Well I have finally got it and as Arkwright would say, after a bit of jer…jer…jiggling stuff around I managed to find a spot for it in my already gadget laden kitchen. Put it on high for 20 minutes to season it as instructed.
Now to make the pizza dough and let it ferment in the fridge overnight and see if it as easy and as good as all the YouTube videos I have seen claim it is.
Disclaimer… if they are naff it will be the chef not the apperatus.😁
I use this for dough, easy enough to memorise too.
https://mypizzacorner.com/pizza-dough-calculator/
If you’re fermenting overnight, I find just leaving it out works well. I only use the fridge for longer ferments but don’t really bother with that these days.
My typical approach for Neapolitan is make the dough early evening, knead and leave in the bowl overnight.
Ball up the dough around midday to make pizzas around 6pm. Always cover the dough otherwise you get a skin on it. You can use oil but I don’t like adding oil to the dough really.
If you do want to use the fridge, take the balls out about 4 hours before you plan to use them otherwise they’ll be difficult to stretch out and will shrink back down.
La Marzocco Linea Mini - Mazzer Philos
Ikawa Roaster
HarveyMushman I didn’t make it
I sent the instructions to the Mrs, got home to a blob of hard dough🤣 not even risen
Then found out we had no semolina flour to put on the peel. 🤯😭
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
Cuprajake Then found out we had no semolina flour to put on the peel.
Well… you have already shown us the Niche can grind green coffee… next time, grind some pasta?
(Disclaimer: I’m joking. Please don’t get any ideas.) 😉
I typically use the overnight levain recipe from Ken Forkish’s “Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast.” I’m not sure how many hundred pizzas I’ve made with that recipe, but if you like using a sourdough starter, it’s excellent. Needs at least an six hours in the fridge, but 2-3 days is probably better. Nothing like torturing a sourdough starter for a couple of days to bring out the best flavors and textures. Basic schedule is mix dough in evening, give it three or four folds, leave out overnight, shape in the morning, pop in fridge for 6 hours to 3 days. Take out about 45 minutes before baking.
Harvey’s recipe above looks almost identical to what I use with instant yeasts. Also the warning about the strength of the flour is important. I use some pretty high protein flours for long ferments. If you have low protein flour, a long ferment breaks down the gluten too much and you get flabby dough.
Yeah that’s a great point actually!
I use Caputo Pizzeria flour and then their Semola for stretching/launching. Really easy to get hold of these days, usually even on Amazon or if you’ve got an Italian deli in your town they sometimes stock it.
Also everyone’s got a favourite tomato. Don’t fall for the British ‘San Marzano’ that some supermarkets occasionally push. Whilst it is a variety, the best ones are the ones grown in Vesuvian soil.
My favourites are La Fiammante or Casa Marrazzo. Both are low acidity and work great as a Neapolitan sauce. Strain them and just crush with your hands with a bit of seasoning.
La Marzocco Linea Mini - Mazzer Philos
Ikawa Roaster
Well, this evening is one of those where you just question if home pizza ovens are worth it…
Made some great dough, started with a brilliant garlic bread. Turned the heat down ready for the next pizza.
Stretched it out, went to launch it and the flame had blown out and the temp dropped to below 200! Pizza got stuck to the peel while waiting to warm up then the next one caught the peel on the way in and folded over.
All my fault and can’t blame the tools but when you prep everything and get it all laid out, everyone’s hungry, it’s not ideal. Serves me right for saying how amazing gas ovens are.
When it all goes well it’s really great but when it goes wrong it makes me want to never do it again 😂
La Marzocco Linea Mini - Mazzer Philos
Ikawa Roaster
Here is my first effort a simple straight forward Neopolitan. Only criticism was the underneath could have been a bit more charred, which I can rectify easily next time by adjusting the heat source lowering the top and increasing the bottom one which you can do independantly on this machine. As it was my first effort I was a bit nervous adjusting anything. Cooked at 450C and took about two to two and a half minutes and I turned the pizza thrice.
Also, need to practice stretching the dough which for me was the hardest bit, ending up with two ten inchers instead of 12 inchers, as I bottled out not wanting to make any holes.
As for the taste….Chuffin lovely!
Looks great! Yes, probably need to have a warmer floor so that the top doesnt get too charred before the pie is done, but that’s just a detail. Did you press the air out of your cornicione when stretching? Seems a bit flat
Well to be honest everything I have seen on YouTube on how to stretch the dough seems to flatten the centre leaving a crust (cornicione) and I used the steering wheel method pinching the cornicione between thumb and forefinger as I turned it. I guess maybe that needs a bit more work.
Nah, sound’s like you’re doing the right things on stretching the dough. See how it goes next time with a warmer floor.
Peasant Bread
Is that a typo?😀
I’ve also come to the conclusion my dough balls were not large enough. Looking on t’web it seems for a 12″ pizza (Neopolitan) my dough balls need to be bigger. I thought at the time they seemed a bit small although exactly what weight I don’t know. So, I’m guessing they need to be about 260-280g each…what do you think?
Pompeyexile go to go net Web site go to recipe plenty on there with tips
I would imagine weight is going to be dependent on dough hydration, but 260-280g seems really light. The recipe I’ve been using (about 65% hydration) calls for 340g per 12″ pizza. Of course last night, I got my outdoor oven going for the first time this year and my pizzas were all kind of a mess. The dough really could have used a longer cold proof. Mostly I’m out of practice.
Bread pudding came out great though,
Thanks MacPhisto, I bow to your experience and will go for the 340g and at least a 24 hour cold proof. I’ll let you know how I get on.
