Homemade Pizza Tips...Just the Tips

[Landomatic 3813]

Thinking something along these lines...

https://www.kettlepizza.com

[luke duke 6412]

Make some dough


Punch half down and let them warm up. The other 3 will get cooked in a few days.


Homemade sauce


A proper beverage


Toppings - pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, sautéed onions, roasted garlic and mozzarella cheese.


Preheat oven at 550 for an hour


Kids pizza


Crust



Wife’s pizza


My pizza

[DDD Dad 14325]

Those pizzas remind me of Sarah Huckabee Sanders (no cr).

But they look really tasty.

[luke duke 6412]

Those pizzas remind me of Sarah Huckabee Sanders (no cr).

But they look really tasty.

 

Agreed. I prefer an oval pizza. One end usually ends up fatter after getting it on the peel and launching it.

 

Not my pizza, but I prefer small slices like this. The kids waste less and the grownups get more variety before filling up.

[HouTex 1866]

I'm with you Luke Duke.  I don't aim for an oval pizza, but a perfectly round homemade pizza looks like you cheated on the crust with something that was pre-made.  

On the 00 flour issue, I've used it on many occasions but I've concluded that it does not make a meaningful difference.  AP works just as well for me.  IMO, the keys to a good pizza dough are kneading it long enough (see Alton Brown's pizza dough episode) and letting rise slowly in the fridge overnight and then letting it rise again before you cook it.  And make sure you put enough salt in the dough. 

[ChickenSandwich 9828]

IMexp - for pizza, the minimum rest/rise time was 24hrs for a 1lb dough ball (dough tin, lightly covered with olive oil squirt on top) it was always better if could let go 48hrs if possible

[Sam Lin 3551]

I have a local pizza place that rests their dough a minimum 72hr, and it is fantastic.

[elfenix 34223]

On 4/6/2020 at 2:55 PM, Landomatic said:

Looks amazing.  What did you cook it on/in?  My next step of this whole thing is to try to nail down the perfect wood fired pizza oven solution.  I'm convinced the regular oven isn't where it's at for the level I want to be at.

On 4/6/2020 at 5:25 PM, Landomatic said:

Thinking something along these lines...

https://www.kettlepizza.com

 

thankfully BA tested just about every way to cook a pizza

 

 

[52-80 19147]

On 4/6/2020 at 10:05 AM, 52-80 said:

I have italian buffalo mozarella and DOP san marzano tomatoes and 00 flour, so i can tackle "real" neapolitan pizza next, but that was a good weekday substitute

 

so for years i've put off trying to make this at home for having held it sacred -- believing i needed the perfect flour milled by somebody's grandpa named giancarlo and tomatoes grown in the shaded foothills of mount vesuvius.

wrong.

it is stupid simple to do.  extremely quick to prep.  and nearly impossible to fuck up.

 

and because the dough is so thin - it cooks quickly and easily without needing a stone oven or fancy cooking implements.  i had a shallow metal baking tray heated in the oven.  slid the pizza on it at max temp (450f).  after a few minutes when the basil wilted just so, she was done.

 

this is going to be weekly food going forward

 

[kevwun 15764]

Is this the Alton Brown recipe you guys use?

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pizza-pizzas-recipe4-1951401

[Baboontyme 2809]

I used my goto NY style recipe and shoved it into a 4 square deep dish/Detroit pan last night. Results were fantastic. No brick cheese on hand so I used whole mozzarella. 

[LCHorn 2615]

That crust looks like a pro job

[Landomatic 3813]

Finally got myself a pizza stone and a peel.  Both helped a ton.

Full disclosure, I intended to make the dough and sauce from scratch, but took the shortcut of jar sauce and a ball of pre-made dough last night due to the NFL Draft.

Major progress from my first attempt, but I have a ways to go until I'm what I'd consider to be really good at it.

Sausage and Pepperoni

½ Pepperoni ½ Cheese

I put the cheese over the meat on the first one and the meat over the cheese on the second one.  No difference in the end result that I could tell.

Final product - Sausage and Pepperoni

½ Pepperoni ½ Cheese

I just used that cookie sheet to serve it.  Did not cook it on it.

Homemade pizza is fun.  I could really get into this.

[WhatTheBuck 28775]

Oops. Looks like you got cheese on the pepperoni half. 

[DDD Dad 14325]

On 4/24/2020 at 7:12 AM, Landomatic said:

Finally got myself a pizza stone and a peel.  Both helped a ton.

Full disclosure, I intended to make the dough and sauce from scratch, but took the shortcut of jar sauce and a ball of pre-made dough last night due to the NFL Draft.

Major progress from my first attempt, but I have a ways to go until I'm what I'd consider to be really good at it.

Sausage and Pepperoni

½ Pepperoni ½ Cheese

I put the cheese over the meat on the first one and the meat over the cheese on the second one.  No difference in the end result that I could tell.

Final product - Sausage and Pepperoni

½ Pepperoni ½ Cheese

I just used that cookie sheet to serve it.  Did not cook it on it.

Homemade pizza is fun.  I could really get into this.

T-minus 3 weeks until his pizza tools are for sale.

[Landomatic 3813]

26 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

T-minus 3 weeks until his pizza tools are for sale.

Haha right!?  That’s how I manage to stay married.  I just swap out everything else...a lot.  And even then, it’s touch and go without her having a make out girlfriend here and there 🤷‍♂️

[DDD Dad 14325]

Haha right!?  That’s how I manage to stay married.  I just swap out everything else...a lot.  And even then, it’s touch and go without her having a make out girlfriend here and there

PM [mention]LTbear [/mention]

[Landomatic 3813]

1 hour ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Oops. Looks like you got cheese on the pepperoni half. 

The cheese is implied.  Unless it’s just cheese.

[4th_and_18 687]

I tried the crazy crust pizza in an iron skillet. Easy and comes out like a good pan pizza with a good crisp on the crust. Looks like pancake batter and looks thin but it cooks great in the iron. Cup of flour, two eggs, 3/4 cup of milk and some salt. 425 in the oven. Little effort and good pan pizza result.

[Pato del Muerto 52485]

I see there is a pizza thread. 
 

Used this recipe to make the crust, added some fire roasted tomato sauce and 2:1 mozz:white cheddar that I just had delivered. 
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pizza-dough-recipe-1921714

[WhatTheBuck 28775]

On April 25, 2020 at 6:10 PM, Landomatic said:

The cheese is implied.  Unless it’s just cheese.

Then it would just be half pepperoni. Not half cheese, half pepperoni. What you have there is a cheese pizza, half pepperoni. 

[Landomatic 3813]

35 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Then it would just be half pepperoni. Not half cheese, half pepperoni. What you have there is a cheese pizza, half pepperoni. 

Sorry dude...I’ve never delivered pizzas so I guess I’m just not down with the lingo.  You do you though

[TheUofTexas 13]

I see there is a pizza thread. 
 
Used this recipe to make the crust, added some fire roasted tomato sauce and 2:1 mozz:white cheddar that I just had delivered. 
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pizza-dough-recipe-1921714

Do you have enough black pepper? I can't tell

[4th_and_18 687]

Stepped up my game and made dough this time. The skillet was greased with beef tallow. Added a little something to the crust. Turned out much better than the crazy crust quickie pizza. Didn’t take too long either.

[4th_and_18 687]

Getting better...
Need to find better flour. Fuck you guys. Now I’m hooked.

[Landomatic 3813]

7 hours ago, 4th_and_18 said:

Getting better...
Need to find better flour. Fuck you guys. Now I’m hooked.

Dude that's awesome.  I will happily accept partial responsibility and share in your addiction with you.

Crust...dry?  Hard to tell from the pics and you didn't really elaborate.  The crust is by far the most challenging thing about this new addiction of ours.

[ChickenSandwich 9828]

A brush of melted butter on exposed crust before baking will make a difference. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by ChickenSandwich

[4th_and_18 687]

Dude that's awesome.  I will happily accept partial responsibility and share in your addiction with you.
Crust...dry?  Hard to tell from the pics and you didn't really elaborate.  The crust is by far the most challenging thing about this new addiction of ours.

Yep the crust was a little dry. I’ll try the butter brush next time.
-John L

[Landomatic 3813]

6 minutes ago, 4th_and_18 said:

Yep the crust was a little dry. I’ll try the butter brush next time.
-John L

Also, I found that something as simple as putting plastic wrap on the bowl when you set the dough out to rise makes a huge difference.

But yeah, butter makes everything better.

[Pato del Muerto 52485]

You definitely need to cover it while it proofs. Plastic wrap or whole bowl into a bag.  Will go quicker in an oven at 90-100 F. 

[4th_and_18 687]

Also, I found that something as simple as putting plastic wrap on the bowl when you set the dough out to rise makes a huge difference.
But yeah, butter makes everything better.

I did the plastic. I may have left it in the oven a bit longer than necessary.

[Baboontyme 2809]

Try this super easy dough mix for deep dish - the recipe specifies detroit style pan but works well with the cast iron skillet method, as well.

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2017/02/detroit-style-pizza-recipe.html

Quote

• For the Dough:
• 300g bread flour (10.5 ounces; about 2 generous cups)
• 5g instant yeast (0.15 ounce; about 1 teaspoon), such as SAF Instant Yeast
• 9g salt (0.3 ounce; about 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt or 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt)
• 220g water (7.75 ounces; about 1 cup minus 1 1/2 teaspoons)
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then add water and stir with a wooden spoon until a rough ball of dough has formed. Set aside for 10 minutes. Turn dough out onto a countertop and knead until a smooth, silky ball has formed, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a bowl, form a tight ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place until dough has roughly doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

 

For thin crust, NY style, I love this recipe:

https://feelingfoodish.com/the-best-new-york-style-pizza-dough/

 

Best tip for deliciousness - don't use SKIM mozzarella. Use whole. Also pepperoni - cut your own. I find that if you get a stick of DeLallo and cut it relatively thin, it curls up perfectly. Boar's head is good but doesn't curl. There's another brand I like, as well - Vermont Smoke & Cure. You can buy that on Amazon. 

[4th_and_18 687]

Heb self rising flour this time. Rose for just over 24 hours. Turned out much better. Also made sure I wasn’t using that commie skim mozz. That helped too.

[Landomatic 3813]

Getting better.  I'll put the taste this round up against just about any.  Overall, just amazing flavors.

The part I fucked up on both was the shape.  I had the dough almost perfectly symmetrically round on both before I went to slide them into the oven.  Getting much better at the initial shaping with more practice.  But both stuck to the peel and got deformed on the slide in.  Had what I thought was a lot of cornmeal on the bottom of the first one.  Put a ton more on the second one.  Both got borked.  And yes @DDD Dad I still have my peel and stone...fucker.

First one - Classic Margherita

I'll admit I've never really appreciated the brilliance of a margherita before.  Or maybe I've just never really had a good one.  This was one of the best bites of pizza I've ever had.

Brushed the raw dough with EVOO and lightly sprinkled with salt.  Laid on some sliced peeled san marzano tomatoes from a can.  Used a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible.  Added a few chunks of buffalo mozzarella and a few torn pieces of fresh basil.  Overall a very rustic feel.  Baked on a hot stone in 500* oven for about 10 minutes.  Drizzled with a little more fresh EVOO and a little finishing salt after pulling it.  Amazing.

Second one - Classic Pepperoni (didn't do half and half so @WhatTheBuck would stop breakin my balls)

Same EVOO and salt on dough as above.  Had some homemade sauce leftover from last week.  Sprinkled with grated low moisture mozzarella and laid on some pepperoni.  Cook time and temps about the same as above.  Drizzled with a little more fresh EVOO just like above but skipped the finishing salt because pepperoni is salty already.  Pretty damn good...but not as good as the Margherita.

Overall, both slammed and went and stuff and I'm looking forward to giving it another shot soon.

Not sure what I need to do on the sticking to the peel thing.  I couldn't have used more cornmeal...especially on the second one.  I've seen both metal and wood peels used.  Haven't researched the purpose for either.  Is the wood the way to go?  Is one for the insertion and one for the extraction?  Does it have something to do with temperature or how long you allow it to sit on the peel before inserting?  Maybe just not enough flour when I originally shaped it?  Any help from the experts would be greatly appreciated and thanks in advance assholes.

[Sam Lin 3551]

8 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

 how long you allow it to sit on the peel before inserting?  

Are you building it on the peel? The peel should only be for inserting. Build it on a well cornmealed wood surface, dust the (wood) peel with flour, and in 2 motions slide it under the pizza, move it to oven, and do a forward move with backward jerk to slide it off. Shouldn't be on the peel more than seconds. If it sits long enough to wet the layer of flour or cornmeal, it'll stick.

Metal peels are extraction only but are totally unnecessary.

Lazy alternative, build it on a sheet of parchment paper. Slide it in and cook on the paper. It won't stick to the paper when cooked.

[Landomatic 3813]

22 minutes ago, Sam Lin said:

Are you building it on the peel? The peel should only be for inserting. Build it on a well cornmealed wood surface, dust the (wood) peel with flour, and in 2 motions slide it under the pizza, move it to oven, and do a forward move with backward jerk to slide it off. Shouldn't be on the peel more than seconds. If it sits long enough to wet the layer of flour or cornmeal, it'll stick.

Metal peels are extraction only but are totally unnecessary.

Lazy alternative, build it on a sheet of parchment paper. Slide it in and cook on the paper. It won't stick to the paper when cooked.

Yes, I've been building on the peel in an attempt to keep it from getting deformed while moving it to the peel.  I figured one trip off the peel would beat one trip on and one trip off.  But the moisture thing makes sense and it felt like that's what happened.  Will try it the other way next time.  Thanks.

That parchment paper thing sounds nice and all, but I just can't bring myself to fly in the face of authenticity that much.

[Baboontyme 2809]

I only have a metal peel and I use parchment paper. Honestly it's pretty flawless and unless one likes the taste of cornmeal I'm not sure I see any advantages to doing it another way. I've been making a lot of pizzas for the kids during shut down. I was able to score a 5# bag of shredded whole milk Grande mozz from a cheese store in Wisconsin online and got some DeLallo sticks shipped directly from DeLallo. I've been using the Serious Eats Detroit recipe for round and square alike because it's damn easy.

[DDD Dad 14325]

1 hour ago, Baboontyme said:

I was able to score a 5# bag of shredded whole milk Grande mozz from a cheese store in Wisconsin online and got some DeLallo sticks shipped directly from DeLallo. I've been using the Serious Eats Detroit recipe for round and square alike because it's damn easy.

 

Also, what's a DeLallo stick?

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by DDD Dad

[Landomatic 3813]

35 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

 

Also, what's a DeLallo stick?

 

Pepperonis

[CycleTex87 2967]

3 hours ago, Landomatic said:

Yes, I've been building on the peel in an attempt to keep it from getting deformed while moving it to the peel.  I figured one trip off the peel would beat one trip on and one trip off.  But the moisture thing makes sense and it felt like that's what happened.  Will try it the other way next time.  Thanks.

That parchment paper thing sounds nice and all, but I just can't bring myself to fly in the face of authenticity that much.

Try semolina flour mixed with regular flour on your peel (rather than corn meal).  

[CycleTex87 2967]

Pepperoni pizza for the boys. It slammed hard.  Other dough in the background was a margherita for my daughter and me (no pics of any kind).  Homemade dough following the Paul Hollywood recipe except added about a teaspoon of garlic powder to the dough.  All tasty. 

[TankedBevo 2482]

Home made dough, fresh mozz, all beef pepperoni, Muir Glen marinara, and a spicy honey for the crust. It was epic 

[4th_and_18 687]

My Saturday night pizza before the Gurkha and scotch. Jalapeño pepperoni. Pepp is under the mozz.

[Baboontyme 2809]

Lookin' good peoples! Reps spread around. 

[Landomatic 3813]

11 hours ago, TankedBevo said:

and a spicy honey for the crust

Woah...I’m gonna need some more details on this part.

[TankedBevo 2482]

2 hours ago, Landomatic said:

Woah...I’m gonna need some more details on this part.

Honey, a lil olive oil, pinch of garlic powder and ground up red pepper flakes at your preferred heat level 

[Landomatic 3813]

I present to you...the tale of two pizzas.

Pizza #1 - Classic Margherita

Damn I'm starting to get this shit down.  Everything looking and tasting amazing.  Slid right on and off the peel.  Perfectly cooked.  Tastes fantastic.  Getting cocky.  Walking around the kitchen puffing my chest out.  Fist bumping myself.  What's up now bitches!?!?

Pizza #2 - Spicy Sausage Half Pepperoni (did I get it right @WhatTheBuck?)

Wait for it...

Fuck me.  Still got a lot to learn.

[kevwun 15764]

You can get cast iron pizza pans.  My FIL gave us one a few years ago and it's work pretty great.  You don't have to use a stone with it.  My wife lets it heat up in the oven and then puts the dough on it and makes the pizza.  The crust turns out pretty great.

Edited May 18, 2020 by kevwun

[CycleTex87 2967]

21 hours ago, Landomatic said:

I present to you...the tale of two pizzas.

Pizza #1 - Classic Margherita

Damn I'm starting to get this shit down.  Everything looking and tasting amazing.  Slid right on and off the peel.  Perfectly cooked.  Tastes fantastic.  Getting cocky.  Walking around the kitchen puffing my chest out.  Fist bumping myself.  What's up now bitches!?!?

Pizza #2 - Spicy Sausage Half Pepperoni (did I get it right @WhatTheBuck?)

Wait for it...

Fuck me.  Still got a lot to learn.

It’s why I build my pizza on the peel. Maybe that’s wrong, and it hasn’t always been perfect but I’ve mostly avoided this result.  Mostly. 

[Landomatic 3813]

5 minutes ago, CycleTex87 said:

It’s why I build my pizza on the peel. Maybe that’s wrong, and it hasn’t always been perfect but I’ve mostly avoided this result.  Mostly. 

Yeah that wasn’t the problem.  I built it on the counter and got it moved to the peel pretty easily (just like the first one).  The issue was getting it from the peel to the oven.  Only difference between the first one (which slid right off) and the second one was the weight of the ingredients (much more on the second one) and that dough on the second one had sat stretched on the counter a lot longer so maybe it was flimsier?

It was a fucking disaster.  I’m sure I could have fixed it by either baking the crust a little before topping it, or going the parchment paper route...or both.  But I’d like to figure out how to get it right without those two cheats.