The Home Made Pizza Thread

[italarican]

I got an outdoor pizza oven this summer and am loving it! I've finally started dialing it in at different temps. Now I just want to work on consistent shaping.

Pic 1 = Homemade mozzarella, tomato sauce, pepperoni, caramelized onions, 60 seconds at 950F
Pic 2 = White pie of homemade mozzarella, ricotta, black pepper, basil, mushroom-sage olive oil, 2 minutes at 825F
Pic 3 = Crumb shot of margherita

 

[echoALEia]

I got an outdoor pizza oven this summer and am loving it! I've finally started dialing it in at different temps. Now I just want to work on consistent shaping.

Pic 1 = Homemade mozzarella, tomato sauce, pepperoni, caramelized onions, 60 seconds at 950F
Pic 2 = White pie of homemade mozzarella, ricotta, black pepper, basil, mushroom-sage olive oil, 2 minutes at 825F
Pic 3 = Crumb shot of margheritaView attachment 655275 View attachment 655276 View attachment 655278

Looks great! What flour did you use and how long you let it sit for?

 

[Hanglow]

Also how do you like your homemade mozz compared to store bought? worth doing?

 

[gromitdj]

I got an outdoor pizza oven this summer and am loving it! I've finally started dialing it in at different temps. Now I just want to work on consistent shaping.

Also, which pizza oven did you get? Pizzas look great!

 

[italarican]

Thanks, everyone!

Looks great! What flour did you use and how long you let it sit for?

I'm using 00 Caputo pizzeria flour (the blue bag). These fermented for 23 hours in a 68F room, 0.03% instant dry yeast. For Neapolitan, my friends and I have actually preferred the taste of one-day, room temp ferments to three-day cold ferments.

Also how do you like your homemade mozz compared to store bought? worth doing?

Love it! Cheaper, fun to do, and comes out so soft. Also, if you can make fresh mozzarella, that means you can make burrata anytime too.

My wife makes the cheese. I think her rates of ingredients are slightly different, but her process is identical to this video.

Also, which pizza oven did you get? Pizzas look great!

I went with the Pizza Party Passione. I loved the idea that it can operate both as a wood-fired oven or can be fueled by propane. Propane is so much easier, but I can't wait to try out wood.

To my sadness, it looks like they're only making that oven for propane here on out.

 

[applescrap]

These were definetly better than pictures show. Pizza cinnamon rolls.

 

[davidabcd]

I'm doing a 3-4 day cold ferment for a Neapolitan dough Right now it's just an uninteresting ball. After reading above, I'm tempted to leave it out for a whole day and then eat it but I want to check this cold ferment business out for myself.
3 1/2 pounds of dough which will be enough for 3 large pizzas and a pizza turnover.

 

[Staestc]

I'm doing a 3-4 day cold ferment for a Neapolitan dough Right now it's just an uninteresting ball. After reading above, I'm tempted to leave it out for a whole day and then eat it but I want to check this cold ferment business out for myself.
3 1/2 pounds of dough which will be enough for 3 large pizzas and a pizza turnover.

I made dough for Chicago Thin style pizzas on Wednesday evening. Will be cooking Saturday evening! Approximately 72 hours cold ferment with 2-3 hours at room temperature before I open them and cook. I plan on making New York style dough again Saturday morning with a room temp ferment and cooking them Saturday evening too, just as a back up. So far I have been very happy with all the slow cold ferments that I have done.

 

[davidabcd]

So far I have been very happy with all the slow cold ferments that I have done.

That's good to know. So far,I've been successful making dough in one day by doubling the size, punch down, doubling the size, flattening in pan and letting it rise for a few hours.
The cold ferment is 5 hours old and has more than doubled in size. Smells good. The recipe emphasized how it will be much better after 3-4 days but pretty good at 2 days. No sugar and no oil.

Is your NY style dough much different than the Chicago thin crust besides cold fermenting?

 

[italarican]

FWIW, I definitely prefer 3-day cold ferment for NY style.

For Neapolitan, my friends & I didn't notice any additional depth in flavor. Both have been nice and airy, but the 1-day has consistently produced a crunchier exterior that goes beautifully with the soft interior, while the 3-day had less contrast and was slightly softer all around. I mean, we're talking really minor differences, but really minor differences in that direction plus shorter wait has made the one-day ferment the way I prefer for Neapolitan.

Definitely do both ways and go with whatever you like the most. You won't go wrong either way.

 

[Redpappy]

Thank you!
By "shortening" you mean like Crisco?
Not sure how to get that "red hot". Maybe put them inside the grill on high?

from what I have read, you scrub them clean ( steak pad) ie wit a Then you have to reseason them, Clean, then you oil them ( Chris / olive oil) and put in oven at low temp for 2-3 hours.

 

[davidabcd]

I checked the fridge dough. Perspective-wise, it's 3 1/2 pounds. After less than 24 hours, it has stopped rising and has fallen. I expected this to happen but what is the benefit of refrigeration if there's no fermenting going on? I could take a guess but I don't really know. I'm still going to let it ride for the 3-4 days because I need a starting point if there are improvements to be made.
I was very tempted to pull it this morning and let it rise and then back into the fridge but the recipe didn't say to do this.
I'll post my results as they occur for those who are waiting on the edge of their seats.

 

[davidabcd]

I would like to reiterate and ask what is the benefit of refrigeration if there's no fermenting going on? I've seen some pretty sharp pizza dough makers here and would appreciate some input/advice/experience.
Thank you in advance.

 

[brewbama]

It give the dough flavor. I believe it builds structure as well.

 

[davidabcd]

It give the dough flavor. I believe it builds structure as well.

Thanks. I am all in for flavor. I've made some real, frozen pizza quality dough in the past which is disappointing. So letting it sit puts it in the "conditioning" category and it will taste better as a result then? I can appreciate that.
I'm going to keep a close eye on this one when I make the pizza and be fairly critical (in a good way). I've seen some of the output here and those airy crust photos are beyond appealing to me since I've never come close so far.

 

[davidabcd]

Fridge dough diary, a little shy of 48 hours now. I was wrong; the dough is still fermenting whereas I thought it had stopped completely. It's blobbed its way to filling the entire container bottom now and halfway up toward the top. All that with zero sugar. The smell is really strong, maybe pungent? I've opened it briefly a few times but don't know if that matters or not.

Only one more day. It's like waiting for Christmas morning. I get to go shopping today for fresh basil, soft mozzarella, brick cheese, jack cheese, tomato, green pepper and pepperoni.

 

[Staestc]

Pizza party last night with daughter, her husband, and my grandson. Did two New York style pizzas from dough I made yesterday morning, and one Chicago Thin style from 72 hour cold ferment. Two completely different sauces. The Chi Thin sauce was loaded with herbs and would be very good on pasta too.
In order, NYS 1/2 sausage 1/2 cheese, NYS Salami Pepperoni Sausage Chorizo and Calabrian Chilies, and Chi Thin with Pepperoni Sausage Chorizo and Salami.

 

[elgatovolador]

Thanks, everyone!

I'm using 00 Caputo pizzeria flour (the blue bag). These fermented for 23 hours in a 68F room, 0.03% instant dry yeast. For Neapolitan, my friends and I have actually preferred the taste of one-day, room temp ferments to three-day cold ferments.

View attachment 655380 View attachment 655381

I have a similar approach to yours. I usually batch ferment room temp at 68-70 deg F, 0.03% IDY for about 12-14 hrs and then ball them up and let them sit for another 3-4 hrs.

So far they come out with good flavor but I’m missing the airy light puffiness I’m looking for in a Neapolitan pizza.

Not sure what the consensus is on correct procedures in this area...
Do you let it all ferment together and then ball up and stretch into a pie or do you let them ferment balled up and then you stretch it out into a pie, or do you do like me where you batch ferment for the majority of the time and then you ball up and let it finish up before stretching out?

 

[Hanglow]

You are balling a bit late, I'd let it go 8hrs in balls.

I found this calculator the best, it tells you the ideal time when to ball and you can go quite advanced with it

http://www.calbal.altervista.org/

 

[Staestc]

Cooked another Chicago thin from the same dough make last night. That would put the dough at 96 hours. This time just with Margarita pepperoni and Calabrian chilies. Result was awesome!

 

[applescrap]

Looks great, what is your oven technique?

Cooked another Chicago thin from the same dough make last night. That would put the dough at 96 hours. This time just with Margarita pepperoni and Calabrian chilies. Result was awesome!
View attachment 656151

 

[Staestc]

Looks great, what is your oven technique?

Thanks!

For the New York style dough I preheat the steel at electric oven max bake of 550F for 45 minutes to an hour, continue to bake at that temp for 2-3 minutes, then switch to high broil until done.

For the Chicago Thin Style dough I preheat steel at max bake 550F, turn it down to 450F bake right before putting the pizza in, then just let it cook like that till it's done.

 

[davidabcd]

Gearing up for some cold ferment pizzas.
Brought out the slice for the pepperoni stick. I can do it by hand but slicer was better and actually easy to clean when it's just a single stick.
Got exactly 3 16oz doughs and an 8oz which might be weird since I weighed metrically.

 

[davidabcd]

Got a few photos from the pizza cooking. The crust is probably the best round crust I've made. The 3:2 brick:jack was good.

Margherita.

Cheese and pepperoni.

Pizza turnover

 

[applescrap]

That sounds awesome. That is the inspiration I needed. Seems broil of some kind really does the crust and top nice. I have tried broiler before but need to again. I have been going 550 with steel on bottom and then putting pizza on top to finish while sliding next on. Parchment lengthens the bottom cook and I need to remove it quicker and maybe throw a pizza for crying out loud. My dough is often wet so that is a pita. But I do it for the pizza oven.

Thanks!

For the New York style dough I preheat the steel at electric oven max bake of 550F for 45 minutes to an hour, continue to bake at that temp for 2-3 minutes, then switch to high broil until done.

For the Chicago Thin Style dough I preheat steel at max bake 550F, turn it down to 450F bake right before putting the pizza in, then just let it cook like that till it's done.

 

[Staestc]

Used up the last of the Chicago thin style dough last night. It was 120 hours old and still performed and tasted great! About a pound of Italian sausage plus the Calabrian chilies that I am so in love with! Sauce was Garvey's recipe made from paste with a ton of herbs and fennel.

 

[Staestc]

Got a few photos from the pizza cooking. The crust is probably the best round crust I've made. The 3:2 brick:jack was good.View attachment 656235
Margherita. View attachment 656236
Cheese and pepperoni. View attachment 656237
Pizza turnover View attachment 656238 View attachment 656239 View attachment 656240 View attachment 656241

Those are all just awesome!

 

[davidabcd]

Those

Thanks.

 

[davidabcd]

So I had one dough from the cold ferment left over. Technically, it's a five-day, cold ferment. I pressed this 14oz piece out while cold into a well-oiled 10" X 14" pan. I'll let it relax and rise for an hour or two and press it out all the way. I will report on the finished product regarding the dough quality, itself, after five days in the fridge and of using a dough not specifically meant for square pizza.
I just find this kind of experimentation very exciting.

 

[davidabcd]

Large square green pepper and onion.

Crust shot.

The cheese caramelized nicely at the sides and was very crunchy.

All in all, a very successful cooking session. I hardly say that ever (may not actually have ever said that); I usually find ten things wrong. What I learned: 1. Crushed tomatoes do a stellar job as a base. 2. Five days in the fridge is not a deal breaker. 3. 550°F is just fine as an oven temp. 4. Neapolitan dough works great for square pizza. 5. 3:2 (brick cheese:monterey jack) is a solid ratio and combination.