FAQ

A sticky dough usually means a flour-water mismatch: the hydration is too high for your flour’s absorption capacity. Another common cause is insufficient gluten development — the protein network hasn’t been adequately built up through kneading or stretch-and-fold. In rare cases, over-kneading or dough temperatures above 26°C can weaken the structure. Extreme stickiness can also indicate enzymatic over-proofing: if the dough has rested too long, enzymes break down the gluten network until it’s unstable and cannot be saved.

An airy, open crust results from several factors working together: the right flour with sufficient gas retention, optimal gluten development, correct dough softness, enough fermentation gas, the right shaping technique (pushing air outward from the center), and a high baking temperature for rapid gas expansion.

This is a classic imbalance: too much elasticity and too little extensibility. The gluten network is under too much tension and won’t hold its shape. The most effective lever is the ratio between bulk fermentation and ball proofing — since every flour and recipe has its own ideal ratio, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Too cold a dough temperature or insufficient resting time for the balls can also be factors.

Tearing usually comes from an improper seam closure on the dough balls — if the bottom wasn’t properly sealed during shaping, a weak point forms. This often stems from an unfavorable bulk-to-ball proofing ratio. Other causes include incorrect shaping technique or advanced enzymatic over-proofing, where the gluten has been degraded to the point of losing cohesion.

There are three forms of over-proofing:

• Volume collapse: The dough becomes unstable from excessive gas, collapses after a large volume increase, and shows large thin-walled bubbles on the surface.
• Enzymatic breakdown: The gluten structure is destroyed — the dough spreads flat and is extremely sticky. This stage cannot be saved.
• Sugar depletion: The yeast has consumed all available sugars. The dough won’t brown during baking (pale pizza).

A bland taste is usually the result of too short a fermentation time. Pizza flavor develops primarily through enzymatic processes during long, slow fermentation. Using too much yeast to speed things up often results in an unpleasant yeasty smell while complex grain flavors are lost. Too little salt can also make the dough taste flat.

A tough, rubbery base usually comes from a dough that’s too stiff (hydration too low), a base stretched too thick, or a baking temperature that’s too low. Without sufficient heat, the dough can’t expand rapidly — the surface dries out before the inside can puff up, leaving the crust dense and chewy.

An uneven, lumpy dough — often resembling orange peel — indicates the gluten network isn’t fully developed yet. The flour hasn’t completely absorbed the water, or the gluten structure hasn’t been adequately built up through kneading or stretch-and-fold.

These bubbles form due to excessive dough volume increase. When too much fermentation gas is already present at the end of bulk fermentation, the gas bubbles are merely redistributed during ball-forming, creating irregular pores. As yeast produces more gas during ball proofing, these irregular bubbles grow larger. When stretching the base, fermentation gas is pushed from the center toward the crust, stretching bubble walls extremely thin. In the hot oven, these thin-walled pockets expand suddenly and immediately burn due to the minimal dough mass.

A hard, cracker-like base comes from baking too long at too low a temperature. Moisture is extracted before the dough is fully baked — it dries out rather than baking through. Often the top/bottom heat balance is off, and the dough’s hydration doesn’t match the baking temperature.

There’s no single best answer — the flour must match your recipe and desired result. The key metric is the W-value (baking strength), which describes the quality and quantity of gluten. The higher the W-value, the more water the flour can absorb and the longer fermentations it supports. If the W-value isn’t listed, the protein content on the nutrition label gives a rough indication — though high protein is a tendency, not a guarantee of a high W-value.

Absolutely. Spelt flour (especially type 630) has a softer gluten than wheat, so it shouldn’t be kneaded quite as intensively — it tends to be softer, more extensible, and often slightly less airy in the oven spring. Whole wheat flours absorb significantly more water due to the high bran content (requiring higher hydration) and benefit from a longer autolyse, but produce a denser, less airy result than white flours.

Yes, absolutely. In the app we use a conversion ratio of 1:2 (1g dry yeast ≈ 2g fresh yeast), as this delivers more reliable results than the commonly cited 1:3 ratio. Both are the same yeast strain — dry yeast is simply an extremely dehydrated form of fresh yeast. Dry yeast has a much longer shelf life and more consistent leavening power.

The final dough temperature should not exceed 26°C. Since the kitchen environment and kneading machine generate heat through friction, the water often needs to be very cold — sometimes even ice water — to prevent the dough from overheating during mixing.

In a classic Neapolitan dough, sugar has no place. Additionally, sugar reduces yeast activity.

Salt is important not just for flavor — it also stabilizes the gluten network and regulates yeast activity. The standard is 2.5–3% relative to the flour weight (approximately 25–30g of salt per kilogram of flour).

Bulk fermentation (Stockgare) is the resting period of the entire dough before dividing. Ball proofing (Stückgare) is the resting period of the already divided and rounded dough balls (panetti). The ratio significantly influences pore structure, elasticity, extensibility, and how well the seam stays closed. Too short a ball proofing often results in dough that springs back; too long can weaken the structure.

Autolyse involves roughly mixing flour and water (without yeast and salt) and letting it rest. Two processes happen simultaneously: gluten development (proteins hydrate and form a network) and enzymatic breakdown (proteases loosen the gluten). Duration determines the result: 20–30 min promotes gluten development; over 45 min the dough becomes more extensible but less stable.

• When useful: Hand kneading (saves effort); strong flours (W350+) to make a stiff dough more extensible; basic stand mixers.
• When less useful: Weak flours (W≤220) where structural loss makes the dough too sticky; professional spiral mixers where efficiency makes autolyse redundant.

A biga is a stiff pre-ferment (typically 45–50% hydration) made with minimal yeast and no salt, fermenting for 16–24 hours. Compared to soft pre-ferments like poolish, biga is structure-focused, tension-building, and stabilizing — delivering extremely complex flavor, an especially airy crust, and better pizza shelf life.

• When useful: More structure and tension (especially W350+); deep flavor without extreme enzyme activity; stable gluten for very high hydrations.
• Important: Pre-ferments reduce kneading tolerance in the final dough. Mistakes in the biga are hard to correct and often only show up in the oven.

Yes, best as already-formed balls. Thaw slowly in the refrigerator so the gluten structure isn’t damaged.

The rubber band effect has two main causes: 1. Too much tension: Ball proofing was too short. 2. Too cold: Dough straight from the fridge is rigid.

A pizza oven enables the classic Neapolitan pizza in 60–90 seconds. In a home oven with a pizza steel and grill function, you can achieve excellent results — more in the style of Pizza Romana or New York Style.

Never use dish soap or lots of water! Scrape off burned-on bits with a spatula. Black spots are normal patina. For extreme soiling, use the oven’s pyrolytic self-cleaning function.

The pizza stone has too much bottom heat relative to the available top heat — an imbalance in top/bottom heat distribution.

No! A traditional Neapolitan pizza sauce uses San Marzano canned tomatoes, which are already cooked. Season with salt and basil. The sauce heats up during baking, intensifying its flavor.

Most often it’s too much moisture on the peel or waiting too long before launching.

Everyone has different conditions: the exact flour, kneading method, room temperature, baking temperature, personal experience. A static recipe accounts for neither your specific environment nor the varying absorption rates of different flour brands — 1g of yeast can be too much in summer and too little in winter. That’s the gap pizzAI closes: LuigAI reads your conditions and develops the recipe that fits them.

pizzAI asks what matters to you and what conditions you have, then combines a mathematical yeast-growth curve with thermodynamic data. The result is a recipe with a proofing time matched to your schedule — long enough for the enzymes to build flavor and digestibility without overloading the flour or breaking the structure.

Yes! The protein figure on any flour pack is usually enough: pizzAI uses it together with your baking history to place your flour and set the hydration and resting time to match — supermarket or specialty.

Baking success is based on reproducibility and continuous learning. In the diary, pizzAI automatically saves all parameters from your baking session. When a dough turned out right, you repeat that exact setup with one tap — regardless of the weather. The diary also allows you to systematically learn what works for you and what doesn’t. By comparing your notes and results, you develop a deep understanding of your dough and refine your technique with every entry.