Dough prices

[bayliner75]

Hi guys,

Has anyone have a rough idea of cost of making there own dough balls , let's say 200 g . I know it would be cheaper just working out costs after proving, mixers etc.. This is more on a commercial level of say 250 balls a week.

Regards

Paolo

[matthewcove]

Hi Paulo,

If I was making a costing for a small pizza business I would add up all my potential costs, rent, fuel, staff, rates, electricity etc. Then work out my ingredients cost per pizza and calculate hoe many pizza I need to sell to break even. The dough itself is such an insignificant part of the calculation. But a rough guide would be Flour+water=final dough weight so for a 65% hydration dough approx 60% of your final dough weight is flour. I dont know how much you pay for flour. I have created a spreadsheet I use for working out how much of each ingredient I need working back from the final dough weight.

Matthew

[Bayliner]

Hi, thanks for info. I have all the costs but just wanted to know roughly the cost of producing your own against pre ready dough balls. I totally agree that making your own sourdough recipe will be far better but was just interested in price difference as there is time involved in making fresh dough.

Regards

Paolo

[matthewcove]

Hi Paolo,

I would say that all the cost of making your own dough is in the time. 120 g of flour and some salt does not cost much. Even more difficult to work out, is how much the home made dough worth in terms of sales. personally I would not buy a pizza from somewhere that uses pre-made dough.

Thanks

Matthew

[bayliner75]

Hi

Yes I agree making your own is better and thats what I would do, Just that I have small area to make my dough but think it will be worth it in the end.

Regards

Paolo

[cannyfradock]

Paolo

I think it goes a lot deeper than just comparing commercial products against self made. If you have a regular or semi-regular pitch, then self made will always be favourite. Decent flour bought in quantity will yield your own super dough that you can always tweak...if you want. i.e...a basic pizza "bread" dough is good. An addition of rye flour at a ratio of 10 or 15% will yield a much better result and you can always use a decent strong white flour substituting the water for milk and yogurt to make excellent Naans.....or flatbreads.

If you want to pay the premium rates of trading at fairs or events, you may find that frozen commercial dough balls may suit your needs better. As disgusting as they sound, they are a perfect product and suit the purpose... www.jjfoodservice.com/product.cfm/Kara-9-Medium-Thin-Crust-Doughballs-1x60/PIZ046 ......many commercial mobile pizza oven vendors who use frozen doughballs also use a dough roller machine. Frozen dough balls and dough roller machines may be frowned upon by me and thee, but, the exuberant fees charged by many of the big events make this choice the only option available for mobile pizza oven operators to actually make a profit.

Myself.....I'd still go for self made every time.....

Terry

[bayliner75]

Hi

Thanks for the info, I totally agree that home made is best and this will be the route I will take. I was just interested in knowing peoples thoughts. I will hopefully perfecting a dough that people will love!!

Regards

Paolo