Home style pizza

[rwsaunders]

Tried to link the video and I cant get it to work...sorry about that.

[dgaddis]

Had a DIY pizza night last night. This was a few days after this was in the news....ewwwwwwwww.

Little Caesars Enterprises Inc. says owners of five Central Georgia shops tried to stay in business for months after their franchise was pulled due to health problems....

The lawsuit tells a story of repeated failed inspections, accusing the owners of failing to meet the company's health, food safety, and sanitation standards.

The company says it inspected Reyes' five Macon and Warner Robins Little Caesars locations from Nov. 12-14, 2018.

The suit says that inspection found "dead mice, mouse droppings, and other evidence of pest infestation, and offering expired food for sale."

Thankfully we never get pizza from there. We either make it at home or get it from a local pizzeria that's really good.

Anyhow. Here was last nights. Basil, tomato, and balsamic fig drizzle. The basil is chopped and under the cheese so it doesn't burn, a tip I believe I picked up here on vSalon. The other is broccoli and shiitake mushrooms...I was gonna put turkey sausage in that one too, but forgot it.





Next time we do pizza I wanna take my steel out to the kettle and see just how hot I can get it. The oven baked pies are good...but I know there's room for improvement with a hotter cooker.

[dgaddis]

Next time we do pizza I wanna take my steel out to the kettle and see just how hot I can get it. The oven baked pies are good...but I know there's room for improvement with a hotter cooker.

Well, I did it. I accomplished my goal = faster cooking pies with better spring for a puffier lighter more open crust.

But. The steel was the wrong choice, shoulda used a stone. The top of the pie wasn't quite done yet but the bottom was so burnt it was essentially charcoal.

I took some of the innards out of my broken Big Green Egg and combined them with the Kettle and rotisserie ring to make my set up. Temp was pegging out the thermometer. BEAUTIFUL spring in the crust, by far the best I've ever had, but not at all edible. We ended up getting take out tacos instead last night.

I will try again tho. I have an idea that will let me get the pie on a stone w/the steel elevated a few inches above it to help cook the top of the pie quickly.

And yeah, I know all about the pizza kettle thing, but I don't want more stuff sitting around I have to store.

Dough balls.


The set up.


Sauce + basil under the cheese


Pegged out


Look at that puffy springy crust!!!


Black as night.

[guido]

That was like my steel on the gas grill experiment. So overcooked the bottom...

[Cookietruck]

you must not have enough heat retention in the lid on the webber. i get a pretty nicely cooked pie with a stone in my oven at 550*f. black bubbles on the crust with nice spring, crispy cheese, crisped up edges on pepperoni, the bottom isn't burnt. really happy with it.

how long was the pie in the webber Dustin?

[dgaddis]

you must not have enough heat retention in the lid on the webber. i get a pretty nicely cooked pie with a stone in my oven at 550*f. black bubbles on the crust with nice spring, crispy cheese, crisped up edges on pepperoni, the bottom isn't burnt. really happy with it.

how long was the pie in the webber Dustin?

~about a minute and a half.

[rwsaunders]

Seven hours in the saddle today to be greeted by pizza dough that had spent the previous 36 hours in the refrigerator. Best dough that I've ever produced...50/50 KA unbleached white flour/semolina, yeast, salt, EVO and water. Fermented in the fridge for a little over 36 hours and left at room temperature for an additional hour.

[dgaddis]

Round two on the kettle. Much success. Temps, for whatever reason, didn't go as high this time around, only a bit above 600*F but didn't peg out the thermometer. The stone works so much better at those temps. Great rise on the crust, spotted but not burnt bottom, cooked toppings, yay pizza. These cooked for about 4.5-5mins each.

I want to do it again with the higher temp, I think I could get a bit more color on the crust.

Basil and tomato.


Done, with a fig balsamic reduction.


Brocolli and shrooms.


Puffy crust.


Cooked but not burnt bottom.

[skouri1]

What dough recipes are y'all using?
i have been doing the lahey no knead, because the bread is great and i like that you use regular old flour. I would like to explore other options. I was afraid of kneading, but perhaps I needn't be.

[dgaddis]

What dough recipes are y'all using?
i have been doing the lahey no knead, because the bread is great and i like that you use regular old flour. I would like to explore other options. I was afraid of kneading, but perhaps I needn't be.

Here's my latest, makes two balls, scale up/down as desired:
Flour - 266g
Water - 175g
Salt - 8g
Yeast - just shy of 1/4tsp

Night (or two or three) before you plan cook the pizzas:

• Warm the water to 100°F (speeds up the yeast - don’t go over 110°F tho as that kills the yeast)
• Mix the water/salt/yeast.
• Mix flour with water/salt/yeast just enough to incorporate all the flour and get a shaggy dough ball. Cover and let it rest for 1/2hr to 1hr
• Knead/fold dough for about 2mins until it starts getting stiff and becomes a smooth(ish) ball. Cover and let rest 2hrs.
• Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a ball and place them into bowls (lightly oiled to prevent sticking).
• Cover the bowls and let them rest for about an hour. Then put into fridge overnight (or two or three).

Before you want to cook ‘em take them out of the fridge and let the dough and bowls come up to room temp for an hour or a little longer. Then shape/top/etc as you please.

I use the '00' style flour, it's so soft and just feels better, the pies are way easier to shape.

[rwsaunders]

What dough recipes are y'all using?
i have been doing the lahey no knead, because the bread is great and i like that you use regular old flour. I would like to explore other options. I was afraid of kneading, but perhaps I needn't be.

From the King himself...love the semolina “feel” to it...similar to Dustin’s 00 comment. I’ve been letting the dough proof in the fridge for the 36 hour recommended duration and our mixer with a dough hook makes short work of the kneading. Also, I have been able to get the temps above 600F and I use a stone.

Now or Later Pizza Crust | King Arthur Flour

[ericpmoss]

A fun find — we shall see.

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[ericpmoss]

I've been on a pizza flour and cheese quest, based upon the Squisita Italia YouTube channel. I've found that the flour that gets the most recommendations for pizza is Caputo 00 in one of its variations based on... the oven temp one can achieve. That's handy.

ovens up to 500-600F: Americana Style Pizza 00, which has the most malted wheat to leopard-spot at lower temps
ovens up to 700F: 00 Pizza a Metro (for Roman/Sorrento square yard pizzas, which cook more slowly)
ovens up to 900F: 00 Pizzeria (the standard)
.......................... 00 Rinforzato (higher protein, chewier)
.......................... 00 Extra (lower protein, more delicate)
.......................... 00 Chef's (unclear if distinct or just a different name for retail packaging)

I haven't found a local source for the Americana yet, but will report if I do.

[ericpmoss]

Speaking of pizza, today and tomorrow is the NYC Pizza Festival.

[robin3mj]

What dough recipes are y'all using?
i have been doing the lahey no knead, because the bread is great and i like that you use regular old flour. I would like to explore other options. I was afraid of kneading, but perhaps I needn't be.

The Jamie Oliver recipe has worked for us. Both in an oven with a pizza stone and on the big green egg.

[ericpmoss]

It's still not up where all y'all are, but my experiment with diastatic malt is paying off. The below is with Caramel Malt #10 . It also works with 'Vienna' malt.

I bought 3 kinds of malted grain at the local brewery supply -- $3 buys enough for 300 pizzas. Mortar and pestle, sieve out the chaff, and mix with the flour. 1% by weight of flour is all it takes (and much more is NOT better -- it just gets sour or bitter). It does add its own distinctiveness, making the crust taste 'breadier' than just the flour does. It also lets the crust leopard-spot in just a 475F oven so that I don't have to ruin the toppings or turn the crust into leather. Much more experimenting is necessary.

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[Too Tall]

That's pretty cool Eric.

We were invited to our Mumbai neighbors Dwali festival (Festival of lights) and asked to make pizza. Hmmm what do I make for a Hindu festival??? Well I'll tell you and maybe post a few pics later.

For toppings I made crispy eggplant bits with roasted garlic. Also, since it is October and hey I'm into blended societies I made some carmelized pumpkin. For the folks who dig very hot spices I found an oddball Scotch Bonnet Curry hot sauce that's outtasight. I'll dab that onto if requested.

Hoping for some Ballywood dancing.

[ericpmoss]

That sounds sooo good. My favorite Indian appetizer is this, which may also work as a pizza topping.

Gobi manchurian recipe | How to make cauliflower manchurian

[Too Tall]

That sounds sooo good. My favorite Indian appetizer is this, which may also work as a pizza topping.

Gobi manchurian recipe | How to make cauliflower manchurian

Ouch. That looks too good.

[ericpmoss]

Ouch. That looks too good.

How did your Diwali food go? I'm still working on the pizza crust, but my apartment's temp varies a lot, and it's hard to get it consistent. This one decided it wasn't going to relax and go thin, and I wasn't going to wait. Patience is an ingredient, but sheesh...

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