The Home Made Pizza Thread

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Deep-dish with sausage

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I'm not a fan of the towering crust around the edges, so I let the cheese and sauce go almost to the edge. Springform pans work really well for deep dish pizza.
 
I've been stuck working on a show in a quarantine bubble for the last six weeks with no control over what I ate. Had a physical need for some good pizza, and this time I remembered to take pictures!

Nothing too fancy: fresh mozz, kalamata olive, baby 'bellas, shallots, and a roasted tomato sauce I'd had canned in the pantry.
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And as an experiment:
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Bagels! Did the boiling beforehand, then put them in after the last pie came out, baking with residual heat. 6 minutes on bagel boards, then flipped onto the stone to finish for another 12-14 minutes or so, shifting around every few minutes.
I don't know if I can go back to the regular oven.
 
Kind of a hodgepodge pizza based on what I had and what we both wanted.

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So how do I get more browning on my crust? Googling says sugar in your dough but I do have sugar in my dough. Or higher heat but I cook in an outdoor pizza oven that’s around 700F. I did see that long rises can cause the sugar to ferment out and I almost always do a 2-5 day cold rise in the fridge. Does that seem like the most likely explanation? Anyone here get nice browning that does a long cold rise as well? But I’ve also heard a long cold rise is good for the dough.
 
damn...this thread should be against the rules!

i allready have a mod for my oven to go lower...all these pics have me wanting a four way toggle switch so i can crank it to 700f.....

(i might actually look into that, but i'll probably make some sorta bean pizza crust....navy bean flour or something, spinach, bacon..motz of course....maybe try the spinach as a pesto....)

edit: damn, thanks for the idea! i already have a three way, i don't know why i thought the middle was off! maybe i'll have to label it pizza now! 4k ohm resitor on the probe in parrelle...should crank it to eleven! hope i get pizza and not a flaming death! :mug:
 
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That looks amazing. Have a recipe?
Tavern Style Pizza Dough

1 small bag (1kg) “00” flour
Heaping 1/2C corn meal
1 Tablespoon salt

@2 1/3C warm water (start with 2)
1 teaspoon Sugar or honey
Scant Tablespoon dry active yeast (or 15g fresh)
2 Tabkespoons Olive Oil

Mix 1 cup warm water, yeast, and sugar/honey.

Mix Flour, corn meal, salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook until combined.

With mixer on low, slowly add water/yeast mixture. Add olive oil and continue mixing until oil is incorporated. Add second cup of warm water and allow to need for 3-5 minutes. With mixer still running, add additional water as necessary to achieve a smooth slightly elastic mixture.

Form dough into a ball, coat with oil, and place in a lightly oiled bowl covered with a damp towel. Place bowl in a warm area and allow to rise until approximately doubled in size (60-90 min).

Punch dough down, and divide into equal portions. I usually plan for 5, medium size (@14”) pies. Put each dough ball in plastic bags and allow to slow ferment in fridge for at least 24 hours, though 72 hours is better.

I usually freeze at least a few of the dough balls, and they thaw out beautifully, especially if you Flatten them into a disc before freezing so they thaw more quickly/evenly.

My favorite Canned Sauce is from Mutti...

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although I frequently make my own, especially during local tomato season. Whole milk mozzarella is key, don’t fall for the “low moisture part skim” crap. Shred your own if necessary.

Toppings of course at your discretion. I find most store bought Italian sausage to be a little light on the fennel seed, which is a key flavor component to any good zza IMO, so when not using homemade sausage, I also like to coarsely grind a teaspoon or so of whole Fennel seeds and sprinkle that on top of the sauce.

As far as baking goes, kind of depends a lot on the oven. I have a commercial style range. I like to put it in a 375 oven, then immediately crank it up to 450. Right about the time it gets there, the pizza is done. But doing it this way keeps the oven burner on through the whole bake. Instead of cycling on and off.
 
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Made some tonight - sorry, eaten too fast for pics.
I tried a 72 - hour dough (cold ferment) as seen on the Baking Steel webside and social media.
Was a failure. It basically seemed to keep going, it didn't get the stretch needed. It also blew the top of the container a couple times - not good for my temper either, for cleaning out the back of the fridge.
Oh, well, it rolled out to acceptable diameter and thickness, and tasted good - I did mix some spent grains in there as well.
I'm going back to my same-day dough from the same source - that seems to work out really well. Super simple - flour, water, salt and yeast, takes most of the afternoon. PLain crushed tomatoes, a sprinkle of oregano, cheese and whatever toppings.
 
Did you go straight from the fridge to stretching, or let the dough rest for a few hours?

Whether I same day or cold proof, we're typically doing 4 160g pizzas, roughly 12" . That's probably got something to do with our results, as we're handling less dough.

When it's baking day, I pull my dough from the fridge, weigh and divide it out, then form into balls. Need something a bit better, but for the time being it hangs out in a covered pyrex dish. I'm usually shooting for around 5 hours ahead of baking time to allow ample time to relax and rise. Depending on ambient temp (and all the other little variables like humidity, sunspots, and the relative position of Venus to Mercury) you should be okay for about 6-7 hours though. After that, the dough may start getting persnickety. Still good, just gets harder to handle.

Cold forming the dough lets it rise up in a fairly controlled manner, with a good gluten structure, nicely firm but still soft.

Given the choice, I'll go cold proof every time. Magic happens with that little bit of fermentation. I also tend to just do my dough a day ahead, much past that and I chalk it up to poor planning and fire up the kitchen oven.

It may be worth tackling again, aiming for a smaller batch so it's not trying to take over the fridge.
 
Might be the prettiest pizza I’ve made.
He shoots---he scores! Nice side view. I'm assuming the recipe for the dough is labeled TOP SECRET but just this once, could you post it? No one else will look. I'm certain of it.
Seriously, the inside is right where you want it.
Side bar: I'm going to have to go back over the 5K post and find some diamonds.
Edit: I've got a non-sucky Detroit style (square dough in a deep dish) recipe I'd message you.
Edit #2: This is a decent depiction/representation of a Detroit style square. One place, the most famous one, puts the sauce on prior to placing it in the oven--which I didn't do here but am thinking it might be the way to go.
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it is pretty, maybe too pretty? those peppers don't looked roasted?
Pizza goes in the oven (rounds and squares) at least at or about 525°F. The peppers are cooked.
Roasted is great, most pizzerias don't roast them first.
 
Pizza goes in the oven (rounds and squares) at least at or about 525°F. The peppers are cooked.
Roasted is great, most pizzerias don't roast them first.
525 is too hot for my liking.

Here’s last night‘s effort...

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Sausage, Caramelized Onions, and Spinach with White Sauce.
 
525 is too hot for my liking.
I like it--that's a fiiine-lookin' pizza.
As far as the high temp I mentioned goes, it's what I grew up with in the industry and various pizzerias I worked for, who didn't know one another, all used the same temp within five degrees. What I can't say, is that there isn't a better temp to work with, since I've never tried anything else. My main focus, at home, is on squares and I can say they do very well at the 525 range or even a little hotter.
It's possible that we could be talking apples and oranges here depending on the dough. Intuitively, slow cooking a dough is going to make it tough and chewy. So, again, I'm going to chalk it up to not being comparable.
It's been a pleasure.
 
He shoots---he scores! Nice side view. I'm assuming the recipe for the dough is labeled TOP SECRET but just this once, could you post it? No one else will look. I'm certain of it.
Seriously, the inside is right where you want it.
Side bar: I'm going to have to go back over the 5K post and find some diamonds.
Edit: I've got a non-sucky Detroit style (square dough in a deep dish) recipe I'd message you.
Edit #2: This is a decent depiction/representation of a Detroit style square. One place, the most famous one, puts the sauce on prior to placing it in the oven--which I didn't do here but am thinking it might be the way to go.View attachment 704384
That pizza looks awesome! My SO doesn't love thick crust, so I generally stick to regular crust, but I love thick/pan style. The recipe I used isn't a secret, it's the Serious Eats NY style recipe. I use all bread flour and add ~1 tsp vital wheat gluten for ~1/3 the recipe as I like a chewy crust. I also almost doubled the sugar as I had mentioned I wasn't happy with the browning of my crust, so that was an attempt to get more browning. I also cheated a bit and sprayed it with cooking spray, which probably helped with the browning more.

it is pretty, maybe too pretty? those peppers don't look roasted?
Pizza goes in the oven (rounds and squares) at least at or about 525°F. The peppers are cooked.
Roasted is great, most pizzerias don't roast them first.
525 is too hot for my liking.

Here’s last night‘s effort...

View attachment 704389
Sausage, Caramelized Onions, and Spinach with White Sauce.
I like it--that's a fiiine-lookin' pizza.
As far as the high temp I mentioned goes, it's what I grew up with in the industry and various pizzerias I worked for, who didn't know one another, all used the same temp within five degrees. What I can't say, is that there isn't a better temp to work with, since I've never tried anything else. My main focus, at home, is on squares and I can say they do very well at the 525 range or even a little hotter.
It's possible that we could be talking apples and oranges here depending on the dough. Intuitively, slow cooking a dough is going to make it tough and chewy. So, again, I'm going to chalk it up to not being comparable.
It's been a pleasure.
Interesting discussion around temp as I use an outdoor propane oven which gets up to about 700-750F and I always cranked it up as I thought I wanted it at hot as I could get it. I can't remember where, maybe reddit, I also posted about not getting the crust brown enough and someone mentioned cooking at a lower temp for longer based on a J. Kenji López-Alt video where he mentions 600F, so I purposely only pre-heated to ~600F this time and cooked it longer and I do think that helped (also possibly the extra sugar and cooking spray as mentioned).

About the peppers, roasting would be a great idea! Many times I cheat and used jarred roasted red peppers but these were all fresh veggies except jarred sun dried tomatoes.
 
Tonight's dinner. Plain cheese for the little guy not shown.
Someone mentioned cooking at 525 was too hot - I've tried at everything from 425 up, and 525 works great for me. (or what passes at 525 in my oven; I haven't used a separate thermometer to verify the temps.)
Simple dough from the Baking Steel website, crushed tomatoes and a sprinkle of oregano for sauce, topping as desired. Only thing missing is fresh basil in the last 30 seconds cooking.

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My first homemade dough. Turned out pretty good for a 15 minute dough. Unfortunately Costco was all out of the Kirkland sauce so I had to make due but it was still a tasty pizza!
That's something else! Good work. It looks good. For the longest time, I made dough that was akin to fluffy saltine crackers until I got the flour/water/oil ratio down.
A simple sauce is to blend a couple of cans of diced tomatoes, add fresh, minced garlic and some chopped basil and cook it down until it's pizza sauce consistency. Add salt and pepper at the end.
Parsley; oregano; fine, dry Parmesan cheese; and sugar are some more of the usual suspects for the sauce. MSG was one of the ingredients as well though it's got a bad reputation.
In the restaurant I worked in, the sauce wasn't simmered but I think simmering brings out the spice's flavors.
 
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Made the dough last night, portioned this morning, in the fridge now, pizza will be made tonight for my daughter’s small birthday party with two of her closest friends.

1000g of AP flour
700g of water (95 degrees Fahrenheit)
20g of sea salt
0.8g of yeast
Proofed all night and portioned in the morning.
 
Been a while since I last posted here, and have made a couple significant changes to my setup. I had been utilizing a pizza stone on my gas grill with mixed results, and often times found that I could get the crust right or the toppings right, but never perfectly cooked crust with perfectly done toppings.

FF to late summer when I bought a Big Green Egg (yea for a Labor Day sale!) and several accessories to accommodate low/slow for smoking butts and brisket. I recently added a BGE pizza stone, and on my third pizza night have finally achieved a perfectly done crust+toppings pizza. Failed to snag images last night, but the whole fam made note that they're now done with going out for pizza because what we can do at home is better.

Thanks to all here for the many tips in this thread
 
My first homemade dough. Turned out pretty good for a 15 minute dough. Unfortunately Costco was all out of the Kirkland sauce so I had to make due but it was still a tasty pizza!
Awesome bro, and welcome to the fold. Get it fold, anyways awesome. Spread that dough like you were making a pizza, but make it a rectangle and put a stick of butter on it, a cup of sugar and 2 tablespoon of cinnamon. Roll into log and cut cinnamon rolls. Just did that actually a day or two ago.

Dont worry I am not going to complain about missing this thread and hbt not having an app.

I am still churning pizzas out. I see the word pizza thrown out quite a bit and I am guilty of it too. Wow, never could of guessed what that would come to mean. Thick, thin, grilled, Chicago, Ny, red sauce, white sauce, sicilian, colorado, soft crust, crispy crust and taco for example. Let alone the cooking method...one stone, one steel, one of each, two steels, two stones, steel up, steel down, broil on, broil off, wood fired, 420, 550, 700, 800, and 900 degrees. Wow. At some point the question is what kind sounds good.
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Kinda more for a cooking thread but I got this pampered chef blender that cooks and that silky white sauce made a remarkable pizza. I cook so many, I'll share some pics. Made some recently thin, huge slices. I try to take pics that give some perspective but they are huge slices. I parchment left overs and freeze.
 
Friday night I thought I was making Pizzas for a hoard of children but the Mrs had pity on me and brought bases home. I also couldn't find the recipe book for the bread maker so used the first one I could find online that looked familiar. The dough turned out quite wet and sat in the fermenter bread machine for a day and a half, I smashed it down a few times.

Late late Saturday night I got home after 5 hours on the bike and fought and lost a couple of times trying to make something resembling a circle with the sticky dough. This dough just wanted to rip apart. Eventually got something reasonable considering it was just me eating. Sauce, salami, mozzarella and a few chilli flakes. Thanks Mr Scrap for the cutting tip.

Went down great with an IPA and The Mandalorian finale.

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Eventually got something reasonable considering it was just me eating.
Way to hang in there! If it's helpful, I use my bread machine for pizza dough ALL the time, and if you have a 2LB cycle, you should be good to (in this order):
  • Nuke 1.5 cups of water (liquid measuring cup) for 2 mins until just boiling - throw into bread machine
  • Add 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • Add 1 tsp salt
  • Add 1 Tbsp sugar
  • Add 4 level cups bread flour (all purpose will work but bread flour is better)
  • Make a small crater in the top of the flour and add 1 Tbsp bread yeast
  • Turn bread machine on 2Lb dough cycle
I never follow a book recipe, just this. Just that basic recipe will give you decent dough. As soon as it starts mixing, sometimes I throw all manner of stuff in there, crushed garlic, herbs de Provence, black truffle oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, basil, oregano, etc. If you want to get funky, replace the water entirely with room temperature sourdough starter at 1:1. Good luck!
 
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So the Minecraft Creeper pizza was good in theory but after it baked it morphed a bit. Plus a cheese & Buffalo chicken pizza. Delicious!
If you mean all the air bubbles in the crust, you can fix that right up with a perforator. Run one of these little suckers all across the dough right before you sauce, and no more air bubbles!

Update International RD-5 Stainless Steel Pizza Roller Docker, 8-Inch, silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NQIZOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_8yl7FbGQTXJKC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
 
View attachment 713948View attachment 713950View attachment 713949Tried my hand at Detroit style pizza this weekend. It was good and a nice change up, but I’ll stick with my go to pizza recipe. The family agreed it was good but not as delicious as my “normal” pizza.

Looks delicious! It is a difficult style to master but I think @davidabcd has all the guidance we need
Initial thought is the toppings and extra parm shouldnt be there as they crisp/burn to quickly and more full fat cheese and lots of it, ideally sliced for detroit style
 
Looks delicious! It is a difficult style to master but I think @davidabcd has all the guidance we need
Initial thought is the toppings and extra parm shouldnt be there as they crisp/burn to quickly and more full fat cheese and lots of it, ideally sliced for detroit style
always willing to help.
 
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