new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

[applor]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

Sorry, I lied.

It just didn't feel finished without a thermometer installed where the old one had been, with only a big threaded hole where it should have been.

Ground off the nut and installed my new one. Much better!

[applor]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

Well pizza oven is finished.

I sealed the landing with natural clay pot sealer and then sealed the joints with an industrial grade clear silicone which can handle 200c regularly. The entry area does not get that hot so all good.
Unlike my flue seal, I did a pro job with the joints and I am really happy with it.

Also been cooking some more pizza. Oiling the bottom of my tubs has made all the difference and my pies are now very circular and overall better and more consistent.
Had some good char bubbles on some. My only goal is to improve the overall leoparding on my pies. I find it hard to get the leoparding on the upper cornice like the restaurants do but I guess I just need more practice.

[applor]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

Painted the oven on Sunday.
It went well.

I sealed the flue with high-temp sealant.
It went bad.

Thinking I may need to have a steel 'hat' fabricated to cover it all

[Greenman]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

Hey Applor - the pizza looks good. The taste the same regardless of the shape. A couple of things that might help -

I use individual containers with slightly sloping sides sprayed sparingly with olive oil for the balled dough, with a little flour on your fingers they will pop out without sticking.

While you are getting the sticking thing figured if you build your pizza on baking paper and then give it 30 seconds on a tray in the oven before removing the paper and the tray it is easy to control. The paper will blacken on the edges but it comes off clean.

I have been using 50/50 Caputo and wholemeal flour recently and that dough seems to be a bit more robust, probably from the bran still in the wholemeal.

Anyway, your pizza looks good and it is all a matter of practice makes perfect. The pic is one of last nights efforts - prosciutto, asparagus and roasted capsicum. Tasty. The bottom of my containers is square!

[applor]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

Did another pizza night last night but just 5 pizzas for 4 of us

I was happier with my dough prep this time but unfortunately I have trouble opening my pies and my first two had tears when stretching - one tore on the hearth and the other tore earlier so I made it a calzone. Too much dough on the cornice and stretched too thin in the middle. I did much better on my last 3 though.

The last 3 pies (pictured) came out pretty damn well. Everything tasted fantastic. First is a satay chicken, second is Hawaiian (but half prosciutto half chicken coz the ham was off) and the last was a margherita with pepperoni.

I do a two day cold ferment of my dough (1 day bulk 1 day balled) and while it tastes amazing it also sticks to my containers when I remove them so they lose their round shape. It is the main reason why my pies aren't as circular as I'd like.

I also managed the fire much better this time. I now realise that once the oven is saturated to the right temperature, keeping a sizeable fire to the side will still keep the whole oven hot, including the hearth. My hearth stayed at the right temperature with no moving the fire or raking coals so really happy about that.
Also got better at rotating my pies to work on even leoparding.
Could have cooked 2 pies at a time I think if I had needed to.

[cobblerdave]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

G'day
Your ovens about 900 mm so you have 3 good positions for pizza. You'll find if you basically do one at at time you can pick a new position on change over,and the heat from the flame off the roof will replenish as you go. If you have reached that loss of hearth heat point you swap the fire across and take a min or two or some beer time for things to equalize again.
Ever oven is different and you'll be the expert on yours soon enough I'm sure
Regards dave

[applor]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

Thanks guys.

Yeah my main challenge is keeping the hearth at a steady temperature.

I was only cooking one pizza at a time - do you guys find you need to rake coals over the cooking area after each pizza to keep the hearth at a hot temperature?

[Greenman]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

Then it was a character line. Your pizza's look good. The whole process just keeps getting better as you learn your oven and master the techniques. All tasty!

[cobblerdave]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

G'day applor
Great to see your having some fun with your oven. Remember in your race to perfect the pizza one thing you should never trust is a perfectly round pizza ....
Regards dave

[applor]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

Come on guys, I say in my first post the oven is 2nd hand!

It's been a busy weekend to be sure. First pizza night Sunday for 9 people.

Overall I think it went pretty well. Heated the oven for 2.5 hours and had it too hot to cook (500c or more on the hearth) so let it rest a bit to cool.

My dough came out really good with the Caputo flour (yum!) however my balls were too big and pizzas too thick to be considered Neapolitan style. Very nice nonetheless but I didn't get the leoparding on the cornice that I wanted.
I had one pizza disaster where my Italian Sausage pizza spent too long on the bench and wasn't resting on quite enough flour - it became my first ever calzone.
I also did some pizzas last night for just my wife and I. Certainly got better at it and had the oven ready to cook in just over an hour or so - though it was a bit cooler than it should have been but pizzas were still good.

Not as many pictures as I would have liked - everyone hovering around and taking snaps on phones instead of my camera

First 3 shots are of Sunday night showing the fire ready for cooking, me launching a pizza while my mum observes and then a photo of my banana dessert pizza.
Last photo is from last night of a satay chicken.

[Greenman]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

If it was pre-existing then it must be a character line. I have a few of those myself, so does my oven.

[stonecutter]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

I might have missed this, but did you buy that oven new? I see a lot more a
Than one crack....

[applor]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

That interior crack you see was there when I bought the oven - there is another one in the same place on the other rear quarter too. You can just see it in the 2nd pic on the right in the same place.

When I said no cracks I meant the exterior, my apologies.

Glad you like the benches!

[Greenman]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

Hey Applor - Looks good. Pic 3 does seem to show a crack. Probably not of any great consequence. Your benches look good.

We all have some of those cracks. I hope your pizza party goes well.

[applor]

Re: new build in Brisbane - Vibrok Caminetti

Just got back from Melbourne last night and have been flat out and will continue to be until pizza night tomorrow I think.

Wanted to quickly post some pics.
We've plonked the benches down so you can see those now. Need to install bracket supports though.

Had a fire roaring all morning. Think I had a piece of overly moist wood or two which held it back a bit and got smokey but after that it really got going.

After a few hours the top of the dome cleared and maybe 30 mins later noticed the whole dome was pretty much cleared which is great.
Ceiling temps hit 650c with hearth and sides around the 400-450c.
Needless to say I think it's ready for cooking
No cracks or anything, outer dome still ambient temperature

Just spent over $100 on pizza ingredients and all my tools have arrived so here's hoping I can actually cook in it OK tomorrow night.