Pizza

[MullumMiss]

So a few weeks ago we bought a Gozney Roccbox pizza oven.  Its gas and is able to emulate wood fire cooking.  I have joined a few FB groups for ideas and recipes.  I bake sourdough bread so didn’t want to buy yeast for my pizza bases.  Its taken around half dozen goes and now finally I seem to have it.  I’ve become a self proclaimed ‘dough nerd’😄. Any other jwtalkers pizza makers out there interested in exchanging ideas/recipes?  

A few weeks ago we had a few friends over and had a good time cooking pizzas.  

[MullumMiss]

[Watching and Waiting]

Yes, yes, yes to the sharing!  We got an Ooni Pro spring of 2019 and it is a terrific way to get everyone in the game when having friends and family in.  Everyone likes to try their hand at making rolling out a pizza and who cares what it looks like, it all tastes good in the end and lots of fun. And you do get better at it! Was a boon during COVID, with outside cooking.  

 

Been thinking about making the sourdough pizza dough, as my daughter has a long running starter.  Would very much like to hear about your recipe and the nuances of sourdough vs. yeast.

 

One of my granddaughters ready to bake it:

 

[Watching and Waiting]

Pizza assembly line start, rolling out the dough.  Sauce and toppings were on another counter.

 

[Watching and Waiting]

Finished products, pizzas and stromboli, a takeoff on a hand pie we like from a pizza chain we used to frequent.

 

[MullumMiss]

Here is my outdoor set up.  Plus pic of my husband and another bro at our last get together.  

 

Edited February 3 by MullumMiss

[MullumMiss]

So Friday nights bases I made on Weds using brdclc.com as my calculator.  My goal was 4 x 300g  balls but they ended up being 280g.

My dough was 63%hydration but due to the starter feed it was around 66%.
2% salt, 17.7% levain

I fed 15g starter with 75g flour and 75g water.  I used a combo 60%Caputo pizzeria flour 40%rye.  It took around 4hrs to be ready and produced a little more than the 111g needed.

My recipe is:

667g flour

420g water 

13g salt

111g levain

I use a Kitchenaid and mixed on 2 for around 10-15 mins.  I then hand kneaded for around 5 mins.  I bulk fermented on bench for around 3 hrs with lift and fold after 1 hr then twice again every 45 mins.  Shaped into balls covered into fridge for 48hrs.  

After around 6 tries this is my best yet and hopefully this is what I will accomplish moving forward.  

We had 2 pizzas Friday night and I’m to do 2 more today.  

[Watching and Waiting]

Impressive and they look scrumptious.  Curious as to the 60% Caputo flour (I use the same w/best results of any I've tried) and the 40% rye flour? Just a flavor preference or ?  I wouldn't have thought of rye.

[MullumMiss]

7 minutes ago, Watching and Waiting said:

Impressive and they look scrumptious.  Curious as to the 60% Caputo flour (I use the same w/best results of any I've tried) and the 40% rye flour? Just a flavor preference or ?  I wouldn't have thought of rye.

Grain flours like rye or wholewheat really up the fermentation.  I tend to feed my bread starter with 50/50 white/rye and it loves it.  So when I branched out to pizza dough I decided to do similar.  Besides the levain containing rye the actual pizza dough though is 100% Caputo pizzeria.  

[Watching and Waiting]

I do remember reading something about that. So, I think I've got it, by the time you get to the dough stage, the % of rye isn't enough to impart flavor.  I've been toying with the idea of either starting my own starter, getting some from my daughter, or a commercial starter from a sourdough site I've been following, but since my daughter gives me fresh baked sourdough, you can see why I've been hesitant LOL. And also partly because over the years I've had starters for sourdough, fermented fruit pots for baking, etc. and they always got to be a bit much to keep up with, so I'm a little leary of getting into that mode again.  But if I have it right, I think I can hold/feed/hold/etc. in the fridge to keep it going, using the right percentages, and not be forced to do something with it constantly.  Am I correct?  Maybe you don't have that issue and bake without end!😅

[MullumMiss]

I bake bread maybe once every 3-4 weeks. My starter sits in the fridge until a day or so before I’m going to bake.  I take it out and feed it so its good to go to make my levain for my bread.  Effectively it gets fed twice.  The leftover levain becomes my new starter and the cycle begins again.  I save the discard and if I don’t get to use it I give away on marketplace.  There are always plenty of folk wanting to go on the sourdough journey without having to create their own starter.  The discard just needs feeding once or twice then its good to go.  I keep my pizza starter separate.  During covid I got heaps of sisters started on sourdough bread making.  

We got our pizza oven around 6 weeks ago and after around 6 attempts my dough is finally perfect.  On Weds I made 4 x balls.  We had pizza Friday night with 2 which left the other 2 still in the fridge.  Today for lunch I made Pizza Bianca.  I made a sauce of garlic,onion,fresh rosemary and olive oil. I topped it with mozzarella slices, a couple of broken bocconcini balls and sliced parmesan.  Once cooked topped with prosciutto and rocket (arugula).  It was delish.

[Watching and Waiting]

They all look delicious.  I love the fresh basil leaves from the garden as topping in season. My daughter just shot me a photo of Costco signage, King Arthur Neapolitan Pizza Flour, 5# @7.99, something new they are carrying.  King Arthur is a good product, but I haven't found anything to beat Caputo.  

 

Will add the Pizza Bianca recipe to my trove, sounds wonderful and a nice change from tomato-based sauce.  Thanks for all the pics!

[Qapla]

For some good information and recipes, you might want to check out this forum

https://www.pizzamaking.com/

[Dustparticle]

Basically a pizza (a large one) does not fill me. One time at a gathering I basically ate a whole pizza and got chew out by someone because of this. He CHEW me out at the wrong before I CHEW the whole pizza.

 

Also, pancakes does not fill me either. About 7 large ones will do, I think.

[Pabo]

15 hours ago, Dustparticle said:

Basically a pizza (a large one) does not fill me. One time at a gathering I basically ate a whole pizza and got chew out by someone because of this. He CHEW me out at the wrong before I CHEW the whole pizza.

 

Also, pancakes does not fill me either. About 7 large ones will do, I think.

 

Maybe he shouldn't make chocolate pizza's then.

 

I have no issues eating a large or family size pizza on my own, but it comes down how the pizza consists of such as what type of base, what fillings and how much filling as well. I find that I can eat large Pizza Hut, Dominoes or any other "big pizza franchise" with little issue, as I find these not filling and also, they seem to be a tad too salty to my liking. But when it comes to a pizza from the pizza parlour ran by a family business, where they take great pride and go to great lengths in putting flavour into their pizza, then I find that I eat less of theirs.

 

However, we tend to make our own pizzas by buying pre-made bases and putting whatever topping we feel like, or what we have at hand. We do have our favorite toppings and here as some of these which as done on thin and cripsy wholemeal or Toscan pizza base with a tomato paste (unless noted otherwise where we use BBQ sauce). We have a product here in Australia called "Perfect pizza cheese", which is blend of mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan. This cheese has the stringiness of mozzarella but the sharpness of parmesan and the bite of cheddar, which gives a fuller cheese flavour.

 

My wife's favorite - King prawns, pineapple pieces, diced onions, bocconcini, spinkle of pizza cheese on top and sweet chilli sauce swirled on top.

 

Italian style - Prosciutto, mushrooms, black olives (pitted or unpitted), sun-dried tomatoes, feta, chopped onions and basil leaves on top of a pizza cheese base.

 

Sausage galore - Chorizo, pepperoni, cabanossi, soppressa and Danish (or Italian) salami on a pizza cheese base.

 

Aussie pizza - sliced inch strips kangaroo minute steak, bacon strips, mushrooms, onion rings sliced, capsicum, tomatoes, pineapple pieces on a BBQ sauce base with a layer of pizza cheese.

 

Garlic and herb pizza - Garlic butter with extra garlic, bocconcini, sprinkled dried herbs (pizza thyme, lemon thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram and tarragon) on a plain pizza base (no tomato paste).

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 5 by Pabo

[Qapla]

Back when I was in my 20's I used to work for a chain-pizza store. We served thin-crust pizza, as did many chain stores of that era. Since part of working there included eating pizza without having to pay for it, I used to eat a 13" pizza every day. I did that for several years and never gained any weight - OH! to be young again and not have to worry about gaining or losing weight  

 

[Katty]

I've made home made pizza, with a home made crust. I don't think lettuce belongs on pizza though. Seems like it would get really soggy and yucky in the oven.
I like dried tomatoes, olives and mushrooms. I find those 'vegetables' (two fruits and a fungus really) go best with the tomato sauce. 

It's especially good if you find a recipe for olive garden style breadsticks and make a salad (which is where the lettuce belongs) with romaine, parmesan (or grana padano which is our favourite parmesan substitute as Ferb doesn't like parmesan) cherry tomatoes, bell pepper and a really good vinaigrette.

Then you pair it with a really good sauvignon blanc rose.
Sounds like the perfect dinner

[Qapla]

When I worked in a pizza place, we had a taco pizza. The lettuce was not cooked in the oven, it was added when the pizza came out and was ready to be served.

 

[Watching and Waiting]

Never have seen or eaten lettuce on pizza.  Perhaps it's being mistaken for fresh basil leaves in the photos, which are added post baking.   Really pizza lends itself to whatever your imagination can come up with.  Guess if someone loves lettuce on their pizza, so be it.

 

I love sliced yellow pepperoncini and my kids and grandkids have also adopted that taste.  We go through industrial size jars of them for our pizzas and stromboli.  Others turn their nose up at them.  It's just something we love and everyone has something they 'love' on pizza.  

 

One thing I cannot abide on my pizza is anchovies.  I can eat them all day long on the side, but on my pizza?? NO THANKS!  To me it makes the whole thing taste fishy!  But someone else may love that taste.  Isn't the variety that Jehovah gave us such fun!!

[MullumMiss]

4 hours ago, Qapla said:

When I worked in a pizza place, we had a taco pizza. The lettuce was not cooked in the oven, it was added when the pizza came out and was ready to be served.

 

Back in the 80s there was a new trend gourmet pizza as opposed to chain store and Italian type pizza.  We lived in Sydney on the northern beaches and a restaurant opened on Dee Why beach.  They made asian chicken, seafood and various vegetarian pizzas.  They also opened one at Parramatta in the west.  I liked them back then but still liked the little Italian one we got take away from.  My go to was ham and pineapple with chilli, which I know many die hard pizza eaters do not like pineapple on pizza.  My husbands was capricciosa.  So we got 1/2 and 1/2.  

[MullumMiss]

8 minutes ago, Watching and Waiting said:

Never have seen or eaten lettuce on pizza.  Perhaps it's being mistaken for fresh basil leaves in the photos, which are added post baking.   Really pizza lends itself to whatever your imagination can come up with.  Guess if someone loves lettuce on their pizza, so be it.

 

I love sliced yellow pepperoncini and my kids and grandkids have also adopted that taste.  We go through industrial size jars of them for our pizzas and stromboli.  Others turn their nose up at them.  It's just something we love and everyone has something they 'love' on pizza.  

 

One thing I cannot abide on my pizza is anchovies.  I can eat them all day long on the side, but on my pizza?? NO THANKS!  To me it makes the whole thing taste fishy!  But someone else may love that taste.  Isn't the variety that Jehovah gave us such fun!!

Agree, lettuce no thanks.  What are yellow pepperoncini and stromboli?  We probably have same but different name here down under.  My husband loves anchovies either on the side or on the pizza.  Because I don’t he usually has them on the side.  I don’t mind white anchovies though either on or the side.  I love artichokes on pizza.  

[BLEmom]

I started making sourdough. Managed a couple of nice loaves. Problem is I want to eat them and I’m trying to lose weight. Ugh!!!

Havent tried doing a pizza yet. If and when I do, it will be a vegan one. 

[careful]

i just started making sourdough also!

[Watching and Waiting]

On 2/6/2024 at 11:30 AM, MullumMiss said:

What are yellow pepperoncini and stromboli?

 

Sliced mild pickled chili peppers

 

 

Think calzone that is rolled up 'cinnamon roll style' with sauce, toppings, cheeses, etc. inside and sealed-it's a stromboli.  You might call it something else. 

 

Yummy and they bake well in the pizza oven, as long as you keep them individual sized and don't get too crazy with toppings inside.  Then you end up with a doughy center.  Takes some practice, but worth it.

 

[Katty]

On 2/6/2024 at 2:58 PM, Qapla said:

When I worked in a pizza place, we had a taco pizza. The lettuce was not cooked in the oven, it was added when the pizza came out and was ready to be served.

 

that probably could work, especially if it's a thin crust made almost like a tortilla.