3 hours ago, weinoo said:
half King Arthur Italian.
I'm all about the waste not want not, but, at 8.5% protein, the KA Italian really has no place in pizza. If any of the pies you posted here were 50% KA Italian AND 70% hydration, then I tip my hat to your impressive stretching skills. 50/50 Galahad/Italian and 70% water is bordering on completely unstretchable.
2 hours ago, weinoo said:What easily purchased flours do you like most?
The short answer: outside of the pandemic, in your average oven, nothing touches King Arthur bread flour. Right now, though, Restaurant Depot is open to the public, which makes getting bromated bread flour (like Full Strength) a much easier purchase. A 50 lb. bag isn't an easy store, though, especially not in an apartment setting.
So, in your average oven, bromated bread flour is ideal, but bread flour (stick to KA, avoid other brands) is a close second.
But, that's an average oven- with an average broiler that can't come close to Neapolitan leoparding in 90 seconds. With your oven, thick aluminum, a quality 00 and less water might flirt with a Neapolitan end result. Personally, I think authentic Neapolitan dough baked for 3 minutes is pretty horrible (the texture suffers tremendously), but if you can hit 2, and you may have a broiler than can hit 2... it might be worth going down that rabbit hole.
That's pretty obsessive, though. Imo, in a home oven, with steel (or aluminum), you can't beat KABF, 61% hydration, a little oil and a little sugar.
Btw, any dough can become no knead if you have the patience. Mix it until it comes together, then set it aside for 10-20 minutes, then give it a knead or two, and, if it isn't smooth, give it another 10-20 minutes and another knead. Wetter doughs are a little easier to mix, but, if you mix the dough quickly (you get a second or two while the water starts to absorb), drier doughs can come together without too much perspiration. As long as the dough is smooth before it starts to proof, you're good to go- you can give it more/less rests or shorter/longer ones, and as long as you don't forget the dough completely, you're good. The trickiest part of this process is learning to recognize smoothness.
Also, at room temp, yeast doubles about every hour. This means that to hit the right level of fermentation at 18 hours, you need to start with a minuscule amount of yeast- and be incredibly precise about measuring it. I know overnight room temp proofing folks that build DIY proofing cabinets and weigh their yeast with jeweler scales, but, if you want to make your life a little easier, slowing down the yeast with refrigeration gives you a much bigger window on the back end. Just make sure the dough fully comes up to temp before you stretch it- maybe 4 hours, 3 if your room is above 75.
