Making Pizza

[Inodoro_Pereyra]

Yup. That's free commerce for ya...

I wish I could find compressed yeast here. It's so much better for pizza than dry yeast it's not even funny...

 

[Chuginator]

No, what page is it on? Link?

Hmm! Well, oddly enough it's not there. Not sure what happened.

Anyway, I was just going to ask if you'd had Me-N-Ed's pizza there in Fremont. We used to have the chain in Idaho back in the 80's and it was VERY good. Well, at least it was until they started making sub-par pizzas towards the end of their existence here, then the chain retreated from Idaho.

Still have to wonder if it's the same. I loved the crust and the sauce on those back in the day.

 

[JonK331]

Hmm! Well, oddly enough it's not there. Not sure what happened.

Anyway, I was just going to ask if you'd had Me-N-Ed's pizza there in Fremont. We used to have the chain in Idaho back in the 80's and it was VERY good. Well, at least it was until they started making sub-par pizzas towards the end of their existence here, then the chain retreated from Idaho.

Still have to wonder if it's the same. I loved the crust and the sauce on those back in the day.

I haven't yet. I looked it up on Yelp though and it gets pretty good reviews. We'll have to try it. We just moved to Fremont so we are still looking for all the spots. There's another place here as well called Bronco Billy's Pizza Palace which is quite good.

 

[buffalobrewer]

I made my first pizza using "aged" crust and it is awesome! the dough was in the fridge for 2 days and is much "chewier" then previous attempts.

 

[McMalty]

No one uses baking powder for pizza if they have a clue.

i know that. i don't endorse it. i was just stating that it is possible b/c someone asked.

 

[Inodoro_Pereyra]

No one uses baking powder for pizza if they have a clue.

i know that. i don't endorse it. i was just stating that it is possible b/c someone asked.

It is definitely possible. Just don't expect it to taste or feel like pizza.
And, more important, make sure there's no Italians nearby when you try it...

 

[McMalty]

It is definitely possible. Just don't expect it to taste or feel like pizza.
And, more important, make sure there's no Italians nearby when you try it...

exactly, thank you. And since we like to bend the rules of everything from beer to pizza, u can pretty much make a pizza on anything, put anything on it, it apparently doesn't matter anymore. Roti is made using only water, flour, and baking powder. If you made a large enough roti, you could make it into a pizza. even the regular size for that matter. It would be extremely thin and you'd want to make it crisp and not weigh it down with toppings......great, now i kinda feel like i have to do it.

 

[Inodoro_Pereyra]

When I was a kid, one day, my grandparents (mother side) came visit. My grandmother was Calabrian descendant, and my grandfather was Italian born and raised, from the North.
My mom decide to get creative in the Kitchen. She had found a recipe for a pizza-like meal, made with a potato based dough. So she brought the food to the table, and made the mistake to say out loud those were "potato pizzas". My grandpa just looked at her, without saying a word.
She went back to the kitchen and made him a steak.

 

[McMalty]

When I was a kid, one day, my grandparents (mother side) came visit. My grandmother was Calabrian descendant, and my grandfather was Italian born and raised, from the North.
My mom decide to get creative in the Kitchen. She had found a recipe for a pizza-like meal, made with a potato based dough. So she brought the food to the table, and made the mistake to say out loud those were "potato pizzas". My grandpa just looked at her, without saying a word.
She went back to the kitchen and made him a steak.

lol....she must have been away from the calabria region for too long..........potato pizza doesn't sound very italian

 

[AussieBrewerInColorado]

If there are any clones of this kind of pizza, i would love the recipe!
http://www.marcoscoalfiredpizza.com/
(not marco's the chain)

 

[android]

Believe me, most commercial pizza is made with the cheapest flour available. The secret to the pizza flavor is in the amount of yeast and salt you use.

from what i understand from pizzamaking.com, most 'NY style' joints that make pretty good pizza (you may be talking dominoes, pizza hut, etc.) use high gluten flour, (e.g. General Mills 'All Trumps' or King Arthur 'Sir Lancelot'). most of the commercial joints (dominoes, pizza hut) use some sort of enrichment in their doughs (lots of oil, shortening, butter, etc.) so they can get away with using cheap flour, but if you want the best pizza, get the highest gluten flour you can find (unless you are going for neopolitan), the KA bread flour produces the best, most consistent pizza for me. i've tried all the others, but always end up back with KA bread flour. if i could find all trumps or sir lancelot, i would get them, but you usually have to get those at restaurant depot or something like that.

 

[passedpawn]

Got a good thin crust dough recipe? I'm very new to pizza making.

I copied this from somewhere on www.pizzamaking.com. I think it was a recipe by member Steve there, but I didn't save the link. If you make it just like this, it will come out fairly dry, won't rise much at all, and will allow a very thin crust.

Thin and Crackery
I made the most awesome thin "cracker" crust pizza tonight using DKM's recipe!

Thank you, thank you, thank you DKM!!!

Here's the recipe:

1 pound bread flour (Sam's Club "Bakers and Chefs bread flour")
2/3 cup warm water
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

Using a KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add water to the mixing bowl and add yeast. Run mixer for several minutes to dissolve yeast. Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt. After yeast is dissolved, add flour mixture to water and set mixer to speed "2". Run mixer for about 10 minutes using a rubber spatula to scrape any dry flour from side of mixing bowl into the path of the dough hook. After 10 minutes, add vegetable oil and mix for 2 additional minutes using spatula to keep everything in the path of the dough hook. When finished, the dough will appear very scrappy and rough. Pick up the dough scraps and press them into a ball by squeezing them together with your hands. Place dough into a plastic bucket, seal, and and allow to rise at room temperature for 24 hours.

When ready to make pizza, turn dough out onto floured work surface. Using a large rolling pin, roll dough out very thin. Drape dough over an oiled cutter pan, press into place, and trim off excess with the rolling pin. Dock the dough, add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Bake at 500 degrees F. on the lowest rack in the oven (the cutter pan should only be inches from the heating element). I open the oven door frequently to allow the heat to escape... this causes the thermostat to kick on which keeps the bottom heating element on. This superheats the pan making the crust cook and become crispy. When the bottom is golden brown and crisp, remove from oven. Slide pizza out of pan onto a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool 5 to 10 minutes before placing in a serving tray and slicing.

Note: Use low-moisture part-skim mozzerella cheese. I use Stella brand which is available from Sam's Club. For the sauce, use my thin-crust sauce found on the main website (http://www.pizzamaking.com).
​

 

[McMalty]

if i could find all trumps or sir lancelot, i would get them, but you usually have to get those at restaurant depot or something like that.

u can order king arthur products online from their website. Boom, here's your flour, it's $7, enjoy your pie <http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-sir-lancelot-hi-gluten-flour-3-lb>

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-sir-lancelot-hi-gluten-flour-3-lb

 

[two_hearted]

i make a mean dough with AP flour. i also do one with hi gluten bread flour. they each give different qualities.

 

[Inodoro_Pereyra]

lol....she must have been away from the calabria region for too long..........potato pizza doesn't sound very italian

It's not, believe me. I was 7 years old at the time, and even I noticed the look my mom got. That's when I learned you don't mess with Italian food (at least not in front of an Italian guy).

By the way, I've been making my own pizza for the last almost 30 years. Never used anything else than the cheapest flour available, yeast, running water and salt. And my pizzas have always been pretty damn tasty.

 

[android]

u can order king arthur products online from their website. Boom, here's your flour, it's $7, enjoy your pie <http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-sir-lancelot-hi-gluten-flour-3-lb>

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-sir-lancelot-hi-gluten-flour-3-lb

exactly why i use stuff i can buy locally.

 

[McMalty]

It's not, believe me. I was 7 years old at the time, and even I noticed the look my mom got. That's when I learned you don't mess with Italian food (at least not in front of an Italian guy).

By the way, I've been making my own pizza for the last almost 30 years. Never used anything else than the cheapest flour available, yeast, running water and salt. And my pizzas have always been pretty damn tasty.

But she's Italian too. Did she not read this section of the Italian rule book? Cite page 268, "Pizza non viene mai fatta con le patate."

 

[Inodoro_Pereyra]

But she's Italian too. Did she not read this section of the Italian rule book? Cite page 268, "Pizza non viene mai fatta con le patate."

Nope. Looks like she missed that page...

 

[onthekeg]

You can add vital wheat gluten to any cheap flour and end up with similar results after extensive testing. It IS possible. But there are easier ways to an end.

 

[Bokonon]

You can add vital wheat gluten to any cheap flour and end up with similar results after extensive testing. It IS possible. But there are easier ways to an end.

This is what I do. Buy cheap flour and add vital wheat gluten. Beats buying/storing multiple flour types all the time

 

[McMalty]

This is what I do. Buy cheap flour and add vital wheat gluten. Beats buying/storing multiple flour types all the time

why don't you just buy one flour type - high gluten

 

[blizzard]

This is what I do. Buy cheap flour and add vital wheat gluten. Beats buying/storing multiple flour types all the time

How much do you add?

 

[Bokonon]

why don't you just buy one flour type - high gluten

Because that would make some pretty nasty cakes, cookies, and soft rolls as well as cost a fortune for how much flour I go through.

How much do you add?

I think it really depends on your main flour and what your going for. For my normal pizza dough I weigh out my flour by weight, but before adding the flour I add 1Tbsp + 1 Tsp of vital wheat gluten. I think it is usually about .3 oz or so. I consider that part of my flour weight. For high "adjunct" bread (spent grain, multigrain, lots of wheat) I'll add about double that amount

That gets me the texture I like on a pizza dough, which I'm sure is different than other people.

 

[Chuginator]

Thanks to this thread, I went off and made a no-knead bread last Thursday/Friday (yum), and tonight I'm making pizzas with a no-knead recipe from Chef John (I find the guy to be a crackup). I'm even going to try the "pan on the bottom" trick because I'm not a stone-owning pizza snob (YET! ): http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2010/09/no-knead-pizza-dough-remix.html

Homemade bread with a homebrew. Does life get finer?

 

[Evets]

Wow! How did I miss an 18 page thread about pizza? I practically gave up brewing when I stated making pizza. At least I finally got back to brewing.
FWIW, I AM one of those lucky enough to have a wood fired oven in my back yard!

 

[sketerbuck]

No doubt the crust can make or break it but I think the sauce is the most important ingredient. I make mine from scratch just like my mom did. IMHO it is the best sauce I've ever had. No I won't share the recipe, mostly because I really don't have one. I learned from Mom and use the same technique. No measuring! As for crust quite honestly my luck with pizza crust is about the same as I have with Pasty crust. NONE!
I could make two batches back to back and have one be the best I ever made and the second be the worst.

Maybe you should try measuring your ingredients.

 

[passedpawn]

Wow! How did I miss an 18 page thread about pizza? I practically gave up brewing when I stated making pizza. At least I finally got back to brewing.
FWIW, I AM one of those lucky enough to have a wood fired oven in my back yard!

Cmon Steve how about some pics!

 

[runningweird]

instead of buying a stone, buy unglazed clay tiles at home depot. super cheap. I did that for years, then i wanted something more durable so instead of a breakable pizza stone I bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000E2V3X/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I use it to make bread, crispy pizza dough, and I use it to cook kebabs in the winter. crank up the oven to 500 and let it ride.

this thing works amazingly well, and second to my grill, is the best pizza maker I have.

 

[Chuginator]

I made pizzas last night with no-knead dough and they turned out AWESOME!!! I used a cookie sheet with a bit of cornmeal, 550F oven, threw it on the bottom rack for 4 minutes, it smoked and complained, I moved it to the middle rack for 6 minutes and it was ... perfection. I know, I know, "pictures or it didn't happen," but ... next time. I'm ecstatic!!

 

[passedpawn]

instead of buying a stone, buy unglazed clay tiles at home depot. super cheap. I did that for years, then i wanted something more durable so instead of a breakable pizza stone

Pizza stones do break. Especially if you put them over coals and heat them to 700F+

That doesn't mean that a broken stone can't still be used to make good pizza...