SWMBO asked me to make pizza

[Evets]

Yeah, definitely let your dough warm up. That makes a huge difference.
Also, someone mentioned pizzamaking.com. That's where I learned to make pizza. Check it out.

 

[Bopper]

Yeah, definitely let your dough warm up. That makes a huge difference.
Also, someone mentioned pizzamaking.com. That's where I learned to make pizza. Check it out.

Thanks - I'll check that site out today!

 

[Jaysus]

Yeah, definitely let your dough warm up. That makes a huge difference.
Also, someone mentioned pizzamaking.com. That's where I learned to make pizza. Check it out.

Oh, I just noticed that you are kinda local. Have you made it up to Berwick yet? Guy, from One Guy Brewing (also on pizzamaking.com) makes his owns pies at his brewpub.

How about Earth Bread + Brewery in Mt Airy? The couple that ran Heaveweight opened a pizzeria brewpub there.

Both have been on my to-do list for a while now.

 

[Evets]

I'll have to check them out. Berwick is a couple hours from here but I can make Philly in a little over an hour.

 

[lustreking]

This is a portable, semi-wood burning oven I recently built from an old charcoal grill. I added a burner on the bottom, lowered the rack and added fire brick to cook on. There's an open area in the back where the wood sits. There's enough heat that the wood self ignites.
Also, here are a couple pies baked in this. This also the oven in my avatar.

I wouldn't mind finding out more about this rig!

 

[Jaysus]

I'll have to check them out. Berwick is a couple hours from here but I can make Philly in a little over an hour.

Well look at that. Here is your chance to check out both:


Lew Bryson: Berwick Brewing in Mt. Airy

Boy, if I lived any closer I would be there in a heartbeat.

 

[Heineken]

Those look really good. Maybe you should be the one starting the pizzaria...

 

[android]

i read over pizzamaking.com's recipe for the new york style crust. do you happen to have amounts you've come up with that are scaled down from his bulk recipe?

edit: i scaled this down to using 2 # of flour... any idea how many crusts this will make?

New York Style Pizza Dough
2 # Bread Flour
1.2 # Water
13.6 g Salt
9 g Olive Oil
2.1 g Instant Yeast

 

[Evets]

Sure. That will make 3, 15 inch pies. Each dough ball should weigh about 500 grams. Personally, I would double the olive oil. Also, if you add about .75 Tbsp each of garlic powder and onion powder to the entire batch, you'll get a most flavorfull crust, that you won't find in any shop.
Also, after mixing and kneading, divide your dough into separate containers and ferment in the fridge at least 24 hours. 48 is even better and up to a week is better yet.

Cook on a "good" stone, either Cordierite or Fibrament as hot as your oven will get. Preheat for at least an hour. Some folks alter their ovens to disable the door lock and cook on the cleaning cycle for extra heat. I've never done this and I'm not sure it's a good idea.

 

[android]

awesome, thanks for the info. i've done pizza before with good success in my oven, i just wasn't ever all that happy with the crust out of 'bread bakers apprentice'. i mean it's good, but i bet this one will be better. i've got a nice stone, so hopefully this will turn out well... i'll try the garlic/onion powder and 2x on the olive oil, thanks for those suggestions. what i used to do when i made more than one dough was put them in individual ziplocks after coating them in olive oil, will this work? or should i get some dedicated tupperwares for each ball? last question, do you ever freeze them after 24-72 hr fermentation?

 

[Evets]

Zip locks will work fine. I have a bunch of tupperware, so that's what I use. I've never frozen dough myself, but I have a friend that has done it with reasonable success. I think it's all about time. The longer you freeze the yeast, the less viable they become. I wouldn't freeze more dough than you would use in maybe a month. Experiment!, and let me know how your new dough comes out.

 

[android]

man, i was all stoked to make some tonight but my bread flour tub was basically empty... i'm gonna get some bread flour tomorrow and have a go at it.

 

[Evets]

The proper flour makes all the difference. Hi protein-Hi gluten is the best. General Mills "AllTrumps" is very good but it's bleached and bromated, which some folks don't like. King Arthur "Sir Lancelot" is a great flour and is not B&B. If you have a restaurant supply store nearby you should be able to find something suitable. If not, a good "bread" flour is not bad.

 

[android]

hey, the pizza turned out great. thanks for the info. the only thing I had trouble with was getting the dough stretched out enough (just took some time) and had some massive bubbling around the crust area. not sure if it was overkneaded, underformed or what. i guess practice will help. in any case, it tasted flippin awesome.

 

[android]

i'm getting better at forming the dough, but i ALWAYS get a damn rip in the dough. is this because i'm not using the high protein flour like you suggested? or am i not kneading it long enough? i use the kitchenaid to knead with if that makes any difference.

 

[jpc]

i'm getting better at forming the dough, but i ALWAYS get a damn rip in the dough. is this because i'm not using the high protein flour like you suggested? or am i not kneading it long enough? i use the kitchenaid to knead with if that makes any difference.

I used to have the same issue. Now, I don't.

I use the Lehmann calculator from pizzamaking forum for my dough recipe with about a 62% hydration, using King Arthur bread flour. I do one thing differently, though-- I mix the stuff together, then let it rest for about 20 minutes before kneading. This allows the flour to hydrate. Then I knead using the KA mixer for about 15 minutes. I also use a refrigerator rise, so I make the dough at least one day in advance.

The consistency I get now is amazing. I can stretch (window pane) the dough in no time; I use to throw it in the air to be all cool and such (well, to impress SWMBO), but this stuff stretches so well that I can't even do that.

Hope that helps...

 

[android]

totally forgot to check back here. thanks for the info jpc, i'll try out that method (and i just discovered that lehmann calculator too) with resting and then kneading. do you use oil in your dough? i saw on that calculator that they don't recommend extra virgin, which surprised me. if you do use oil, which kind do you go for? thanks again.

 

[jpc]

totally forgot to check back here. thanks for the info jpc, i'll try out that method (and i just discovered that lehmann calculator too) with resting and then kneading. do you use oil in your dough? i saw on that calculator that they don't recommend extra virgin, which surprised me. if you do use oil, which kind do you go for? thanks again.

I use oil, but can't recall whether I use EV or regular olive oil. I use very little (maybe 1%), and I think it does more to help the yeast or whatever than to "flavor" the dough.

BTW, to give credit where credit is due, the hydration rest is a step I learned by reading Jeff Varasano's pizza page. It's a bit hard to read due to the way it's done, but there's a lot of good info in there.

Good luck...

 

[passedpawn]

hey, the pizza turned out great. thanks for the info. the only thing I had trouble with was getting the dough stretched out enough (just took some time) and had some massive bubbling around the crust area. not sure if it was overkneaded, underformed or what. i guess practice will help. in any case, it tasted flippin awesome.

Need to dock the pie after you've rolled it out. Just use a fork and poke a bunch of pressure relief holes in it before you bake.

 

[passedpawn]

Here is something you all DON'T want to do.

I made a pie with whole wheat flour. Bad idea. The crust comes out tasting like molasses. bad.

 

[android]

how much whole wheat did you use? SWMBO and I made one last night with a 50/50 mix and it was pretty damn good. thanks for the docking tip also, crust came out perfect.

 

[passedpawn]

how much whole wheat did you use? SWMBO and I made one last night with a 50/50 mix and it was pretty damn good. thanks for the docking tip also, crust came out perfect.

100%. I made 2 pies and both suffered from an odd taste from the crust.

 

[Randar]

100%. I made 2 pies and both suffered from an odd taste from the crust.

Go 50/50 if you aren't a huge whole wheat fan. You can also add some vital wheat glutens if your dough comes out "flat" when using whole wheat/grains. I always have to add some vital wheat gluten to my "richer" batches of spent grain bread.

 

[jpc]

Need to dock the pie after you've rolled it out. Just use a fork and poke a bunch of pressure relief holes in it before you bake.

Dock it? I'd never do that, but I try for a NY-style pizza (which, I believe, should not be docked).

 

[passedpawn]

Dock it? I'd never do that, but I try for a NY-style pizza (which, I believe, should not be docked).

I make an extremely thin crust that I precook for a few minutes before I add ingredients. If it is not docked, it will bubble.

 

[jpc]

I make an extremely thin crust that I precook for a few minutes before I add ingredients. If it is not docked, it will bubble.

Do you use a rolling pin? I always hand stretch... maybe that's the difference.

 

[passedpawn]

Do you use a rolling pin? I always hand stretch... maybe that's the difference.

Maybe. Yes, I use a huge heavy-duty rolling pin. But I use very little water in my crust... I don't think you could hand-toss it. This is meant to be a crackery crust.

 

[ScubaSteve]

This is great. I really got into pizzamaking after reading this: http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm

And this: http://www.fornobravo.com/pompeii_oven/pompeii_oven.html

I've grilled pizzas several times, but it's tricky to handle and not burn. I really dig the firebrick mod on the old grill! I guess the trick is that super steady, super hot heat that only a high thermal mass of refractory brick can provide.

 

[android]

what percentage of yeast (instant in my case) do you guys use on the recipe? i used something like .32 % last night when i made up some new dough and it hasn't risen one iota overnight, which is odd, usually they're bubbling up pretty good by morning. i love that dough calculator though.

 

[Symbiote]

How do you make your crust?

My wife and kid love the pizza I make, but the crust is always either soggy or burned.

Got a recipe to share?

n/m, found something decent on the pizzamaking.com site.