Baking pizza can be hard. The dough doesn’t always turn out like you plan or expect. How the pizza dough turns out should not be a mystery, it’s science. So you have to be accurate. The secret to good, consistent dough is an accurate pizza scale!
The most accurate way of measuring ingredients for your pizza dough is using weight, rather than volume. That’s why professional bakers measure their ingredients in grams instead of cups and tablespoons. Any serious recipe will list the ingredients in grams, so you better get used to it!
A proper scale will ensure you get the same pizza dough every time. And that you have full control over the result.
So if you want better pizza dough, you need a pizza scale!
An accurate kitchen scale with two platforms that can measure up to 10kg at only 0.01g. Perfect for measuring both pizza flour and yeast
Why You Need a Pizza Scale
A scale is one of the most important tools for pizza baking. Baking is a science, and the amount of each ingredient determines what kind of dough you’ll get. And the wrong amount of a single ingredient can mess up the whole dough.
So to make consistent, good pizza dough, you need to measure the ingredients accurately. And the most accurate way of measuring ingredients is using weight rather than volume.
Pizza Baking Requires Accuracy
Have you experienced that your dough turns out weird sometimes? Maybe it’s a sticker than expected? Tougher? Or doesn’t rise properly?
The most common reason for all of these problems is the inaccurate measurement of ingredients. All the ingredients in the dough play together and need just the right balance to create a good dough. So using the right amount of each ingredient is critical.
Without a way to ensure you have the exact same amount of each ingredient, it’s going to be impossible to make the same dough every time, let alone be able to adjust it to your liking.
Cups and Tablespoons Are Not Consistent Units of Measurement
A US cup isn’t the same as a UK cup. And tablespoons can vary a lot in size. It’s therefore hard to measure ingredients using these non-standardized units.
It’s also hard to read the volume accurately. It’s very hard to see that you have exactly 1 cup, let alone 1.37 cups.
Another issue with volume measurements is that the amount of an ingredient can vary, even if you’re able to read it 100% accurately. 1 cup of flour can range between 100g and 150g (50%) depending on the type of flour, how fine it is, and how compressed it is.
It’s therefore hard to get precise measurements of ingredients using volume.
Use Grams – The International Baking Standard
Grams are the international standard used by bakers. The reason is that 100g of flour is always 100g of flour. No matter how fine or compressed it is.
That’s why all professional recipes use grams rather than cups and tablespoons. You know you always have the same amount of each ingredient in the dough. And you will end up with exactly the dough you expect.
How to pick the right scale
The two most important factors when picking a pizza scale are capacity and resolution.
The capacity of the scale is how much weight it can handle – the heaviest weight it can measure.
Resolution is the smallest increment the scale can measure. Typically 1, 0.1, or 0.01 grams.
Most kitchen scales have a capacity of 5-10kg (5,000-10,000 grams) and a resolution of 1g. This is great for measuring flour and water that often is found in quantities of 300-1000g, but not precise enough for yeast, which is often found in quantities of 0.5-1.5g.
Many precise scales can only handle up to 100 – 300 grams. You may therefore need 2 different scales: one for flour, and water and another one for yeast and salt.
But the most convenient option is a dual-platform scale. These scales come with a small platform that can measure ingredients in 0.1g or 0.01g intervals – perfect for yeast and salt. In addition to a larger platform that can handle more weight, which is great for flour and water.
The Best Scale for Pizza Baking – Smart Weigh Culinary Kitchen Scale
An accurate kitchen scale with two platforms that can measure up to 10kg at only 0.01g. Perfect for measuring both pizza flour and yeast
My favorite scale for pizza baking is the Smart Weigh Culinary Kitchen Scale.
This is an affordable, easy-to-use dual-platform scale that can both handle up to 10kg and measure in 0.01g increments. So no more worrying about inaccurate ingredients and inconsistent dough!
The large platform can measure up to 10kg at 1g intervals, which is perfect for flour and water. The small platform can measure up to 300g at a 0.01g interval which allows you to dial in the perfect amount of yeast even for really long and slow fermentation.
It’s a solid, well-built scale that also comes with a 2-year warranty.
You can also switch between a bunch of different units: g, kg ml, oz, fl. oz, lb. oz. The only kitchen scale you’ll ever need!
The Best Accurate Scale for Small Quantities
If you already own a kitchen scale that can measure larger quantities, you only need a scale that can handle the more precise measurements.
A great option in this category is the Brifit digital pocket kitchen scale, which is a cheap scale that can measure up to 200g at an accuracy of 0.01g.
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