Do I really need to add sugar? Making my own pizza?

MelaniaTrump
MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
edited January 2016 in Recipes
For the pizza dough? Do I really need to add that sugar? I threw out sugar in a bad day (flushed down toilet).
Here is the recipe in case it makes any difference.
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
Great Value: Pure Cane Sugar, 20 Oz
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
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Replies

  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited January 2016
    Ooops, it looks like I don't have bread flour either. I have regular self rising flour. That's the same thing? I am not a baker at all.
    Last time I baked I left the kitchen, and entire house floors were white. The cat fell in the bowl of flour that was on my kitchen top.
    I hate to bake because of the mess and little reward. But I want pizza and I want it healthy. I don't have whole wheat flour.
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
    I'm not a big bread maker, but I believe in this case you need the sugar to feed the yeast and get it going.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,232 Member
    edited January 2016
    You need the sugar to feed the yeast or it won't rise.

    Eta: just the smaller amount though. That's a lot of came sugar
  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    edited January 2016
    Without sugar, the yeast have nothing to eat. Nothing to eat, no fermentation rise. No rise, no pizza dough.

    If you don't like to bake, don't. There's a lot of stores that offer ready to bake pizza dough in the refrigerated section. Thaw, roll/stretch, top, and bake. There's also a lot of smaller pizzerias that will sell dough as a side revenue stream.

  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    Oh, that 20 oz is an advertisement I forgot to edit out when I copied and pasted.
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
    grinning_chick wrote: »
    Without sugar, the yeast have nothing to eat. Nothing to eat, no fermentation rise. No rise, no pizza dough.

    However, that's a lot of sugar. If I only need a tablespoon of sugar to make a 4 cups of flour recipe loaf of yeast based bread rise, you do not need 20 ounces of sugar to make a pizza dough rise. It has to be a typo.

    It looks like it's 1 tsp of Great value Sugar in the 20 oz size.
  • CourtLHM
    CourtLHM Posts: 181 Member
    If I don't add sugar to the yeast it doesn't tend to foam. You want the foam. Happy yeast or something. I don't think that little bit is going to hurt you for a loss. I do know you can do a squirt of honey instead if you want?.
  • CourtLHM
    CourtLHM Posts: 181 Member
    If I don't add sugar to the yeast it doesn't tend to foam. You want the foam. Happy yeast or something. I don't think that little bit is going to hurt you for a loss. I do know you can do a squirt of honey instead if you want?.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,232 Member
    edited January 2016
    JanetYellen wrote: »
    Oh, that 20 oz is an advertisement I forgot to edit out when I copied and pasted.

    Gotcha. Then yes, you need the sugar or the yeast is pointless
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
    https://thebakingway.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/question-of-the-week-is-there-a-difference-between-self-rising-flour-and-bread-flour/
  • chastity0921
    chastity0921 Posts: 209 Member
    And bread flour is more powdery. Self-rising has leavening already added.
  • taziarj
    taziarj Posts: 243 Member
    As indicated, the sugar helps the yeast to make the dough rise. You could try activating the yeast in warm milk instead of the water as the lactose, which is a form of sugar, will help the yeast. Though I have never had success with activating yeast in milk. Not sure if I get it too hot or what it is.
  • naamahgoddess
    naamahgoddess Posts: 14 Member
    YES! you need the sugar to feed the yeast. Without the sugar it wont rise. I mean, sometimes it will, but either way the yeast just eats that sugar. Its not in the end product. If you feel more comfortable you can use honey.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Have you been tipping the juice?
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited January 2016
    I have apple juice. I'm going to add maybe 1/4 cup. I will have pizza tomorrow. I will make this happen.
    @queen - I tipped the juice yesterday. I've cut down to once a week and very proud.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,232 Member
    Then take that 1/4 cup out of the water or you will have a gluggy mess.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Borrow a cup of sugar from a neighbor.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,232 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Borrow a cup of sugar from a neighbor.

    I tried that once. How was I supposed to know they were undercover? Bubba still writes...
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Borrow a cup of sugar from a neighbor.

    I tried that once. How was I supposed to know they were undercover? Bubba still writes...

    Nvm
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited January 2016
    You probably could cut out the sugar, but you'd slow down fermentation of the dough by doing so. Yeast is perfectly capable of breaking down the starch in flour into sugars and fermenting that, but added sugar speeds up the process. You could use honey instead if you had that. Otherwise you could do a much longer rise. At that point you might as well do a poolish.

    You probably don't want self-rising flour either - self-rising flour is all purpose flour with baking powder added, so it's chemically leavened. Now, you're doing a yeast recipe so you probably don't want that - plus it can add a metallic flavor. All-purpose flour would be fine, bread flour would be the best, but I would skip self-rising. In fact I'd just buy all purpose and add my own baking powder if I really needed it, I don't buy self-rising flour when I can mix my own at any time from two common ingredients.

  • space_case
    space_case Posts: 89 Member
    yes but you can use honey instead for a lower GI sweetener. I took a pizza making class once and that's what they said to do.

    http://www.food.com/recipe/honey-pizza-dough-awesome-117941
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Borrow a cup of sugar from a neighbor.

    I tried that once. How was I supposed to know they were undercover? Bubba still writes...

    One time at band camp.......

    .....and we all got probation with random urine testing......

    .......
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2016
    kuranda10 wrote: »
    I'm not a big bread maker, but I believe in this case you need the sugar to feed the yeast and get it going.

    You need to feed the yeast. It doesn't have to be with sugar (although that's easy and traditional) or if you use sugar more than like a teaspoon. Maybe read about how yeast-based baking works? Might make you feel more comfortable.

    Also, who cares about a teaspoon of sugar? (Well, other than Mary Poppins, who is pro.) ;-)
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    edited January 2016
    JanetYellen wrote:
    For the pizza dough? Do I really need to add that sugar?
    Here is the recipe in case it makes any difference.
    1 (0.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
    1 teaspoon white sugar
    Great Value: Pure Cane Sugar, 20 Oz
    1 cup warm water (110 degrees F / 45 degrees C)
    2.5 cups bread flour
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 teaspoon salt
    ****** That bolded part seems wrong. ****** (ETA: I see you realized that. Sorry.)
    The 1 teaspoon, yes, you need that.

    Here's a recipe from Taste of Home (always has great stuff!).
    http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/thin-crust-pizza-dough
    3.5 cups bread flour
    1 cup whole wheat flour
    5 teaspoons quick-rise yeast
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon honey
    1.5 to 1-2/3 cups warm water (120° to 130° F)

  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    This doesn't take any sugar.
    http://redstaryeast.com/pizza-dough-and-variations/

    1 cup water
    2 T olive oil
    3 cups bread flour
    1 tsp salt
    2.25 tsp active dry yeast
  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
    Did you really flush sugar down the toilet?? Hmmm
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    *ahem* if you have self rising flour you don't need the yeast or the sugar.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/473047-how-to-make-pizza-dough-with-only-self-rising-flour/

    You can reduce the salt and the sugar in this recipe without hurting it.

    By the way always feed your yeast with some sort of sugar. You can use a sugar syrup or honey if you have no granulated sugar. The yeast will "eat" most of the sugar in the dough, a byproduct which is little bubbles of gas which makes your dough fluffy.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    stephanieluvspb wrote: »
    Did you really flush sugar down the toilet?? Hmmm

    This made me cry a little.
  • suzynam
    suzynam Posts: 14 Member
    you don't need the sugar. i bake bread all the time, sugar is not necessary. yeast does fine without it. you might need a slightly longer rising time. but you can't use self-rising flour. bread flour works for pizza dough, as does all purpose or plain.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,228 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    *ahem* if you have self rising flour you don't need the yeast or the sugar.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/473047-how-to-make-pizza-dough-with-only-self-rising-flour/

    This recipe itself admits they're basically making the pizza on top of a baking-powder biscuit rather than a pizza crust. If that sounds tasty, I guess there's nothing wrong with it, but it isn't really my idea of pizza. It seems more like tomato'n'toppings shortcake. But heck, I usually add extra gluten to pizza dough just to make it chewier.

    However, self-rising flour typically makes better biscuits than (Northern U.S.) all-purpose flour because self-rising is commonly made from soft wheat (less gluten) and AP from hard wheat (more gluten). Biscuits that kinda melt in your mouth are a Wonderful Thing. Mmmm, biscuits!

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