A bit of sugar in the dough wrecked my pizzas on a Koda 2. Where's your cut-off?
A while ago I gave a pizza workshop together with a baker. The baker supplied the dough (they sell pizza dough in their shop) and I handled the baking on Koda 2 gas ovens, well over 400°C (750°F).
The first pizzas came out with black edges and a middle that wasn't cooked yet. I had no idea why. The guests had made the pizzas themselves, so I cut off the burnt rims, turned the gas down, and the rest came out fine.
Afterwards I asked for the recipe. It had a little sugar in it (5g on 300g flour, under 2%), plus some milk and oil. My own dough has none of those. A little sugar is normal in bread dough baked around 200°C. In a Koda it browns the outside long before the inside is done.
I've been reading up since, and the usual advice for hot ovens seems to be to leave sugar and milk out. Neapolitan rules don't allow sugar or fat in the dough at all.
I'm curious how you handle it:
So:
- Do you use any sugar in your Koda, and at what temperature does it start to bite?
- Do you change anything else (hydration, bake time) when you turn the gas down?
Happy to share more details if anyone wants them.