BeanAnimal's 42" build - Pittsburgh PA

[RandyJ]

Hey BeanAnimal your oven turned out great. Have you been using it a lot. I just ordered one of the kits from Ben. I can't wait for it to get here and get going on it. Thanks for the nice write up on its assembly.

Randy

[MarkJerling]

3 pizza nights so far.

My family does not like the silky smooth soft dough... We have been more pleased with crust a bit on the chewy side and will be looking for recipes that lean that direction. So far the FB recipe with a bit of extra salt and yeast has yielded the best results with a 3 or 4 day cold ferment.

getting things finished up before the snow,,, err right on (my) schedule.

Pavers (color) from previous work are discontinued. The new ones are close enough after install that they will look great once weathered in a bit.

That looks fantastic!

[BeanAnimal]

The bigger issue was that due to cost cutting these expensive ass tech-bloc pavers are no longer tumbled.

Solution... I removed the mixing paddles in the Harbor Freight Mixer and tumbled them in batches.

I will post a video of a get a chance. Noisy, but effective.

[BeanAnimal]

3 pizza nights so far.

My family does not like the silky smooth soft dough... We have been more pleased with crust a bit on the chewy side and will be looking for recipes that lean that direction. So far the FB recipe with a bit of extra salt and yeast has yielded the best results with a 3 or 4 day cold ferment.

getting things finished up before the snow,,, err right on (my) schedule.

Pavers (color) from previous work are discontinued. The new ones are close enough after install that they will look great once weathered in a bit.

[BeanAnimal]

The picture makes it look thick. The edges puffed up nice, but the rest was still very thin and there was a good bit of pep and sausage. That was 200g of dough and a bit larger than. 10”

[MarkJerling]

That seems like a really thick crust. Do you find it cooks quickly enough?

[BeanAnimal]

2nd Firing and a few notes (may need to move to the dough forum)

Walls 950+
Floor 750+

Had to dome to finish before burning bottom.

Dough
FB recipe per PDF using 00 flour
FB recipe using 00 flour no knead method
3 day cold ferment (Friday afternoon - Monday cook)
2+ hours out of fridge

No Knead was easier to keep shape, not softer per say, but more uniform opening
FB recipe was harder to form unto a uniform shell

taste and texture - hard to tell the difference between the two.

In both cases - The crust was edible but not quite as chewy as I would like and even after three days had nothing more than a "flour" profile for taste. Nothing remarkable at all about the crust. Looks like I need (no pun) some serious help.

Also - I think even for the 00, the floor temp was just a bit high for my liking. I don't want to have to dome pizzas regularly. I suppose with a 42" floor, I have plenty of room to move it away to a somewhat cooler spot.

Lastly - I know straight san marsano is the "way" - but a bit bland for me. I am going to try with some Basil and a tad of oregano/salt/oil

[MarkJerling]

That looks like a great first attempt! Wel done! I find, if I have some spilled cheese or some such that it burns off easily enough by respreading some coals, then sweeping the floor again. Unless if it's really hot, then it burns off pretty quick anyway.

[BeanAnimal]

Okay - Pizza temps today

900+ upper wall and ~650 ~750 floor depending on location.

Satisfied but a lot of learning to do.

FB dough per PDF and same FB recipe using the modified tscar method. Both used weight method.

The dough was made last evening and refrigerated until about 3pm today. I made two pizzas, 1 from each dough, knowing that I will prefer longer aging, but eager to give the oven a try.

I used a food mill and canned san marsano - I don't like chunks. Sauce was a bit thinner than I had hoped. I need to work on this.
I used fresh moz on one and dry on the other.

The watery sauce and fresh mozarella made for a soggy mess. Edible - but not even close to the desired result. No photos...

The second pizza turned out very well. However, in my eagerness to ensure I was not burning the bottom, I stretched a hole in it with the turning peel. Lesson learned, once placed, let it cook long enough to be turnable.

My only complaint (aside from the tear) was that I pulled it out too soon. I like my pizza a bit more done but was unsure on how much it would continue to brown as I pulled it out. She was really sizzlin!

That brings me to my next question. How do you manage the gooey burnt mess that mistakes make on the oven floor, placing peel and turning peels?

[MarkJerling]

Very nice build! Looks fantastic. Great work!

[BeanAnimal]

Placed an order for pickup (Penn mac, Pittsburgh)
3 bag Caputo: Flour Pizzaria 5 Lb
6 28z can La Primavera: DOP Tomatoes
1 5Lb Ricci's Hot Italian Sausage
1 5Lb Ricci's Sweet Italian Sausage
1 LB G-ANTONIO Pepperoni 38mm: Ezzo
1 LB SUPREME Pepperoni 38mm: Ezzo
2 bag Bufala Mozzarella DOC 8.8oz Pkg

have San Marsano in garden, but want to try canned first to eliminate variables. Plenty of meat for freezer and tomatoes for pasta as well as some 00 breads in the oven.

Also need to cleanup mortar haze on soffits and drill holes for recessed lights.. though still considering skipping those for aesthetics.

[BeanAnimal]

almost done! Chimney still needs a cap and counter flashing.

last bit of. Or tar around arch bricks needs to be finished.


couldn’t help but pour a drink or two to celebrate.


Landscape work and a standing area need to be done before the snow falls, but hope to be to pizza temps by this weekend.

[BeanAnimal]

I had some grotesque (gargoyle style) corbels picked out, but have decided to skip them. I liked the idea and have several in the garden, but not sure they really matched the overall theme. Polling friends and family revealed “meh... I do t think you need them” and the landing support brackets are barely visible from any low seating angle around the fire pit area.

[BeanAnimal]

Lower arch area covered with stone and upper area scratch coat complete.

[BeanAnimal]

Gi metal order showed up.

8” stainless turning peel
14” aluminum placing peel (they steered me away from the stainless model, said this was better)
brush
ash tool
divider... don’t think I needed it, but why not spend more money

sorry for the upside down.. iPhone exif data tries to “correct” orientation even if you rotate prior to posting. So stupid.