It's been too long! Pizza!

[Tom DeBiase]

Latest creations, Meatball and pepperoni, Shrimp and Asparagus, a Nutella and Banana with the leftover dough.

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[todd waldmann]

Today’s effort (after converting my Ooni Koda 16 to natural gas. No more propane!!)

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[mike pobega]

Today's creation.

[Scott Brunson]

[Jorge Henriquez]

Nice

[Dennis Atick]

I finally broke down and bought a baking steel after using the original/prototype Uuni for the past six years. Wish I had waited and not bought the very first uuni model, but that's another story.

I did a 48 hour ferment, bad planning wanted to do 72 hours, but plans changed.
Dough was around 68% hydration, close to Pobega's recipe a couple pages back.
Really happy with the baking steel. So much easier than tending the uuni and the results were frankly better.
Preheat oven at 500 for an hour with steel on top rack, then broiler for two minutes, then toggle to bake for 3-5.
Off to a good start...

[Bdklein]

^^Nice !!

[mike pobega]

Looks awesome, Dennis. Great job. There's no regrets in pizza!! lol

[Tom DeBiase]

I finally broke down and bought a baking steel after using the original/prototype Uuni for the past six years. Wish I had waited and not bought the very first uuni model, but that's another story.

I did a 48 hour ferment, bad planning wanted to do 72 hours, but plans changed.
Dough was around 68% hydration, close to Pobega's recipe a couple pages back.
Really happy with the baking steel. So much easier than tending the uuni and the results were frankly better.
Preheat oven at 500 for an hour with steel on top rack, then broiler for two minutes, then toggle to bake for 3-5.
Off to a good start...

Dennis, me and the pizza chef (my wife) are impressed and she has a couple questions. Do you have a gas or electric oven and do you simply go from broil to bake or is there more to it.

Thanks!

Tom

[Dennis Atick]

I finally broke down and bought a baking steel after using the original/prototype Uuni for the past six years. Wish I had waited and not bought the very first uuni model, but that's another story.

I did a 48 hour ferment, bad planning wanted to do 72 hours, but plans changed.
Dough was around 68% hydration, close to Pobega's recipe a couple pages back.
Really happy with the baking steel. So much easier than tending the uuni and the results were frankly better.
Preheat oven at 500 for an hour with steel on top rack, then broiler for two minutes, then toggle to bake for 3-5.
Off to a good start...

Dennis, me and the pizza chef (my wife) are impressed and she has a couple questions. Do you have a gas or electric oven and do you simply go from broil to bake or is there more to it.

Thanks!

Tom

Hi Tom! I have a dual heat JennAir oven (that I don't love, and is not especially efficient). Gas on cooktop, electric oven. I did the preheat at 475-500 for an hour, turned to broil about 30 seconds before launching pie, left pie on broil for 2 minutes, then switched back to bake. It's a little wonky, and takes some attention, but it worked out ok.

[Tom DeBiase]

I finally broke down and bought a baking steel after using the original/prototype Uuni for the past six years. Wish I had waited and not bought the very first uuni model, but that's another story.

I did a 48 hour ferment, bad planning wanted to do 72 hours, but plans changed.
Dough was around 68% hydration, close to Pobega's recipe a couple pages back.
Really happy with the baking steel. So much easier than tending the uuni and the results were frankly better.
Preheat oven at 500 for an hour with steel on top rack, then broiler for two minutes, then toggle to bake for 3-5.
Off to a good start...

Dennis, me and the pizza chef (my wife) are impressed and she has a couple questions. Do you have a gas or electric oven and do you simply go from broil to bake or is there more to it.

Thanks!

Tom

Hi Tom! I have a dual heat JennAir oven (that I don't love, and is not especially efficient). Gas on cooktop, electric oven. I did the preheat at 475-500 for an hour, turned to broil about 30 seconds before launching pie, left pie on broil for 2 minutes, then switched back to bake. It's a little wonky, and takes some attention, but it worked out ok.

Thanks Dennis! We have been pleased with results to date but have been wanting to try the exact method you described. The photos you took sealed the deal

My wife has already scheduled pizza night for this Thursday.

Tom

[TimF]

Can someone walk me through their cold fermentations? What do you put the dough in? Do you coat with oil? Do you knead every day? How long do you take it out before making your pies?

[mike pobega]

Not Dennis but this works for me.
Gas range.
Top most rack.
Stone, preheated to Bake/500. Then Broil/500 with Broil Convection for 10 minutes. Stone actually read 675
Put pizza on stone and cook 2 minutes with broiler still engaged. 2 more minutes back to Bake/500
4 minutes total and wow, soft interiors & spongy, as close to true 'Naples' as I have ever come before.

[mike pobega]

Can someone walk me through their cold fermentations? What do you put the dough in? Do you coat with oil? Do you knead every day? How long do you take it out before making your pies?

Tim, I make my dough (one resting now) and bulk room temp first ferment for 2-3 hours.
I then split into 2 (500 grams total) and fold 5 times, ball and place into fridge for minimal 1 day and as much as 4-5
I remove early on the day and re-ball (sacrilege!) and place back into container for up to 5-6 hours at room temperature.
It works quite well for me.

[Pat P]

Tim, I make my dough (one resting now) and bulk room temp first ferment for 2-3 hours.
I then split into 2 (500 grams total) and fold 5 times, ball and place into fridge for minimal 1 day and as much as 4-5
I remove early on the day and re-ball (sacrilege!) and place back into container for up to 5-6 hours at room temperature.
It works quite well for me.

Yeah, you could say that.

[TimF]

Why is it against the norm to reball when you remove it from the fridge? Why do you do it anyway? Does it have something to do with leoparding?

[mike pobega]

It re-'ignites' the lazy and numb (from the cold) gluten structure. Once it is set to rest again I get better performance and a stronger dough to work with.

[mike pobega]

To me, there are many misnomers in pizza making. Rules seem to be set and everyone has an opinion.
What I have learned in about 12 short years can fit in a thimbal. What I have learned the best is in the last 12 months of that thimbalful. I have made quite possibly 1000 pies and 300 or so doughs. Leoparding, & crumb structure are two of the most over used rules in pizza making. What I have come to appreciate is the real Neapolitan style of pizza making. I realized even my favorite pizza place in Naples has no rules to adhere to and the pizza there is just amazing. No Bufala cheese, no olive oil (topping) no San Marzanos tomatoes and yet the whole pizza making world decries that one does not achieve real Naples style pizza without them.
That said I seek a spongy middle corniche and a balance of toppings. The less is more thing is something I believe in. I like a fresh mozzarella of the stringy type and clean uncooked pure tomatoes with just a bit of salt and maybe a touch or dried oregano. I use sunflower seed oil on top and olive oil in my dough. It's brighter and less muted.
Rules are nice but I want results. Lol

[TimF]

1,000 pies is a lot. But I guess I make about 5 a week so that will add up.

I had pistachios on my pizza a couple weeks ago and they were fantastic. I like the experimental aspect.

Simple is usually better. My kids no longer want sauce. Usually just cheese and garlic.

[Mike Evans]

I finally broke down and bought a baking steel after using the original/prototype Uuni for the past six years. Wish I had waited and not bought the very first uuni model, but that's another story.

I did a 48 hour ferment, bad planning wanted to do 72 hours, but plans changed.
Dough was around 68% hydration, close to Pobega's recipe a couple pages back.
Really happy with the baking steel. So much easier than tending the uuni and the results were frankly better.
Preheat oven at 500 for an hour with steel on top rack, then broiler for two minutes, then toggle to bake for 3-5.
Off to a good start...

Pizza party at Dennis’s!

[Dennis Atick]

Pizza party at Dennis’s!

Actually, I have something in mind. Soon!

[Jeff Twersky]

I finally broke down and bought a baking steel after using the original/prototype Uuni for the past six years. Wish I had waited and not bought the very first uuni model, but that's another story.

I did a 48 hour ferment, bad planning wanted to do 72 hours, but plans changed.
Dough was around 68% hydration, close to Pobega's recipe a couple pages back.
Really happy with the baking steel. So much easier than tending the uuni and the results were frankly better.
Preheat oven at 500 for an hour with steel on top rack, then broiler for two minutes, then toggle to bake for 3-5.
Off to a good start...

I agree about the steel. I used a stone for years. I should have bought the steel the first time I read about it. Perfect pizza every time, cooking it pretty much the same as you, with a slightly lower hydration, usually between 60 - 65%, depending on the humidity.

[todd waldmann]

Does anybody use a steel in their Ooni oven (I've got the Koda 16)?

[D@vid Bu3ker]

1,000 pies is a lot. But I guess I make about 5 a week so that will add up.

I had pistachios on my pizza a couple weeks ago and they were fantastic. I like the experimental aspect.

Simple is usually better. My kids no longer want sauce. Usually just cheese and garlic.

Mmm...garlic.

I made our Deconstructed Pesto Pizza with Spinach this weekend, and doubled the amount of chopped garlic. Genius!

[Paul Miller]

Hit 80 in Chicago today. Thawed out a wheat dough crust. Paired with Sandlands Red Wine.

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[Rich Salsano]

Not exactly pizza but it is homemade pizza dough holding together this mixture of salty goodness.

[TimF]

So I was way off in how to do my calculations. The Bianco recipe is: 473g water, 625g flour. So that's about 75%.

[Paul Bacino]

First run on Ooni Pro Multi fuel

First fire--Using white Binchotan Coal ( this is one hard puppy to start, finally figured it out ) _ stuff burns awesome



The Pie

[Jorge Henriquez]

Woah! Didn't know about that Ooni!

[Dennis Atick]

First run on Ooni Pro Multi fuel

NICE!

[Paul Bacino]

Woah! Didn't know about that Ooni!

Jorge -- this is a 16 " which I like// has pretty large opening, two doors one with an unclosed pizza door opening and a one you can shut.
This can be adapted to burn gas but you have to buy that set up. 95$ ish. With the coal, Back temp got near 900. This pizza cooked in about 3 mins.

As it cooled I was able to get a little better pie.

When the coal got its burn on I added a bit of Red Oak on top.. to get a wood burn effect. Almost just vaped that.

I ordered this from Ooni it took 6 months to get it, pretty big demand. but now that things a world rolling now.. should be available.

I bougth the Large SS table to cook on too!!

Cheers Doc B

[Mel Hill]

They are still sold out but you can sign up for in stock notices via email.
Pretty fancy charcoal there Doc! Do you think it is worth it over regular lump?

[Paul Bacino]

They are still sold out but you can sign up for in stock notices via email.
Pretty fancy charcoal there Doc! Do you think it is worth it over regular lump?

Mel,

I get the Knock off, and the stuff is awesome

https://www.korin.com/TK-636-19-33 33# for 80 bucks some delivery is added

Aramaru Binchotan Charcoal