Pizza

Fresh moz and fresh veg will shed a lot of water onto the pizza. Dry your mozzarella in chunks on a tea towel the night before or get lower moisture mozzarella (the grated stuff in bags works, but is rubbish cheese). Not in the spirit of Neapolitan pizza, but cooking your sauce will also remove moisture.

Fewer toppings and less cheese is a good strategy, as they’re more likely too cook more and shed less water.

I let the mozzarella sit on a plate in the fridge to dry for a while before using it.

I have caputo blue one, I have allinson's easy bake (IDY) yeast. I have water, a fridge, a kitchen that probably doesn't go lower than 16 overnight and is between 19-23 during the day depending on solar gain.

Pizza party is friday 5pm.

What is the best dough recipe please o wise ones ? cooking will be via the medium of pan, gas hob and electric grill.

I love biga but maybe not the first go, this’ll sort ya...
https://www.notion.so/eightarmedpet/Pizza-b2f900500f8e46a1afe592df1058bf61

Thanks for the tips! I'll try drying out my mozzarella

Wicked - ta - done the stadler cold ferment one - in the fridge now.

If your using wet mozzarella, as said cut it up the night before and put in a sieve the night before covered in the fridge and the water will all drain out it.

Very pleased with tonight’s effort. Sourdough base and pan+grill method.

Another portion is slowly working in the fridge to be ready tomorrow evening for round 2....

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Any folks on here eat from Pizza Room, Mile End? Is it good? (Random q I know as I'm in mcr)

Nice,looooks yummmii :)

Never heard of it, but I really rate Yard sale

Thanks, I'll give that a go. Too much yeast, owing too the small amounts needed, and a too warm kitchen are both real possibilities. It rose a lot!

@le_james

I think 20 hours at room temp is probably too much. That's an overnight proof and I'd normally do that in the fridge followed by a warm proof of the dough balls.

20 hours room temp could be totally fine, it's entirely dependent on the quantity of yeast. Water temp will also play a role (as will flour and bowl temp, and friction factor if you want to get reyt fancy).

20 hrs is fine, but depends on temp of room and the amount if yeast. I do all my bulks at min 18 hrs.

Well the only thing I can really tell you about pizza (and the dough) is it takes repetition and practice to get your own system down. I do find it fun to talk about though.

I get a great silky proof with the following:

I follow the basic recipe of 4 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of active dried yeast for every kilogram of Caputo "00" flour which has been run through a sifter. I hydrate based on texture in a mechanical mixer. Usually takes about 10 minutes of slow mixing and about two and a half cups of water which works out to 60% hydration. Then I proof in our oven at 90° f for 5 hours bulk proof followed by 2 hours of the balls.

With regard to hydration the last few splashes of water really make a massive difference on the texture and how it pulls off the walls of the mixer bowl. So I really think there's a lot to be said from paying attention to the texture.

I just got a thicker stone for my Ooni so it hangs on to more heat and cooks from the bottom up a bit more. I use wood pellets.

It's all fun.

500g flour, 360ml water, teaspoon of salt and dried yeast, big splash of olive oil. In the mixer at lunchtime. Pizzas for dinner.
Shaped and prepped by the teens while I drink a negroni with the wife.
Not particularly fancy or authentic, but a solid and delicious Friday ritual.

This has been us since first lockdown -totally delicious and acceptable. now my wife invited guests and i've panicked and bought wanky flour and started the dough three days in advance. fuckin ell i dont even have an oooniiiiii. Will update tomorrow with the results - oh balls just see we out of pineapple . FML

Brave choice to change methods for guests! Good luck.

its like he didn't even listen to my above speech on repetition ;-)

It's owned by the people who own the cafe next door and they're Italian and the food from the cafe is good. So it's probably pretty decent, but it's in Mile End (I work there, normally) so expectations should be low 😂

Hmm - fear I have come unstuck already - used the stadler calculator and adjusted the fresh yeast to IDY giving less than a gram to 1.1kg of flour. Been in the fridge since wed night - not doing much - by contrast the ooni cold dough is more like 3g of IDY should I take it out now to try and get the yeast going more or have I fucked it ?

Dough has so many variables. Hydration, proving time, quantities, temperature, flour etc. It really is best to stick with what you know when guests are coming and to experiment when it’s just for yourself.

If it's doing nowt in the fridge, I'd make another dough as a backup, using the Ooni app for the measurements/timings. Hopefully the fridge dough will come to life with a bit more temp, but I wouldn't want to be stranded without any dough at all!

Let's talk white pizzas.

I've been doing this weird thing lately and it's great

Ricotta, dusting of shaved parm, one circle of olive oil at the edge, salt, lite pepper one crushed garlic clove and a reasonable amount thin sliced broccolini.

The parm cant be exposed to direct heat or it burns so it has to be in contact with either oil or ricotta.

Don't use too much ricotta. It's wet.