Pizza anyone?

[Big Guy]

Daughter #2 wanted some of Dads pizza. So here we go.

assemble some ingredients



proof the yeast



mix the dough. I don't follow a recipe , a little salt, sugar, oil, then add flour until it feels right.



form into a ball



let rest



flour board and roll out some dough



add the sauce and toppings




ready for the oven @ 450 for 15 minutes



ready to eat

[mitchamus]

nice job Big Guy - they look great!

I can't wait to make a pizza with my own pepperoni.

[Big Guy]

My own pepperoni, kielbasa, ham, Italian sausage, and pizza sauce from my own tomatoes, garlic and veggies.

[Snags]

I too got motivated


I usually go
3 cups flour,1tsp salt,1/2 tsp sugar,2 tsp yeast,about a cup and a bit of water.(I don't need to use warm water or pre rise the yeast it all happens at room temperature in the sub tropics)
Mix until a ball (dough hooks),oil bowl let stand for an hour or so until double and leave in the fridge for a few days(it develops the flavour)



x2
My mix makes 3 thin crust pizzas ( I will have the third tomorrow for lunch with prawn,bacon, olive, chilli, garlic, parsley)


Sacrilegious I know but I Newc the salami for 40 seconds on paper towel to remove a lot of the fat before cooking,just a health thingy I do it still gives me the flavour minus the extra fat.











On a side note I used hot chilli salami (Smallish Italian/Australian producer(cant wait to make my own)
The mozzarella is cows milk but again an Italian /Australian producer.
Parmessan was Australian (it won the best Parmessan in the world,I actually prefer it to the real Italian one)
and home made Napoli sauce.
I usually just use passatta or sugo and a little salt and dried oregano.
I think that gives it a fresher taste.
The Napoli tasted fantastic the next day for breakfast though.

As I had the oven on and the mixer out I made some biscotti to
2 types Goccio D Oro and Strega

[Snags]

Todays lunchtime Pizza
Bacon,Mushrooms, Prawns(green tiger), Garlic,Parsley,EV Olive Oil,Olives Chilli flakes and dried oregano,Parmesan and Mozzarella and Passatta.

It sounds like a lot of ingredients but just a small amount of each
It really is my favourite pizza at the moment.





So 3 pizzas from one batch of dough and one ball of Mozzarella
Tastes as good as the ones I had in Naples and way better than any you can buy around here.(or most of Australia)

[Big Guy]

Nice I'll take a slice.

[mitchamus]

Mmmm.

you guys have inspired me...I think I'll have to fire up the oven again soon!

[wheels]

Wow, it looks hot in there?

Phil

[mitchamus]

Wow, it looks hot in there?

YEP! - Oven should be somewhere between 380-450C

Depending on a few things like type of flour, hydration of the dough etc. AP flour and a lower hydration dough means you should use a lower temp. (high 300's)

For the flour I use, and around a 75% hydration - 400C is the sweet spot.

Anything above 450 - and you get a cremated bottom within about 30 seconds!

(I have a infrared gun type thermometer)

[wheels]

Superb, it's one of my longer term aims to build a whole unit in the garden with oven, bbq etc.

Phil

[Snags]

been constantly tweaking my pizza recipes .
I am totally addicted to tinned tomatoes mashed with a fork
I was using passatta but the tinned tomatoes just have an even fresher taste.
Just tinned toms and a bit of dried oregano then cheese
Been experimenting with that too
I got a more bourgeois version of mozzarella still Australian/Italian Family owned cheese relatively mass produced but a little less than the other wetter and less dried out than the previous one(it's a dollar dearer usually but was on special and the other one was sold out)
Will never go back
http://freshcheese.com.au/index.php?nav=Products

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM best ever

[grisell]

I made some pizza too. I don't have a fancy oven, so I tried my best anyway.

First the tomato sauce. One can of peeled tomatoes with liquid, mashed, diluted with a few tablespoons of water, enriched with a few tablespoons of tomato puree and seasoned with crushed garlic, dried basil, black pepper, salt and a pinch of sugar. A splash of olive oil to finish with. It's a good idea to start with the tomato sauce and leave it in room temperature for the flavors to develop while the dough is rising.



Then the dough. 150 cc lukewarm water, 100 cc flour, ½ tsp sugar and 50 g fresh yeast combined. Let rise for 30 minutes:



Then add another 300 cc lukewarm water, 1 litre flour and 2 tsp salt:



Knead and return to bowl.



Cover and let rise for another one hour. Roll out and put on trays. This makes two large pizzas with rather thick bottoms. Cover with tomato sauce and crumbled mozzarella (one 125 g-bag per pizza).





Pizza no 1: mushrooms, red and green pepper, spring onions, black olives. And some more olive oil, salt and pepper. 250 C/480 F for 12-14 minutes.



Before serving, added some prosciutto (home-made of course) and fresh basil.



Pizza no 2: canned tuna, mussels, red and green pepper, black olives, capers, jalapeños. And some more olive oil, salt and pepper. Same temp as above.





They came out delicious, but I guess you've figured that out by now...

[grisell]

I made some pizza too. I don't have a fancy oven, so I tried my best anyway.

First the tomato sauce. One can of peeled tomatoes with liquid, mashed, diluted with a few tablespoons of water, enriched with a few tablespoons of tomato puree and seasoned with crushed garlic, dried basil, black pepper, salt and a pinch of sugar. A splash of olive oil to finish with. It's a good idea to start with the tomato sauce and leave it in room temperature for the flavors to develop while the dough is rising.



Then the dough. 150 cc lukewarm water, 100 cc flour, ½ tsp sugar and 50 g fresh yeast combined. Let rise for 30 minutes:



Then add another 300 cc lukewarm water, 1 litre flour and 2 tsp salt:



Knead and return to bowl.



Cover and let rise for another one hour. Roll out and put on trays. This makes two large pizzas with rather thick bottoms. Cover with tomato sauce and crumbled mozzarella (one 125 g-bag per pizza).





Pizza no 1: mushrooms, red and green pepper, spring onions, sliced fresh tomato, black olives. And some more olive oil, salt and pepper. 250 C/480 F for 12-14 minutes.



Before serving, added some prosciutto (home-made of course) and fresh basil.



Pizza no 2: canned tuna, mussels, red and green pepper, black olives, capers, jalapeños. And some more olive oil, salt and pepper. Same temp as above.





They came out delicious, but I guess you've figured that out by now...

[JollyJohn]

Fantastic photos!

I'm making a pizza stand (round iron plate, with three legs and a curved handle over the top), to lower into my tandoori oven. http://www.barkerbayliss.co.uk/tandoori%20oven.htm
It gets up to 400c + easily, and will hold temperature for hours. I'm hoping to make some pepperoni this weekend, it's my first attempt, so fingers crossed. I can make either the dry cured, or the cooked version on Len Poli's site, which would you recommend on pizza?

John

[grisell]

Moderator: help! Double-posting again. Please remove the last one. And check your "edit" function. Instead of editing, it seems to duplicate the entry.

JollyJohn: I'd prefer dry-cured peperonis. Add them after you take the pizzas out of the oven, or they will get burnt. I wish I had one of those ovens, although you can make some great pizzas in ordinary ovens too; at least if they have a thick bottom. Thinner bottoms will just get mushy at the low temperatures you can attain in an ordinary oven (<300 C).