The Soda Water Hack For Thick And Fluffy Homemade Pizza Crust
There's nothing quite like biting into a cheesy, topping-heavy pizza on a big, fluffy crust. And while a thin, New York-style pie definitely has its advantages, sometimes the mood can hit for that heartier deep-dish inspired dough. If you're the type that loves a thick, billowy pizza crust but you haven't been able to get your homemade dough to rise to the occasion the way restaurant pizza does, there's a hack that can help it get there.
It's a pretty simple one, too. All you have to do is add some club soda to your dough recipe, and the bubbles will help beef it right up. That's because those bubbles are made up of carbon dioxide, which will form air pockets in the dough, as Kevin Ryan (who is a food scientist on the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois) explained to the Chicago Tribune. He added that those pockets will get bigger as the dough cooks, resulting in the desired fluffiness.
How to take advantage of this hack
So how much club soda should you use? Just replace whatever water your pizza crust recipe usually calls for with the same amount of the sparkling kind. But make sure that your club soda is nice and fresh so that it is full of bubbles — meaning you'll want to crack open a new can or bottle for this hack. And though it might be surprising, you'll also want the club soda to be super cold as this allows it to maintain higher carbon dioxide levels, according to Kevin Ryan.
It's understandable if using cold club soda instead of warm water has you a little worried about yeast activation, but there is nothing to be concerned about. Just use active dry yeast instead. Since it's already activated, there's no need to mix it with warm water and sugar and then wait for it to bubble up. It can actually be mixed directly into the flour and other dry ingredients without compromising its potency in the least.
Work quickly with this hack
Another thing to be aware of is that the carbon dioxide in club soda does dissipate over time, so while you'll need to let the dough rise, don't go overboard or wait too long before you roll it out and get it in the oven. Of course, an easy way to fix this issue is by using self-rising flour in place of yeast and regular all-purpose flour. This will eliminate the need for rising and allow you to get the pizza in the oven before those bubbles disappear. And self-rising flour has baking powder in it, which also creates airy dough — so you're pretty much guaranteed a fluffy crust.
Now that you know how easy it is to create thick, fluffy homemade pizza crust you won't have to pay restaurant prices every time you're craving it. Just substitute water for club soda and you'll be amazed at the results. Buon appetito!