166 replies to this topic

[NewMarketSean]

Used 00 flour over the weekend to make my own dough and cook pizzas in the Uuni oven. Still having some trouble getting the pellets to light and get to 900 degrees -- took me an hour to get the oven hot, but I think I've figured it out now. Anyway, once I got it rolling, the pizzas were fantastic. The best I've ever made. Perfect texture and flavor for crust. I used the mixer to mix/knead the dough for 10 mins. I had previously been mixing it for 3 mins. I'm still fine tuning the actual dough process, but I've got it working pretty damn good. Can't wait to use it again.

Used it last weekend.

 

I need to go into business with this bad boy.

[Mackus]

What are you doing for your dough?

 

I've used a no-knead recipe.  00 flour, 65% water, 2% salt, 1.5% yeast.  I let it rise for a few hours on the counter, then move to the fridge for 3-5 days.

[NewMarketSean]

What are you doing for your dough?

 

I've used a no-knead recipe.  00 flour, 65% water, 2% salt, 1.5% yeast.  I let it rise for a few hours on the counter, then move to the fridge for 3-5 days.

 

00 flour and that recipe I posted earlier, but doubling the yeast.

 

I've been mixing in mixer for 10 mins, kneading for maybe a minute, cutting it into balls, then letting it rise for 1-2 days in fridge.

[mweb08]

I had Paulie Gee's pizza recently and thought it was very good. Probably second to Pizza Verde in the city.

 

The original is in Brooklyn and they have recently expanded to a few other places including in Hampden. 

[BSLChrisStoner]

Coal Fire in Hunt Valley is really good.   So is Facci in Turf Valley.

[Mackus]

Anyone got some interesting wood-fired pizza topping ideas?

 

I usually grab all the normal things when hosting a pizza party:  tomato sauce and white sauce, shredded mozzarella plus fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, salami, onions, peppers, mushrooms, basil, olives, tomatoes. 

 

Any more exotic combo suggestions that people have found that would be worth trying?

[NewMarketSean]

Anyone got some interesting wood-fired pizza topping ideas?

 

I usually grab all the normal things when hosting a pizza party:  tomato sauce and white sauce, shredded mozzarella plus fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, salami, onions, peppers, mushrooms, basil, olives, tomatoes. 

 

Any more exotic combo suggestions that people have found that would be worth trying?

Pesto with goat cheese, sausage and mushrooms is really good...usually my favorite when making a bunch of pizzas.

 

I've always wanted to do a seafood pizza, just cook ingredients half-way, then finish them off on the wood-fire oven.

[NewMarketSean]

Pesto with goat cheese, sausage and mushrooms is really good...usually my favorite when making a bunch of pizzas.

 

I've always wanted to do a seafood pizza, just cook ingredients half-way, then finish them off on the wood-fire oven.

Also, we had some chili oil on a pizza we had out recently and it was painfully good. Not sure how much spice you like, but that's an option. I am sure you already make your own.

[MDtransplant757]

There's a good chicago style pizza place here.

 

That and no one makes sea food pizza here, and it bothers me. 

 

Anyone want my seafood pizza recipe? 

[NewMarketSean]

So I made the best pizza I've ever made last night. It was amazing. Here's what I did:

 

In a large bowl, dissolve two teaspoons of fresh yeast and one teaspoon of sugar in one cup of hot tap water. Wait ten mins for the bowl to start foaming then add 2 and one half cups of flour. Mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook for ten mins. You want the dough to stick to the bottom of the mixing bowl but not the sides. Remove from bowl and knead shortly, adding flour to avoid dough sticking to your hands. Cut into four sections and form them into a dough ball. Set dough balls on an oiled cookie sheet and allow to rise for about an hour. Once they double in size, they're ready to go. Just stretch them out by hand on a floured surface until they're about a foot in diameter. Don't let the dough set too long  or they'll collapse and you won't get a good rise in the oven. You want to use them within 2 hours.

 

I used my Unni oven which gets to 900 degrees and they came out with the perfect wood fire char on the crust and the bottom, but if you use a pizza stone that should work well too. Also, semolina flour is a must...first time I used it. I had been having trouble getting the raw pizza onto the stone from a peel before but using semolina flour was like magic.

 

I hate to brag but the pizza was delicious. I could seriously go into business and have a success on my hands.

 

I tried to attach a photo but it says they're all too big.

[NewMarketSean]

Did it again Saturday night, pizzas came out excellent again.

 

Highly recommend the Uuni. Lots of fun and easy to use.

 

Wednesday night I used 00 flour, and Saturday I used Gold Metal AP flour. Both doughs and crusts were very good but I give the edge to the 00 flour.

[Mackus]

Obviously dough is the most important thing, especially for Neopolitan, but what are you topping these wonders with?

 

I've also found that 00 flour makes the dough have better taste and texture over all purpose.  I usually do a longer rise, 2-5 days, I should try a quick rise like you've been doing and see which I like better.  Would be nice to not have to plan ahead for pizza night!

 

You just used the semolina for the peel and cook surface to prevent sticking?  I usually use corn meal, just because I don't ever have semolina on hand (maybe I should for pasta making). 

[NewMarketSean]

Obviously dough is the most important thing, especially for Neopolitan, but what are you topping these wonders with?

 

I've also found that 00 flour makes the dough have better taste and texture over all purpose.  I usually do a longer rise, 2-5 days, I should try a quick rise like you've been doing and see which I like better.  Would be nice to not have to plan ahead for pizza night!

 

You just used the semolina for the peel and cook surface to prevent sticking?  I usually use corn meal, just because I don't ever have semolina on hand (maybe I should for pasta making). 

 

Mostly a combo of tomato sauce or pesto, mozz cheese, pepperoni, sausage, basil.

 

The quick rise is no different than a cold rise IMO. Maybe do a taste test...I also think that when you've done a cold rise, the dough never really warms up enough and always wants to shrink as you try to spread it out. The quick rise dough is much easier to work with. Basically make the dough, let it rise for about an hour and you're good to go. Very convenient.

 

And yeah, the semolina is just used on the peel to avoid sticking. I also dust the peel with a little bit of flour. Semolina can be hard to find but Whole Foods carries it and you can always order it on line.

[NewMarketSean]

Mack, here's an interesting video comparing our two pizza cooking methods.

 

 

I will say the wooden handle on the hopper for the Uuni does suck. But I've been re drilling holes in it when one gets burned out and will eventually have to find a similar sized piece of wood to use. Not a huge deal but it is a design flaw.

[Mackus]

I've actually got a couple extra pieces that make the kettle pizza even better, most importantly a big circular piece of carbon steel that sits on top of the metal ring, below the grill lid.  But it also has a much bigger stone and a basket to hold wood chunks right above the charcoal so they ignite and get the pizza even hotter.

 

Downside is definitely the time and the volume.  It takes a good hour to get it hot enough, and it takes a lot of charcoal.  It's a lot of work if it's just for one or two pizzas.  But it's great for pizza parties, which is what I always go for.  Stays super hot for 2 hours and it's fairly easy to add more charcoal and wood as needed.

 

Seems to me like either are great options.  Sort of a charcoal vs gas debate.  Kettle better for going for a big pizza party and Uuni better for convenience.  If you had no other need or interest in a kettle charcoal grill, then Uuni is the way to go.  I use my kettle for everything, though.

[NewMarketSean]

Yeah the biggest issue with the Uuni is that the temp drops quickly so you really have to stay on top of keeping the hopper full of pellets. But with pizzas coming out in 60-70 seconds you can bang out a lot of pizzas during a party, too.

[NewMarketSean]

I just got The Pizza Bible by Tony Gemignani and he uses bread starters for his dough, which I've never done before. Interestingly, he doesn't use 00 flour for his Neapolitan-style dough. I'll mess around with the starter next time, but jeez these doughs are like 4 days in the making. Hope there's no rain the day I get around to cooking these bastards.

[Mackus]

Very curious to see what you think of the various options and which tricks are worth the time and effort and which are not.

 

I haven't noticed any difference between 2-, 3-, or as long as 5-day rises when I've made the no-knead dough recipe I use.  Maybe if I could compare them side-by-side I could tell, but I don't recall thinking that the doughs I let rise slower and longer having any better taste or texture than other pizza nights with shorter rises.  I just make the dough on whatever night leading up to pizza night is most convenient for me.

 

I do recall thinking that the doughs I've made using "00" flour had much better texture than the same recipe but using all purpose or bread flour, so when I'm gonna make dough I make sure I've got a chance to get to DiPasquale's and buy some 00 flour beforehand.

 

I also think the sauces I've made using San Marzano tomatoes are worth the increased cost over sauces made with regular tomatoes.  That's for an uncooked sauce that is simply the whole tomatoes (I don't use the sauce they come in) and some salt blended together.

 

Not for pizza, but I've done the same sauce thing for cooked pasta sauce, and I don't think there is any difference between San Marzano and any old can in that case.  I think if you're gonna cook your sauce, then don't bother splurging for the fancier tomatoes.

[NewMarketSean]

Speaking of pizzas, here's my top 5 pizzas available in the Baltimore/DC metro area. Obviously haven't been to as many as I'd like, but off the top of my head:

 

1. Verde, Canton

2. Pistarro's, Frederick

3. Pizza Da Marco, Bethesda

4. Joe Squared, Baltimore

5. Ghibellina, DC

 

Honorable mention: Isabella's (Baltimore), Facci (Marriottsville/Laurel), All-Purpose (DC)

 

Obviously, I love my DOP style pizzas.

[NewMarketSean]

Very curious to see what you think of the various options and which tricks are worth the time and effort and which are not.

 

I haven't noticed any difference between 2-, 3-, or as long as 5-day rises when I've made the no-knead dough recipe I use.  Maybe if I could compare them side-by-side I could tell, but I don't recall thinking that the doughs I let rise slower and longer having any better taste or texture than other pizza nights with shorter rises.  I just make the dough on whatever night leading up to pizza night is most convenient for me.

 

I do recall thinking that the doughs I've made using "00" flour had much better texture than the same recipe but using all purpose or bread flour, so when I'm gonna make dough I make sure I've got a chance to get to DiPasquale's and buy some 00 flour beforehand.

 

I also think the sauces I've made using San Marzano tomatoes are worth the increased cost over sauces made with regular tomatoes.  That's for an uncooked sauce that is simply the whole tomatoes (I don't use the sauce they come in) and some salt blended together.

 

Not for pizza, but I've done the same sauce thing for cooked pasta sauce, and I don't think there is any difference between San Marzano and any old can in that case.  I think if you're gonna cook your sauce, then don't bother splurging for the fancier tomatoes.

Interesting thought on just using the San Marzano tomatoes and not the liquid they come in. I've been using everything and blending it and it comes out watery, but still good and easy to spread on the dough. Next time I'll give it a try. I also always use SM tomatoes and never cook it ahead of time.

 

Interesting happy accident we recently had...my wife forgot to get mozz cheese for our last pizza night so we used fontina cheese instead and grated it up. I guess I kinda got tired of regular store-bought mozz cheese on pizza so the fontina was a nice change of pace and made for a tastier pie. Now, if it's fresh mozz from an Italian market or homemade, forget about it. But the fontina was awesome. Recommend giving it a try next time. I think I am also going to play around with cheese mixtures to give it more flavor.