RR's Pizza madness

rosso reefo

rosso reefo

pizza mystro
Howdy Pizza fans..
first off before I get into this I want to explain my passion for Pizza..
I'll never forget my first slice of Brooklyn pizza back in 1964 after eating nothing but Totinos frozen pizza that my Mom use to serve me..
I was hooked!!
since then I have had pizza in Italy,France,Holland,Brazil,Asia and probally 20 out of 50 states..
A persons definition of a good pizza comes from acquired taste and what style you like..to me it has always been NYC and Italy..a deepdish Chicago pie can be excelent but it's not what I like compared to NY style..
I started making pizza at home about 25 years ago in CA always trying to duplicate the crust of a NY pizza..it has only been untill recently that I discovered pizza dough and bread dough are two different animals all together..do a search on the net..all the pizza recipes are made with bread dough even by the top TV chefs..I always have to snicker when I see these guys make a pizza..the only way I could have real pizza was to go to NYC but I must say California has greatly improved from the Dominos,pizza hut crap in the 70s and 80s... I live in a remote area and all hopes of a really good pizza went down the tube..I couldn't make what I liked and everything else sucked..
but then about 2 years ago I discovered pizzamaking.com
it changed my life:D and then all of a sudden the pizza bug bit me..
I experimented making sometimes 3 pizzas a day..I learned about hydration,yeast,methods,types of ovens,starters and the list goes on and on..you would think something as simple as pizza would be easy but it's a science..there are 100s of variables to making a pizza dough..
to me the dough is number one..the sauce,cheese and toppings is easy..
In the past 2 years after making 100s of pizzas and many,many failures I've finally achieved what to me is the perfect pizza and I want to share it with you..your first tries might not be successful but I promise it'll be better then any local place unless you live in a pizza friendly area..
I'm rambling to much so here we go..:pizza2:

My favorite flour is King Authur bread flour if you can find it but any good bread flour will work..I've done alot of research on flour and you'd be amazed at how crappy flour effects your dough..you need flour with high protein..
I use a scale to get my exact measurements..even an extra gram of water or flour will change the feel of your dough..
kosher salt or seasalt is a must..
use bottled water..
I like regular active bread yeast for conenience..I've tried making my own starter but its like a friggin growroom..you have to be at home all the time to tend to it:pizza:
 
here's the recipe that has finally worked for me..
686 grams of flour
432 grams of water
half a teaspoon of yeast
9 grams of salt
2 teaspoons of corn oil

disolve the salt into the water and add 3/4 of the flour mixed with the yeast into the water..with the paddle on your kitchenaid blend for 2 minutes..it's going to be a sticky mess but this is good..now cover your bowl and let it rest for 20 minutes..
 
after the 20 minutes it's time to add the rest of your flour..
I use the paddle and just stir it in by hand..then I switch over to the dough hook..
get the dough hook cranking on the KA on number 1 setting and do not over mix..I run it for about 8 minutes at the most and in the last 2 minutes I add my corn oil..
the reason for this is if you over knead it it breaks down the structure of the flour and becomes more like bread dough..also the reason for letting it sit for 20 minutes is to let the dough hydrate and if you add the oil in to early it causes your dough to over heat when it's mixing..
I want it to read at 80 degrees when it's done..
 
ahh!!! much better:D
the dough looks great but now needs to be knead for about 2 minutes by hand..this is where you have to learn how the feel of the dough should be..sprinkle very little flour on your board and knead it by folding it over and then turning and folding again..you want it elastic and wet but not so wet that it sticks to the board or your hands..you also don't want to add to much more flour or your dough won't rise as nice..basically youre looking at 60% hydration to the flour ratio..
 
now cover the dough for 5 minutes to let it rest..
it's time to divide into 3 now..I like to weigh it so that each piece is even..this dough will give me 3 12 inch pizzas..
you'll need 3 rubbermaid containers like in the picture coated with a very small amount of corn oil..I just use a papertowel to rub it on..this helps to keep the dough from sticking in the containers..
curl the dough up with your hands to form a ball..
 
now cover the containers with your lids and into the fridge it goes for at least 24 hours for the cold fermentation process..
this dough can last for up to 4 days in the fridge..
 
this is what the dough looks like after 24 hours..it's very soft an wet..just perfect..
now lightly flour your board and gently sprinkle a small amount of flour on your dough..
with your finger tips work the dough out from the center so you can begin to toss..
I'm not perfect at tossing so I just use my fists and let gravity stretch it out for me..
never use a rolling pin..
I can get this dough so thin that I can read the newspaper through it but don't get it that thin..
I like a thick crust on the outside of my pizza but very thin towards the center..
 
I like useing parchment paper..it makes thing easier to take in an out of the oven..
now comes the toppings..with a dough this good all you need is tomatoe sauce and a good Mozzarella..you can just use good whole peeled tomatoes from the can..puree them and then let it drain in strainer to get most of the water out or make your own which I normally do unless I'm in a hurry..
 
go easy on the sauce and cheese..you want the crust of your pizza to be the main attraction..if I add mushrooms,onions and peppers I like to saute them alittle first to get some of the water out..ya don't want water floating on top of your pizza..
 
now comes the most important part..HEAT!! and lots of it..
most of my failures came from not enuff heat..
my Viking oven only goes up to 550 degrees..I was still able to make decent pizza but not that perfectly charred crust that I like..you want the dough crisp and chewy yet light with pockets of air and bubbles around the edge..
even with pizza stones and leaving my oven on for 2 hours I couldn't get it right..
than I tried my propane weber and was able to get up to 600 degrees..much better but not perfect..
I finally found something called 2stone..it's an amazing invention with only 300 made so far..it's designed to trap heat from your BBQ so that you can get heat up to 900 degrees..a pizza perfect should cook in only 3 minutes..
in my oven it took 10 minutes but now with my 2stone it's done in under 3 minutes..charred crispy perfection..
I hope everyone enjoys this post..if any questions feel free to ask..I've only touched on the basics here..
don't forget to sprinkle some trichomes on top:pizza2:
 
rosso, thank you. Obviously you are very serious about your pizza. It seems that you have mastered the art. I love pizza, prefer thin crust like you and I must say that your pizza looks fantastic. I can almost taste it! I will try your recipe. Looked up the 2stone pizza grill. Rather expensive but I must restate that your results look fantastic. Thank you again for all the info. Very well presented by the way. GO
 
WOWIE ZOWIE! That looks so good! I don't have a dough hook (just a portable mixer), but will muddle through and bake in my propane BBQ on a pizza stone. Thanks for the recipe! :up:

Should I put the stone on the grill or top shelf (since heat rises and apparently the hotter the better for pizza?) TIA
 
That looks so good!

I love pizza! But wheat doesn't like me.... I miss pizza.

Great how to! Thanks.
 
hiya rr;

gotta love the za!

glad to see you worked out the the crust you've searched for. my only caveat is w/the use of fresh mozz. sometimes the high water content of fresh mozz will ruin the crust. i have used a combination of aged mozz, bel paise, & pecorino romano for the cheese base & parm regianno as a sprinkle in the last 2 min of cooking. it will allow a full development of the crust w/out water seepage that can occurr.

i'd recommend that anybody who can check out the grilled pizza @ alforno in prov, ri. joanne spent a couple of years studying in italy, & lived w/a family that owned a small restaurant. she & george defveloped a pizza which is closer to some of the original neopolitan pizza, made before the development of good ovens. it's not what many americans recognize, but it has its roots in tradition & really is tasty as hell. while you're in providence,n there's a restaurant named addesso that has an egyptian guy making pizza & pita in a fabulous oven made in italy & assembled on site. if ali is there eat pizza. if he's not go to his small place in newport in the summer.


maybe we'll be able to share a pie before to long, hopefully.

bon apetit!
A
 
hey GO..the 2stone is pricey but well worth it..I'm very happy with it..I didn't think it would work as good as it does..I cooked a pizza in 2 minutes last night and the crust was perfect..
next year when I have the money I want to get a Beehive oven..
check this baby out..it goes for $1500..
I can still use the 2stone for camping and picnics..

your right about the fresh mozz Baron but if you pat it try with a towel and cook your pizza at a very high temp you'll have no water issues..
 
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