Bread and pizza dough are some of the most interchangeable items in history. Almost everyone at some point in their baking career asks if it's possible to switch the doughs. The main reason behind this is the bread having similar ingredients.
The main ingredients include flour, water, salt, and yeast. They both need to rise and have similar textures after baking. They're both leavened dough that needs to rise before baking. However, there must be some difference between bread and pizza dough, right?
Therefore, the need to answer your queries such as, "what is the difference between bread and pizza dough?" has led us to curate this article today. Without any further ado, let's begin!
Is Bread Dough the Same as Pizza Dough?
Bread dough and pizza dough aren't the same. However, you can use them interchangeably with a few tweaks in the recipes. Bith pizza dough and bread, though, can give similar results with a bit of trying.
The main dissimilarity between pizza dough and bread dough is the way they are handled. They have different formulas as well, where the amounts of salt, water, and oil vary. They're both consisting of whole wheat flour, white flour, and some are even made into sourdough.
Although, the ratio of ingredients required to make a specific item can differ from one recipe to another.
There are different varieties of pizza, starting from authentic Neapolitan pizzas to hot, yummy focaccia bread. They're all pieces of bread, but you'll indeed find differences in their taste.
The good news is that you can use pizza dough as for bread dough and vice versa.
Bread Dough Vs. Pizza Dough
Although similar, if you don't know the exact way to interchange the types of bread, your project can be a flop. Hence, you must know some key differences to use the kinds of bread conversely like a pro.
Let's see some differences between pizza dough vs bread dough.
1. Ingredients
When it comes to ingredients, pizza dough and bread dough are pretty similar. However, the ratios of ingredients can change the entire recipe.
The amount of flour used in the types of bread remains the same for both pizza and bread. But, the amount of salt in pizza dough is slightly higher than bread dough. For example, if you used a pinch of salt in your bread, you'd have to use half a teaspoon for your pizza dough.
Most types of bread are enriched doughs. Enriched doughs are simply doughs packed with milk, eggs, butter, and any other type of flavoring. Bread also has additional oils, which help it become stretchy.
However, pizza dough is much more straightforward in comparison. Pizza dough should be more on the flaky side and lesser on the chewy side.
Your pizza dough shouldn't consist of any other flavoring than the essential elements. In some cases, it can have spicy herbs and additions which don't alter the texture of the dough.
If a bread dough is baked as a pizza dough, it shouldn't be an enriched dough. It may burn and cook faster than the topping if it contains eggs, milk, or butter.
2. Moisture Levels
Bread has a lot more water in it than pizza dough. The reason for this is it needs to rise a lot more in comparison. When you add more water into your dough, you're giving it more space to be flexible and grow faster and more extensive. With pizza dough, the hydration levels should stay at a minimum to ensure the bread doesn't rise more than it needs to.
The water percentage in pizza is 60% in hydration, while some bread dough can be 80-90%. While higher hydration levels in pizza dough can make it fluffy and crispier, it'll be impossible to shape. It will burn faster as well.
The hydration levels will also affect the baking time drastically.
3. Kneading
The longer the dough is kneaded, the denser the crumbs get, and the lighter the pizza is. A smooth ball of pizza dough takes just 1-5 minutes to knead. More prolonged kneading produces a firmer structure and a denser interior, which is best for pizza.
Longer mixing strengthens and layers gluten. This produces a tight, uniform crumb, ideal for denser bread. Gluten formation is essential to get a uniformly made crust for your pizza. Pizza is typically kneaded for a few minutes to keep it light and airy.
Lesser mixing results in bigger and uneven holes that permit the dough to rise into a big bread. Any rustic bread or modern bread requires a minimal amount of kneading. The lesser the gluten, the softer and airier the bread will be.
4. Rising Time
You may ferment both bread and pizza dough in the refrigerator for a long time, but pizza dough is fermented more often. Bread dough is usually baked the same day for freshness. On the other hand, many chefs recommend fermenting your pizza dough overnight before using it so the gluten can strengthen itself.
Both doughs go through a bulk fermentation procedure, which allows the whole piece to rise before being split. The pockets of gas generated by yeast fermentation enable the doughs to grow as required. The pockets are necessary for the proper flavor distribution as well.
Can You Use Pizza Dough To Make Bread?
You can easily use pizza dough to make bread because they're essentially the same thing. Whether you buy the dough at a shop nearby or decide to use a leftover from the last batch you made - you can utilize them for making a fresh batch of bread.
Pizza dough is mainly used to make different pizzas like Neapolitan Pizza, Chicago Pizza, New York-Style Pizza, Sicilian Pizza, Greek Pizza, California Pizza, Detroit Pizza, St. Louis Pizza, and more. They're made intricately by kneading and stretching a small dough into a 12-inch circular flatbread.
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The texture of the crusts varies in different pizzas. Some crusts are made thin, like the Brooklyn pizza, while other pizzas, such as the deep dish pizza, have a thick crust.
On the other hand, there are different types of bread. The types of bread include banana bread, baguette, breadstick, brioche, challah, ciabatta, cornbread, focaccia, and many more.
You can mix and match the types of dough for making both pizza and bread. In addition, you can also make burgers, pretzels, and more food with the two types of dough.
If you're a constant baker who enjoys fresh pizzas and bread, you can make a mutual batch of dough. In this way, it'll save you time and resources. You can also add tweaks of your own when you're comfortable in interchanging the dough.
Can You Use Bread Dough To Make Pizza?
Yes, you can use bread dough to make pizza. However, since it's particularly bread dough, you should expect to add some tweaks. In a case of exception, a few types of bread dough aren't suitable for pizza.
To ensure your bread is suitable for making pizza, the primary way to keep your bread dough minimal. Your dough shouldn't consist of added sugars, eggs, butter, vanilla, or any other ingredient that can cause browning.
If your bread dough is flavored or has ingredients your pizza has nothing to do with, it's best not to use it. If you choose to bake a pizza with your pre-flavored bread dough, expect deflation and burnt crusts.
If you want to make a big batch of dough that you can use for pizza and bread, keep your dough as simple as you can.
Make sure to add no more than one pinch of sugar to your pizza dough. Extra sugar can cause overheating. And, a sweet pizza crust won't go well with the toppings either.
Tip: If your bread dough rises more than required, you should turn it into a pizza. The fermentation timing will help in poofing up the dough like a pizza crust in the oven. Add a tiny pinch of sugar before you pop it in the oven!
Conclusion
Although each bread has its difference, it's optimal to say you can use them interchangeably. The only thing you must remember is to keep the dough-base minimal. You can add eggs, milk, butter, and more later if you want to make enriched bread. You can easily create pizza dough bread with a stock bread dough.
Despite their seemingly different uses, pizza dough and bread dough are both made from the same essential ingredients. This primary combination opens the door to an almost limitless number of bread and pizzas.
Experiment with various dough formulae and types of bread/pizzas to find out which one you like. Once you master a basic dough recipe, you'll be amazed at how simple it is to create bread and pizza. Hence, till the next time, happy feasting!
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