Here's How A Blob Of Domino's Pizza Dough Almost Swallowed A Dumpster

When a hurricane is about to make landfall, businesses and residents make all types of preparations. In the Covington area of Louisiana, one Domino's Pizza location has caught the attention of many people with its disposal of its pizza dough. According to Nola.com, one employee tossed dough in the dumpster prior to Hurricane Ida making landfall. Unfortunately, the food waste had other ideas. While some people might recall the old school horror movie "The Blob," this image is more silly than frightening. Although a growing blob of pizza dough could be the theme for a Halloween horror film... or maybe it is the companion to another "Killer Tomatoes" movie? But we digress.

As the dough overtook the entire dumpster, the sighting had many people talking. Even though Alton Brown warned everyone in his Twitter post that this dough blob could happen, the sight is quite unusual. Domino's did not offer commentary on the how or why this food turned science experiment was allowed to happen, there might be a wise lesson in that overflowing dumpster. While hurricane prep is essential, proper food disposal needs to be taken into consideration. Rain, heat, and a dumpster might be the perfect storm to grow a gigantic pizza blob. Wonder if there is enough pizza sauce and toppings to turn that dough into a pie?

While the internet might have had a few jokes about the Domino's pizza dough overtaking a dumpster, the resulting food experiment was not a scene from a Halloween movie. The reason why the pizza dough overtook the entire dumpster is quite simple. According to The Pizza Heaven, all pizza doughs have four ingredients: "flour, water, salt, and yeast." In the right combination, the pizza dough will typically rise, as people expect. When one ingredient goes off script, the "science" takes over.

Adding more water, which would happen in a hurricane, and a higher temperature, which is happening in Louisiana, activates the yeast in the pizza dough. In turn, the fermentation process starts and the dough releases carbon dioxide and it expands (rises). Given that the dough was thrown in the dumpster and the other elements did not relent, the rise continued until it overtook the dumpster. While this visual might be a little extreme, some home bakers might want to rethink that starter in the fridge. No one would want a blob of dough to overtake the kitchen, after all!