Pizza

There's a recipe along the lines of what @dancing james describes here.

https://gozney.com/blogs/recipes/fennel-sausage-broccoli-pizza-recipe

The marinaded broccoli is excellent.

It should really be friarielli but it’s quite hard to come by.

@metrocammell used to have some pickled by his grandmother iirc

Italian delis may have canned or jarred friarielli - e.g. https://www.adimaria.co.uk/italian-foods-1/pulses-other/friarielli-in-oil-800g - but sauteed rainbow chard or other bitter greens work equally well.

edited: does anyone here use a pizza TURNING peel? should I get one? how do you choose size?

A turning peel or a pizza peel?

I use a 30cm wide wooden peel for launching and retrieving, you'd want that about as wide as your oven so it doesn't limit max size but still fits inside. And then a 20cm diameter stainless turning peel, that doesn't need to be as big as your pizzas as you only need to get under about half of it, I think a smaller size might actually work better for a bit more maneuverability.

doh, i meant turning.

Yeah you should get one, saves taking it out of the oven to turn it. It’s satisfying when you get the hang of the action. Think mine’s about 150mm.

Yeah I think it’s essential, also means if the pizza bursts you can clean it easy.

Turning a pizza is also best with one too, no fuckin about when you get use to it

I think its safe to say I regret the 49 years I spent on this planet before discovering what poolish was.

Also Topps Tiles 61x30.5 Carrera marble tile samples for £15.50 let you laugh at 70% dough

As a pastry slab thing? Good call - may have to investigate...

Get a £10 laser thermometer off Amazon and take the guesswork out.

In a cheapy cast iron Lidl frying pan I put the dough in at 200-225c and set timer for 3 mins as I top it and turn heat down to stop dough or flour scorching, then under grill at 250c + for 3-4 minutes depending on how the cheese holds up.

The thermometer is good for basic stuff like “is this pan hot enough to fry my halloumi so it doesn’t just steam and bubble?”

Yep used some adhesive felt blocks from the poundshop that act as floor protectors to stop it slipping about. Steel dough scraper from Nisbets to complement

italian deli here does a mozz, friarielli, and mushroom sandwich - it's unseemly

Cheers, I have one of those. Pan was getting to about 300C on the not so hot hob setting which is still a fair bit hotter than you are suggesting so maybe I'll try a bit cooler.

I'm already excited for the pizza party on Saturday. I rented a gas Ooni and even scored Caputo Nuvola!
My plans are 40% poolish 62% hydration dough with the Nuvola and 40% poolish 65% hydration with Cuoco. Anything else I should consider? Would appreciate all the pro tips for the Ooni, too

Don’t make two doughs unless you want @andyp to start whingeing

Try it all out before the party.

I would keep it simple and do a straightforward 24hr room temp prove at 60% hydro.

I’ve been doing 65% hydro fridge overnighters quite often for the last 2-3 months now so I’m quite confident to not screw that up.
I have 1kg Nuvola so that will end up in a poolish dough, the rest I’ll see then but I’m quite tempted to try another poolish with Cuoco

@dubtap has triggered me with his admirable poolish worship.

Probably the wrong thread to grumble about this but why the world has gone so sourdough crazy at the expense of all other breads is mystifying to me. All those people who only eat sourdough...missing out on hundreds of different kinds of bread made using poolish, bigga etc.

If people put as much time and effort into their yeast based breads as their sourdough, perhaps they'd feel differently. Because that's the secret ingredient that turns good bread into great bread....time.

Feel free to replace the word bread with pizza.

Soooo, pizza party was great fun!
We had some difficulties setting the right temperature in the beginning but the pizzas done right were incredibly tasty. I don't think I can go back to non-poolish pizza anymore.
Also a tip for people who are also thinking of throwing a pizza party: don't underestimate how many people are unfamiliar with stretching and topping. It was a pain to get rid of the ripped pizzas from the stone

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What I have been asking myself while kneading 4kg dough, why not ferment the whole dough for longer instead of doing the poolish?

It’s a practical reason for me, I can’t fit the full dough in the fridge to retard the rising when it’s warm, so do the poolish for 24hrs then ferment the final mix at room temp after that.

Pizza kitchen is in the works…

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