The Home Made Pizza Thread

[cheezydemon3]

 

[cheezydemon3]

1/2 wheat 1/2 white crust. (pm me for dough questions, dough from scratch is a thread unto itself)

I added what I thought was TOO much black pepper and basil leaves into the crust but it turned out great.

Store bought bertolli sauce (no I didn't make the pepperoni either, "from scratch" has limits for me)
fresh oregano leaves whole on the sauce
whole green manzanilla olives on the sauce
1/2 picante provolone cheese and 1/2 low moisture mozzerella
Boars head BIG sandwich style pepperoni on top of the cheese
1 strip Minced bacon raw on top of pepperoni
fresh garlic crushed over all
fresh parmesan shaved over all

Bake 425 until good color (on top rack)

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Wow, looks good! I love the larger sized pepperonis. IMHO it makes for an easier cut and better flavor distribution in. It looks like it is perfectly browned as well.

I know crust could be a separate thread, but did it end up chewey, or crisp? I have always had trouble with crusts when I add any whole wheat flour in them. I end up adding gluten and kneading it for an extra 30 mins or so and it still ends up tearing and hard to manage.

 

[cheezydemon3]

The wheat made it chewier, but still crisp.

For me, it isn't about health. A little wheat and a little more sugar makes a GOOD crust, but it is different. Light and crispy can be damned good too.

the bigger pepperonis (at least in this case) were barely more (from the case) than the cheapy not so great little pepperonis.

 

[julioardz]

I regularly bake. My best pizza is a potato, goat cheese, and rosemary pizza, copied from one of my favorite local pizza places. I changed it by adding jalapenos to half of the pie and it was better than the original. As stated above, dough from scratch is a thread unto itself.

 

[barneygumble]

The wheat made it chewier, but still crisp.

For me, it isn't about health. A little wheat and a little more sugar makes a GOOD crust, but it is different. Light and crispy can be damned good too.

the bigger pepperonis (at least in this case) were barely more (from the case) than the cheapy not so great little pepperonis.

Looks good!

But dont diss all little pepperoni's as cheap! lol, you hurt my Itralian soul. I use imported dry cured pepperoni for my pizza. Its about the diameter of a quarter and harder than a billy club. Flavor intense. Sliced paper thin and covering the pizza. I also use an old Italian family recipe for the dough, and the flour is...not American. Sworn to secrecy there, but if one was to make a kick ass sourdough it would work for a substitute. Cheeses sound so good. I use similar.

You will find that most cured Itralian meats are best dry cured and naturally smaller than their American counterparts.

 

[Evets]

Oh boy, I love making pizza. Here's one of several 18 inch N.Y. style pies made in my wood-fired oven a couple weeks ago. Just a basic pepperoni and cheese. Home made dough and sauce. Baked in 3 and a half minutes at about 650-700.

 

[pnj]

80% whole grain wheat (ground it myself)
home made cheese
homebrew.

Love me some pie!

 

[SenorPepe]

Oh boy, I love making pizza. Here's one of several 18 inch N.Y. style pies made in my wood-fired oven a couple weeks ago. Just a basic pepperoni and cheese. Home made dough and sauce. Baked in 3 and a half minutes at about 650-700.

You must be sh!tting me. That's so awesome. And it looks great. I'm another fan of pizza making but I use two pizza stones, one on top and one to set it on, to approximate a pizza oven. My oven hits 550 and with the stones in it it stays just about there even after opening the oven. But I do occasionally dream of my own wood-fired oven.

 

[cheezydemon3]

wood fired oven......Italian secret recipe....wheat i ground myself......imported little pepperoni........cheese i made myself...I quit!!!!!

All joking aside, what a forum.

I post up some pretty above average stuff and immediately 5 people one-up me but without being smug or condescending.

I love making dough...

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I love making pizza but I have botched more dough than not. I have to admit that now I generally buy dough from the local pizza place for $3. Its almost a no-brainer.

The absolute worst pizza I ever made was a mushroom con fit pie. It was like pizza soup!!

 

[Hugh_Jass]

Pizza making is almost as fun for me as beer making. The reward for biting into a well constructed pizza is awesome.

I've been trying for the better part of 3 years to make better than average pizza. I've got the dough, sauce, and the cheese blend pretty well to my liking. It's the shaping of the crust that's maddening to me, though I'm getting better.

I wish i could put out a pizza as handsome as Evets. He is the Yoda of pizza making 'round these parts.

 

[cheezydemon3]

My rule on dough is just ALL DAY.

Pizza tonight? GREAT!! I make dough after breakfast. I put it in a big crock pot that I plug in for 30 seconds. (barely warm, not HOT) it should be pliable but barely dry enough to not stick to my fingers. Cover with olive oil. Take it out at least once (4 hours) and just work it a little to get the C02 bubbles out. More often if you can, but it isn't critical.
If it is too sticky at this point work in a little more flour. Dry? olive oil.

If your tossing and pulling skills lack as mine do, no shame in rolling the dough (one crust at a time, not the whole thing) on a floured cutting board.

My dough recipe is:

some warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp olive oil, bacon grease, or butter (bacon grease is best by far)
some flour (until not sticky)

mix the warm water, yeast, and sugar (hmmm.......somehow familiar) and let it get a little foamy. Whisk in oil and then mix in flour (I use a butter knife to scrape the sides) until dry enough to lump together and not stick.

 

[Bobby_M]

The only dough I've been happy with so far is after a 5-7 day fridge ferment. I can't make a one day stuff taste right.

 

[SenorPepe]

The only dough I've been happy with so far is after a 5-7 day fridge ferment. I can't make a one day stuff taste right.

That's really interesting. I always use Peter Reinhart's method, which includes a 1-3 day fridge ferment. I usually do somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 days. He has 3 days as an upper limit; I wonder if I could go safely for 5-7 days.

 

[Evets]

I've had great results with Reinhart's recipe. 5-7 days should be no problem, but you might want to knock the yeast amount and the hydration back a little bit.
Here are some old pictures of a couple Reinhart dough pies I baked some time ago.

 

[SenorPepe]

Those pies look beautiful. The crumb in that second picture looks perfect. I've got the dough-working down but my shaping and topping skills leave much to be desired. Time to practice.

 

[cheezydemon3]

I say EFF the shape. Oblong pies look more like they came out of an old italian's brick oven.

 

[SenorPepe]

I say EFF the shape. Oblong pies look more like they came out of an old italian's brick oven.

I know that trick .That's my breadmaking approach when elaborate shaping or equipment is required. I don't have a damn couche. Rustic baguettes!

 

[Bobby_M]

That's really interesting. I always use Peter Reinhart's method, which includes a 1-3 day fridge ferment. I usually do somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 days. He has 3 days as an upper limit; I wonder if I could go safely for 5-7 days.

Let me clarify. I never intend for them to go that long but that ends up being when I can finally make the pies. I finally learned to make up about 20 balls and put them in the freezer right away. The problem is that you still need to time the thawing out so that they sit at fridge temps for a few days. I end up mistiming those as well. Who knows if limiting to 3 days would be better. I should try it.

Holy crap, I have to go eat something.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Lol, I have to try the fridge thing....and maybe the sourdough thing too.

People rave about my same day white crust though........maybe the 1/2 wheat would benefit from fridge treatment.

The same recipe doubles great for indian flatbread, just leave out the garlic and onion powder.

Rolll flat and cook on a HOT flat skillet. Flip after a minute.

 

[rhamilton]

Jiffy Pizza Crust (box form! -- follow the instructions)
Brush with EVOO + black pepper, garlic, and oregano
Bake for 5-10 minutes (just enough to keep the dough from absorbing the sauce mid-bake)
Add sauce, pizza cheese blend, mozzarella, fresh basil, and prosciutto
Bake for another 15-25 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

Pic is about 5 minutes into the second bake.

I'll have to try homemade crust this next weekend

 

[cheezydemon3]

Making the crust really is fun for me, like making beer, but easier.....and cheap!

 

[Evets]

Making the crust really is fun for me, like making beer, but easier.....and cheap!

I agree, it's a lot of fun, but I don't know about cheap.
Once I was able to make a decent dough, I began to obsess over it just like beer. I started trying different styles, pans, $400 mixer, $2000 brick oven, several different flours in bulk, different kinds of tomatoes by the case, a multitude of cheeses and toppings to try. I could go on and on. Now I'm working on a mobile pizza project with a friend. We turning a vintage '67 Airstream camper into a pizza kitchen, including a wood-fired oven.
We took the body off to beef up the frame and install a new axle and floor. We built our own service window and are about ready to fit out the interior.
I hope I don't get sick of pizza anytime soon.

 

[Hugh_Jass]

You, sir win 1,000,000 internets.

Amazing.

 

[SenorPepe]

Oh my...I don't even...what a great idea. We need a "mobile pizza project" around here.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I can just hear Cheech and Chong now... "you mean the pizza comes to YOU, man?"

 

[Evets]

X-Stream Pizza, baby!

 

[cheezydemon3]

WTF???


Now people are just making sh!t up.

Brick oven trailer.........I would have to work a smoker into that kinda dual use trailer....


OK!


NEW EPIC MAN-UP MISSION:

Hand made dough from scratch.......(preferably from old italian stolen recipe)
Tomato sauce from tomatos, oregano, basil you grew from seed.....
Mozzerella, monterey jack, provolone, and parmesan that you made.......
Pepperoni that you ground, stuffed dried. (you didn't have to raise the pig )
BAKED in your wood fired brick oven with wood that you split
IN a free standing (or airstream mounted) wood fired oven that you built.

 

[Randar]

Brick oven trailer.........I would have to work a smoker into that kinda dual use trailer....

I have a picture somewhere of a portable brick oven pizza trailer that I have seen around my area. I think they specialize in parties and events and so on, but it's not an Airstream, that's for sure.