storing bases on wooden peels?

[cus]

Hi all,

I have only been making pizza in my WFO for a few weeks now and am finding it very labour intensive. Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining, I do enjoy it but have not cooked for more than 4 people as of yet. I am wondering how you all organise yourselves when you have a "Pizza Party".

The other day I was out for dinner and the restaurant had a WFO. They had pizza basses already formed on wooden peels sitting on a pizza try rack ready to go. The chef dressed the pizza and then placed in oven straight off the wooden peel. I am having trouble seeing how this would work with out sticking and back flipping into the fire!

I did not try their pizza as I hope to only eat my own from now on! and the rack of lamb was hard to say no to.... But their pizza did not seem to have a great bubbly crust...

Any advice ideas would be much appreciated...

Cheers

Cus

[C5dad]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

I know if I leave the skins on the boards too long they will start to stick unless I go heavy on the cornmeal/rice flour - then need to brush the oven floor.

At my house, we do no more than 5 skins prepped for the masses at a time. I have taught the boss to stretch the skins after proper resting (or leave them alone if the skins are not playing right) Whilst I cook (or my son.) I have seen others use cardboard sheets with flour and plastic over them if making a bunch in advance.

Most pizza joints do not use a high hydration dough, so it may not be as problematic as out good stuff!

C5Dad

[Alter ego]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

Cus,

Storing the stretched dough on non-stick baking paper also works if you want to leave them for a while before using them. I have found that by the time you have made a few hundred pizza bases that you can stretch one out in only 15 seconds or so. The key to making lots of pizza for a party is to have everything set up by the oven and another person to cut and send out the pizzas.

So long as you don?t run out of ingredients or cold beer you can keep banging out pizza after pizza.

[Les]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

The key to making lots of pizza for a party is to have everything set up by the oven and another person to cut and send out the pizzas.

We have everything laid out in the kitchen and have the guest make their own pizza's. Everyone has it their way and they enjoy doing it. They bring it out to me and I slide it in. It's also a great way to get to talk with everyone at the party. I ignore them later when I'm shooting pool.

[Tscarborough]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

For a pizza party, the pizza is the party. I do not try and hurry and pump them out. As stated, have everything at hand and someone to "deliver" the pizzas to the rest of the party, then man your station; you will have plenty company.

[cus]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

We have everything laid out in the kitchen and have the guest make their own pizza's. Everyone has it their way and they enjoy doing it. They bring it out to me and I slide it in. It's also a great way to get to talk with everyone at the party. I ignore them later when I'm shooting pool.

Questions:
So how do your guests get the pizza from the kitchen to the oven?
Do you have lots of peels?
Do you guests stretch themselves?
I assume you would have to stagger a little?

Thanks

CUS

[Les]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

Q1: I have 4 wood peels that they use. The cycle time is just about perfect. After I cook the pie I place it on a aluminum peel and they bring it back into the kitchen.

Q2: I use 4 wood and 4 metal.

Q3: Absolutely. It's fun to watch. Some do better than me but I am trying to perfect a triangle

Q4: See Q1, People stretching the dough, walking around the island, figuring out what they want on it; in that time I can cook a pizza.

Make your guest part of the experience - they will appreciate it.

[Mike D]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

-You really only need 2 wooden peels. One to put a stretched dough on for people (or your helper) to put toppings on, or just to set aside to do the other one. Then you can quickly stretch the other dough ball, then make both pizza's at a time.

-It might depend on how big of a party you are talking about. If you are having 50 people over you are going to need help. If its just 10-15 have fun and just find a system that works. You can only eat pizza so fast.

-Your dough and toppings should be next to your oven so you can cook and make pies at the same time (not in your kitchen, depending on how far away it is). Les you can do it anyway you want, it's just easier if everything is in front of you. It's like a pizza station in a restaurant.

Good Luck,

Mike

[Giggliato]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

Storing bases on wooden peels seems to work reasonably well, as long as you make sure to shake the peel a bit before loading to see that it can still slide. Rotating the pie a bit before loading will probably help as well.

[Bacterium]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

Here is my system if it helps
I have 6 pizza trays (aluminium just like a pizza shop) which are a very low side, rolled edge. At the start of the night I smear each one with some olive oil and sometimes throughout the night if needed.
Guest just roll out or stretch out (me) the dough ball on the tray and then top it
I put it into the oven on the tray, after 30sec to a minute I then slide the pizza onto the hearth floor,unless they punched through the pizza base so then it stays on the tray so it doesn't stick to oven floor.
Once cooked I slice up the pizza and it goes onto tray 7 which is a deep dish tray they used to hand it around.
Trays 1to 6 are part of my prep and cooking rotation...... Once they get a burnt film they tend to release pretty quick so don't scrub clean, just scrape off.
If you manage to get ahead and prep a few bases, throw a tea towell (clean one) over to stop them drying out.

I know most on here go from peel to oven floor straight up (and I like that too) but if you get them off the tray part way through cooking the base crisps up quite well.

[cobblerdave]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

Gudday
Damon
Yep with untrained guests the pizza tray is the way to go....contains the mess .... the overflowing toppings, the ripped base, the cheese addict. As the guests get more trained you can sit back a bit and let them train the unskilled.
One thing about trays never, ever ,no way ,no how, put them through a dishwasher no amount of oil next time will stop them sticking ....batttered and blackened is best

Regards Dave

[Bacterium]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

Yeah that's it I learnt that with my bread tins having that layer.

Another thing on trays......For the first few pizzas if the hearth is too hot - i leave them on the tray so the base doesn't burn....... and if the top is cooking to quick I hold the peel over the top.to shield it. Hey at least you can get something edible to the hungry guests

[mrchipster]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

Gudday
Damon
Yep with untrained guests the pizza tray is the way to go....contains the mess .... the overflowing toppings, the ripped base, the cheese addict. As the guests get more trained you can sit back a bit and let them train the unskilled.
One thing about trays never, ever ,no way ,no how, put them through a dishwasher no amount of oil next time will stop them sticking ....batttered and blackened is best

Regards Dave

Thanks for the guidance...just a couple of days late, I just bought a bunch of screens and perforated disks at an auction from a pizza place going out of business, I spent the good part of an afternoon cleaning them up. I will be using them for the first time on Wednesday so I hope it is not a disaster.

They were all black and patinaed with cheese and burned dough, now they have been scrubbed and rubbed to with an inch if their lives and well .. Look like new.

Chip

[cobblerdave]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

"They were all black and patinaed with cheese and burned dough, now they have been scrubbed and rubbed to with an inch if their lives and well .. Look like new."

Gudday chip
from your discription....wow I probably would have done the same!!!! and cleaned um to an inch of there life! Its not that I don't clean mine its soap water and a cloth never scrubed with anything harsh or the dreaded dishwasher.
Pherhaps this will work give them a light oil then cycle them through the hot oven to bed them in like you do with new cast iron cookware? worth a try?

Regards Dave

[mrchipster]

Re: storing bases on wooden peels?

Pherhaps this will work give them a light oil then cycle them through the hot oven to bed them in like you do with new cast iron cookware? worth a try?

Regards Dave

Thanks Dave I will give that a shot. I put a small fire in today to bake some rolls for dinner tonight. I will put a few of the perf. sheets in oiled to prep them for tomorrows pizza.

Some of the screens were so packed with pizza stuff that they looked smooth on top and I was afraid with that density of packing they would not transfer a proper amount of heat from the floor. Several of those I placed over a small fire to burn off the packed stuff. One got so hot from the cheese and oil burning off that it melted the aluminum screen (one for recycle). I was more careful with the others.

But I only paid $25 for the set in the picture including the rack so it was a good deal. Some of the Perforated Sheets cost $8 each new. and they are in nice shape. It is also nice to have a wide range of sizes from 6 - 16 inches.

Chip