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Making Pizza at Home/Homemade Pizza


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2 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Had you wanted to, would this dough have been amenable to being rolled out thinner?

The middle of that pizza was paper-thin (to the point of translucency), so that definitely couldn't have gone thinner. I could have stretched the  edges out -- I don't usually roll, I'd guess it would be fine, but I haven't tried it.

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Chris Hennes
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18 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

The middle of that pizza was paper-thin (to the point of translucency), so that definitely couldn't have gone thinner. I could have stretched the  edges out -- I don't usually roll, I'd guess it would be fine, but I haven't tried it.

Thanks for this.   My question/confusion was that I'm not sure I've ever had a pie of that configuration, paper-thin in the center, puffy edges.  

eGullet member #80.

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17 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

I'm just crap at tossing pizza. I will keep practicing :).

 

I prefer mine thin in the center with puffy edges.  Problem is when there are holes.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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8 hours ago, Chris Hennes said:

I'm just crap at tossing pizza. I will keep practicing :).

I always say to myself, as I deal with less than perfect circles, uneven thickness, etc. etc. - if I were making 100 pies a day...I'd get better!

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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A problem is that pizza is defined differently by its myriad devotees.    Sure, there are iconic pizzas, pizza makers and gurus who set standards, but our individual goal, I would think or hope, is to reliably create the style of pizza that our individual households demand.   Or better put, that the individuals in our households demand.  

 

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24 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

A problem is that pizza is defined differently by its myriad devotees.    Sure, there are iconic pizzas, pizza makers and gurus who set standards, but our individual goal, I would think or hope, is to reliably create the style of pizza that our individual households demand.   Or better put, that the individuals in our households demand.  

 

 

yeah this is generally how i approach home food in general. is it good? okay, goal achieved.

 

15 minutes ago, Paul Bacino said:

New Long Tray Pizza pans from Lloyds

 

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Nothing Fancy  65%  High gluten KA  flour

 

nice. reminds me of the pizza places in rome.

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Taking a cue from @Chris Hennes; Forkish's Same-Day Straight Pizza dough. San Marzano tomatoes, seeded and strained, then mostly pulp smushed with olive oil and salt. Nice fresh mozz from Formaggio. Parmigiano-Reggiano.

 

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Getting better at the sauce/cheese ratio. 

 

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Second picture blur as I was burning the shit out of my fingers.

This "00" flour is such fun to work with; dough is so soft and, hmmmm, workable?

One bigger dough ball resting in the fridge overnight; gonna make some focaccia with it. Or try to.

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

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Will toss out an alternative baking process.    We preheat the oven in our gas range to 550 for half an hour.

1545933677_ScreenShot2021-03-04at5_25_31PM.thumb.png.c82df85cd7b8ee877d41ed86870b5dd7.png

 

Form the pizza on a thin baking sheet.   We use a thin aluminum cookie sheet.   Place ()on the sheet) directly on the oven floor.   

This thin crust pizza took about 5 minutes, if that.    Crust was brilliantly crisp.   Our style, with minimum effort.

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eGullet member #80.

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On 3/5/2021 at 3:32 AM, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Will toss out an alternative baking process.    We preheat the oven in our gas range to 550 for half an hour.

1545933677_ScreenShot2021-03-04at5_25_31PM.thumb.png.c82df85cd7b8ee877d41ed86870b5dd7.png

 

Form the pizza on a thin baking sheet.   We use a thin aluminum cookie sheet.   Place ()on the sheet) directly on the oven floor.   

This thin crust pizza took about 5 minutes, if that.    Crust was brilliantly crisp.   Our style, with minimum effort.

225275079_ScreenShot2021-03-04at5_25_53PM.thumb.png.54d9c4d4ca12d1d38621dfc32a5cc494.png

293618141_ScreenShot2021-03-04at5_26_52PM.thumb.png.f43dccbf25e1c3d82d102b926b7ad141.png


I used to do that before I got my baking steel sans the cookie sheet (for example here). Just directly on the bottom of the oven with a piece of baking paper (that can be removed after about 1.5 min to facilitate browning) ..

Edited by Duvel (log)
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  • 2 weeks later...

Pizza party for my birthday (that I made 😁).

Margherita, Mushroom with fontina and havarti, and sausage, pepperoni and onion. I use the dough from The Pizza Bible by Tony Gemignani. His Tony's Napolitano in North Beach is my favorite. 

I bake on a stone that I use on the Weber for now.  We are moving soon, so I'm planning on putting in a pizza oven in our outdoor kitchen. 

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2 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Oh that sounds nice! Which one?

Not sure yet. I'm researching now.  Depends on if the house we buy has a kitchen outside already or if we have to build it.

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On 3/15/2021 at 10:15 AM, RWood said:

Not sure yet. I'm researching now.  Depends on if the house we buy has a kitchen outside already or if we have to build it.


If you decide to build it, keep the ceiling height low.  There's an unbelievable number of wood fired oven plans that pretend to be pizza ovens, but that are actually just outdoor fireplaces and that don't work for pizza at all.  Even if you buy a prefab or a kit, watch your ceiling height, as the thermodynamics on those can frequently be off as well.

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We installed a model from Forno Bravo.    You can tart it up as much or little as you please.   Ours is country-rustic.    Note that these are not turnkey, or "light match" ready.  They arrive as large HEAVY sections which must be masoned into place then plastered.    Bases and further treatment are up to you.

 

Ours has been installed for 10+ years.    Husband jokes that we now have cost per pizza down to under $100 each.    So do consider.  

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Edited by Margaret Pilgrim (log)
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2 hours ago, scott123 said:


If you decide to build it, keep the ceiling height low.  There's an unbelievable number of wood fired oven plans that pretend to be pizza ovens, but that are actually just outdoor fireplaces and that don't work for pizza at all.  Even if you buy a prefab or a kit, watch your ceiling height, as the thermodynamics on those can frequently be off as well.

Thanks, I have noticed some seem rather tall and open. I want to get the top heat, so that's good advice. My brother in law has an Ooni, and he seems to like it. I've noticed they have a new larger one, which might be worth looking into. We don't know yet what we will have, we are going to look at houses in a couple of weeks. I'm thinking some of the ones that are pre-made and can be installed on the counter, and I'm having a gas hookup. I really don't want to clean up ash. 

 

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2 hours ago, RWood said:

Thanks, I have noticed some seem rather tall and open. I want to get the top heat, so that's good advice. My brother in law has an Ooni, and he seems to like it. I've noticed they have a new larger one, which might be worth looking into. We don't know yet what we will have, we are going to look at houses in a couple of weeks. I'm thinking some of the ones that are pre-made and can be installed on the counter, and I'm having a gas hookup. I really don't want to clean up ash. 

 

Using an outdoor wood oven is work.    You don't just start a fire and walk away; it must be attended for well over an hour before you reach backing temps.   You need a good heat-sensor gun.   There is a lot of watchful waiting before that seemingly simple 2 minute pie comes out of the oven.    And keeping fire at baking temps if your are cooking for a party.    There are three parts to wood fired oven pizzas.     The dough, toppings and construction; fire building and maintenance; and the actual baking.    Timing is everything.   So coordination is essential.   Making pizza for a crowd is WORK!   Even when guests "make their own", they have to be mother-henned or else they wind up with calzone...as their overloaded pies topple over onto themselves off the peel and into the oven.  

 

Plus, yes, ash.   And wood storage.   And preparing kindling or small natural fire starter material.  

 

Ours is at a weekend place where husband is often consumed all day with maintenance chores.    Hence my learning how to make plausible pizza in the kitchen range oven.   Life is short; wood burning pizza ovens are a project/hobby/lovefest, but work.

Edited by Margaret Pilgrim (log)
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In what might be the final pizza bake of the season (it's getting warm in that kitchen), two pies were made last night.

 

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simply made with King Arthur "00" at 68% hydration, salt and yeast. Overnight fermentation, divided and refrigerated (after an hour's rest) for a few hours. Taken out an hour or so before baking. Pie above was an experiment, so on half the pie I put some cut-up cherry tomatoes, some Calabrian chilies, and some roasted red pepper. That side was a bit soggy, but still had decent structure...

 

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Second pie...

 

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This one is just cheese and sauce, more to my liking, and a nice, even char all around. Using the term "round" loosely here.

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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  • 2 months later...

so asked me if i could do pizza for supper - about two hours ago, and no dough on hand. obviously not going to be the best crust but not the worst, either. i goosed it with some extra yeast and a little molasses to make up for it. baked it on the new grill, which makes this technically my first grilled pizza. all told, not too bad. 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

quick pizza since it was cool enough to bake inside today.

 

rapid ferment, added a pinch each of molasses and sodium ascorbate to add a little complexity and extensibility that helps with single day ferments

 

IMG-1833.gif

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well, I went with the new Ooni Koda 16, hooked up to natural gas. First run tonight. That thing gets hot!

Sort of a margherita style and Calabrese salami with arugula and Parm, and a little Calabrian chile oil 🔥

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  • 2 weeks later...

Typically my pizza is made from leftover bread dough.  Is there any reasonable method to prepare 200g of pizza dough?

 

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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