what is Pizza? toasted flat bread with cheese and variety of toppings ? I've lived in Italy for many years. I've seen lots of variations.
what is Pizza? toasted flat bread with cheese and variety of toppings ? I've lived in Italy for many years. I've seen lots of variations.
This is my third attempt, getting closer! Same dough as yesterday but with 48 hour cold proof. Less sauce, less cheese; I overdid it yesterday. Cooked at 550F today instead of 525F.View attachment 560811
What's your BGE setup? I have the large BGE and their pizza stone, but I've never tried it out. I'd like to give that a try, but I'll wait for a day when the temps are in the 50s or higher. I'm pretty sure I can hit 700F on a nice day.I’ve got a set up I do on the Big Green Egg, i can tell the difference in the pizza if I can get the temp to 700. At 600 it isn’t as good. That may be a Green Egg issue, but as with most things more is better. Crank that puppy up and see what happens.
What's your BGE setup? I have the large BGE and their pizza stone, but I've never tried it out. I'd like to give that a try, but I'll wait for a day when the temps are in the 50s or higher. I'm pretty sure I can hit 700F on a nice day.
I'm curious about this device.
How high do you place your pizza stone? I was watching the following BGE video and they seem to imply that at higher temps you want your stone higher up above the rim.I have some fire bricks and build a little platform that I lay my pizza stone on. I need to use good charcoal, normally FOGO, as that gets hotter than most others I have tried. Vents all open and monitor until it hits 700. I think the best I’ve gotten is to about 725.
How high do you place your pizza stone? I was watching the following BGE video and they seem to imply that at higher temps you want your stone higher up above the rim.
I have been super busy moving into a rental out of a rental into a house. Upgrading house etc… have not had time for anything else.You’re back! 🥳
I'm making dough again tonight. I think this is my 4th attempt. Here's the plan (based on early post from @wvsig):
100% OO flour
65% water, room temp
2% salt
2% malt powder
1% olive oil
1% yeast
I'm home alone this week so only making two pizzas, so my flour weight is 320g. I rounded up to the nearest gram on other ingredients. So I get:
320g flour (Caputo type 00)
208g water
7g salt
7g malt powder
4g yeast
4g olive oil
Luke warm water, add salt and malt and whisk to dissolve. Add 10% of flour and whisk, then add yeast and whisk. Add remaining flour and olive oil, and mix with a big spoon. Knead with classic Kitchenaid using old-school J-hook on Speed 2 for 15 minutes, then dump onto counter and knead for 5 minutes.
Shape into ball and place under wet towel. Let rise for 2-3 hours.
I'll let it rise for 2 hours on the countertop with a wet towel over the ball, then divide into two balls and cold proof for 24 and 48 hours in the fridge (pizza tomorrow and Wednesday!).
Any comments on the process so far?
I'm making dough again tonight. I think this is my 4th attempt. Here's the plan (based on early post from @wvsig):
100% OO flour
65% water, room temp
2% salt
2% malt powder
1% olive oil
1% yeast
I'm home alone this week so only making two pizzas, so my flour weight is 320g. I rounded up to the nearest gram on other ingredients. So I get:
320g flour (Caputo type 00)
208g water
7g salt
7g malt powder
4g yeast
4g olive oil
Luke warm water, add salt and malt and whisk to dissolve. Add 10% of flour and whisk, then add yeast and whisk. Add remaining flour and olive oil, and mix with a big spoon. Knead with classic Kitchenaid using old-school J-hook on Speed 2 for 15 minutes, then dump onto counter and knead for 5 minutes.
Shape into ball and place under wet towel. Let rise for 2-3 hours.
I'll let it rise for 2 hours on the countertop with a wet towel over the ball, then divide into two balls and cold proof for 24 and 48 hours in the fridge (pizza tomorrow and Wednesday!).
Any comments on the process so far?
How long do you cold proof for cooking in 550F oven on stone or steel? I've only done 24 and 48 hours. Getting a good rise on both but not sure about whether 3 days would be even better.The long cold proof does the work for you.
48 is my standard. I have done 72 with these numbers and it was fine. I think 48 is better. If I don't use it within 72 I freeze it. If I was going for longer proof I would change the ratios. If want more flavor I go with a Tiga or poolish starter. That takes 24 hours at room temp and then cold proof the final dough for 48.How long do you cold proof for cooking in 550F oven on stone or steel? I've only done 24 and 48 hours. Getting a good rise on both but not sure about whether 3 days would be even better.
I just got my UPS ship notice on the baking steel I ordered a month ago. Should be here on the 11th!Indoor pizza is done on a pizza steel. 550 on the 2nd to top rack.
Geek All in jest from the fact that you measured grams.Any comments on the process so far?
Yeah, that looks like a slippery slope! I can visualize the pizza oven overlooking the new patio and swimming pool!You should go check out the pizza ovens they have at Original Grills on 55 in South Durham. They’ll get you thinking dangerous thoughts.
Yeah, that looks like a slippery slope! I can visualize the pizza oven overlooking the new patio and swimming pool!
But thanks for the pointer, it's so close to work that I'll definitely check it out! TBH, I'm working bottom-up. Pizza stone, pizza steel, pizza on the BGE. My neighbor has an Ooni, so if I can't come close to their results I'll have to go big with the new patio/pool and outdoor kitchen with Italian pizza oven.
@wvsig BTW, what cheese do you have on that last pepperoni mushroom pizza? Do I also see dice jalapeño peppers?
What pizza steel did you get? I have a stone but have never been very happy with it. After reading up a little I am ready to upgrade.I just got my UPS ship notice on the baking steel I ordered a month ago. Should be here on the 11th!
I've been baking pizzas on a stone on the lowest rack based on some youtube videos. I'll give the 2nd to top rack a try next.
I ordered the Baking Steel Modernist Cuisine edition. It's 3/8" thick instead of 1/4", but smaller and lighter than the Pro version (22 lbs vs 27 lbs, size is 16x14 vs 16x16).What pizza steel did you get? I have a stone but have never been very happy with it. After reading up a little I am ready to upgrade.
This week's pizza experiments has seen new highs and lows. Yesterday I tried making a pizza with 24-hour cold-proofed dough using the pizza stone. I've been focused on the dough and not really paying much attention to assembling the pizza, and I forgot to move the dough to a wood peel before adding toppings. It looked pretty good on the countertop, but I totally failed at moving it to the peel and ended up making a giant pizza pocket. Still tasty, but sad. I thought I had moved past that level of pizza failure.
Here's the pizza before ruining it.
View attachment 570752
Showing the post-bake abomination would violate forum decency rules.
Today I received my baking steel, and I made a pretty decent pizza. Cooked at 550F on convection bake, with the steel on the second from top rack (previously I've used the stone on the lowest rack). Here are the before and after photos:
View attachment 570753
View attachment 570754
This week's pizza experiments has seen new highs and lows. Yesterday I tried making a pizza with 24-hour cold-proofed dough using the pizza stone. I've been focused on the dough and not really paying much attention to assembling the pizza, and I forgot to move the dough to a wood peel before adding toppings. It looked pretty good on the countertop, but I totally failed at moving it to the peel and ended up making a giant pizza pocket. Still tasty, but sad. I thought I had moved past that level of pizza failure.
Here's the pizza before ruining it.
View attachment 570752
Showing the post-bake abomination would violate forum decency rules.
Today I received my baking steel, and I made a pretty decent pizza. Cooked at 550F on convection bake, with the steel on the second from top rack (previously I've used the stone on the lowest rack). Here are the before and after photos:
View attachment 570753
View attachment 570754
We all fail to launch now and again. The second one is looking good. What is the total weight of the finished dough? How large are the pizzas you are making? How thick is the crust on the bottom? Is there air in the cornicione aka crust of the pizza. To my eyes the crust looks thick. You could try stretching it more. The ideal NYC style should have a very thin but stable crust but air filled edge. I would also consider letting the crust brown a little longer. It will have better snap and chew. For me pizza is really good bread with sauce cheese and toppings. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the encouragement and advice! I'll make this same recipe again soon and record better DOPE.The second one is looking good. What is the total weight of the finished dough? How large are the pizzas you are making? How thick is the crust on the bottom? Is there air in the cornicione aka crust of the pizza. To my eyes the crust looks thick. You could try stretching it more
Thanks for the encouragement and advice! I'll make this same recipe again soon and record better DOPE.
At this point I'm pretty happy with the recipe, equipment, and ingredients and I need to focus on spreading and stretching the dough. I see lots of youtube videos where they move the dough around dynamically (tossing, turning flipping, etc.) but I've just been pressing it out on the countertop.