What yeast should you use for pizza dough?

What makes perfect pizza dough? 

To determine the right kind of yeast that should be used it is important to reflect on what makes a pizza dough perfect. What are we looking for in perfect pizza dough?

To this end, we can think about pizza dough in two stages. The first is before it is put in the oven and the other is after it is baked. 

Pizza dough fundamentals before going into the oven

First, before putting the pizza into the oven the strength of the dough must be adequate. This will prevent the dough from tearing and allow the dough to be easily stretched and shaped. This is especially important for commercial bakeries or pizza shops as they need to be able to work quickly and if they cannot roll the dough out and have it sufficiently strong, so it does not tear, they will waste a lot of time.

Secondly, the yeast must create the optimal fermentation so that all the ingredients can combine, and you can have the best possible taste. 

Thirdly you want your dough to have excellent smoothness, no one likes chunky pizza dough. 

Lastly, you want the yeast to have high stability in case you do not use the dough immediately and need to save it for later. You do not want the yeast to over-ferment the dough and possibly cause a bad taste.

Pizza dough fundamentals after being baked

Once the pizza comes out of the oven of course you want it to taste good. But for the perfect dough, you want the crust to have a nice color and flavor and the right yeast can help with this. Furthermore, you want the crust to be crunchy and light and not spongy and too dense. Additionally, choosing the right kind of yeast can help avoid any shrinkage of the dough or what the pizzaiolos call “ovalling”. That way your pizza comes out in the perfect round shape you intended it to be and not like a picture by Salvador Dalí! Even though we love Dalí.

The perfect pizza dough yeast! 

So, what is the perfect yeast?

We believe, and we think many pizzaiolos would agree with us that ready-to-use instant dry yeast is the ideal option. Using fresh yeast is also possible. We cannot say it will make it better with fresh yeast but fresh yeast is also feasible. The advantage of ready-to-use instant dry yeast is the fact that it will provide you more possibilities and more flexibility. So if you want to achieve all of what we described above, this is the only yeast that can meet all of those requirements. Ready-to-use instant dry yeast:

• can be incorporated directly into the flour, quickly and evenly, for optimal fermentation and excellent smoothness of pizza dough.
• allows storage of dough in the refrigerator at 4°C from several hours to several days (of course you will to adapt the dosage), making working conditions that much more flexible and stable.
• strengthens the dough to prevent tearing and improves the overall performance of pizza dough. 
• is easier to stretch and pizza bases can be prepared more quickly.
• eliminates dough shrinkage (“ovalling”) and promises high-quality end products.

With ready-to-use instant dry yeast, the final pizza will be light, thin, and crunchy, and melt in your mouth.

Want to learn more about yeast in general? 

What about whole wheat and gluten-free pizza dough?

Some of you may be asking, what if I want whole wheat pizza dough or gluten-free pizza, what kind of yeast should I use then? 

Well, the good news is that ready-to-use instant dry yeast can be used for traditional, whole wheat, and gluten-free pizza doughs! Ready-to-use instant dry yeast is suitable for all types of pizza-making and can be used in any type of dough.

Now that you know the secret to the right kind of yeast to use in your pizza dough, which will give you all the benefits mentioned above you are 99% on your way to making the perfect pizza, all you need now is some fresh ingredients to top it with!

 

Yeast is also healthy! Learn more about the health benefits of yeast 

Interested in learning more about yeast and different breads in general?