The Home Made Pizza Thread

SSBrew - 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
from what I remember about good NY pies... and good PVD pies... the sauce is somewhat simple. tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, S&P, tomato paste, and red wine. i use pesto for the basil and add a splash of good balsamic to the simmering sauce and never, ever, ever add any sugar.
 
Melana said:
from what I remember about good NY pies... and good PVD pies... the sauce is somewhat simple. tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, S&P, tomato paste, and red wine. i use pesto for the basil and add a splash of good balsamic to the simmering sauce and never, ever, ever add any sugar.
Click to expand...

That's basically the sauce I made. It had a sprinkle of thyme too. My kids said it tasted just like mom's thanksgiving stuffing. It really wasn't bad, but I want it to be perfect!
 
If you start with whole or diced canned tomatoes try also straining them for this sauce.... saves you the time of cooking off a ton of water.

I'm not a huge fan of Thyme in red sauce.... it's got ... a flavor... IDK, i like it in other things. try using shallots instead of onions. depending on how powerful your shallots are you may need to back off the garlic.
I would also add hot pepper flakes while sweating the shallots (in fact, i forgot to add them to my sauce overview)

I give Cheezy the nod here and say after the sauce cooks down a bit the garlic and other spices can be adjusted with dry spices, herbs, etc. i tend to tweak my sauce at the very end with granulated garlic/onion.
 
Melana said:
If you start with whole or diced canned tomatoes try also straining them for this sauce.... saves you the time of cooking off a ton of water.

I'm not a huge fan of Thyme in red sauce.... it's got ... a flavor... IDK, i like it in other things. try using shallots instead of onions. depending on how powerful your shallots are you may need to back off the garlic.
I would also add hot pepper flakes while sweating the shallots (in fact, i forgot to add them to my sauce overview)

I give Cheesy the nod here and say after the sauce cooks down a bit the garlic and other spices can be adjusted with dry spices, herbs, etc. i tend to tweak my sauce at the very end with granulated garlic/onion.
Click to expand...

*nods back* ;)

And not exactly what is being asked here, but raw tomatos sliced thin go on 90% of my pies, seasoned with cavenders or salt pepper garlic etc. NO SAUCE whatsoever. Even my kids eat it and don't realize it isn't sauce ;)

:off: Made whole wheat pasta sheets for Italian Sausage and bell pepper lasagna!!! Turned out GREAT!! (Pics soon, damned phone is factory re-setting as we speak:rolleyes:)
 
cheezydemon3 said:
*nods back* ;)

And not exactly what is being asked here, but raw tomatos sliced thin go on 90% of my pies, seasoned with cavenders or salt pepper garlic etc. NO SAUCE whatsoever. Even my kids eat it and don't realize it isn't sauce ;)

:off: Made whole wheat pasta sheets for Italian Sausage and bell pepper lasagna!!! Turned out GREAT!! (Pics soon, damned phone is factory re-setting as we speak:rolleyes:)
Click to expand...

You had me right up to the point where you mention green peppers. :( Such a tease!
 
Melana said:
I like hot peppers. I can't stand sweet peppers.
Click to expand...

I'm with you there...I make home made hot sauce from home grown chili peppers. I tsp or so of ghost/habanero/cayenne pepper blend mixed in your sauce will make your pizza hot without having to put pickled jalapenos on your pie.
 
passedpawn said:
I made pizzas last night. My margherita pizza is great (and super simple). For the sauce, I drain and do a quick purre to a can of diced tomatoes.

But my NY-style pizza wasn't so great. I made a marinara sauce from some tomatoes, garlic, onions, etc and it wasn't very good. I'm still looking for a good sauce for a traditional NY style pizza. Anyone with a known good recipe? Thanks.
Click to expand...


Hmm.

You might search the pizzamaking.com forums.

What I do is this:
1 can cento peeled tomatoes.
2. 1/2 tablespoon each salt and sugar
3. 1 tablespoon Penzey's brand "pizza seasoning".

If I'm doing Neo style, I will leave out the Penzey's and use a full TBSP salt (always kosher)

I think the Penzey's is a good start p, and contains a bit of garlic I believe.

TD

Oh, almost forgot. I mix that all up and hit it with a stick blender, not too much but not too little. Getting the texture right takes practice. Sometimes I dig out the stems side of the tomato too.

Oh yeah, and also, I never cook the sauce. Sometimes I drain, but usually I don't
 
Lol, I say that I bet it is available most everywhere, but........

The stuff is grown and milled 3 counties over or so, and is only available at the little neighborhood grocery here. NOT the big box stores. I would like to think that something like this happens near Portland or Detroit, but maybe not.
 
You probably do not need to use "00" flour to make awesome pizza.

There are supposed requirements for making pizza Neapolitan Vera o whatever the pizza snobs like to call their organization. "00" flour is one, as is oven temp and bake time. You're not going to be able to get the bake time without a higher temp oven.

Regardless.

The "00" has less protein and less gluten and is more delicate than the high gluten dough made by using all trumps flour, one of the commonly used flours for NY style pizza.

I'd avoid the expense of using "00" flour and stick with an AP bread or high gluten flour.

See if you can get ahold of the all trumps or other high gluten flour. I had to get a 50 pound sack. I split into two homer buckets with lids.

I used the Lehman dough calcuator at pizzamaking.com and a digital scale. This turns out consistent and very workable dough for NY style pizza.

Check that out. If you can't get a high gluten flour, try King Arthur bread flour.

TD
 
All purpose? That works too. I like the King Arthur brand, which has higher protein content. I tend to prefer the higher gluten in my NY style dough as it permits easier handling and better elasticity I find when making the pizzas. Conversely, the lower protein content "00" flour for my Neapolitan style creates a lighter texture and more delicate dough which tolerates less rough handling during the "skin" formation than the NY style dough. I'm just starting to get a feel for all this.

Certainly, if you have regular wheat flour (most commonly labelled "all purpose") I'd use it and see how you like it. Depending on your process and formulation, this might be perfect. If you find the dough a little less workable and unelastic, try going to a higher protein/gluten rated dough, such as a bread flour. If you can find the kind Arthur "sir Lancelot" you could blend that or use 100% for your dough, but it is hard to find. That one has amongst the highest protein content available.

You never said what style of pizza you're trying to make. If you're not sure what style, I'd probably guess New York style.

TD
 
I don't know styles... I thought Neopolitan was ice cream or a short French ruler.

I like all kinds of pizza...I really like a crispy thin crust. I guess NY would be thin and floppy and Neopolotin would have a focaccia or ciabatta bread like texture?
 
3 to 1 ratio of king author whole wheat and bread flour. I use that ratio for pizza and bread recipes. (For the people who like whole grain taste)
 
I do use a flower mix if someone is coming over but just use bread flower if it just me and the wife
We love thin crust pizza without a ton of toppings
like basil and olive
or rosemary and a few pepperoni

but nothing like a commercial pizza

the sauce is where it is at I think. I have a few brands I use in a hurry but cooking up your own marinara for a base and playing with that is my favorite. I do a batch, separate it into portions and freeze it so I can have it on hand
 
My crust is what I would consider to be somewhat of an average of many styles. It's probably closer to NY style, but it really comes down to how you shape it. It doesn't make a great cracker style crust though (e.g. new haven or st louis style) due to the moisture content.

It goes as follows (bakers percentage, of course)
68% King Arthur AP
25% Semolina (i don't notice a difference in brands - key ingredient)
7% King Arthur Whole Wheat

65% Water (room temp)
2% Diastatic Malt Powder (or 6-row malt run through a food processor until powder - secret ingredient)
2% Salt
1% Sugar
6% Oil (your choice, i use canola)
0.5% INSTANT Yeast

Combine all ingredients in a mixer and mix with paddle attachment for 1 minute. Scrape excess dough paddle and let dough rest for 20 minutes. Mix with hook attachment for about 7-8 minutes on medium low speed until gluten is developed. Portion and put into an oiled container. Stuff in back of fridge at least overnight, up to 5 days. I think the sweet spot is 2-3 days. After 3 days the dough tastes better, but doesn't rise as well.

When ready, remove dough from fridge an hour prior to using. Flour and pre-shape into disc. Cover and let rise for about 45-60 minutes prior to final shaping, topping and baking.

If you've done it right you can make thin crust, thick crust or anything in between. If you like it a little airier, handle the dough minimally. If you like thinner, use a rolling pin. This dough *does not* toss. It's way too wet for that.
 
Here we have the Mendocino Grain Project, they grow and mill their own flour, and have some offbeat varieties of stuff like Iraqi semolina and all kinds of dried heirloom beans too. Also if you grow your own shell out beans they will process them for you for a small fee. Pretty cool.
 
I moved last year and left my pizza oven behind. I started using a pizza stone

works pretty good to get the dough done right.

Anyone else here use one?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
that is just like my stone just a different color

I really like it, I heat it up in the oven and slide my pizza on it and wow it works almost as good as my old pizza oven. Only thing different is I could get 2 pizzas in my old pizza oven
 
So last night I learned you shouldn't try to make a whole wheat deep dish in glass. The crust came out horribly. Almost spongelike.
 
I like to thank you guy's for getting me back into baking. Its been a while. I've been trying to get a healthy sour dough starter going for a few weeks. Here's my first post worthy bread attempt.
dscn4613_opt-61872.jpg

Pizza pictures to come eventually. Quick question. When you guys are talking about flour. The '00' Has less gluten and protein. I have access to Pastry flour. Is there any chance that the pastry flour is the same as the '00'. The description is "High quality pastry flour, not bleached or bromated. Perfect for cakes, cookies, pies, brownies and turnovers." That would be cool it's milled right down the road.

cheers:mug:
 

Similar threads

Clint Yeastwood
Beer in Pizza Dough?
Replies
37
Views
1K
PCABrewing
P
abrewhal
Perforated Pizza Pan for bag squeezing
Replies
9
Views
1K
odie
odie
S
Bottling home made root beer
Replies
1
Views
235
JohnSand
JohnSand
R
Mini Kegs with Non threaded CO2 cartridges
Replies
30
Views
974
odie
odie
Kelly Malnar
Looking for Craft Sofa Setup
Replies
1
Views
379
Mr. Vern
Mr. Vern

Latest posts

Back
Top