Pizza

[ocnbrze]

who doesn't like pizza? i love pizza!!!!!

now i want to learn how to make my own pizza dough. i can cook, but i really do not like to mess around with flour. making pizza dough is much like baking which i am not very good at. cooking you can make something up without any precision. making dough of any kind is very calculated. the wrong measurements can screw up the dough.....so....this is my hold up.

but i like challenges so this thread is for anybody who likes pizza and wants tips and tricks on how to make your own pizza. this thread is where you can share recipes and techniques as well as how you cook the pizza.

so this brings me to equipment. i am currently eying this one:

Dome

Make wood-fired cooking easy with the Dome, the world’s most versatile outdoor oven.

us.gozney.com

as you can see it is not cheap. it sells for $1999.00 and the stand is another $300!!! but damn does it not look good?

any ways lets talk pizza!!!!!!!

 

[ocnbrze]

i was also interested in the Ooni Karu 16

Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven

The Ooni Karu 16 Pizza Oven is the complete outdoor cooking experience. Large cooking surface, multi-fuel, heated in 15 minutes and cooks pizza in 90 seconds.

ooni.com

it goes for $799.00 so its much cheaper than the Dome. it does not have a stand so it will have to go up on my outdoor counter top, but i really like using that space for when i am using the grills that i have.

 

[olbriar]

I love pizza but unfortunately my wife does only extremely low to no carbs. I could never justify a designated cooker for making pizzas. I've never smoked one in my smoker and I've heard they are excellent. I bet a pizza oven would be fun and definitely a great entertainment tool. As for making your own crust, I wouldn't think it could be that difficult. I was into baking breads years ago and it was only a matter of following instructions. There is nothing quite matching the flavors of home made bread and I suspect it would hold true to a pizza crust. And exact measurements don't have to be exact on pizza crust. I use to buy a box pizza mix that made two 12" pies. I found that I could add additional flour and water and make three pies. They might have been more on the thin and crispy side vs pan style but it worked great for my family. I am shooting from the hip about deviating from the instructions and having success.. it might not ring true for all recipes. My point is... dive in. Have fun. I have faith that you will both enjoy making and eating your efforts.

 

[AugieTN]

I serious thought about a pizza oven, but there are just too many authentic Italian pizza places in Chicago, like the pizza I got in Italy. 12" pizza $18 to $22. Here's the one I got in Italy

 

[ocnbrze]

the other issue is which recipe to follow. there are many different ways to make the pizza dough.....including which kind of flour to use. there is bread flour, all purpose, bleached and unbleached flour......its a little bit overwhelming at the moment. i guess i just need to pick one and go from there.

if anything i might try this one from one of my favorite cooking youtuber:

i might even try making my own mozzarella according to the video.

while i save up for my own oven, i might try this recipe and just cook it on woodfire grill

 

[AugieTN]

I admire your desire to make your own dough. I'm sure it will be a lot of trial and error until you find one you really like. The few times we have made our own pizza, we just bought the Pillsbury pizza dough at the grocery store: Pillsbury™ Classic Pizza Crust

 

[olbriar]

I would pick a recipe that seemed the easiest to start out. Buy just a small bag of flour you need and give it a go. Or google search the ingredients used in a commercially available pizza parlor pie you like and and then use that flour.

 

[olbriar]

I admire your desire to make your own dough. I'm sure it will be a lot of trial and error until you find one you really like. The few times we have made our own pizza, we just bought the Pillsbury pizza dough at the grocery store: Pillsbury™ Classic Pizza Crust

I've tried a pie crust in a wrap bag in the biscuit area of the grocery store. It's not terrible but it is rectangular.
The box mix I used years ago was Chef Boyardee. They quit selling in a long time ago but have brought the product back.
The reviews say that they have eliminated the cheese blend completely that was great tasting and they have ruined the sauce that was really good as well. I've not seen the product in my local market but I'll not be looking for it now.

 

[ocnbrze]

I admire your desire to make your own dough. I'm sure it will be a lot of trial and error until you find one you really like. The few times we have made our own pizza, we just bought the Pillsbury pizza dough at the grocery store: Pillsbury™ Classic Pizza Crust

its the chef in me. i have never been a chef. but i was a line cook for Roy's - Pacific Rim Cuisine and i am a graduate from Home | Le Cordon Bleu

so i try and make things authentically as much as possible when i cook. the school did not have a pizza class which i would have loved to have taken. i guess its too much Italy as the school is French in its cooking technique.

yes and the trial and error will be whether i spend high dollars on an oven or not. i'll practice with my new woodfire grill and see how that goes for now. if i am up to it, i might try over the weekend and see how it goes.

 

[olbriar]

yes and the trial and error will be whether i spend high dollars on an oven or not. i'll practice with my new woodfire grill and see how that goes for now. if i am up to it, i might try over the weekend and see how it goes.

I hope you have the chance to give it a go... and let us know how it turns out.

 

[Dannydet]

I made pizzas back in the day when I first started working, in multiple authentic Italian restaurants. And each one had their own pizza dough recipe. Unfortunately I never bothered to write these down. And yes, each one had it's own taste and texture. I wish I could be of more help!

 

[Milo Williamson]

I used to make pizza and dough almost every Sunday, home made, I remember once doing by memory at a random time, when I did not had to worry about my side occupation or anything of that letterhead, it is a quick and I add yeast to a large bowl, usually the mixing one we have around the house, I add water,stirr it up for a bit, throw a towel over it to let it rise up for a bit, and kneed it with flour on the marbel table we have in the kitchen, and preheat the oven..
We have a box of Chef Boyardee from the food pantry just sitting in the closet still..
I might attempt to make that soonish though.. I throw in like a few cheese, and tomato with a few this and that on it every spell.


But now these days we had Pappa Murphy's Special about every Tues.

 

[ocnbrze]

can anybody recommend a good pizza cookbook? i'm thinking of running down to my local bookstore and see what kind of pizza books they have.

 

[treb1797]

What's a bookstore?

 

[Milo Williamson]

What's a bookstore?

Let me say.. it is a place of where books sleep at night, filled with wonders and imagination.

 

[treb1797]

Save a tree...the Internet is free...

I recommend: www.delish.com for your recipe needs.

 

[ocnbrze]

Save a tree...the Internet is free...

I recommend: www.delish.com for your recipe needs.

Nope I'm a book lover. I love physical books. There's nothing like walking into either a bookstore or library. The smell of books is intoxicating to me.

 

[Unforgiven]

This is the dough recipe I started with and mostly follow:

Pizza Crust

If you like pizza with a deep golden brown, crispy crust, bake on a baking stone. Make this pizza crust recipe today with King Arthur Baking.

www.kingarthurbaking.com

It's King Arhur flour, so one of the best.

As far as a pizza book, I can't see the benefit. You have a crust, a sauce, toppings, and cheese. Just mix and match. If you really want books I'd be more inclined to get a bread making book and a sauce book and tailor recipes from those to making your own perfect pie.

I'm making it up as I go this weekend (crust aside) making a bunch of pies. My pizza oven is only 13" so I'll make a lot of small pies. I plan on chicken bacon ranch, BBQ chicken, Buffalo Chicken, Hawaiian, and traditional cheese and pepperoni.

• CBR - a light coating of ranch dressing, grilled chicken, bacon, and cheese
• BBQ Chicken - Stubbs BBQ, chicken, and cheese
• Buffalo chicken - Franks Red Hot sauce cut with butter, grilled chicken, and cheese
• Hawaiian - marinara, pineapple, ham, bacon, and cheese
• Plain and pepperoni are pretty self explanatory

I also have an idea for a breakfast pizza, inspired by a pizza I had on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, which was had a fried egg right in the center. I'm thinking of a real light marinara, thin slice tomatoes, some crumbled bacon, and a couple raw eggs, the cook it up on a crust like a regular pizza. Worst case, it's terrible, but I'll have tried it and found out.

FWIW, here is my pizza oven. Nothing real fancy and under $200

 

[AugieTN]

The first time I had a pizza in Paris it came with an over easy egg in the middle, and the yolk ran all over the pizza and I hate over easy eggs.

 

[Unforgiven]

The first time I had a pizza in Paris it came with an over easy egg in the middle, and the yolk ran all over the pizza and I hate over easy eggs.

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. It was delicious for me, though completely unexpected. I didn't speak the language, so I pointed to something on the menu and that was what came out.

 

[Hadron]

The first time I had a pizza in Paris it came with an over easy egg in the middle, and the yolk ran all over the pizza and I hate over easy eggs.

"Over easy" isn't a term we use on this side of the Pond, so had to look it up. It seems an unusual way of adding an egg to a pizza: most places I know would just crack the raw egg onto the pizza before putting it in the oven and letting it cook.

Making a basic pizza dough is very simple. I just use my basic bread dough recipe but use olive oil as the fat (I'm actually going to do some today), though some pizzarias definitely do better dough than others.

I'm not a purist when it comes to toppings, so basically whatever you fancy. When my son was young he said that his favourite foods were onion bhaji and pizza, so the next pizza I made had onion bhaji on it (onion and spices both work well on pizza, so I never had any doubt that this would work). I do rather like some chilli on a pizza (chopped chillis in oil are a standard condiment in the pizzarias I visit most), and a soft cheese like ricotta can go well with that, providing cool bits mixed with the heat.

 

[ocnbrze]

one idea i had is a mexican pizza with mole sauce. i just need to either find an already made mole sauce, learn to make it, or ask a local mexican restaurant and buy some sauce from them. the mole will be the base that i add chorizo, oaxaca and queso cheese. for the veggies mushrooms, poblano peppers and onions..


but first i have to learn how to make the dough. don't know why it seems so daunting to me. i'm going to pickup the supplies later today, make the dough tonight, let it rest and proof overnight in the fridge, and make the pizza tomorrow. it will be just your basic Neapolitan pizza (tomato sauce, fresh mozz, and basil. just to start. i'll get more adventurous from there.

 

[Unforgiven]

but first i have to learn how to make the dough. don't know why it seems so daunting to me.

IMO its because it is the hardest part. I'm still getting used to / better at the dough, particularly going from a ball of dough to a pizza crust. You will probably struggle and may even fail the first time. Don't worry. One: The ingredients are cheap. Two: It takes practice. Three: Don't worry about getting it looking perfectly round either.

 

[ocnbrze]

IMO its because it is the hardest part. I'm still getting used to / better at the dough, particularly going from a ball of dough to a pizza crust. You will probably struggle and may even fail the first time. Don't worry. One: The ingredients are cheap. Two: It takes practice. Three: Don't worry about getting it looking perfectly round either.

i prefer it not be round.....looks more rustic.

just thought of another pizza where i take my smoked salmon that i will make from my woodfire grill, make a lemon/dill pesto as my base and add either cream cheese or mozz or both......kind of my take on lox and cream cheese bagel.

 

[ocnbrze]

ok so my first try at pizza dough was a disaster. i first used cold water to hydrate the dough. this slowed the yeast from fermenting the dough properly. this led to my second mistake. i did not let the dough rest enough. using cold water i should have let the dough rest longer before i proof it over night. so what happened was a very dense dough and which made it hard to form the pizza. i am going to try again this weekend. maybe try a different recipe.