Imported buffalo mozzarella & pizza

[MatthewB]

The SO has been asking for her favorite homemade pizza--cheeses w/ arugula & fresh basil. No problem.

I picked up some imported Italian buffalo mozzarella. Ouch but yum.

No problem? So, I thought.

Put the mozz on the dough (as usual) & added the remaining cheese, etc. to the pizza. Slid the pizza off the paddle onto the baking stone on the bottom of 500 degree oven. Done this plenty of times. Looking forward to yummy pizza.

In about five minutes, the house is literally *filled* with smoke. The mozz ran right off the dough/crust and onto the oven floor. Got flames & the whole nine yards.

Talk about getting yourself into the doghouse.

I think my day with be interluded with a few scenes of humility & so on.

[fresco]

Any sympathy from SO?

[MatthewB]

Any sympathy from SO?

Yeah, she's a great woman.

But it was *her* house.

I've never seen that much smoke in a house that wasn't on fire.

[MatthewB]

I'm out.

I've an oven to clean.

[guajolote]

What do you think happened? Not enough lip on the dough? Too much cheese?

Failures make you a better cook.

[beans]

I picked up some imported Italian buffalo mozzarella.  Ouch but yum.

I was at my favourite cheese shop this morning and I saw the Italian import and WOW on that price! It was great tho. Small indulgence to make the day bright.

Sorry about your oven cleaning expedition and the death of one bad ass pizza.

[MatthewB]

Sorry about your oven cleaning expedition and the death of one bad ass pizza. 

Actually the pizza was quite good . . .

After the first 5 minutes as the house was beginning to fill with smoke:

SO: (frantic) "Matthew, what are you going to do?"

Me: "Open the windows & finish cooking the pizza. It only has about 4 more minutes & the flames aren't going anywhere as long as the oven door stays closed."

SO: (directs dirty look my way)

Me: (starts opening windows)

[MatthewB]

What do you think happened? Not enough lip on the dough? Too much cheese?

Failures make you a better cook.

I think I'll do the following different next time (which might be soon because I've another batch of dough from last night--the second pizza didn't get made):

1. More lip on the dough

2. Drain the mozz, slice it, & let it sit out for about 45 minutes to an hour. (I only let it sit out for about 20 minutes & didn't slice it.)

3. Move the baking stone up on a rack with enough room underneath for a jelly roll pan or whatever to catch falling mozz, if mozz runs off again.

Anyone have any other ideas on required changes?

[fresco]

Less mozz?

[beans]

The mozzarella -- I slice mine.

Did it become smoked pizza?

Yesterday, I made two pizzas. I made the first (smoked chicken and apple sausage, caramelized red onions, walnuts and Maytag Blue cheese) and I automatically turned the oven off out of habit. Now comes pizza No. 2. (a multi tomato, roasted garlic, rosemary, thyme, feta, fresh mozz and pine nuts with fresh basil and grated parmigiano reggiano) Shit! I forgot I turned oven off. Well, let's see. Too late now as I watched the dough on the pizza stone sort of become softened goo.

Shock, all was fine. Thanks to my oven, pizza stone and certainly no thanks to pilot error.

I've got left over dough and miscellaneous ingredients in the fridge. They are calling to me!

I like the jelly pan underneath. Saved much cleaning when it comes to fruit pie season -- why not do it with pizza too?

Edited June 28, 2003 by beans (log)

[MatthewB]

The mozzarella -- I slice mine.

beans, your pizza sounds good!

I wasn't clear up above.

I sliced the mozz before putting it on the pizza dough.

What I was thinking of changing for next time is to slice the mozz just after I drain it. Then, let the slices sit & hopefully lose some moisture.

As far as too much mozz, I used about 6 oz on a 12 inch pizza. Does that seem like too much?

[Katherine]

I did read once that in Italy they don't use buffalo milk mozzarella on pizza because it makes a mess, due to the high water content. The Italian who was being quoted picked up a chunk of it and squeezed it as an illustration.

I haven't tested this, as I prefer to make pizza with chunk whole milk full moisture cryo cheese that I grate and add at the last minute. Recipients are sufficiently orgasmic, I don't think they could handle any more pleasure.

Fresh mozzarella is only used for tomato/basil salad in my house.

[ianeccleston]

Real mozzerella doesn't take a long time to cook - why not put it on 5 - 10 minutes into the baking? You could turn up the oven 50 degrees a minute or two beforehand to make up for the temperature difference, then turn it back down. I want to say this is how Italians do it, but I think I'd be full of shit. I'm pretty sure Italians put mozzerella on pizza though, witness the classic pizza margherita. If not using my strategy, slicing it instead of shredding it makes sense to me.

It may be that your mozzerella has a particularly high fat content, and isn't intended (or suitable at least) for baking. It may be a similar problem to when you sautee fois gras - cook it too long and you end up with an expensive puddle. You'd certainly never have that problem if you used brick, prepackaged 2% cow milk cheese.

As long as wer'e on the mozzerella / pizza topic, does anyone else slice mozzerella, curl an anchovy on the pizza and cover it with the mozzerella? Heaven for the anchovy lover...

I sympathize with you Matthew, I've splurged on expensive ingredients before only to have a ruined meal out of them (lobster twice, can you believe that?)

Ian

[hjshorter]

As long as wer'e on the mozzerella / pizza topic, does anyone else slice mozzerella, curl an anchovy on the pizza and cover it with the mozzerella?  Heaven for the anchovy lover...

Oh yes. Anchovies...mmmmm. A must on our homemade pizzas.

Matthew, I think a long draining time might be the solution for you. Maybe wrap the cheese in paper towels, set in a colander, and weight it with a can?

[Jinmyo]

Just don't use buffalo mozz for cooking.

[MatthewB]

Just don't use buffalo mozz for cooking.

When a pizza recipe calls for "fresh" mozz, what should one use?

[dave88]

Just don't use buffalo mozz for cooking.

When a pizza recipe calls for "fresh" mozz, what should one use?

common sense

i agree w/ jinmyo. fresh buffalo mozz is best w/ fresh ripe tomatoes, excellent olive oil and basil -not on a pizza. [ed: as Katherine said]

Edited June 30, 2003 by dave88 (log)

[MatthewB]

I haven't tested this, as I prefer to make pizza with chunk whole milk full moisture cryo cheese that I grate and add at the last minute.

That's considered "fresh" mozz?

I guess I lack common sense.

Help me out here.

[fresco]

MatthewB,

If I'm understanding you, what you are seeking is some alternative to the awful industrial grade mozz for pizzas. Fresh goat cheese works, sort of. Different texture. I've also had, and enjoyed, pizza topped with yogurt, potato, cumin and probably a couple of other things.

[MatthewB]

MatthewB,

If I'm understanding you, what you are seeking is some alternative to the awful industrial grade mozz for pizzas. Fresh goat cheese works, sort of. Different texture. I've also had, and enjoyed, pizza topped with yogurt, potato, cumin and probably a couple of other things.

Yes, but . . .

I've used domestic fresh mozz on pizzas without the problems that I had on Friday evening.

So, I'm a bit confused.

[Bux]

I've used domestic fresh mozz on pizzas without the problems that I had on Friday evening.

So, I'm a bit confused.

(Katherine) ... read once that in Italy they don't use buffalo milk mozzarella on pizza because it makes a mess, due to the high water content.

It's not just the freshness, the buffalo mozzarella has a higher water content than fresh cow mozazarella. There are those pizza makers who insist that fresh mozzarella of any kind is not the best for use on a pizza. I'd tent to disagree. I've had excellent pizzas made from what appears to be fresh mossarella, but not buffalo mozzarella. There was an article in the NY Times about the best places to get slices of pizza in NYC. Granted the very best pizza is not sold by the slice, but it was interesting most of the pizza makers did not use fresh mozzarella and were quite outspoken about that. One or two of them did. One of the shops is not far from me and I've had both their fresh mozzarella slice and their regular. They are different, but I can't say one is better than the other. Although I wouldn't bother to make a salad of cryopac mozzarella and tomatoes with extra vigin olive oil, I didn't find the not so fresh cheese made an inferior pizza.

[slkinsey]

Just don't use buffalo mozz for cooking.

When a pizza recipe calls for "fresh" mozz, what should one use?

Are there any places in your town that make mozzarella? Here in NYC we have Alleva and DiPaolo's, which make fresh fior di latte mozzarella and ricotta every day. This is amazing stuff, but lower in moisture than imported mozarella di bufala that has been soaking in liquid for several days.

When I make pizza at home, I always use mozzarella from Alleva. But I also don't use all that much cheese. My typical pizza has maybe 50% or 60% cheese coverage at most.

I agree that it doesn't make sense to use mozzarella di bufala on a pizza unless one is in a part of the world (i.e., Napoli) where it is fairly ubiquitous and reasonably priced (which is pobably no longer the case even in Napoli). You also have to have a really hot oven and a very thick stone on the oven floor to make it work with a wetter cheese.

[slkinsey]

There was an article in the NY Times about the best places to get slices of pizza in NYC. Granted the very best pizza is not sold by the slice, but it was interesting most of the pizza makers did not use fresh mozzarella and were quite outspoken about that.

I actually think that fresh high-moisture mozzarella would be horrible in the amounts one finds on the typical NYC slice. For that style, I also would choose a lower moisture mozzarella. OTOH, I typically choose a different style of pizza alltogether. There just aren't all that many pizza places in the City that do it for me.

[MatthewB]

OK, this is helping.

I did not realize that imported buffalo mozz had a higher moisture content.

So . . .

With a domestic fresh mozz that has been stored in water, is there a way to reduce the moisture without ruining the cheese? (Squeeze, let it sit out for a while, or what?)

[Jinmyo]

I just let it sit in cheese cloth over a bowl. But generally there's no problem.

Someone mentioned goat cheese. Chevre with minced fennel and anchovies makes a great pizza.