Cheers, it's been a while since I fired up the oven, but managed to make a few OK attempts I think. There was no swearing and threatening to sell the oven, which is a definite step forward from some of the earlier attempts.
Must remember to start turning it earlier than i think is necessary though - one side is a little more black jaguar than leopard ;)
Pizziolo machine turned up yesterday. Far too big for my kitchen top so I moved the coffee machine and put it next to the pizza oven in a separate area of the lounge (basically the 'Italian area!).
Had a play - firstly I messed up by not putting enough flour on the dough so it stuck to the peel. Round 2 I resolved rhat issue but didn't make the base thick enough so it was nice, chewy and with leopard spots but not really Neapolitan. Taste was great, very fast cooking, did trigger the smoke detectors though due to me over-flouring with semolina/all purpose flour mix so trial and error and getting a balance is going to be the key.
Having some more for dinner tonight.
Quick question - do you use special dry mozzarella or the stuff in brine? I'm using the brined stuff but I think it's too wet.
Last edited by ryanb741; 19th April 2023 at 16:31.
Wet stuff for me, but I slice it and place it on kitchen roll with some more on the top to draw out the liquid for an or so in the fridge.
Tried the dry pizza block and it just seemed to have a strange texture after cooking. Never the grated stuff as it’s coated in starch to stop it from sticking together and can burn.
I always put too much cheese on too, it’s my weakness as know my wife loves a cheesy pizza but am often left trying to turn / retrieve a molten mess of cheese barely contained by the crust.
Smoke alarm does sort of worry me for indoor ones. Especially after a boo-boo where the pizza tears in the middle and it all needs to get burnt off.
I try to remove all the flour from the base & use semolina on the peel to stop it sticking. Doesn’t burn like flour either. Are you launching with wooden or metal? I seem better with a wooden to launch and metal to turn.
The Sage one is composite. Worked much better today, made sure to pat off the flour. Only issue is my dough kind of 'bounces back' when stretching which I think is due to not letting it rest enough at room temperature right at the start of the process - instructions said 1 hour but it isn't Naples here so the new batch I left for 1.5 hours until it had properly doubled.
Absolutely delicious though - leopard spots which add a nice flavour.
You seem to be getting the hang of it then, great stuff.
I have always found my dough bounces back when it hasn't had 4 hours balled at the end before stretching.
I give mine a few hours ambient after it has been kneaded for the yeast to start to work before the cold prove.
Certainly had the off wobble recipe wise when forgetting to adjust the ambient temperature in the app when it has been colder than usual.
Well done RyanB on starting your journey. You will improve quickly, trial and error at the beginning is quite normal.
Pics please!
Underway which is great to see.
Fior di Latte is the only cheese I use, nothing comes close. I buy in kilo bags which I split and freeze, beats anything for sale here hands down.
Pitch
Fior di latte is the cheaper, non-buffallo version of mozzarella made from cow milk (which can be even pasteurised). Technically, FdL is not real Mozzarella (Mozzarella di bufala campana), which must be made from the milk of water buffalos with 8% fat (compared to 3.5% for cow milk).
I only use bufala on pizza, as I find it much more tasty.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
Yep, get that Raffe, but it is blinking good and melts just so well. We all know grated is an absolute no no with non stick rubbish in it, the solid stuff is just not right and when knocking quality out ‘wet’ is simply hard work.
Well worth adding a bag to an AdiM IMO, it’s great stuff from them.
Pitch
In the end, whatever you like best.
But agree on the shredded stuff, industrial garbage.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
Ah ok I think in reality this will be problem solved. Will feed back tonight.
I now have a proving tray for the fridge with dough that I made yesterday AM. I'm thinking of dabbling with the dark arts of sourdough but will wait until my pizzas no longer look like roadkill until going down that path. Oh and pizza spatula for around a tenner from Amazon is proving to be a wise investment.
Neapolitan pizza fans might want to look away, this is one of KAL’s recipes I’ll likely never make.
I have been tempted to try Chicago or Detroit deep dish pizza, but a thin crust? Don't think so....
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
Just a thought as well buddy, I never ball if cold proving it is always baulk, then out of the fridge for at least six hours and then ball and leave as Raffe says 4 hrs minimum.
Also, stop messing around and get yourself over to GI Metal, you can thank me later.
https://gimetal.it/en/shop/collection/peels
Good luck
Pitch
I love a good homemade pizza too. Need to get doughing again
Why do we prove in the fridge? I only ever do room temp over night!
Dunno if this needs a separate thread but...
Lakeland currently have 20% off Ooni ovens for the Kings Coronation
Fyra 12 - £239.20
Koda 12 - £279.20
Koda 16 - £399.20
Volt 12 - £639.20
Karu 16 - £559.20
They have bundles, but they don't appear to have discounted the covers.
Bluelight Card holders get extra £10 off using code on app.
Or
+15% off with StudentBeans (can be used on top of current 20%)
I'm trying a different dough recipe, this time a room temperature prove and with a surprisingly tiny amount of yeast used.
Link below
https://mypizzacorner.com/pizza-reci...politan-pizza/
Quick question, with that app, when you set the proving time do you include the time the dough spends after balling in that proving time? I'm going for a 21 hour prove at room temp and balling 4 hours before the stretch and creation of the pizza so my maths are mix ingredients and rest 1 hour, then knead and prove 16 hours, then ball and prove 4 hours for a total of 21 hours. Is this correct?
I've always just mixed in mixer for 10 mins. Kneaded and stretched for 5 mins then balled up and stuck it in the proofing tray until your ready to go. The rest I freeze for whenever.
Think I am going to go for a gas oven to get me going again with this hobby.
Any Gozney owners?
Another question about the 'big' outdoor wood fired ovens. We do have space outdoors in theory, but what do you do during winter or bad weather - is it OK to just leave outside without shelter?
May just keep it simple for the moment and go for Ooni again or Gozney...but the dream of the big oven is still there and the garden is crying out for a 'feature' at the back!
Yes, that is always a risk.
But it's fun.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
That's not dependent on the length of the proof.
When I make dough, I always start with cold water into a bowl. Then I add the fresh yeast (dried yeast works as well, but I prefer fresh) and dissolve it in the water. Next comes the flour, always Pizza-quality 00-type (I prefer Caputo Rosso, which I buy in 25kg bags). Then I mix flour and water, first with a spoon, then I use one wet hand to make sure it becomes a consistent dough (takes no more than two minutes). I let the dough rest half an hour, then I add the salt and incorporate it with one hand again. Here I use a movement, where I always spread the dough thin and then fold it onto itself again. This will probably take two minutes as well. Then I let the dough rest again, minimum 20 minutes. After that, I do my stretch and folds: I take the rested dough and spread it as thinly as I can, using the same pulling-and-turning technique as for stretching the actual pizza. I usually arrive at a very thin (millimeters) square shape, which I then fold onto itself: first from the top, about one third, then from the bottom. The remaining strip I roll up, and form into a tight ball. This ball will need to rest 30 minutes until I do another stretch and fold, and then I do another iteration of resting and stretching/folding.
By now, it has taken me about two hours preparation and the dough is ready to go into the proofing cupboard. Only from here do I count the proofing time. About five to six hours before the bake, I will make the individual dough balls and put them back into the proofing cupboard. At this point, I sometimes take some of the dough balls and stick them into the refrigerator. They will keep up to three days without any problems, and can be taken out and baked after a four or five hours rest in the proofing cupboard.
I will try and remember to take some photos next time, made my Sunday dough last night.
Last edited by Raffe; 23rd April 2023 at 09:34.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
So, I am nowhere near as detailed as that…..
Everything gets chucked in the kitchen aid for 15 minutes, 12 mins slow, 3 mins quick.
I then stretch and fold for 5 mins and straight into an air tight container.
My RT time I use is ‘up to balling’ time only.
I divide and weigh, fold 12 times into a tight ball and then pop into airtight proving boxes.
I could not be happier with my results and what doesn’t get use I bag separately and freeze.
Pitch
As an FYI this is the cheapest I've found Caputo Rosso Tipo 00 in the UK
https://fifostore.co.uk/products/cap...smart_campaign
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
Yep I've spent a lot of time looking at Neapolitan pizza dough recipes from Naples and basically if you put either Olive oil or sugar in the dough you should expect to find a horse's head on your doorstep the next day!
I've seen some American pizza dough recipes where they use honey instead of sugar to feed the yeast.
Went to one of the Chicago Pizza places a few years back, sorry name eludes but I was assured it was one of the originals... the thick crust was just tooo thick and heavy for my liking, like a cannon ball in the tummy after just 2 slices, not for me.
Made the pizzas using the dough recipe I posted earlier (most similar I guess to the method Raffe outlined). MUCH better than the fridge prove method, dough was nice and stretchy so I could have a really thin base but still a nice puffy crust full of air.
I'm still rubbish at shaping the pizza correctly so they were slightly square on one side but they were super delicious. Had margherita for one and then just mozzarella and Nduja on the other. Delicioso!