Soaker Dough Pizzas, with fresh wheat grains... 8/9/2011

This is how my soaker pizza turned out.  The dough was very heavy, and when the dough ball was opened, a part of the dough was cut off with the pizza cutter.  After the pizza was baked, there was a sourdough taste in the crust.  This pizza was very different, in texture, taste, and how the dough performed.  Although I did like the different taste and texture, I prefer a lighter rim.  When the rim was tasted the wheaty taste could be tasted.  When the part of the pizza was eaten with the sauce and cheese, not a really big noticeable difference could be tasted, than some other pizza doughs I have tried.  Some of my taste testers also did like slices of this pizza, and Steve also thought it was different.  Although this dough was very sticky when I first mixed it, from all the stretches and folds, it did become manageable.

The small part of the dough that was cut off, was just put into a piece of aluminum foil, and almost at the end of the day, Steve and I noticed the dough sitting there.  Steve decided to use the dough to make a small pizza.  The dough was very sticky, I guess from sitting in the heat for a long while that was why the dough became sticky again.  Steve added some flour and made the little pizza.  I don’t know why, but the little pizza did taste different than the big pizza.

The farmer that had given me the wheat grains (fresh from the combine), did come to my stand later yesterday, and I explained to him how the pizza was made and gave him 3 slices to try.  He thought it was very interesting how his wheat grains were being used to make different pizzas.  The farmer also gave Steve and I some of his fresh barley grains to try out.  I will be trying to sprout some of the barley grains for pizza and Steve will be trying to sprout the barley grains for brewing beer.  It is nice that I am getting to know this farmer.  He is really nice.  He said if Steve or I want more barley grains, to just ask him.

My guess would be, that these pizzas would be healthier to eat.  I have enjoyed trying fresh wheat in different ways to make pizza.

Last picture is of the barley the farmer gave me to try and sprout.

Norma