Dang Insulation

[wotavidone]

So, it's pizza for New Year's Eve.

[mrchipster]

Re: Dang Insulation

I waited until the floor temp was about 260 C, whacked my loaves in, and shut the door.
I gave them 20 minutes and took them out.
Result was tasty and crusty, but a bit heavy - didn't get much rise in the oven.

The dough was pretty basic.
Yeast, 1 kg Flour, 20 g salt, 300mL water and 300mL milk, 30mL olive oil.
Kneaded it, let it rise until it doubled, cut it into two loaves, kneaded it, let it rise again. Then put it in the oven. Had a tomato can in there with some water in it in the hope it'd keep it nice and humid.
.

A couple of things, you may want to start your bread with a poolish starter

"http://www.primesolid.com/chris/bread.html"

This will get things going nicely.

make sure when you add your yeast add it only to the water and have the water slightly warm 25-28c. and let it sit for about 5 minutes after mixing.

add the salt to your flour and fork into the flour prior to adding to water,

after the water has mixed well with the flour then add the oil.

The flour yeast and water must not be protected from each other by the oil, which will happen to some extent if you add the oil to early causing low or no rise,

lastly i have a bowl that has lava rock in it that i use to add moisture to the oven, it goes in the oven some time before bread so it is nice and hot. then just after placing the bread in the oven I pour 1 cup of water over the rocks. Lots of surface area makes for lots of steam.

and laster yet take the door off at about 6 minutes into the bake this will let the steam out and help with the browning of the bread.

Chip

Good to hear your insulation works well, that is not a real problem for the future, you will be happy it works that way, you may want to consider bread first and then pizza that way the bread can be made in a warm oven and then fired up for pizza.

I usually do bread 2 days after pizza, unless it is left over dough from pizza and then I just make it into small sticks or buns so it cooks fast and can be in the hotter oven. usually 5-6 minutes for those small bits. 60-100 g balls rolled into shape.

[nissanneill]

Re: Dang Insulation

Hey Mick,
with the temp going to 42/3 C over the next couple of days, you can do your pizzas on the car bonnet or roof and put the bread in the boot!
Just make sure the car is parked out in the sun though!

Neill

[cobblerdave]

Re: Dang Insulation

Gudday
The heat certainly effect the poor chickens even though its only 34C here the humidity is up to the 70 per cent mark. Any effort produces sweat which of course never dries but runs off in streams...thank god for eyebrows to funnel the sweat out of ones eyes.
Poor old chooks can't sweat so it's out of the pen and into a fenced off section of the yard. One white hen escapes from this yard and lays behind some plants near the back step I found. I've replaced her clutch with some golf balls to keep her fooled so the egg ration is 1 per day.
The chooks are getting on in years the oldest would be 5 yrs so I"ll be on the hunt for some point of lay hens but the prices. I have seen some for as little as $10 per bird but there a pretty mottly lot. The rhodge island x like I'd like there asking up to $25 makes for pretty expensive eggs like you said. Problem is no roosters allowed by Brisbane council so you can't breed your own.
Regards dave

[cobblerdave]

Re: Dang Insulation

Gudday mick
Wheather report just on the radio has south aus for 44 C and 50 knots of wind.
Fire warning is catastrpohic .......our prayers ore with all in the south
Regards dave

[mrchipster]

Re: Dang Insulation

Sorry to hear that you are headed into another dangerous period, We were there a few years ago after those devastating fires, It is so hard for me to understand those who would risk the lives of others setting a blaze in such conditions. The last time it killed many and destroyed untold millions in property. Hoping you get thru the season fully intact.

Forecast here is for a high today of -11C and a water main broke on our street (frozen ground) so we are presently out of water. hope to have it fixed by tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Chip

[brickie in oz]

Re: Dang Insulation

The worst thing is there are articles in the news almost daily about firebugs lighting fires for fun.

They do it just for fun, so when they catch them they should be pushed into a raging fire, just for fun you understand.

Im sure the rate of fire bug lit fires would drop dramatically.

[Laurentius]

Re: Dang Insulation

Lightly toasted or charred, Al?

[mrchipster]

Re: Dang Insulation

You can get lava rock at Builder/hardware stores in the BBQ asile as it goes into the base of bottle gas grills.

Chip

[cobblerdave]

Re: Dang Insulation

Gudday mick

"I messed up with the temperature of the oven, I must have read the floor temp too soon after I mopped it, as it said it was down to under 250 degrees C, but I went close to burning..."

You have just cooled the surface of the hearth for a moment...all heat contained in the hearth has just resurface. Thermal Mass in action.


Regards Dave

[Les]

Re: Dang Insulation

Toasted WFO bread (with Vegemite and butter - which I suspect will not impress our American cousins

You got that right. We had a young lady in the states from your country watch our children during the day (she was an exchange student). She brought some Vegemite over and raved about it. For the life of me... I don't know how you can eat it

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Dang Insulation

Wota and Les,

Ummm, Vegemite, definitely an acquire taste. My family is from Hawaii, so everyone stateside says the same thing about poi (ground taro root). Maybe I need to experiment with Vegemite and Poi Pizzas LOL.

[Les]

Re: Dang Insulation

Wota and Les,

Ummm, Vegemite, definitely an acquire taste. My family is from Hawaii, so everyone stateside says the same thing about poi (ground taro root). Maybe I need to experiment with Vegemite and Poi Pizzas LOL.

At your own risk my friend Sounds like hasmat should be near by...

[brickie in oz]

Re: Dang Insulation

magnificent stuff.

Its frightful stuff unless spread as light as a fairies fart.

[Les]

Re: Dang Insulation

True. If you slather it on like you would peanut butter, you aren't going to enjoy it.

Maybe that's what I did wrong - that, and the stuff tastes bad