Jauronimo Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 No knead dough is pretty damn good. Any variation on Jim Lahey's (trailer park supervisor and master baker) no knead dough will get you good results. The version below with 00 flour got me best results. http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2015/01/05/best-pizza-youll-ever-make/ Dough is so temperamental and frustrating. Working with this dough requires a few tries.
BringBackFergy Posted October 5, 2017 Author Posted October 5, 2017 No knead dough is pretty damn good. Any variation on Jim Lahey's (trailer park supervisor and master baker) no knead dough will get you good results. The version below with 00 flour got me best results. http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2015/01/05/best-pizza-youll-ever-make/ Dough is so temperamental and frustrating. Working with this dough requires a few tries. This recipe looks promising. I've made the no-knead bread in a cast iron dutch oven before and it is always delicious (nice voids/air pockets, crusty, flavorful) so the same rule applies for the pizza dough. I'm a little hesitant to preheat to 550 degrees and then use the broiler function. Do you follow that step (broil) as opposed to bake?
Jauronimo Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 This recipe looks promising. I've made the no-knead bread in a cast iron dutch oven before and it is always delicious (nice voids/air pockets, crusty, flavorful) so the same rule applies for the pizza dough. I'm a little hesitant to preheat to 550 degrees and then use the broiler function. Do you follow that step (broil) as opposed to bake? I did both. Pre-heated to 550 then broiled for a few minutes before sliding my pie into the oven. Not sure I noticed much of a difference from just baking at 550. I turned the broiler on to get more color on my top crust and brown some cheese. I'm thinking about getting a baking steel and using that as the cooking surface and keep my stone on the rack above. That's supposed to be as close as you can get to turning your home oven into a pizza oven.
ExiledInIllinois Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 I did both. Pre-heated to 550 then broiled for a few minutes before sliding my pie into the oven. Not sure I noticed much of a difference from just baking at 550. I turned the broiler on to get more color on my top crust and brown some cheese. I'm thinking about getting a baking steel and using that as the cooking surface and keep my stone on the rack above. That's supposed to be as close as you can get to turning your home oven into a pizza oven. What's a baking steel? So in other words, pizza on steel and stone above to trap the heat around? How far above? I wonder if they make some sort of insert?
BringBackFergy Posted October 5, 2017 Author Posted October 5, 2017 What's a baking steel? So in other words, pizza on steel and stone above to trap the heat around? How far above? I wonder if they make some sort of insert? https://shop.bakingsteel.com/collections/steels/products/baking-steel I'm wondering about the size at 16" x 14"...doesn't seem large enough if you want to make a decent sized pizza (or two small ones). I'll keep looking
Jauronimo Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 What's a baking steel? So in other words, pizza on steel and stone above to trap the heat around? How far above? I wonder if they make some sort of insert? Its a sheet of stainless steel ideally 3/4" thick that you can use to bake bread, pizzas, or even sear steaks. Super conductive. The stone is positioned about 6 to 8 inches above. The stone stores heat well and throws a bit of that infrared spectrum at your food as opposed to just convection. That's the concept anyway.
ExiledInIllinois Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 Thanks! Gonna try! Oh... If your oven is convection, should you use that?
frostbitmic Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 I usually just buy frozen bread dough, take it out of the freezer in the morning, pour a little olive oil over the top and cover it with plastic wrap all day. For sauce I just use Pellicano's Northern Italian pizza sauce (made in Buffalo) I always make two pizza's because my wife and one daughter are vegetarians while my other daughter and I are carnivores. The veggie pizza usually has shrooms, black olives and artichoke hearts and my meatza usually has pepperoni, Ital sausage and sweet peppers. Sometimes to annoy all of them I'll make what my wife calls a sacrilegious pizza and put pineapple on it. We also use shredded mozzarella, romano and asiago cheeses It's easy and tastes great.
ExiledInIllinois Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 For my vegetarian daughter we make polenta pizza.
SDS Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 You want an easy sauce?Just crush a big can of San Marzano tomatoes, drain and add some salt. Done. Works well for Margherita pizzas. Just slice some buffalo mozzarella and add basil leaves at the end. We also use a baking steel instead of stone (bakingsteel.com). Cooks each pizza WAY faster and allows a better crust where you get that light and dark mottled bottom that isn't burned, but yet fully cooked. Screw making your dough. We get the pre-made stuff from the store that comes on it's own parchment paper.
BringBackFergy Posted October 5, 2017 Author Posted October 5, 2017 You want an easy sauce? Just crush a big can of San Marzano tomatoes, drain and add some salt. Done. Works well for Margherita pizzas. Just slice some buffalo mozzarella and add basil leaves at the end. We also use a baking steel instead of stone (bakingsteel.com). Cooks each pizza WAY faster and allows a better crust where you get that light and dark mottled bottom that isn't burned, but yet fully cooked. Screw making your dough. We get the pre-made stuff from the store that comes on it's own parchment paper. Like Tom's suggestion above, this sounds too easy and good to be true. I'm a sucker for a sweet sauce so I end up adding a tbsp of sugar (or two if it's a large batch of sauce) but I never remember that tomatoes are sweet after they cook awhile so that might be my problem if it comes out too sweet. No doubt store bought is easy and the one I tried last night that Gugny referenced was excellent...but that 24 hour no-knead recipe above is worth trying I think (just requires more planning days in advance which is sometimes tough to remember in the midst of autumn school sports, activities, etc)
SDS Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 Like Tom's suggestion above, this sounds too easy and good to be true. I'm a sucker for a sweet sauce so I end up adding a tbsp of sugar (or two if it's a large batch of sauce) but I never remember that tomatoes are sweet after they cook awhile so that might be my problem if it comes out too sweet. No doubt store bought is easy and the one I tried last night that Gugny referenced was excellent...but that 24 hour no-knead recipe above is worth trying I think (just requires more planning days in advance which is sometimes tough to remember in the midst of autumn school sports, activities, etc) It has to be San Marzano tomatoes. Read up on them. http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-deal-14-16365
DC Tom Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 Like Tom's suggestion above, this sounds too easy and good to be true. I'm a sucker for a sweet sauce so I end up adding a tbsp of sugar (or two if it's a large batch of sauce) but I never remember that tomatoes are sweet after they cook awhile so that might be my problem if it comes out too sweet. No doubt store bought is easy and the one I tried last night that Gugny referenced was excellent...but that 24 hour no-knead recipe above is worth trying I think (just requires more planning days in advance which is sometimes tough to remember in the midst of autumn school sports, activities, etc) It's not my preferred sauce (I hate tomatoes - it's a texture thing. To use canned tomatoes, I'd have to stew them anyway). But that'll work pretty well. Really, any tomato-based sauce comes down to getting the thickness and spices right. And for pizza sauce, thickness is pretty damned easy ("not too watery.") It has to be San Marzano tomatoes. Read up on them. http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-deal-14-16365 I thought it was a brand, rather than a type. I'll have to try them.
Gugny Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 You want an easy sauce? Just crush a big can of San Marzano tomatoes, drain and add some salt. Done. Works well for Margherita pizzas. Just slice some buffalo mozzarella and add basil leaves at the end. We also use a baking steel instead of stone (bakingsteel.com). Cooks each pizza WAY faster and allows a better crust where you get that light and dark mottled bottom that isn't burned, but yet fully cooked. Screw making your dough. We get the pre-made stuff from the store that comes on it's own parchment paper. Do you mean pre-formed, uncooked pizza crusts? Or balls of premade dough?
SDS Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 Do you mean pre-formed, uncooked pizza crusts? Or balls of premade dough? We get the pre-formed ones. I tried the dough balls and there isn't enough flour or cornmeal in the world to get me to do that again. Could not manage getting it off my peel without making the kitchen a disaster. The pre-made ones we have in our store are fine with the family and they come with a parchment incorporated. Easy peezy.
Augie Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 We get the pre-formed ones. I tried the dough balls and there isn't enough flour or cornmeal in the world to get me to do that again. Could not manage getting it off my peel without making the kitchen a disaster. The pre-made ones we have in our store are fine with the family and they come with a parchment incorporated. Easy peezy. I've had some pizzas shaped like the state of Texas for that reason....
section122 Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 I think you're right. I've made complex pizza sauces with garlic, onion, oregano, basil, paste, etc....simmer for three hours, blah, blah, blah....but it is just ok. I can't imagine a pizzeria going through all that trouble for sauce...they must do something real simple. So yeah, tomato paste and some oil might be the perfect simple solution with a few dashes of spices. If you are looking for Pizza shop sauce many use Don Peppino's straight out of the can. They may add some basil/oregano/parm cheese but Don Peppino's is the base. It is fantastic and one of my favorites. Costco carries a giant can of it and I also found it at Sam's Club. $3.76 for 104 oz. Give this sauce a shot and you won't have to worry about your own recipe. The wife grills some kind of gluten-free flat bread, and has some disgusting soybean cheese that she tries to melt on top but it doesn't really melt. She's a good sport. Cuba cheese shop has fantastic soy cheeses. Or at least that is what my wife tells me. I realize Cuba probably isn't local to many but they do ship. We wasted a lot of money on some really terrible cheese substitutes and this is one that she says is the closest.
BringMetheHeadofLeonLett Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 Marjoram is a great add to the sauce. 60/40 non-smoked provalone to fresh mozzarella gives a great consistency. Get a good quality pepperoni sliced hair-thin which crisps up beautifully if you like meats... gotta use a lot if it's thin. Given my own druthers, I'd just make half cheese and half hairline-sliced white onion, but gotta please the clan so the toppings vary. I have a soft spot for Appian Way box-o-pizza. The stuff's good if you play with the sauce, btw.
PromoTheRobot Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 If you like a thin, crispy crust and want a fresh hot pizza at home in under 10 minutes, get some 12" pita breads. If there is a Middle Eastern market near you , they sell them in bags of 6 for $2. Get a pizza screen from your local restaurant supply. Heat the oven to 450, add your favorite toppings, 7-8 minutes and you're done.
Gugny Posted October 5, 2017 Posted October 5, 2017 If you like a thin, crispy crust and want a fresh hot pizza at home in under 10 minutes, get some 12" pita breads. If there is a Middle Eastern market near you , they sell them in bags of 6 for $2. Get a pizza screen from your local restaurant supply. Heat the oven to 450, add your favorite toppings, 7-8 minutes and you're done. Is this naan?
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