Help with Trader Joe's Pizza Dough
Hi all... I got some TJ's pizza dough (the one with the herbs in it), and was wondering if anyone has used it before and had any tips. The package says the temperature and time at which to bake it, but are these directions good? Should I prebake the crust a bit?
Also, I have never really made pizza before - I plan on topping it with a quick tomato sauce with lemon zest, fresh mozzarella, and some thinly sliced crimini, caramelized shallots, zucchini, thinly sliced garlic, and possibly some arugula. Should I cook the veggies beforehand (obviously the shallots I will have to, in order to caramelize, but the other ones)?
Thanks!!
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11 Comments:
I use TJs pizza dough all the time. I don't like the herb one as much as the plain but thats just personal taste. The bag directions are pretty good...I let it rest in the bag for 20 minutes or so and then push it into a lightly greased pan. That sounds like ALOT of toppings so I would par-bake the crust just a little...maybe 5-6 minutes. As far as the zucchini goes, I might lightly sautee it just for a few at the end of the shallots and maybe add in the garlic, just to take out some of the bite.
ChelleyD01 at 8:32PM on 02/16/09
I would caramelize the shallots and lightly cook the zucchini and criminis but I don't think it is necessary to par-bake the crust. I find that it cooks very quickly.
As a side note, I think the plain dough is a bit better than the herbed one.
Lately we've been making "big mac" pizza with the plain dough. Thousand dressing as the base, onions, pickles, fake ground meat, cheese-- baked then topped with shredded lettuce. Yum!
watchforbears at 8:46PM on 02/16/09
I use this all the time and love it. I agree that it's best to let it come up to room temp for about 20 min. then i like to use my hands to stretch it. Crank the oven up hot hot hot so it cooks quickly. Toppings like arugula I would put on after it comes out of the oven. Some of my fave toppings are: sausage fontina and dandelion greens, (i don't cook the sausage first, just crumble it raw onto the crust w/the cheese, this way all the yummy fat runs all over the pizza. if your oven is hot it should cook through; i've never had any problems), cheese w/prosciutto and arugula, chard and pancetta/bacon. calzones are also easy and fun to make!
have a great time!
foodphilo at 9:30PM on 02/16/09
I've been making white pizza (no sauce) with the herb dough. The time/temp are good. The only problem I have had with the herb dough is that it looks purple-ish when cooked. My friend asked me last weekend if I had made blueberry pizza!
veggieout at 10:38PM on 02/16/09
@NYCeater - I've never heard of adding lemon zest to pizza sauce - is that an ethnic thing or something commonly done in your area? I'm always up for something new. What kind of nuance does it add to a pizza sauce?
Thanks for the recs on the plain vs. herb crust. I have always made my own pizza dough in my bread machine, but it is broken, so I was thinking about trying the TJ's dough balls. Has anyone tried it on a stone? Or will it only work in a pan?
frederika at 11:13AM on 02/17/09
oops. i missed the herb part. i only really like the plain.
foodphilo at 1:48PM on 02/17/09
Chiming in to say that I also like the plain better than the herbed one. I pull the cold dough out of the bag and roll it around on a generously olive-oiled baking sheet (to coat the dough) and let it rise for 20 -40 minutes. I'll push the dough into shape with my hands and if I have time, let it rise again. I parbake the crust for 10 mins or so before adding toppings and baking again. Should work fine on a stone.
Fave topping: caramelized onion, fontina and thyme.
sarajane at 5:27PM on 02/17/09
@frederika - it's not regional or ethnic - it just adds a nice brightness to the sauce. I don't put much in - it definitely doesn't taste lemony, it just has a better flavor. At least I think so! I've only done it with tomato sauce for pasta, never with pizza sauce, but I figure I will try it and see what happens!
@everyone else - now I think I got the wrong thing! I didn't even see any plan, just whole wheat and herb! hopefully it will turn out well. thanks for the suggestions!
NYCEater at 5:40PM on 02/17/09
we just started pizzas with TJ dough (i've only used the plain as well) and we love it. we don't have a stone but instead use a cast iron skillet flipped upside down (so we're baking it on the underside of the pan), which gets placed on the bottom rack and preheated to around 450 for a while. since that surface is a little smaller, we usually use 1/3 or 1/4 of the dough in the bag at a time, roll/stretch as thinly as possible, then i put on a piece of parchment and put on the cast iron for 2 or 3 minutes to par bake. the crust usually bubbles up, and we get a great crust on bottom. after it par bakes its sturdy enough to handle easily, and i take it out and flip it so that we're putting sauce and toppings on the side that is crusty and browned. It goes back in the oven on parchment again with the more "raw" side on the bottom to crisp and the cheese to melt. Usually 4-5 more minutes. it seems to work well and we get a good thin crust. favorite toppings so far have been scallop and bacon (both precooked) with a little basil and mozzarella (it's good both with or without tomato sauce and even better with a really really thin schmear of barbecue sauce, believe it or not!).
the other thing i learned about it is that you really do have to use flour liberally to form your crust, so don't hesitate to use as much flour as you need. the final crust seems to be fine!
clim615 at 10:31PM on 02/17/09
@sarajane - Thanks for the memories! Caramelized onions! I forgot about that! Years back when I got the CA Pizza Kitchen cookbook, we decided to work our way through and try every recipe. It spurred our imaginations and we made some pretty exotic combos. We used to do chicken, BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, mozzie and smoked provolone often. We much preferred the caramelized onions to the raw red onion called for. My SO just loves "all cheese" versions, so the onion, fontina & thyme sounds right up his alley. Do you do any white or red sauce or olive oil on the crust?
frederika at 11:09AM on 02/18/09
I prefer plain dough to herbed and I like to let it stand at room temp for as long as an hour, it gets easier to work with and less sticky. I've had a lot of fun with creative toppings, just about whatever is in my fridge can be used to create something delicious.
missjess at 1:26PM on 02/18/09