Fathead not a dough (very wet). Any suggestions?

#1

I made my very first fathead dough the other day.
Only it wasn’t a dough. Not sure how to describe it. I guess it was more like slime than dough. (Only analogy I can think of, and it’s not a good one).
I followed the recipe, measured/weighed everything and didn’t sub anything.
I poured it into the lined tray and smoothed it over.
It cooked ok and tasted great.

I’ve looked on the forums, asked on the recipe page and looked elsewhere but no idea what happened.

The only thing I did notice was a post on here that specified hard or solid mozzarella (can’t remember which and can’t now refind thread).
I used the ball mozzarella packaged in fluid.

Could this be the issue? I don’t like using the pregrated stuff, they use a starch based substance to stop the cheese sticking together (ive seen potato flour and rice flower on different cheeses)
Could I use a little coconut flour to help make it more dough-like so I can make cheese straws and other things?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

Dry mozzarella would work better. It doesn’t have to be shredded, it’s just that shredding the mozzarella helps it to blend better with the cream cheese.

Another possiblity might be to substitute coconut flour for the almond flour, since it absorbs quite a bit more liquid.

(Carl Keller) #3

I’m thinking along the lines of @PaulL. To make it less sticky, you need to remove some of the moisture. I would add a little more almond flour until it hits the right consistency.

#4

I use ground up pork rinds. It really absorbs all the liquid and makes it into a workable dough. Plus it tastes great!

#5

Thanks guys.
I’ll give it another go and try the different suggestions.
Also put dry mozzarella on shopping list.

(Ellie) #6

I can see you are in the UK and Tesco have a block mozzarella. I think they call it pizza mozzarella.
Personally I use the grated stuff and ignore the small amount of starch used as a dusting, but the block of dry mozzarella would be far better than the wet mozzarella balls.

#7

I use Tesco all the time (delivery mostly) and I’ve checked today. The only ‘dry’ mozzarella they do is grated. It might be because it’s a fairly small shop near me.
When I next go further afield, somewhere with a bigger store, I’ll check.
Thanks for the info :sunglasses::+1:

I’ve got grated stuff on next order.

(Ellie) #8

It was a big Tesco superstore that I used. Also try ocado.

#9

Somewhere else on this forum I discovered this recipe, which I’ve yet to try…
Keto Pizza - Better Than Fathead

It uses Cheddar instead of the Mozzarella and Boursin instead of Cream Cheese. Sounds Good and very UK friendly.

Thanks for the note about Tesco block Mozzarella, I’ll also take a look next time I’m in.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

“Dry” mozzarella is still very soft and I find it annoying to grate.

It may not need to be grated, if warm and soft enough. Grating just makes it easier to blend with the cream cheese.

Cheddar/Boursin sounds very tasty, I must say.

(Steve) #11

We eliminated the egg on Fathead, a big improvement on moisture.

(Courtney Brooks) #12

One thing I have started doing is adding 1 tablespoon of psyllium husk powder to my dough mixture. It gives it a more dough-like texture and I think it helps it taste more like “real” pizza crust as well.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #13

After a couple of attempts to shred my own mozzarella, I started buying it freshly-shredded from a local deli. (They don’t add anything to keep it from clumping, but if I use it right away, clumping is not a problem.) Last night I found that I had got shorted on mozzarella by the new kid at the deli (will have to talk to his boss), and since I wanted to save some for the topping, I shorted the dough. Thought I could compensate by increasing the cream cheese. That was a mistake—what a mushy mess! The dough needs the elasticity of the mozzarella. I would have done better by using the full amount in the crust, and substituting parmesan or asiago in the topping.

I find that if the dough has enough mozzarella, the challenge is actually to keep it moist enough, once the almond flour goes in. The egg is barely enough to keep the dough from drying out at that point. This experience makes me wonder if perhaps the original poster skimped on the mozzarella without realizing it, since shredding the whole cheese packed in water should have dried it out enough not to have had a bad effect on the recipe.

Will have to do some experimenting, I guess. At least last night’s pizza turned out okay, though not quite up to my usual standard.

#14

Nope. It was a brand new recipe so I weighed everything.
I didn’t try grating it, I just chopped it up with a knife. Maybe that’s where I went wrong.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #15

Who knows? But you’ve gotten me intrigued, so now I’ll have to do some experimenting. Thank you (I think). :grin::grin:

#16

In a very convoluted way, I’ve come across a reference to cream cheese described as ‘block - not spreadable - no additives’.
Keto dinner rolls
I’ve never seen this type of cream cheese, I use Philadelphia or supermarket own brand.
What do you use?

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #17

index

It just means this, not the kind in the tub.

#18

Thanks @Ruina.
I’ll have to go hunting. Only ever seen it in tubs.