Pizza!

[james]

I cannot tell you how happy I am. It's like being a kid at Christmas again. We had good pizza for the first time in 8 months. :-)

My Artigiano oven is a killer, the dough was right on the mark, the perforated peel is awesome. The oven easily held 850?F+, with a flame lapping a little past the halfway mark in the dome. We baked 6 pizzas in about six minutes. I made the bases and the kids did the decorating, and these guys were done in 60 seconds flat -- with one turn. Nice brown char; tops and bottoms both done -- only a couple of burned spots.

I wrecked the Quattro Formaggio -- a burnt offering to the WFO gods.

The Artigiano120 is 39"w x 48"d. I didn't use all of the depth, but the 39" width really is normal; not too big at all. The space is nice, because it's easy to keep your pizzas away from the fire, coals and ash. Heat up time was not bad, and the heat retention is awesome.

Wahooo!
James

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Pizza!

Good to see you happy again James

[james]

Re: Pizza!

Awwww. I was happy before. Now I'm happy and have good pizza. :-)
James

[gjbingham]

Re: Pizza!

60 seconds is too fast for me. I burn them too easily. Stop for a sip of beer and the pizza's toast!

[Acoma]

Re: Pizza!

James, I like the hearth to be low 800's, 700's area if the pizza dough is a little thicker than desired. Easy to go up and down to those temps via fire rotation.

[Ken524]

Re: Pizza!

the perforated peel is awesome.

James,

Funny you should mention that. Guess what arrived at my home today? For our anniversary (9yrs), my wife ordered me an FB Ultimate Pizza Peel, oven rake and gloves.

I get to try it this weekend

[krosskraft]

Re: Pizza!

Do you make the pizza on the peel or pick it up after its made? I make my pizza on a wooden peel and then extract the pizza out of the oven with a metal peel. I am interested in the idea of leaving most of the flour on the counter however.

[Acoma]

Re: Pizza!

For me it is the making of the pizza on the wooden peel, then turning and removing from oven with the small round metal peel. To me, the large square metal peel does not allow creative movement inside the oven like the smaller round metal one does. You Ken?

[james]

Re: Pizza!

I used to make my pizzas on a peel -- and saw three things that made me change to using a solid surface.

1. If you use a short wood peel, it is difficult to transfer the pizza to the aluminum placing peel. You are moving two objects (both peels), not one. It's easier having a fixed solid surface.

2. If you are using a short wood peel and trying to put your pizza in a hot oven with that peel -- you burn all the hair off your knuckles, hand and forearm. The smell of burning hair and pizza just don't mix.

3. If you are using a long wood peel to make and set you pizzas, you can only make one at a time. If you try rotating two long wood peels, you end up with a traffic jam, and someone always gets poked. :-)

I think that is why most real pizzerias and pizzaiolo schools use the solid surface/aluminum peel method.

Thoughts anyone? This is a good thread.

One more things. You definitely should use a large rectangular peel for placing (it has to be as big as your pizza), and a small 8" round peel to rotate your pizzas. That's really the only way to do it.
James

[Acoma]

Re: Pizza!

James, sorry to heare about the arm hairs I use long gloves from FB to compensate. No lost hairs. You may want to buy a pair or two hahahahah, only I can make myself laugh. We will try the solid surface next pizza night, then transfer to the wood peel. Not sold on the metal one. I would if we plan a LARGE pizza.

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: Pizza!

James, after you have made your pizza on the counter top, how do you get it on the peel? Do you pull in on or slide the peel under? I would love to see a video of the manuver...

Drake

[Ken524]

Re: Pizza!

James, after you have made your pizza on the counter top, how do you get it on the peel? Do you pull in on or slide the peel under? I would love to see a video of the manuver...

Me too! We used a wooden peel last weekend to build and place. Half the time the pizza stuck a bit here and there. I'm worried the pizza will get mangled transferring from counter top to peel.

[SpringJim]

Re: Pizza!

James is a puller as I recall and I third the request for a video of that.

I use the solid surface and then transfer to wood, aluminium and even cookie sheets to get them to the oven. (some sticking and cursing usually) Rotate with small peels once placed.

Do you let your dough rest before or after you form the pie?

Now another question is how many pizzas do you cook at once?? I do three at a time and it can be fun to reach in to the back ones to pull and turn. Nuckle burns in the hot olive oil!!