Planning my 32" cast oven

[fox]

Looks great!, it seems most folk have to experiment with a few dough recipes before they find one that works for them.
Mixing by hand can be hard work when you first start, it takes practice to get a good consistent results.

[UtahBeehiver]

I would not do any type of fire cure until the dome is insulated. Then you can start with briquettes for a couple heat cures, then "really" small live fires, this is the point where builders get impatient and fire too hot, too soon and too fast and end up cracking their ovens. PS, nice cast job.

[AndreasP]

Russell, yes, I didn't mention that, but I was going to insulate wiih fiber blanket before starting the curing fires.

Planning on a week of larger and larger fires as I've read in other posts

[david s]

Normal bread flour creates a dough that is very rubbery and hard to make the thin bases. Replace it with pizza or OO flour and you'll get much better results. Also, because of the much higher temperature in a pizza oven, the dough should not contain oil or sugar. They are both browning agents more suited for lower temperatures.

[AndreasP]

I'll have to try that, thanks

[MarkJerling]

Need to figure out a good pizza dough recipe. The one we have used with our BBQ before is really hard to stretch.

Thanks to this forum and some further reading I now only use one dough recipe:
1kg Caputo '00' or "pizza" flour.
635g water at room temperature.
6g Caputo dry yeast.
20g fine sea salt.

Mix all the ingredients together. Dough should be easy to work but not too sticky. Lightly knead through for a minute or two once fully mixed. Let stand for 15 minutes. Knead through again for a minute or two.
Place in an oiled dough box in the fridge for minimum 24 hours. Remove from fridge 1-2 hours before making pizzas so as to allow the dough to come to room temperature., but leave dough in closed dough box so as to keep dough moist.

For each pizza, grab a hand full of dough or roughly 225g-250g. (The recipe makes 7x 235g dough balls) These, if stretched carefully, will make 10" to 12" pizzas, depending how thin you go. Stretch dough on a bench using about a tablespoon of flour per pizza.

Any "00" grade flour will work but I prefer Caputo. (From Naples)

[AndreasP]

Mark, thanks for the recipe, I will have to try that once I have dried and fired my oven. At this time I have to be patient (I am told), so I will do my best.
Still have 4 days to complete the wet curing of the gallery. Then at least 7 days of drying, insulate, fire slowly for 7 days.
So I am about 3 weeks from my first pizza.

[david s]

Thanks to this forum and some further reading I now only use one dough recipe:
1kg Caputo '00' or "pizza" flour.
635g water at room temperature.
6g Caputo dry yeast.
20g fine sea salt.

Mix all the ingredients together. Dough should be easy to work but not too sticky. Lightly knead through for a minute or two once fully mixed. Let stand for 15 minutes. Knead through again for a minute or two.
Place in an oiled dough box in the fridge for minimum 24 hours. Remove from fridge 1-2 hours before making pizzas so as to allow the dough to come to room temperature., but leave dough in closed dough box so as to keep dough moist.

For each pizza, grab a hand full of dough or roughly 225g-250g. (The recipe makes 7x 235g dough balls) These, if stretched carefully, will make 10" to 12" pizzas, depending how thin you go. Stretch dough on a bench using about a tablespoon of flour per pizza.

Any "00" grade flour will work but I prefer Caputo. (From Naples)

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.

[MarkJerling]

I've not tried it in the bread maker David! Must have a go.

[Kris S]

I use a similar recept but with a lot less yeast (instant dry yeast) and a little more salt, I believe the long resting time for the dough is key, as well as using typo 00 flour!

1 kg typo 00 flour
600 g water
0.3 g yeast
30 g salt

rest for 24 hours, then ball and rest for another 2 hours or so and make pizza!

your build looks great Andreas!

[AndreasP]

Thanks Kris. That's a lot less yeast.
I'll have to experiment when the oven is ready.
Still in the "patience" stage of the build.

[MarkJerling]

I use a similar recept but with a lot less yeast (instant dry yeast) and a little more salt, I believe the long resting time for the dough is key, as well as using typo 00 flour!

1 kg typo 00 flour
600 g water
0.3 g yeast
30 g salt

rest for 24 hours, then ball and rest for another 2 hours or so and make pizza!

your build looks great Andreas!

That is interesting re the yeast. I often wondered about the 6 grams. (Which to my mind seemed a lot) Seems like there's a lot of scope for reduction of the yeast component. Will halve my recipe and go from there!

[AndreasP]

It has been really humid here the last few days. 99% condensing humidity every night.
Where the oven is located it doesn't get any sun this time of year so I decided to make a few small drying fires. Nothing bad has happened so far.
I kept the fires really small, just 5 pieces of matchlight charcoal for the first two days. Once the charcoal was lit I distributed them. The dome never got hotter than where I could comfortably hold my hand both on the inside and outside.
Then added a few more coals.
Matchlight did work quite well. I know they contain lighter fluid, but I am sure it will burn off long before I start my first pizza.

The dome has dried quite visibly, but will wait until next weekend to insulate and start the real curing fires.

[AndreasP]

Also started collecting some tools for the first pizza party. Made a turning peel out of a broom handle and the bottom of a quicke tin with a removable bottom. Was easy enough to cut it down to 9" with a bit that can be inserted into the handle. Used screws from an Ikea kitchen install (to screw cabinets together).

[AndreasP]

Lastly a wood question. I looked on the forums and read that people recommend against using pine in a pizza oven.
I just got probably 1/2 a cord of Italian pine for free.
It will of course need to get seasoned for at least 6 months before I can use it at all.
I was hoping that I could at least us it for heating up the oven, then switch to purchased hardwood (expensive) for cooking. I do have a little bit of cherry from when we cut down a small cherry tree, but that will be gone quickly.
Any thoughts on what to use and not to use pine for and why?
I may also be able to get a hold of a small quantity of acacia wood, any concerns with that? It is a hardwood from what I am reading.