Michigan WFO

[christo]

Re: Michigan WFO

That does sound cruel....

Take pics of the first pie - even if you burn it or it does not quite make it off the peel intact.... Don't get downhearted if your first bakes do not live up to your expectations....

You will be happy you have all that insulatoin!!!

Good luck with the first pies.

Christo

[Derocherconstruction]

Re: Michigan WFO

Sounds like the oven is ready for pizza to me Mike. Let all of us know when pizza day is, you have a big following, and we will all come over for the first pizza party! I think the family ordering pizza for the last time - get the dough mixed!. Such anticipation for the actual event, the first pizza's. I got to cook pizza #1, and then had the peel taken away from me by my buddy who cooked pizzas 45 yrs. ago in Dearborn, MI. as a young teenager... Gimmee that peel, have another vino, look out.... We have cooked almost 200 pizzas this summer, - friends, neighbors, business customers. Once you start, it will snowball [ good term for the weather we have been getting ].. Good Luck, you have done a Primo Job on that oven, now enjoy.... Jim

[mfiore]

Re: Michigan WFO

Jim, I really appreciate it. I'm not sure how much more we will accomplish this year (stinkin' cold out!). Next spring, watch out! We should definitely host a Michigan WFO party! I won't have 200 pizzas under my belt yet, but I'm good for the vino!

[Derocherconstruction]

Re: Michigan WFO

Did you fire it up today and get the dome to go white Mike? You are probably so close at 750 degrees. Once the temp is high enough it takes about 30 minutes for most of the dome to go white, top to bottom. When I make pizza I let the dome go white and then just keep feeding the oven for a while, no rush, have another vino! Once everything is ready temperature wise it's easy to stall till everyone has arrived, a game of Bocci maybe, etc, etc. We sometimes cook 5 or 6 pizzas, spread the coals out on the hearth and eat, and then start over, that way you start with a real hot cooking surface again, hearth temp of 750 to 800F or so. Keep the fire going, maybe another round in a half hour or so...The cold weather makes it more of a challenge, but here in Michigan now we have no choice! Jim

[mfiore]

Re: Michigan WFO

I did fire it up today, Jim. It took a while, but the dome did go white. Well, mostly white. I had a limited supply of good, dry wood. Most of what I burned was hardwood scraps (cut offs of oak and walnut from a wood worker). I have quite a bit of apple wood and oak, but it's not dry enough. The dome seemed to start going white at 900 degrees. It got white most of the way down, but I was running low in wood, so I pushed ahead with the cooking.

Here's some photos for those that love fire.



The dome just starting to go white:



Here you can see the soot is mostly burned off when I moved the fire over to the side.

[mfiore]

Re: Michigan WFO

Here goes the first pizzas!!! I followed the Caputo 00 recipe, 1 kg batch, 65% hydration. Beautiful dough to work with.

Started with classic tomato, basil, mozz.



The fire died down after I moved it over, but I had no more wood readily available (man I went through a boat load of stuff to cure this oven!)

Suboptimal, yet still awesome.

[mfiore]

Re: Michigan WFO

Waiting for the first pizza. Yep, that's me in short sleeves in below freezing weather. Hey, I was born and raised in Michigan, what can I say?



Here it is, the first pizza! I love the steam coming off of this one.



This made it all worth it!

[Les]

Re: Michigan WFO

Awesome Mike! It's great to put a face to the emails. Nice job and it looks like it is enjoyed by all. Except the little dude(dudette) in orange - I'm thinking he wants pizza...

Les..

[Frances]

Re: Michigan WFO

Thank you for posting all those pics. It looks as if you had great fun!

It also looks as if your pizza ordering days are over... right?

[Derocherconstruction]

Re: Michigan WFO

Great pics Mike, Best pizza you ever had right? We say that with every pizza, and it's true, never a bad one. Congrats! Jim

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Michigan WFO

I'm looking at pictures of you in short sleeves with snow on the ground but seeing the great pizza, wine, friends and family makes me feel all warm inside. Thanks for sharing it Mike.
-Dean

[peter]

Re: Michigan WFO

The moment you actually cook a pizza is tremendously rewarding. After investing a vast amount of time and not an insignificant amount of money, the pay off day is when you pull that golden brown crust from the oven. ENJOY!

[fullback66]

Re: Michigan WFO

Mike,
I need your recipe for the dough and sauce. It looks awesome. The nice thing about Michgan is there enough trees to keep you supplied for a long time. I am always picking up fallen branches or cut logs for my buddies oven or fireplace.

What kind of wood are you burning?
fb66

[mannextdoor]

Re: Michigan WFO

I am envious. I don’t think I will have the time to cook anything soon. I won’t be until after the first of the year. Maybe even spring. Looks great.

[mfiore]

Re: Michigan WFO

Thanks, everyone, for the comments. It was great fun, and the pizza was awesome.

I've been away from the forum since then. The kids spilled a drink and fried the laptop. I've been away from email, the web, and this forum for what seems like a very long time (although it was only about a week).

FB66, I tried to make my first pies as authentic and pure as possible. I used the Caputo 00 flour, 63% hydration. I followed the directions posted on this forum. The sauce was purely crushed tomatoes, strained. I made the dough rounds, sauced them sparingly, pieces of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and a swirl of good olive oil. I love the simplicity of this tremendous pizza. Once I know what I'm doing, I'll expand.

Now I have a lot of catching up to do!!!