizza (Vol. 2) are perfect for a fast pizza fix.

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For Bakers with Extra Time

If you have the time to invest in creating complex flavors and textures, these recipes will reward your patience. They involve longer proofing times, preferments, or cold fermentation to develop depth.

Time-Intensive Bread Recipes

Sablée Brioche

One standout option is the Sablée Brioche. Mastering this rich, buttery bread requires careful handling to ensure the crumb is strong enough to support the loaf without overbaking, which can result in a thick crust. This recipe is a balancing act, but the result—a beautifully executed brioche—is well worth the 22-hour process.

Other bread recipes include:

• Vollkornbrot
• Candied Fruit Vollkornbrot
• Chocolate and Cherry Sourdough
• Everything Bagel
• Black Currant Sourdough with Marcona Almonds (MBAH, p. 194 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:82)
• Country-Style Bread (MBAH, p. 197 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:99)
• Ancient Grain Bread (MBAH, p. 209 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:125)
• Farmer’s Bread (MBAH, p. 295 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:99)

Time-Intensive Pizza Recipes

If you’re ready to invest extra time, these pizza recipes will deliver exceptional results.

Deep-Dish Pizza Dough

While the dough itself takes only 2 hours to make, assembling this pizza requires a bit more time and focus, especially if it’s your first attempt. For the best results, we recommend cold-proofing the dough for a full day—this extra step enhances the crust’s crispiness and flavor. It’s a fantastic recipe to challenge your skills and savor a truly rewarding payoff.

Other pizza doughs to try:

• Artisan Pizza Dough (Modernist Pizza Vol. 2:142)
• New York Pizza Dough (Vol. 2:132)

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Breads for Special Occasions

When you want to impress or bring something exciting to an event, these breads are guaranteed to turn heads:

Chocolate and Cherry Sourdough

This is our top recommendation. A variation of our Sourdough Master Recipe, this dough is only moderately sweet; the natural sourness of the dough tempers the sweet character of the inclusions. Given how many taste testers were waiting when these loaves came out of the oven, it’s a captivating combination (and a team favorite).

Other breads to try:

• Sablée Brioche
• Candied Fruit Vollkornbrot
• Cinnamon Raisin Bread
• Challah
• Vollkornbrot
• Black Currant Sourdough with Marcona Almonds (MBAH, p. 194 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:82)
• Hazelnut Butter Brioche (MBAH, p. 266 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:229)
• Babka (MBAH, p. 269 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:225)
• Coconut Challah (MBAH, p. 270 / Modernist Bread Vol. 4:280)
• Hawaiian Pineapple Sweet Bread (MBAH, p. 247/ Modernist Bread Vol. 4:313)

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Cooking Pizza for a Crowd

If you’re hosting a large gathering, skip the individual Neapolitan-style pizzas, which can be time-consuming. Instead, try recipes that yield larger portions or are easier to manage.

These options allow you to spend less time at the oven and more time with your guests:

• Deep-Dish Pizza Dough: Perfect for feeding a crowd with its thick, hearty crust and customizable toppings.
• Detroit-Style Pizza Dough: This rectangular pizza is ideal for sharing, with its crispy edges and fluffy interior.
• New York Square Pizza Dough (Modernist Pizza, Vol. 2:132): This crowd-pleaser is parbaked before applying sauce and cheese, making it easy to prepare before an event.

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No matter your skill level or time constraints, there’s a recipe that will suit your needs. While we have many recipes available online, all the techniques and recipes mentioned above can be found in Modernist Bread, Modernist Bread at Home, or Modernist Pizza. With step-by-step instructions, tips for troubleshooting, and the science behind each recipe, these books provide the tools and knowledge to elevate your baking skills.

Whipping siphons have revolutionized the art of foam-making, bringing efficiency and creativity to kitchens everywhere. But siphons are useful for making so much more than whipped cream. These tools allow chefs to transform fatty or starchy ingredients—even fluid gels—into delicate, stable foams with ease. We use ours all the time—for making fresh soda, greatly speeding up marinating, infusing fruit with a flavorful juice, or topping a dish with foam for flavor and textural contrast.

Whipping siphons require cartridges of gas to function. Nitrous oxide offers exceptional solubility in fats and oils without the risk of oxidation or bacterial growth. Each standard charger contains 8 g of this versatile gas, which dissolves into the liquid, pressurizing the siphon. When released, the mixture expands, creating the airy, smooth texture that defines culinary foams. Carbon dioxide is also another type of gas that can be used with a whipping siphon, but its high solubility and distinct fizzy taste often make it less ideal for creating creamy, stable foams. With nitrous oxide, however, chefs gain a reliable, flavor-neutral tool for culinary experimentation, whether crafting decadent dessert sauces or innovative savory toppings. This is why we often prefer using nitrous oxide; however, carbon dioxide is required if your goal is to carbonate rather than to foam.

The possibilities with a whipping siphon are virtually limitless, opening up a world of culinary creativity. Take, for instance, our Caramelized Carrot Pizza from Modernist Pizza (page 277), which features a coconut chutney foam. This foam—made with cilantro, mint, green chili pepper, coconut cream, and coconut milk—adds a vibrant, aromatic layer to the dish.

The siphon can also streamline the preparation of batters, like teff injera (Modernist Bread, Vol. 5:156) or tempura batter (Modernist Pizza, Vol. 3:281), creating light, consistent textures with ease.

Additionally, it’s a game changer for emulsion-based sauces, particularly during service. The siphon not only keeps sauces warm but also aerates them, creating volume and a lighter mouthfeel compared to dense, overly rich sauces. For example, we use it to prepare Sous Vide Hollandaise or sabayon sauce.

Tips for Using a Siphon

Whether you’re carbonating, infusing, or foaming, there are a few basics you should know. First off, the siphon requires cartridges of gas, also called chargers, to pressurize the chamber holding the liquid. Carbon dioxide is best used for carbonation only. We use nitrous oxide for foams, marinating, and infusing. A cartridge holds 8 g of gas, can be used only once, and costs about 50 cents. Two cartridges are typically sufficient to charge a 1 L siphon. Use about 2% gas, or 8 g of gas for every 400 g of liquid—more if the liquid is low in fat.

Listen to your siphon. If the seal on your whipping siphon is faulty, the gas will go in and right back out again. So listen closely as you charge it. You should hear gas filling the chamber—and then silence. Still hear hissing? Remnants of a previous foam might be causing a leak, or some part of the siphon could be damaged. Vent the siphon, remove the nozzle, unscrew the top, and take out the cartridge. Then clean these parts and the rubber gaskets thoroughly, and check to make sure that they are undamaged and in place.

The rubber gasket keeps the dissolved gas from escaping from the lid. Make sure it fits snugly along the top of the lid and is intact.

A disposable cartridge holds 8 g of nitrous oxide, the gas used to pressurize the siphon. The number of cartridges you need depends on the volume of the siphon, how full the siphon is, the fat content of the liquid to be whipped, and the temperature of that liquid. Generally, two cartridges are enough for a 1 L siphon.

Charging the siphon—inserting the gas cartridge so that it is pierced by the pin—increases the pressure inside it dramatically and forces the nitrous oxide to dissolve into the liquid. Shaking the container is crucial to ensure that the gas is evenly distributed.

Carbonating with a siphon

Create a sparkling drink or give porous food a surprising fizz with your whipping siphon. We slice carbonated grapes over chilled oysters and pair rich pâtés with sweet, tart, fizzy raisins. You need three cartridges of carbon dioxide to get really good carbonation in a 1 L whipping siphon or soda siphon.

STEPS TO CARBONATING WITH A SIPHON

1. Chill both the liquid and the siphon. Carbon dioxide is most soluble in cold liquids.
2. Pour in a cold liquid or add a chilled fruit. Do not overfill. Tighten the lid.
3. Insert the first carbon dioxide cartridge while holding the siphon upright. Hold down the nozzle to blow out the gas. The venting step is important because it replaces the air sitting above the liquid with carbon dioxide.
4. Insert one or two more cartridges of carbon dioxide; do not dispense any of the gas. Shake the siphon vigorously for 5–10 seconds.
5. Refrigerate the siphon to allow the gas to fully dissolve into the liquid. Let liquids sit for 2–4 hours. Let fruit sit for at least 4 hours, but preferably for 8–10 hours. Don’t open the siphon until you serve the fruit.
6. Open the siphon by holding it upright, pressing a cloth against the nozzle to contain any liquid, and slowly releasing the gas. Then remove the siphon lid, and pour out the soda or fruit. Dispensing soda through the nozzle results in a tingly and foamy drink, not a fizzy one, because the gas exits the liquid too quickly.

If you are ready to experiment, give carbonated cranberries a try.

Foaming with a siphon

Whipping siphons were designed for aerating cream that is high in fat. (Nitrous oxide dissolves much better in fat than in water.) But you can foam any liquid thick enough to hold bubbles. Add starch, gelatin, eggs, or agar to thin liquids to give them enough body for foaming. A fine, creamy foam comforts and provides contrasting texture, like mashed potatoes, or whipped cream atop a dense dessert. Light, acidic, and airy foams can contribute an additional layer of flavor. The more air in the foam, the less concentrated its flavor, so use a very strong liquid when making a foam to serve as a garnish or sauce. A foam used to top some other flavorful food may not need to be as intense. It’s a matter of finding the right balance.

STEPS TO FOAMING WITH A SIPHON

1. Add the liquid to the siphon, and tighten the lid. Do not overfill it.
2. Charge the siphon with only one cartridge of nitrous oxide. Shake vigorously for 5–10 seconds. Resting is unnecessary; the gas dissolves quickly.
3. Turn the siphon upside down, and press the lever to dispense a bit of foam. Check the texture. One cartridge is usually sufficient for high-fat liquids. Add more cartridges to create progressively thicker foams. The foam will release any gas it can’t hold, so an extra charge won’t ruin it. Shake the siphon each time before you dispense the foam.

Pressure-infusing and pressure-marinating with a siphon

You can use the high gas pressure in a siphon to force liquid into a solid, thus speeding up the processes of infusing, brining, or marinating. Meat cut into cubes for kebabs, for example, takes 20 minutes to marinate instead of 1–12 hours. Infusing porous fruit with liquid is a fun twist—think strawberries and lemonade, apple slices bursting with apple juice, or watermelon with hints of green tea.

STEPS TO INFUSING AND MARINATING WITH A SIPHON

1. Add cubes of meat to the siphon, and cover them with marinade or brine. To infuse fruit with a liquid, add the fruit and enough liquid to cover it. Tighten the lid.
2. Charge the siphon with nitrous oxide. Use two cartridges in a 1 L siphon. Shake vigorously for 5–10 seconds.
3. Refrigerate the siphon for 20 minutes to let the flavors infuse.
4. Open the siphon by holding it upright, pressing a cloth against the nozzle to contain any liquid, and slowly releasing the gas. Then unscrew the siphon lid, and pour out the contents.

Further Reading

• Carbonated Cranberries
• Instant Infusions
• Sous Vide Hollandaise
• How Whipping Siphons Work
• Three Desserts You Can Make with a Whipping Siphon
• Modernist Cuisine at Home
• Modernist Cuisine

Pressure cookers are fantastic tools. They develop the characteristic flavors and textures of foods so quickly that what is conventionally a long, labor-intensive process becomes one hardly more time-consuming than a casual sauté. Risotto takes 7 minutes instead of 25. An intense chicken stock takes 90 minutes instead of 2 or 3 hours. You can even pressure-cook food in canning jars or in oven bags or Foodsaver bags rated for high temperatures—which means grits and polenta, for example, no longer require constant stirring to avoid sticking. The high temperatures inside the cooker also promote browning and caramelization, reactions that create flavors you can’t get otherwise in a moist cooking environment. If you’re not a believer yet, try our Caramelized Carrot Soup recipe.

A pressure cooker is essentially just a pot with a semi-sealed, lockable lid and a valve that controls the pressure inside. It works by capturing steam that, as it builds up, increases the pressure in the vessel. The pressure increase in turn raises the boiling point of water, which normally limits the cooking temperature of wet foods to 100°C / 212°F (at sea level; the boiling point is slightly lower at higher elevations). Because the effective cooking temperature is higher in the pressure cooker—as high as 120°C / 250°F—the cooking time can drop substantially. Whether you’re cooking a stock, braising a stew, or fixing a pot of beans, the temperature of these water-laden foods ordinarily won’t exceed the boiling point of water, 100°C / 212°F, until they dry out—which you usually want to avoid.

Fast, even, energy-efficient cooking is all very nice, but it’s the higher quality of the food that really clinches the deal. Wonderful culinary aromas wafting through the kitchen while you cook may warm the heart, but those are some of the most crucial components of the flavor of the food, and they are now forever lost to the air. The sealed environment of the pressure cooker locks in more of these volatile aromatic compounds. They condense onto the lid and drip back into the pot, so more of the nuances of the food are there when you put fork to mouth. You can learn more about how pressure cookers work here.

Even if you bake more than you cook, pressure cookers are invaluable tools for bread and pizza enthusiasts. Do you include flavorful additions in your bread recipes? Pressure cookers can caramelize ingredients like vegetables, fruits, and grains, transforming them into rich inclusions for bread or pizza toppings. For perfectly cooked grains to be used in breads, a pressure cooker is your best friend. You can easily achieve al dente grains, as detailed on page 29 of Modernist Bread at Home. Pressure cookers allow for precise control over softness in a fraction of the time.

Pressure cookers also excel at caramelizing toppings and sauces for pizza, such as the Mushroom Comté Pizza sauce from Modernist Pizza. The book also highlights recipes for other pressure-caramelized sauces, including cauliflower puree, Bolognese, bisque, and more.

Using an Instant Pot is quite similar to a traditional pressure cooker, and most of the same safety tips and guidelines apply. Our books provide clear instructions for both tools, ensuring that you can use either confidently.

Safety Tips for Pressure-Cooking

Too many people shy away from pressure cookers because they are skittish about safety. Rest easy: today’s devices are designed and manufactured with safety as the primary concern. We recommend pressure cookers with built-in spring-loaded pressure valves or jiggling-weight pressure cookers. An electric pressure cooker, such as the Instant Pot, is even simpler—you set the time, and it does the rest. The older pressure cookers and pressure canners will also work, although they are a bit noisy and tend to lose steam and aroma.

Consumer-grade pressure cookers range in size from 4–10 L / 4–10 qt. Look for a stainless-steel cooker having a three-ply base (aluminum sandwiched by stainless steel), which helps avoid hot spots. Also make sure the cooker indicates when it has reached a gauge pressure of 1 bar / 15 psi, as commonly used in recipes.

Here are our recommendations for cooking safely with a pressure cooker:

1. Read and follow the safety instructions in the manual that came with the cooker.
2. Releasing a pressure cooker lid while its contents are still hot can splatter boiling water or food all over the kitchen—or you. Before opening the cooker, use the pressure-release button, let the cooker sit, or cool the pot under running water. The pressure valve will sink down fully when the cooker is depressurized and is safe to open.
3. Before cooking, check that the ring of rubber lining around the lid isn’t dried out or cracked. These gaskets don’t last forever; replace them as recommended by the manufacturer.
4. Make sure the rim of the pot and the gasket are clean; any food particles stuck there could break the seal.
5. Don’t fill the cooker more than two-thirds full. For beans and grains, which tend to swell as they cook, fill the cooker only half full.
6. Avoid cooking foods that froth, like oatmeal and pasta. The foam can block the steam valves and pressure-release vents.
7. Tip the opening away from you as you lift the lid off the cooker to protect yourself from the steam that is released.
8. Use canning tongs to remove hot canning jars from the cooker, and let the contents cool slightly before opening the jars.
9. To cook porridges in a pressure cooker, put the grains in canning jars, and rest them on a trivet. We don’t recommend directly pressure-cooking porridges because they will scorch the bottom of your pot. (See more about using canning jars in pressure cookers below).

How to Use a Pressure Cooker

Cooks who are new to pressure-cooking often use too much heat and over-pressurize the cooker. It’s important to realize that over-pressurizing the cooker doesn’t make the temperature inside it any higher—it merely causes the safety valve to release steam, which allows the water inside to resume boiling. Repeated over-pressurization can ruin both the flanges and the seal around the lid. Familiarize yourself with the manufacturer’s instructions for understanding when your cooker is fully pressurized, over-pressurized, and depressurized.

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients. If you will be browning onions or other aromatics before pressure-cooking them, save a pan by sautéing the food directly in the base of the pressure cooker before covering it with the lid.

Step 2: Add all the ingredients, stir, and lock the lid. Stirring to evenly distribute the liquid or fat is important to keep bits from burning on the bottom of the cooker. Once you lock the lid, you won’t be able to stir again.

Step 3: Warm the cooker on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Watch or listen for the cues that the cooker has reached full pressure, and then turn the heat down to low. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the cooker fully pressurized.

Step 4: Start timing the cooking as soon as the cooker reaches the target gauge pressure given in the recipe. If your cooker has a spring-loaded pressure valve, the valve should pop up just to the line, not beyond it. The cooker should not hiss loudly. If you have a jiggling-weight pressure valve, the weight should move three to five times a minute; it shouldn’t dance around wildly.

Step 5: After cooking, remove the pressure cooker from the heat, and let it cool. You can simply let the cooker sit for several minutes to cool down if the food can tolerate some additional cooking (as stocks can, for example). For foods that are more time-sensitive, such as risottos, run lukewarm water over the rim of the lid to depressurize the cooker quickly. (Don’t let water run into the pressure valve.) Some cookers have a manual quick-release knob or dial; be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use this feature safely. Never attempt to open a pressurized cooker. Not only will it spray hot liquid, but you’ll also lose a lot of the flavorful vapors.

Step 6: Set the cooker in the kitchen sink and unlock the lid. If the lid is difficult to open, don’t force it; let the cooker cool longer until it opens with little resistance.

Step 7: If the food isn’t done, simply finish it on the stovetop without sealing the lid. Alternatively, return the pressure cooker to full pressure, and continue cooking.

Pressure-Cooking in Canning Jars

Several recipes in Modernist Cuisine at Home and Modernist Cuisine take advantage of cooking in canning jars (also known as Mason jars). We use them for ingredients that would otherwise need an intensive amount of stirring, such as polenta, and for making small batches of rendered fat, garlic confit, or extracted juices.

Always leave at least 1.3 cm / ½ in of headspace when filling the jars. The jars should also never touch the bottom of the cooker. Set them on a metal rack or trivet—or, in a pinch, on crumpled sheets of aluminum foil. Add enough water to cover the rack so that the pressure cooker can build up steam. After fully tightening the lids of the jars, loosen them a quarter turn; otherwise, the pressure may crack the jars or blow their lids off inside the cooker. After using a jar for pressure-cooking, inspect the glass for cracks before cooking with it again.

Other Tips

• Most spring-loaded pressure valves are ringed with two lines or colors to indicate low pressure and high pressure.
• We always cook at a gauge pressure of 1 bar / 15 psi.
• A jet of steam or fog from an overextended pressure valve means that the pressure cooker is over-pressurized, and for safety’s sake the valve is relieving the excess pressure. Over-pressurizing can bend the flanges that hold the lid tightly on the pot; they won’t seal properly, and the pressure cooker will then be useless.

Pressure cookers are a game changer in the kitchen, offering speed, efficiency, and an unparalleled depth of flavor. Whether you’re crafting a velvety risotto, an aromatic stock, or perfectly tender beans, a pressure cooker can help you achieve results that are as impressive as they are effortless.

From the science behind their high temperatures to the practical safety tips and techniques, mastering this versatile tool can transform your cooking experience. With just a little practice, you’ll discover why pressure cookers have become indispensable for both home cooks and professionals alike.

Further Reading and Recipes

• Caramelized Inclusions with a Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot
• Pressure-Caramelized Sweet Potato Soup
• Pressure-Cooked Chicharrón
• Pressure-Cooked Carnitas
• Red Wine Glaze
• Garlic Confit
• Mushroom Comté Pizza with Pressure-Caramelized Vegetable Sauce
• Caramelized Carrot Soup—No Centrifuge Necessary!
• How Pressure Cookers Work
• Pressure-Cooked Fresh-Corn Tamale
• Pressure-Rendered Chicken Fat
• Pressure-Cooked Vegetable Risotto
• Caramelized Pumpkin Pie
• Modernist Cuisine at Home
• Modernist Cuisine

People have strong opinions about crumb and crust—crispy, soft, charred, blond, or nonexistent. The diversity of preferences is hardly surprising; after all, the rim crust is an integral part of most, but not all, pizzas. Understanding the science of baking dough is something that can help you take control of your own preferred texture in dough by using several different recommended ingredients. Today, we’ll dive into the science and some basic modifications that you can make to some recipes.

The Science Behind the Dough

Most crusts emerge from the oven with a crispy exterior, while the interior remains a hot, soft gel of starch and protein molecules. As the crust cools, water vapor escapes and starch granules recrystallize, altering the texture of the crumb. Understanding how these processes work can help you learn how to adapt your own pizza crusts.

The Role of Dough Modifiers

To influence the texture of crumb and crust, you can experiment with dough modifiers. Ingredients such as amylases (a type of enzyme found in flour), sugar, pregelatinized starch, and certain emulsifiers contribute to texture and enhance pizza crusts in unique ways.

Our Recommendations for a Softer Crust

For those seeking a softer crust, we recommend the use of amylases with intermediate stability, as they continue to break down starch molecules at a slower rate.

Alternatively, consider incorporating fava or soybean flour, known for containing lipoxygenase enzymes that contribute to a softer crumb. However, be cautious of their strong beany flavor, which may be better suited for breads.

Modernist Pizza features a high-hydration Neapolitan pizza dough that incorporates the use of pregelatinized flour to help increase the hydration of the dough while maintaining the ability to mix the dough, creating a delightfully soft crumb. You can find it in vol. 2:127.

• How does sugar affect dough? Sugar and humectants act as moisture magnets, attracting water molecules that cling to the crust. This process postpones starch migration, preserving the soft texture of the crumb. The result? A pizza crust that maintains its delectable tenderness.          

• How do amylases affect dough? Amylases interact uniquely with starch, breaking down long molecules into shorter segments that recrystallize at a slower pace. Not all amylases serve as effective softeners, making it crucial to consider thermostability. While fungal amylases are heat-sensitive, declining post-gelatinization, bacterial counterparts remain active. Optimal crumb softening occurs with amylases boasting intermediate stability, active during gelatinization but ceasing at around 80°C / 176°F. We prefer to use diastatic malt powder, an enzyme derived from the germination of barley.

• How does fava/soybean flour affect dough? Fava or soybean flour is used by some bakers for a softer crumb. Loaded with lipoxygenase enzymes, these legume flours break down lipids in flour, contributing to a softening effect. However, caution is advised due to their strong, beany flavor, potentially imparting an unpleasant aftertaste to pizza crusts. While suitable for breads, these flours may not be the ideal choice for pizza experimentation.

Our Recommendations for a Crispy Crust

If a crispier crust is your goal, try adding polydextrose (a type of soluble fiber) or sodium alginate (a carbohydrate product of seaweed). These additives enhance the crispiness of your pizza by delaying the softening of the crust during retrogradation. A little goes a long way, and we suggest experimenting with around 1% polydextrose in your dough to achieve that perfect crunch.

Another alternative for a crispier crust includes using 5% pregelatinized masa harina flour. You can pregelatinize this flour by whisking the flour with 21°C / 70°F water at a ratio of 1 to 4. Whisk together the water and flour in a small saucepot, cooking over medium heat while whisking constantly until the mixture reaches 65°C / 150°F. Then cool over an ice bath to room temperature. As a result, your flour will become pregelatinized.

Where Can You Find These Ingredients

• Diastatic malt powder is our preferred amylase with intermediate stability. You can find it online at places like Amazon or Modernist Pantry.
• Fava or soybean flour is sold by Bob’s Red Mill and other sellers.
• Polydextrose can be found online through retailers like Modernist Pantry.
• Sodium alginate can be found in powder form at some grocery stores or online through retailers like Modernist Pantry.
• Masa harina flour can be found online through King Arthur Baking or Bob’s Red Mill.

Understanding the science behind pizza dough opens up a world of possibilities, regardless of whether you’re a home chef or a seasoned pizzaiolo. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media for more Modernist Cuisine techniques, recipes, and announcements.

Mixing dough for both bread and pizza can undoubtedly pose challenges, which can leave aspiring pizzaioli and bakers feeling discouraged. Dough that’s sticky, dried out, overmixed, or undermixed might seem disheartening at times. But remember, even seasoned pizzaioli and bakers have faced these hurdles. We say embrace the learning process and experiment with different techniques and recipes. Over time, you’ll develop a keen understanding of dough mixing and how to troubleshoot issues when they arise.

Mixing is an essential part of the dough process. Although gluten is a self-organizing protein, that doesn’t mean you can pour water on flour and walk away, hoping the dough will develop. You have to give it a little jump start to distribute the ingredients evenly. That jump start involves mixing. The most important function of mixing is to force the flour to hydrate, which unleashes a cascade of chemical reactions. Hydration, not kneading, is what allows the gluten network to develop.

Hydration can be accomplished slowly by simply combining the ingredients and allowing the flour to absorb the water over time, or faster by manipulating the dough by hand, or in minutes by machines. The faster the mix, the faster the hydration, the faster the dough develops. You can learn more about both in chapter 6 of Modernist Pizza.

Although combining a few ingredients seems like a simple thing, there are often still many challenges and problems that arise. Once you understand what not to do, you’ll also understand what sorts of things can go wrong.

Below, we cover some common mixing problems, why they happen, and how to fix them.

Undermixed Dough

Problem: Undermixed dough won’t fully hydrate because the water is unevenly distributed. Properly mixed dough should look homogenous, with no noticeable clumps of flour or pools of liquid.

Solution: Continue mixing to remedy this problem.

The Dough Has Dried Out

Problem: Dough exposed to air will begin to dry on the surface and form a skin. This reduces the extensibility (stretch) of the dough, forcing it to crack as it ferments or is manipulated.

Solution: To avoid this, keep the dough covered at all times. You can use a slightly damp kitchen towel, a plastic tarp, or even a large, clean plastic trash bag to protect your dough. If you’re using a plastic tub, cover it with a lid.

Climbing the Hook

Problem: Dough wrapping up the hook happens if the mixer is left unattended.

Solution: Be sure to keep an eye on the mixer so that you can stop the machine and push the dough down the hook, then continue mixing.

Overmixing

Problem: If you’ve overmixed your dough—that is, if you’ve gone beyond full gluten development but the dough hasn’t quite broken down—your dough might be salvaged.

Solution: For doughs raised with levain, simply let the dough relax for a long time in the refrigerator.

For yeast-raised doughs, it’s a little trickier because the yeast will continue to ferment the dough even in the refrigerator. (This will occur in a levain-based dough as well, but to a lesser extent.)

If the dough is overmixed to the point that it’s leaching water and has become ropy, try this method: mix a half batch of dough, minus the salt. Allow your dough to autolyze for 20 minutes, then add the salt. Add this new dough to the overmixed dough, mixing on low speed until just combined. Proceed with bulk fermentation (if applicable); it may take longer than planned. The final pizza won’t be exactly as you had mixed it correctly, but it will be close.

The Complete Disaster

The only remedy for some mixing errors is to simply start over. Luckily, dough ingredients are relatively inexpensive, and the mixing process is fast enough that you’ll probably still have time to make your pizza. Fatal errors like these usually stem from human fallibility: the pizza maker might have misread a measurement, transposed a number, or otherwise strayed from protocol. To avoid such mistakes, the first time you make a recipe, check off each step when you complete it. At the very least, this will show you later where you went wrong.

Most importantly, don’t get discouraged during your baking journey. Mixing dough does not come without challenges, even though it may seem that combining four ingredients is a simple thing to do. Learning to mix dough can be a journey of trial and improvement. You’re enhancing your skills and knowledge every time you make pizza or bread. Even if it doesn’t come out the way you’d hoped, it’s a chance to improve your technique; every attempt brings you closer to consistently making outstanding doughs.

Try out some of our recipes below:

• Deep-dish pizza dough
• Detroit-style pizza dough
• French lean bread
• Chocolate and cherry sourdough

As always, please share your homemade pizzas and bread with us on social media! Let us know if any of these tips helped save your own dough.

Pizza sauces don’t have to stick to the confines of tradition. For example, Bolognese and chutney don’t usually spring to mind when you are thinking about the sauce that you want to put on your pizza, but we found that soups and non-pizza sauces can be adapted really well for this purpose (you might just need to adjust their consistency). There are three basic consistencies we are looking for in pizza sauces: thin, semi-thick, and thick (you can learn more about this in Modernist Pizza vol. 2:242).

To adapt soups and non-pizza sauces successfully, the key is knowing what style you intend to use them for and adjusting their viscosity accordingly. Thin sauces, as found on Neapolitan pizza, are used for pizzas baked at high temperatures. The excess liquid evaporates in a few seconds, leaving a smooth sauce that is still moist but does not puddle. Semi-thick sauces are (obviously) thicker than thin sauces but still easily spreadable. These are used for most pizzas that bake at temperatures between 260°C and 315°C / 500°F and 600°F, like New York, artisan, and Brazilian thin-crust pizzas. Thick sauces hold their shape when they are spooned or spread onto a surface and do not flow. These sauces are usually applied after baking for pizzas like Detroit-style and deep-dish.

But why bother going through the effort of crafting alternative sauces in the first place? Adapting sauces offers the ability to maximize pantry and fridge resources, prevent food waste, and make great sauce, even if you’re short on time. Those with dietary restrictions can enjoy the freedom of tailoring sauces to their needs. Furthermore, mastering the art of adapting custom pizza sauces can also spark culinary innovation, making it possible to create something fascinating and new for the daring culinary explorer.

Below are some fun ideas for adapting sauces and soups and what you can do to make the appropriate adjustments.

Oil-based sauce

If it’s too thin, reduce the amount of oil. You can always add more at the end if needed. To thicken pesto, try emulsifying it. Oil-based sauces can be applied before or after baking.

Pasta sauces

Some sauces, such as Bolognese, vodka sauce, and puttanesca, can be used as is on medium-crust pizza like New York or artisan. Thicker sauces work on deep-dish or Detroit-style if applied after baking. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it with heavy cream, water, stock, or wine. These sauces can be applied both before and after baking.

Starchy soups

The consistency of soups such as potato, clam chowder, gumbo, and cream-based will likely work well as a pizza sauce. If the soup is roux-thickened, consider replacing the flour with other thickeners to obtain the best flavor possible. These starchy sauces are best applied before baking.

Vegetable or fruit soups

Thicken with xanthan gum or Wondra flour if the soup is too thin. Alternatively, reduce in a saucepot over medium heat to evaporate moisture and thicken to sauce consistency. This kind of sauce is best applied before baking.

Vegetable or fruit purees

For a thick puree, add more liquid (water, heavy cream, or stock). For a thin puree, thicken with xanthan gum or by reduction. This sauce is best applied to the pizza before baking.

Curries

Curry can refer to a sauce or an actual stew. Both work well on a pizza, one as a sauce and the other as a sauce-plus topping. Most curries of both types are thick enough to use as is, but if you find it to be too thin, you can thicken it by reduction or by adding tapioca maltodextrin (start with 3%, and check as you go before adding more). This curry sauce is best applied before baking.

Stocks, jus, or consommé

These are often too watery to add as a sauce on a pizza directly, but they can be thickened by a reduction in a saucepot to an extent or with Wondra flour (start with 2%), xanthan gum, or propylene glycol alginate (PGA). Since these are relatively loose, it is best to apply them as a flavoring component rather than as the main sauce. This sauce is best to apply before baking as a moderate drizzle over toppings.

Heat-stable emulsions, such as hollandaise or béarnaise

If the sauce is too thick, add clarified butter or ghee. Our base recipe for hollandaise works with all styles of pizza. This sauce can be added before, during, or after baking.

Non-heat-stable emulsions, such as vinaigrette and beurre blanc

You can emulsify these with xanthan gum or propylene glycol alginate (PGA). Use the emulsions sparingly as a condiment, not in the same quantities you would use a tomato sauce. This sauce can be used before baking for invincible vinaigrette (see Modernist Pizza vol. 2:266) or after baking for the other sauces.

Mayonnaise or aioli

You can use these as is, but don’t use as much of them as you would a tomato sauce. It should be applied after baking (it won’t separate while hot, but do not put it on before baking, because the high temperature of the oven will break the emulsion).

Jams, jellies, and marmalades

These can be loosened by stirring them with a little water or fruit juice. Alternatively, they can be left as is and used as a topping by spooning them. Try before or after baking.

Chutneys

Chutney is usually very chunky and doesn’t act as a real sauce; it is better to think of it as a topping or condiment. However, you can puree chutney and adjust the consistency by thinning it with water or other liquids if you want to use it as a sauce. Try before baking if pureeing or after baking.

If you want more information, we also recommend looking at the soup sauce experiment that we did in Modernist Pizza vol. 2:249. There, you can learn more about how we tested a number of products, from ponzu to curries to cream of corn soup. On page 256, you can also find more outside-the-box pizza experiments to help inspire your next pizza creation. In addition to this, you can also learn more about improving tomato sauces on our blog.

Our team would love to see your improvised sauces and the pizzas you’ve created, so please tag us in your social media posts if you end up experimenting with these techniques.

Are you interested in learning more Modernist Cuisine tips and tricks? Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media for more techniques, recipes, and announcements.

After ten years with Modernist Cuisine head chef Francisco Migoya is moving on to pursue a senior position with our friends at noma. When Chef Migoya joined our team nearly a decade ago we had yet to start Modernist Bread, Modernist Pizza, and the pastry book that’s now underway. He contributed an enormous amount to those books, and we wish him the best of luck as he begins writing his next chapter at noma.

In the meantime, our work on our pastry book continues. We’re making great progress and are already finding lots of exciting results and, true to Modernist Cuisine, cases that challenge conventional wisdom around pastry. We’ve already conducted hundreds of experiments (and consumed thousands of baked goods in the process), with many, many more on the horizon. We’ll be moving forward with our research as planned during this staffing transition and expanding our team in the coming months. You can reach out to publisher Stephanie Swane (sswane@modernistcuisine.com) for more information about the role.

You’ll have to wait a bit longer until we can share some of our pastry findings with you, but you can expect some exciting publishing news in just a few weeks. Stay tuned so you don’t miss an update.

Why would you make fresh homemade mozzarella rather than buy it premade? One reason might be that you can’t get it (or you can’t get a product of the quality that you want). Another is that you want to do something different on your pizzas. We think that it’s fun to make cheese and it lets you experience that ingredient on a whole new level. Once you do start making it, that gives you an opportunity to create something very different that you can’t buy, such as our infused mozzarella.

In this guide, we’ll cover some basic mozzarella making principles so that you can give it a try.

Making Mozzarella

Mozzarella curd is produced when milk is cultured, heated, and acidified, either through fermentation with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) cultures or directly with citric acid. Then rennet is added to cause coagulation. The pH will fall and, once it reaches a pH of 5.3–5.1 (see page Volume 2 page 292), the curd may immediately be stretched into mozzarella (known as the filature step). The tangled mass of casein complexes that forms the curd is steeped in a bath of very hot whey or water.

After a short period of time, the curds are kneaded and the stretching begins, which forms the curd into a soft, elastic, stringy texture. As we were experimenting and developing our mozzarella recipes, we asked ourselves a series of questions. Is stretching mozzarella curd worth the effort? Does balling the resulting cheese matter? Can we simply bake mozzarella curd on a pizza? Our experiments led to several interesting conclusions.

The first is that we highly recommend stretching mozzarella curd. We recommend limiting the stretching to two to three times, however, since overstretching can result in a tougher texture. As soon as a nice sheen has developed from stretching, your mozzarella is ready to use. Seasoned, drained curd can be used on pizza instead of mozzarella, but you need to manage your expectations. Baking the unstretched curd will moderately increase browning (this browning may bother some pizzaioli more than others) and the result will lack the nice stringy pull typically desired on a pizza. Furthermore, curds aren’t commonly seasoned with salt, so they can be very bland. Could we troubleshoot both of these problems? Our procedure for brining the curd (see page 325 of volume 2 of Modernist Pizza) can mitigate the browning issue and improve the flavor.

Storing Mozzarella

We recommend brine for storing your own homemade mozzarella, which is included in our mozzarella recipe. Just make sure to drain it overnight before baking or you’ll get a soupy pizza. Additionally, brining will give your cheese shelf stability by inhibiting bacterial growth.

If you don’t want to wait 12 hours to drain your mozzarella, you can instead try to vacuum drain it, which involves placing your cut mozzarella onto a liquid-absorbing pad (like the absorbent pads packed with a cut of meat), vacuum-packaging the bag, and then pulling a full vacuum. The pressure from sealing the cheese will push out the moisture and the meat pad absorbs the liquid coming off the cheese. You can then store your mozzarella under refrigeration until you are ready to bake (but not beyond its original expiration date). The cheese bakes exactly like traditionally cut and drained fresh mozzarella and the best part is that this method can easily be scaled up to large quantities of cheese.

Eager to make your own mozzarella? The full recipe awaits you in our Paprika-Infused Fior Di Latte Mozzarella post. Just a friendly tip: if you’re aiming for a classic, plain mozzarella, skip the additional paprika infusion step. You can also find the full recipe (and many more) on page 297 in volume 2 of Modernist Pizza.

As you embark on your mozzarella-making journey, we’d love to be part of your experience. Don’t forget to share your creations on social media and tag us. Your culinary adventures matter to us!