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well, would u believe, after what i said this morning... not long been in from a hot, shopping trip with my daughter, been dragged into pizza hut, and guess what.... soggy bottoms... what can i say!!!

not a great pizza fan, but if i do indulge it has to be thin base, very spicy, lots meat and stringy cheese.only ever made pizza myself a few times, i do the sauce , reduced till thick for the base then just top with what ever i fancy. never had a soggy bottom to date..

Jaybee

Dont ask me I hate thick based pizzas the idea of adding a rising agent to the base gives me the ebbee jeebees!!!

Having said that yes a stone works wonders it really does but I only know flat pizzas or thin as we like to say in English.

My daughter Alice made one today for her and her sister (no breadmaker used) they did not have soggy bottoms. Oh hum! I dont know what does it but mine are really thin on a really hot base in a really hot oven with semi dried additives.

Funnily enough, I cooked two enormous pizzas yesterday cos my son announced that he was visiting with his girlfriend and two children, and I had a friend visiting too. I made the bases in the breadmaker - all it does is make the dough for you Martino, you then shape and leave to rise in the normal way. Used tinned toms which I put in a saucepan, chopped (with scissors), and added a little garlic and oregano, adding a tablespoon of tom paste. Boiled this down to a nice thick paste and spread on the uncooked bases. Bases were a little soggy, but only in the very middle (which the children (quite young!) enjoyed!), but thanks for the idea of putting on a hot baking tray - will try that one cos I don't think it was a problem of extra liquid - that said, the dough did rise rather a lot - about 1 1/2 inches thick?!. One day I would like a pizza stone - should I bother? - are they any good Martino?

It is interesting to see that in a domestic oven we use a pizza tray with holes or put it on the open shelf but in a pizza place it goes on the oven floor.

Pizzas from the South are tradditionally thicker but in the North of Italy they are megga thin.

I have to say we dont cook them too often as they are so good in the shops but on the occassions when we have we have used a teracotta tile heated first I guess like Sandyford said. Very thin pizza dough and yes freezing it works, but not made in the breadmaker that throughs me it is only a pasta a pastry so it is easier to do by hand or in a processor. I would like to know what the breadmaker does to it?

if you use can tomato then you really must drain the juice well or it can make it soggy. In fact it should really be almost boiled dry before putting on. Likewise the Mozzorella this has to be drained and cut well before using to get rid of the liquid.

Paul sounds like you had a fun time never eaten a supermarket pizza so dont know what they are like.

Hi Guys, I spent some time developing pizza's for Sainsbury and Pizza Express and the main reason for a soggy middle is as follows

1. An over thick pizza base
2. An over topped pizza, wet ingredients such as onion, tomato and fatty ingredients can cause a pool of moisture in the centre of the pizze.
3. Cook the pizze directly on the oven shelf so the hot air can penetrate evenly.
4. Under cooking
5. Cooking at too cool a temperature.
6. An over wet pizza dough

Traditionaly Pizza should be thin and thinly topped with full flavoured ingredients but sadly it has become thick, over topped and barely similar to the original product.

Hope this helps guys

Top Choc Paul xx

I never have a problem with freezing home-made pizza dough. I tend to make it in small batches and freeze burger bun size amounts wrapped in oiled cling film. This is enough to make one pizza on my 9 inch pizza tray. When needed, I defrost them at room temperature for about 4 hours. You could also defrost them in the fridge but this would take a few hours longer.

Christopher, Pizza can be cooked well in an ordinary domestic oven, try this method. it has worked for me in the past. If you have one, put a 'heavy' baking sheet in the oven to heat up, then slide the pizza onto this once it is vey hot. This mimics the hot oven floor of a proper pizza oven.

Bellap, pizza dough will keep well in the fridge wrapped in oiled cling film for 24 hours or so. it will rise a very very small amount and it will improve the elasticity of the dough as the glutens are released more effectively. Glutens are what makes the dough elastic and take time bo be released from the flour.

Hope this is of help.

I found exact same problem - soggy middle!! Also would like to know, as one pizza not enough in this household! - how to make large quantity pizza dough - how to keep it until time to cook (fridge-warm place-should it rest before cooking) - can you freeze pizza dough?? Help!!