Some operators are hesitant to use pre-made dough balls because of the perceived complexity of working with them. After all, time and staff are generally already at a premium, so why complicate the process, stress staff and risk quality and consistency by adding a supposedly finicky crust option into the mix?
There’s a very good reason to add pre-made dough balls to your take-and-bake pizza lineup: hand-stretched crusts command a higher price point, which means more money in your pocket. What’s more, the things you may be assuming about pre-made dough balls — they take too long to proof, hand-stretching or hand-tossing isn’t easily mastered, and perfect at-home bakes can be tricky — simply aren’t true.
Let’s check out the ease of use of pre-made dough balls and what they could mean to your take-and-bake business.
The majority of the time required to prepare a pre-made dough ball is in the proofing. Out of the freezer it can take anywhere from 24-72 hours for pre-made dough balls to achieve “perfect proof” status when sheet pans and speed racks are used to circulate 34℉-40℉ air. Since pre-made dough balls are pre-portioned prior to freezing, making sure a supply of them are proofing or ready to proof is really just a matter of incorporating the step into your back-of-the-house routine. Your staff will also have no problem picking up the two visual cues that indicate the dough balls are ready for use:
The theatrics often associated with hand-stretching a pizza crust like kneading it relentlessly on the prep table or tossing it high overhead in order to make a dramatic catch are just that — theatrics. There’s no mystery to hand-stretching a pre-made dough ball into a delicious pizza crust, although the four steps involved may require a little bit of practice:
You’ve done all the prep work for the take and bake pizza with the hand-stretched crust, so your customers aren’t going to have a lot of extra steps for a consistent, high quality at-home bake. In fact, bake time and temperature as well as indicators of a completed bake (golden brown, bubbly cheese) don’t differ greatly from pizza made with par-baked crusts. Generally, customers should follow these steps for pizzas with hand-stretched crusts:
Note: Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking and 5 days after baking
In total, using pre-made dough balls for take and bake gives you the option to present your customers with a pizza choice that’s fresh, authentic and worth a premium price — an easy profit builder for you since the prep work is comparable to par-baked crusts. Also, menu add-ons made from pre-made dough balls like breadsticks or cinnamon rolls are like money in the bank.
Once common misconceptions about pre-made dough balls are debunked, the practicalities and profitability of using them in take and bake shops, delis and c-stores becomes readily apparent. Find out more about the ease of use and consistent quality of pre-made dough balls in our eBook, How to Achieve Perfectly Proofed Pizza Dough. Click the button below to access your copy now!