Planning my 32" cast oven

[MarkJerling]

You're welcome Andreas.
My wife likes to use the bread machine while I prefer to mix by hand. I can't tell you which works out better, except that I can make a much bigger batch of dough, much quicker than the bread machine!
I now use the Caputo 00 flour almost exclusively although I can't really tell the difference from ordinary 00 flour.

[AndreasP]

Thanks Mark. I ended up making dough balls in the evening and put them in the box. Left them in the fridge overnight. Worked very well, other than they were all stuck together anyway. Still, made portioning easier and it didn't take that much time to make the dough balls.
I also had Trader Joe's dough, since I only had 1 kg of 00 four. The homemade dough with the 00 flour was certainly better than Trader Joes', and easier to stretch. Will be using that in the future.

I used the bread machine, but it wasn't able to mix the dough properly. I had to use a slotted spoon to mix it, then restart the machine. Other than that it worked great. Next time I will just mix the ingredients with a spoon before starting the machine and it should all work.

[MarkJerling]

Your first method is the usual method, but when cooking for the family or just a few guests we just place the dough in a stainless bowl and cut off fist sized bits of dough as needed.

I second that. We used to make balls now we just leave the dough in the dough boxes and grab a roughly "correct sized' lump of dough at a time. I'm getting pretty good at guessing the weight.

[AndreasP]

Thanks, am trying to prep as much as I can tonight.

[david s]

Thanks, i guess I'll see how it goes. Is there any issue if I were to divide the dough before I refrigerate it? I have a box i can use for that and keeo then separate.

Yes, no worries, but expect it to double in volume. The top will dry off if not covered properly. A plastic bag keeps the air off the top, but allows the dough to expand.

[AndreasP]

Thanks, i guess I'll see how it goes. Is there any issue if I were to divide the dough before I refrigerate it? I have a box i can use for that and keeo then separate.

[david s]

Your first method is the usual method, but when cooking for the family or just a few guests we just place the dough in a stainless bowl and cut off fist sized bits of dough as needed.

[AndreasP]

Yes, I use the same recipe and method, although I usually dump all the ingredients in a bread maker on dough only setting (I'll happily work with clay and concrete, but I don't like handling sticky dough), then when it's done turn the dough into a plastic bag with some spray cooking oil on the inside. Twist the top of the bag loosely and refrigerate overnight.

Getting ready for another round of Pizzas tomorrow. I will try the bread machine version of the pizza dough.
One question though for clarification.
When do you form the dough balls, or do you form them at all? Here is what I am thinking of doing.

1. Let bread machine do all the work
2. place dough in oiled bag, close bag and refrigerate overnight
3. take out of fridge 2 hrs before making pizza
4. divide into dough into 7 equal portions.
5. Roll each into a nice tight ball
6. let rest in a proofing tray (covered) for 2 hrs until ready to make pizza

Or should I just take the dough out of the fridge, and cut off a piece when I am ready to make my pizzas?

[AndreasP]

Great suggestions everybody, I will experiment.
David, something seems to have gone wrong with the photos you posed, they don't show up. I assume they are photos.

[david s]

Here you go.

[Gulf]

Used grill grates from old bbq grills are usually easy to find. Bolts and nuts can be used for legs. I use left over brick scraps from the build. The grates can easily be cut down to the size that you need. After experimenting, you can then purchase the factory built if you still want to.

[fox]

I would use the biggest one that will fit through the door.
you might like a kebab cooker

or a chicken cooker….

[AndreasP]

Was just looking around for some more accessories for my oven.
I see some people use a Tuscan grill to lift pans and pots off the floor or to do some grilling in the oven.
I am wondering, what size grill do you guys use in your ovens? Trying to figure out what would make the most sense.
I am sure there are may solutions.
For my 32" oven I am thinking of a 14" x 14" grill

Any thoughts?

[AndreasP]

Thanks, I like the rake idea.
Maybe for now I'll just gain a bit more experience with the oven. For our first pizza session i just did what you had mentioned, lean the new log on top of a partially burned on. It worked.

[Gulf]

I would think that a short piece scrap angle iron would work for what you describe. After I read this post yesterday, I looked at my scrap metal pile and saw several things that would work. From 2" black iron pipe, 2" bed rails, and even an old garden rake that could be cut in half.

I have had both 3/8" and 1/2" rebar glow red in my oven. Soft steel is just barely malleable at that temperature. It certainly wont melt. I doubt that it would bend out of shape under the weight of a small log.

All that said, I usually just prop one end of a log on top of the remnants of another burned log.