Pizza Sauce recipe questions

[Jim Bob]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

I can't believe I said mgs. No, all my measurements above were grams!!! Sorry. Since my next big cook is Sat nite, I will make those doughballs today(Friday) and let them sit until Sat afternoon. Not sure what time it is now in Australia. It is 6:40 am, Friday, in Memphis, TN right now. Thanks guys for all the help. Some great tips. Will keep trying to make them better. Making 15-30 pizzas, I do allow each person to select their own ingredients using a one page form I developed listing all available additives & encouraging them to use only 3-5 of them at one time. Makes the party more fun for them & I divide up the ingredients for each couple to bring, already prepared for putting on pizza. I insist on only the very best quality of ingredients!! Why go to the trouble of making great dough & sauce only to have them bring crap to put on it!! Sure saves me some prep time. Otherwise I would buy it all and do it myself. More time left to build fire, drink wine, prepare dough balls, drink wine, clean the place up & make sauce, plus have a drink of wine!! Ha.

JB

[hodgey1]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

bringing back to room temp, they seem to rubbery to spread out without a rolling pin

Then put in bowl, cover with plastic wrap & a cloth towel for 2 hrs. Then weigh the risen dough & divide by 8. That is target weight for each doughball. Work them down popping the air bubbles & shape into balls. Then place in a pam'ed tupperware tub, cover, & place in fridge for several hrs. Then remove, let them reach room temp, & work down bubbles again. Then begin making 8-12" pizzas, working from center out

JB

The only comments I have are on your process because your recipe looks good although I'd like to know what flour you're using .

1:As soon as I'm done kneading I divide the dough into pizza portions, ball and they hit the fridge.

2:I highly recommend rising in fridge at least 2-3 days preferable 4-5. The dough will stretch easier not to mention the added flavor and texture of the long slow ferment.

3:I try very hard not to overly de-gas the dough while shaping

4:With finger tips I define the crust edge around the entire outer edge of dough by pressing down

5:I start initially stretching by slapping the dough between my two hand until its more than half the size I want

6:Next with both fists into dough i gently begin stretching while turning constantly until size I need

7:This tip I love and addresses Dave's misshape issues. I put the dough balls into lightly oiled individual plastic containers around 6" in dia while in fridge. Once the dough comes out of them, they are already round and ready to go

Other than that, the issues with your dough could be under kneading which could be your problem, its nearly impossibly to over knead dough by hand. Your dough should be very supple and stretch and form pretty easily. If its tough to stretch its gonna be tough to eat.

[Jim Bob]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

Chris,
Interesting stuff. Unfortunately I do not have the luxury of 4-5 days this time. Cooking tomorrow!. If you will look back on Page 1, I list the flour as Molina Caputo OO Pizza flour from Italy. I was told only two places to buy it in the USA. One in Sacramento(Forno Bravo store) or Pittsburgh, PA. at the Pennsylvania Macaroni Co & that's where I have been purchasing it in 55 lb bags for several years now. It's about $1.00/lb. plus shipping.

I really do appreciate your comments and I did watch the UTube video recommended by Greenman above. ALso some very good ideas. Can't seem to locate the semolina flour though. Kroger's says they have never even heard of it!! Bunch of dummies.

I suspect you're correct on the kneading though. I probably have been babying it too much and it is not getting worked enough.
Thanks Chris,

Jim Bob

[hodgey1]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

The semolina is pretty common around here in grocery stores. I use it for my peel and like it way better than corn meal. On the subject of kneading, I've done it by hand, stand mixer and now my prefered favorite way is 50 seconds in the food processor and done! It's quick and the results are awesome. Some may argue that but try it, you'll never go back!

[cobblerdave]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

Gudday Chris
Thanks for thinking if me, I probably will never achieve those perfect round pizza
It's operator error I'm afraid
Re I don't use semolina , don't like the crunchy bits , I use rice flour it doesn't seem to burn as readily as flour.
Regards dave

[hodgey1]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

Hello Dave
Oblong pizzas eat the same as round ones! Thanks for the tip on the rice flour, I'll give it a try. I use semolina because I don't like the crunch of corn meal.

[Jim Bob]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

I just want to use the Semolina for the dough ball prep like the gal did in the UTube video. Apparently it keeps the flour dust to a minimum which would help. On the peel I, like CobblerDave, use rice flour. It doesn't burn as bad as corn meal & has very little flavor to it. Chris, you sound like a rebel, and I like it!!!
Jim Bob

[cobblerdave]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

Hello Dave
Oblong pizzas eat the same as round ones! Thanks for the tip on the rice flour, I'll give it a try. I use semolina because I don't like the crunch of corn meal.

Gudday
Sometimes it can gets a little confusing with term used for different things.
I was under the impression that cornmeal was the same as semolina.
Polenta is the term we use for semolina just to add to the interest. But one thing I do know for certain polenta does leave crunchy bits on the base
Regards dave

[hodgey1]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

Dave
Thats funny, it sounds like in Aust that they call corn meal Semolina. Semolina as i know it here is a Italian course flour primarily used in making pasta. It gets absorbed into the crust very well and adds no crunchy bits to the bottom.

[Jim Bob]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

I just googled the difference between Semolina vs Polenta. Here is the web site that will tell all.
The difference between polenta and semolina | Baking With Gab

Apparently Semolina is made from wheat & polenta is made from corn. Hope this clears it up.

JB

[hodgey1]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

JB
How did the pizza party go? I hope well. It's 39* here and gale force winds. Not a good night for a pizza party. Roast chicken and mashed Tate's, comfort food.

[mirassou]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

Yikes...we had mid-fifties today with gusts around 20+...great weather for working on the oven, though I had to mix the mortar in smaller batches.

[Jim Bob]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

The party went well & the pizzas turned out to be my best effort in 5 yrs. I attribute it to the full kneading of the dough & hiding the rolling pin!!! Did all by hand & crowd was impressed. Also I had excellent control over the heat in the oven for some reason. Temp was easy to maintain about 700-750 on floor & 800 on ceiling. This balance in temp allows me to create a nice crust on bottom without burning the top. Weather was unbelievable. 60 degrees even as late as 11:00 pm with a mild southern breeze. My next change(as I always want to do better!)will be to make larger dough balls. Making 8 pizzas from 1000 gms of flour is not enough dough to really work with or "slap around". Will try 6 next time.

Then to top it off, I put a picnic shoulder in oven at 10:00 pm, put door on & forgot it until 7:00 am this morning. Absolutely fall apart tender. I had put dry rub on it & covered with alum foil. Temp in oven this am was 310 on floor, & 410 on ceiling.

[hodgey1]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

JB
Glad to here your party went well. Im envious, weather here flat out sucks. 44 degrees today and a wonderfull on-off misty rain.

I make my dough balls 330 grams each for around a 14" pizza. I normally figure that each pie will feed two adults.

[Jim Bob]

Re: Pizza Sauce recipe questions

Chris,

Really liked the idea of larger doughballs. One that I should have thought of several yrs ago. It will cut our prep time almost in half with large crowds.

I did have 6 doughballs left over from Sat Nite and I combined them into 3 doughballs & continued to refrigerate them for 4 days. Cooked them on the Big Green Egg Monday nite. Very, very good. & yes, 2 people could easily split one 12-14" pizza.

We are still having some fantastic weather. Will be 80 degrees today, & on Sat the high will be 65!! Absolutely the best for firing up the oven.

Have a great day,

Jim Bob