building the oven

[Tman1]

Re: building the oven

A picture of the lemon drop pizza...

[Tman1]

Re: building the oven

Found some pictures to share...

[Tman1]

Re: building the oven

Well, another party over. 12 people and 20 pies later (I bake off the extras and freeze them for quick suppers). I didn't do a great job of managing the fire and it the deck got cool a couple of times. It's amazing how you can just 'tell' that it's not right.

The bread flour dough was easy to work with and came out with a slight crunch. There wasn't a noticeable difference between the sea salt and kosher salt doughs, (I'll use kosher from now on since it's cheaper) and had a nice soft crust and nice chew. The whole wheat turned out very good too, almost surprisingly good. I might try a 33% mix next time as it was barely noticeable except for what seemed the need for a slightly longer bake time. The whole wheat was the stiffest dough to work with, but it still was pretty easy.

Unfortunately I was answering questions, managing the oven chatting and didn't get any pictures. One of these days my wife will remember, or I'll remember to ask her prior to the 'event'.

The 'lemon drop' pizza continues to be the surprise hit. Everyone stares at it judgingly UNTIL they have a bite.. then the head nodding starts. I did try it on the whole wheat pizza and it seemed to hold together much better.

[Tman1]

Re: building the oven

I'm making pizza today and I'm very fortunate in knowing someone who (it sounds like) can get me as much flour as I would like.. for free. He works for a major conglomerate that does testing and all they do is throw it out after they test. I told him we need to push the green aspect of 'recycling' if he gets any questions at work! I had started talking with him at a grad party in early June, and he started talking about protein content and such, and I was surprised he would know so much. I think he knows more about the actual flour types, and I know more how to use it.

Recipe: (basically this is the FB recipe which I've found to be quite good)
Flour: 516 g
water: 325 g
salt: 22 g
yeast: 3 g

First batch was done with Pillsbury Bread Flour and kosher salt
Second batch was done with pizzeria flour and kosher salt
Third batch was done with pizzeria flour and sea salt (1.5 times base recipe)
Fourth batch was done with 75% pizzeria flour, 25 % whole wheat and kosher salt

Method:
Barely combine ingredients (80% of flour) and let rest for 20 minutes. (dough will look like brownie batter after it just gets all wet)
Add remaining flour by the spoonful) as KA mixer (on #2) incorporates... after all flour is added, mix for another minute
empty onto bench which is slightly dusted with flour... brief kneading.... a few stretch and folds, then into slightly oiled (Pam spray) container and into fridge for 16 hours.

Balled into (approx) 210 g balls, back into individual oiled containers and back into fridge for (probably) 5 hours at which time I will take them out and rest again at room temp for about 2 hours.
Note: The 4th batch will only be in the fridge for 4 hours, then balled and back into the fridge for 2 hours, then out with the other batches. The first 3 didn't seem like enough. If we have leftover dough I usually open them up and bake them off and store in the freezer for future quick meals, or I've now started giving guests a couple to take home.


Observations so far: The 1st batch balls were stiffer than the 2nd and 3rd batch. The pizzeria flour already had a nice feel to it when balling. There were plenty of air bubbles being pushed out at this point in the pizzeria flour balls... not so much from the bread flour. Experience tells me that batch one will be alright when the times comes, but it was noticeably different at this point.


I'll try to remember to take pictures, but I'm usually pretty busy and my family isn't very interested in that part.

[Tman1]

Re: building the oven

Your pizzas get better everytime , sigh....impatiently awaiting my flour delivery....

Thanks!
I'm working on keeping the temps high which seems to allow for the best taste. I'm now trying some different flours to see how the crust tastes. As it turns out, a friend works for a major flour conglomerate and he can get me just about any type of flour out there.. for free!!!! They are samples, but his first delivery was 15 lbs of pizzeria flour. We bake today!!!!

[Tman1]

Re: building the oven

I will say that I'm close to getting a 'real' oven. The benefits of that will be insulation allowing for residual heat baking which I don't get much of. I use scrap 2x4 and 1x4 pieces from my job. When the oven reaches temp I switch to oak to lessen the 'crackling' that happens with the pine. Since it's free, it doesn't mater to me how much heat it gives off, and it's all kiln dried so it burns well.
I often think some of the ambience of the oven is that when people see it they think I'm some kind of rube and don't think food could come out of it. They make a pizza, watch it go in with wide eyes, and when they taste the final product are that much more impressed. I'll miss that.

[cobblerdave]

Re: building the oven

hi
I'm so worried about that oven failing..... how the hell are you going to top that oven by conventional means????
That is one ugly piece of construction .....that makes great pizza.... well if you did use a more lets say conventional design maybe you could have more pizza parties...cause you saved more wood to burn for more parties????
Perhaps its time for the old girl to be replaced... no supplimented by a more conventional oven before she fails (and disapoints us all) and by burning a few token logs retires to become a visitor warmer and conversation piece....

Don't let her die

Dave

[JoeyVelderrain]

Re: building the oven

Your pizzas get better everytime , sigh....impatiently awaiting my flour delivery....

[mekdigital]

Re: building the oven

I love this oven! It shows that a man can jump on the moon, if he really wants to?!

[Tman1]

Re: building the oven

I haven't posted to my own thread but I have been using the oven which still stands today in the same shape it was in previously. I can get it up and keep it at 725*... I actually would like o cook hotter than that, but it does have it's limitations. The humidity here has been terrible.. hit 88% one day.
I have found the Forno Bravo dough recipe to be very good. I need to find some 00 flour to really give it a go.

[countryboy]

Re: building the oven

Good to see that thing is still going!!

At this rate, you may NEVER build a permanent oven!! LOL!

CB

[Tman1]

Re: building the oven

Well, after 7 months it's still standing and I put it to work yesterday.

It takes about an hour to clear the ceiling and get it ready for pizza. I also tried Reinhart's country classic dough. It went well, and was super smooth to work with. Surprisingly though, my wife and I both didn't like it as much as our Wolfgang Puck recipe. I'll start some experimenting with different hydrations to see if their is a happy medium.
I am starting to realize that in this fashion, it's basically just a pizza oven. I'll need to figure something for when we actually have money.

[Taxin]

Re: building the oven

Awesome! My Casa2G was just delivered loaded on the truck

[Tman1]

Re: building the oven

Hasn't been fired up in awhile... too cold on the days when I wanted to do it. I may give a go this weekend!

[Taxin]

Re: building the oven

Hey Tman those pizzas sure look good not a pretty oven but it sure looks like it works in a pinch !