Making Pizza at Home/Homemade Pizza

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, Susanwusan said:

Yes, we have something like that, for the counter top space it takes up, I was hoping more than potatoes could be cooked in it.  And not so many potatoes are baked in it.

 

Try a pizza and let us know.

 

[Duvel]

11 hours ago, Susanwusan said:

Yes, we have something like that, for the counter top space it takes up, I was hoping more than potatoes could be cooked in it.  And not so many potatoes are baked in it.

 

I think if it heats up to and is able to hold 225-250 oC, has some heat coming from the top in addition to the bottom and a suitable surface (e.g. by putting a pizza stone in), you should be fine. Make a medium hydration doug and give it a try. After that it's tweaking time to your desired outcome.

[blue_dolphin]

I agree with the above.  As long as the shelves or racks can support it and and you can give the stone or steel ample time to heat up, it should work fine. 

 

[lindag]

My pizzas ate getting better.  Made a New York style last night.

Not a pan pizza this time.  Much better.

Maybe not authentic but I used pepperoni, onion, mozz, purchased Muir Glen pizza sauce and mushroom.  Very good.  New recipe for the dough which I got from a friend.  Now that cold weather has arrived, I will be using my oven even more.  I like to do pizza about once a week.

[AlaMoi]

try parchment paper - I got some rounds - bakes up like

 

as soon as it comes out of the oven it goes on a rack - so that the bottom does not go soggy from steaming...

 

[ElsieD]

@AlaMoi Are those green onions on your flammenkuchen?

[AlaMoi]

yup.   green onion / scallion / ....

 

creme fraiche + "real" speck

 

another dressed with diced ham & mushroom & basil & black olives . . . many many variations on 'authentic'

[lindag]

@ElsieD Did you use creme fraiche?  I can't find it here.  One suggestion was to sub. strained plain yogurt.

Edited November 18, 2023 by lindag (log)

[ElsieD]

21 minutes ago, lindag said:

@ElsieD Did you use creme fraiche?  I can't find it here.  One suggestion was to sub. strained plain yogurt.

Yes I did.  I have never found it in the main chain grocery stores but I can buy it in some smaller ones without any problem.  If you use yogurt make sure it is a thick one, like Greek yogurt.  I have read that sour cream can also be used.  What I use is 35% M.F.

[Duvel]

14 hours ago, lindag said:

@ElsieD Did you use creme fraiche?  I can't find it here.  One suggestion was to sub. strained plain yogurt.

Yogurt will certainly add some tartness, but I usually mix full fat yoghurt with 1:1 with cream cheese to get a proper texture. 

[blue_dolphin]

33 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Could you use parchment paper to place the pizza on the stone then slide the parchment from underneath the pizza once the dough has set, possibly after a few seconds?  Given the high temperature, will this cause a fire?

 

I'm not sure exactly what that is, how high the temps are or where the paper would be with respect to the heating elements but I sometimes do what you describe - shape the pizza on a piece of parchment on the peel, deposit it on the steel in the oven and pull the parchment out after about 5 sec. 

[AlaMoi]

I use parchment rounds for pizza-on-a-baking-stone.  at 450'F the edges of parchment turns brown, is totally crisp, and falls apart if I touch it....

 

at the tv advertised temps, methinks the parchment "around the edges" would burn and shortly be ash.

I'd give it a try in a carefully watched scenario, with fire dousing & heavy handling mitts at the ready - if the parchment is cut to allow only a smidge past the crust edge, it might be okay - but a generous overlap I suspect will not work.

 

next thought . . . . preheating.....  just like searing meat in a pan - the pan has to be hot-hot-hot in order to 'sear-and-release'

pay no attention to the marketing department's idea of 3 minute to preheat a chunk of granite!

pizza dough on an actual hot stone should not stick . . .

 

this is pizza @ 425'F on a parchment round

 

this is pizza at 425'F on a square

[lindag]

That's a great looking pizza.

I wonder if oiling around the outside ege of the parchment would prevent the crumbling.

[lindag]

@ElsieD

Perhaps you could try one of these.

I've used mine successfully.

[AlaMoi]

I use parchment because my "peel skills" suck seriously big time . . .

 

I bought "rounds" the same size as the "stone" - so when forming the crust I've got a real good size guide . . . .

 

crust onto parchment, do up the toppings, I use a cookie sheet to slide under the parchment on the counter, and off onto the oven preheated stone....

 

not much else to say - it's easy, foolproof, lazy, , , , and works!

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, AlaMoi said:

I use parchment rounds for pizza-on-a-baking-stone.  at 450'F the edges of parchment turns brown, is totally crisp, and falls apart if I touch it....

 

 

My oven goes to 550°F when I'm making pizza on a steel that's about 5 inches below the broiler.  If I left the parchment in the whole time, the exposed edges would surely disintegrate.  My parchment is unbleached so it starts out brown and gets browner but retains enough strength that I can pull it out from under the pizza after somewhere between 10-30 sec. 

 

1 hour ago, AlaMoi said:

I'd give it a try in a carefully watched scenario, with fire dousing & heavy handling mitts at the ready - if the parchment is cut to allow only a smidge past the crust edge, it might be okay - but a generous overlap I suspect will not work.

I agree about giving it a try. It looks like one could pick up that ceramic stone by the handles and remove it from the oven quickly with sturdy mitts if it seemed like ignition was likely.

[AlaMoi]

I leave the parchment in for the full bake - remove / slide the pizza out of the oven with my cookie sheet peel, then off the parchment onto a rack.

I doubt the parchment would last the full bake at 550'F - certainly not the edges, under the crust, probably.

 

everything is "theory" until one gives it a try - then it becomes 'it works' or 'dang what a mess' (g)

 

I recently quite ridiculously got careless 'scooting' the pizza with parchment off the cookie sheet onto the stone.

half the pizza&parchment slipped over/sagged over the back side of the stone - onto the rack and continuing "en masse" dropping, all toppings and sauce,,,, to the oven floor.

mess?  oh what a mess I made . . . 4 hours of 900'F self clean reduced it to ash . . . but the smoke, the smoke,  BOSS! de' smoke!

[Captain]

I use a mix of flour and semolina.  Works fine.

[Smithy]

23 minutes ago, Captain said:

I use a mix of flour and semolina.  Works fine.

Don't they scorch? That was always my experience, and I didn't like the smell.

[AlaMoi]

I use bread flour + semolina.

nadda an issue  . . .

[ElsieD]

5 hours ago, lindag said:

@ElsieD

Perhaps you could try one of these.

I've used mine successfully.

Good idea.  I'll check it out.

[lindag]

I made a pepperoni pizza a couple days ago.  Used a friend's  T&T dough recipe.

However, I used too much dough so the crust was thick.  Next time I'll weigh it out to 9 ozs. for a 12" size.

Otherwise, the pizza  was good.  Pepperoni, black olives, mushrooms, onion, sauce and whole milk mozzarella.

It wasn't pretty but I'm still working on that part.  Need more practice.

[ElsieD]

21 hours ago, lindag said:

@ElsieD

Perhaps you could try one of these.

I've used mine successfully.

I have one in my Amazon basket.  A couple of questions before I buy it:  how hard is it to clean, and, have you ever starting baking the pizza on the pan then removing the pan to let it finish baking?

[lindag]

12 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

I have one in my Amazon basket.  A couple of questions before I buy it:  how hard is it to clean, and, have you ever starting baking the pizza on the pan then removing the pan to let it finish baking?

I clean mine in the d/w.  I think your idea of removing the midway is a good one.

I've never tried it tho.

[ElsieD]

26 minutes ago, lindag said:

I clean mine in the d/w.  I think your idea of removing the midway is a good one.

I've never tried it tho.

Thank you.  If I can bother you again, can you give me the measurement of yours, including and excluding the rim?  I want to make sure I order the right size.  My stone is 11.5" wide, 12" with the rim.