The Home Made Pizza Thread

[Melana]

Pizza/bread porn.
Seriously, I eat a lot of pizza. I used wood fired, big green egg, bbq, oven. Used tens of dough recipes. Made a wild starter. Use special high gluten flour. I sh!t you not, this produces the best there is. If you're near Maine, I'd be happy to share some starter. Dough is stretchy, requires no kneading, and produces excellent crumb structure. 70% hydration.

Your bread and pizza are beautiful.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Those rectangular loaves look amazing. I'd be interested in seeing a cross section of the inside.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Hate to bring up the obvious, but there are certainly things one can do at home to combine the subject matter of both threads. You just need creativity.

Alas! since I mixed it up the first time I have not been able to broach it since I baked my sweet ass hottie

 

[thewurzel]

Here some pizza I cooked up on the charcoal grill.

The first one, I over cooked a little.

I am using the pizza que I got from Williams Sonoma, it has a temp gauge on it that was reading 700*

Boy did they turned out good.

 

[finsfan]

those look amazing!

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I like that the pies arent totally circular. Gives them a lot of character.

 

[gwapogorilla]

Okay boys, you might wanna step back so you don't get hurt.

Here is my................no........ "THEE" ultimate pizza! 18.5 LBS. of colossal heavenly goodness. 18.5 LBS. REAL WEIGHT!!! All meats and veggies were precooked and drained of their juices, and put on top of a beer dough crust.
I weighed the pan before and after the goodies were put on top, it came in at 18.7 lbs....so 18.5 for good accurate measures after evaporation of cheeses juices.

Here it is in my pellet grill. The pellet grill gives it a very nice "wood fire oven" flavor.


And, here it is all cooked sitting on top of my stove. This is NOT a small stove! The pan the pizza is cooked in is 18 1/2" diameter by 2" deep. Plus, I build up the goodies to fill the crust....see next pic!







See what I mean? 3 inches thick!!!





Here is 1 slice...an average of 2.31 lbs per slice!!!!



Sure, you guys can prolly brew better than I can. But I can teach you this! Cheers!

 

[Ostomo517]

Okay boys, you might wanna step back so you don't get hurt.

Here is my................no........ "THEE" ultimate pizza! 18.5 LBS. of colossal heavenly goodness. 18.5 LBS. REAL WEIGHT!!! All meats and veggies were precooked and drained of their juices, and put on top of a beer dough crust.
I weighed the pan before and after the goodies were put on top, it came in at 18.7 lbs....so 18.5 for good accurate measures after evaporation of cheeses juices.

Here it is in my pellet grill. The pellet grill gives it a very nice "wood fire oven" flavor. http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/gwapogorilla/media/yoder.jpg.html

And, here it is all cooked sitting on top of my stove. This is NOT a small stove! The pan the pizza is cooked in is 18 1/2" diameter by 2" deep. Plus, I build up the goodies to fill the crust....see next pic!

http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/gwapogorilla/media/pie.jpg.html

See what I mean? 3 inches thick!!!
http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/gwapogorilla/media/slice.jpg.html

Here is 1 slice...an average of 2.31 lbs per slice!!!!
http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/gwapogorilla/media/slice2.jpg.html

Sure, you guys can prolly brew better than I can. But I can teach you this! Cheers!

Im listening..,.....

 

[Olive Drab]

Can any of you guys using a starter explain the process to me? I use regular yeast and cold ferment which is good but I dont get a true sourdough taste

 

[gwapogorilla]

Im listening..,.....

What would you like to know my friend...I work for beer.(or tips how to brew it better )

 

[Ostomo517]

What would you like to know my friend...I work for beer.(or tips how to brew it better )

Thats jist insane how huge that is without falling apart and looks to hold its shape, its effin beautiful

 

[gwapogorilla]

Thats jist insane how huge that is without falling apart and looks to hold its shape, its effin beautiful

Tanks sooo much for the compliment. The pans I got from ebay...some pizza place in Chicago going out of business. Also....use whole milk mozzorella chese...GOD..I'm starting to get a little drunk here. AND ITS ONLY MONDAY!

 

[gwapogorilla]

Guys, really....pizza is sooooo easy. The hardest part of pizza....not getting the crust soggy from the juices of the meats and veggies. So, precook them and drain the grease/water and you will have better luck with you outcome. Also, ONLY use whole milk cheeses. The skim/part skim don't melt well at all. That gooie, stringy stuff you get at a restaurant...it is whole milk cheese. So, only use that.

As far as crust, mine is basically beer bread.
6 cups flour
1 1/2 bottles of the nastiest beer you can think of...cuz you want to get rid of it!(this is where my Boston Lager goes to mind )
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch salt
1 tablespoon bread yeast

When you oil your pan, use olive oil! It doesn't build build up that thick nasty crap, and the taste is better.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Okay boys, you might wanna step back so you don't get hurt.

Here is my................no........ "THEE" ultimate pizza! 18.5 LBS. of colossal heavenly goodness. 18.5 LBS. REAL WEIGHT!!! All meats and veggies were precooked and drained of their juices, and put on top of a beer dough crust.
I weighed the pan before and after the goodies were put on top, it came in at 18.7 lbs....so 18.5 for good accurate measures after evaporation of cheeses juices.

Here it is in my pellet grill. The pellet grill gives it a very nice "wood fire oven" flavor.


And, here it is all cooked sitting on top of my stove. This is NOT a small stove! The pan the pizza is cooked in is 18 1/2" diameter by 2" deep. Plus, I build up the goodies to fill the crust....see next pic!







See what I mean? 3 inches thick!!!





Here is 1 slice...an average of 2.31 lbs per slice!!!!



Sure, you guys can prolly brew better than I can. But I can teach you this! Cheers!

That looks like 18.5 lbs of pure awesomeness!
Regards, GF.

 

[headbanger]

Can any of you guys using a starter explain the process to me? I use regular yeast and cold ferment which is good but I dont get a true sourdough taste

www.sourdo.com

 

[ChugachBrewing]

Some of the pies here look ok. I'm not a boaster on many accounts, but I urge you to try a new method. You need a longer bulk fermentation for higher gluten development. I bulk ferment for up to 4 hours, folding every 30 min. Its a great thing to do on brew day. No sugar, honey, or any of that other crap. I'll post the process next time I bake, prob this monday. I dont' take credit for the method, it's from Tartine Bread.

1000g flour
700g sugar
200g starter
20g salt

Attached is the cross section of the loaf as requested, then the best goddang croissants you've ever not had.

 

[headbanger]

Some of the pies here look ok. I'm not a boaster on many accounts, but I urge you to try a new method. You need a longer bulk fermentation for higher gluten development. I bulk ferment for up to 4 hours, folding every 30 min. Its a great thing to do on brew day. No sugar, honey, or any of that other crap. I'll post the process next time I bake, prob this monday. I dont' take credit for the method, it's from Tartine Bread.

1000g flour
700g sugar
200g starter
20g salt

Attached is the cross section of the loaf as requested, then the best goddang croissants you've ever not had.

Looks ok.

 

[mtnagel]

Made another pizza on the grill. Split veggie and buffalo chicken. Used pizza stone this time. Worked great except I have a hot spot on the grill, so either I need to turn the heat down from high, rotate the pizza half way through, or just try to avoid that area (but it's in the middle).

Except for some being burned on the bottom, it turned out very good. I had frozen dough that I took out this morning and left on the counter. About 1 hour before baking, I stretched it out and then let it sit. I don't normally do this, but I've heard people mention another rest before putting on toppings. I wonder if that what's made it the closest to pizzeria style I've ever had??

Anyway, here's the pizza (it's no 18 pounder...):

 

[ChugachBrewing]

I would argue (respectfully) that the 18 pounder is not the goal. Crisp crust, lots of crumb structure, and a suitable crunch. Hard to get this on a grill, you really need radiant heat from above. Interesting article in Cooks Illustrated about creating a microclimate in your oven for suitable temperatures.

The best results I've had is from the aforementioned dough, shape into round, then stretch, set oven to 550, pre bake 6 min, top, bake 6 min, broil 2 min, on a pizza screen. I know it sounds weird, but believe me, it works. Unless it's a day where i take the big green egg to 800. then I do that, but still hard to get the radiant heat for a searing cook.

Just my 3 cents.

 

[mtnagel]

Maybe it's not as good as the oven, but when it's 80F+ out, I'd rather use the grill than heat up the house with the oven.

 

[Chuginator]

From 2011; first attempt at homemade dough. Oven-made. Yum.

 

[gwapogorilla]

I would argue (respectfully) that the 18 pounder is not the goal. Crisp crust, lots of crumb structure, and a suitable crunch. Hard to get this on a grill, you really need radiant heat from above. Interesting article in Cooks Illustrated about creating a microclimate in your oven for suitable temperatures.

The best results I've had is from the aforementioned dough, shape into round, then stretch, set oven to 550, pre bake 6 min, top, bake 6 min, broil 2 min, on a pizza screen. I know it sounds weird, but believe me, it works. Unless it's a day where i take the big green egg to 800. then I do that, but still hard to get the radiant heat for a searing cook.

Just my 3 cents.

Don't worry, I have pretty thick skin...you aren't gonna hurt my feelings.
The crust bakes very well with my set up. We don't like a hard crispy crunchy crust. We prefer a good sturdy body that you can still tear apart with your teeth.
As far as heat from above...pellet grills have a fan in them to circulate the air/heat. It's basically a wood fired convection oven. My foods all cook evenly on top/bottom and sides. Not only do I cook pizzas and bbq on it, I have also done breads and even cheesecake. Yes, CHEESECAKE.

Maybe it's not as good as the oven, but when it's 80F+ out, I'd rather use the grill than heat up the house with the oven.

AMEN! That's part of the reason I bought that huge pellet grill I have...and the results excellent!

 

[gwapogorilla]

Made another pizza on the grill. Split veggie and buffalo chicken. Used pizza stone this time. Worked great except I have a hot spot on the grill, so either I need to turn the heat down from high, rotate the pizza half way through, or just try to avoid that area (but it's in the middle).

Except for some being burned on the bottom, it turned out very good. I had frozen dough that I took out this morning and left on the counter. About 1 hour before baking, I stretched it out and then let it sit. I don't normally do this, but I've heard people mention another rest before putting on toppings. I wonder if that what's made it the closest to pizzeria style I've ever had??

Anyway, here's the pizza (it's no 18 pounder...):

The pizza looks good! I love the colors from the veggeies! I'd eat it.

 

[mtnagel]

Thanks. My pizza hobby has almost become like my beer brewing hobby - constantly tweaking things till I'm satisfied

 

[headbanger]

As far as heat from above...pellet grills have a fan in them to circulate the air/heat. It's basically a wood fired convection oven. My foods all cook evenly on top/bottom and sides. Not only do I cook pizzas and bbq on it, I have also done breads and even cheesecake. Yes, CHEESECAKE.


AMEN! That's part of the reason I bought that huge pellet grill I have...and the results excellent!

Agreed, although my pellet grill (PG500) cooks top down on the indirect side (zone 4) which makes it perfect for cooking pizza. It is crucial though to use a stone and preheat it religiously or the pizza will be undercooked on the bottom by the time the top is done.

 

[ChugachBrewing]

How long do your pizzas take to cook?

 

[headbanger]

How long do your pizzas take to cook?

About 7 minutes.

 

[gwapogorilla]

How long do your pizzas take to cook?

For that huge 18.5 lb pie...I set my grill at 320* and cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

 

[FermentNEthinG]

Here some pizza I cooked up on the charcoal grill.

The first one, I over cooked a little.

I am using the pizza que I got from Williams Sonoma, it has a temp gauge on it that was reading 700*

Boy did they turned out good.

To hell with temperature probes this week..I am buying one of those boxes to try out!

 

[headbanger]

To hell with temperature probes this week..I am buying one of those boxes to try out!

Spoken like a guy who's never shopped at William Sonoma. I did get my coffee maker there though and wouldn't trade it for anything, but it did cost me 300 bucks and it was about the cheapest thing I saw in the store save a 175 dollar cutting board that I kind of fancied too.