Personal Best Pizza

[BackyardPermaculture]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Thanks Rossco!

One more qn then -how do you measure 0.1 gram? I tried to follow the BBA amounts you originally referred to, which was around half a teaspoon - we'll see how it turns out...

Cheers,
Mick

[heliman]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Hi Mick,

I use one of these small scales, but probably about 1/4 teaspoon or thereabouts would work. I go very accurately according to my recipes and always weigh every item.

[heliman]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

This is the latest batch. Proofed on the bench for 1 hr, then cut up and balled. Currently proofing in the fridge and will be used tomorrow evening.

[BackyardPermaculture]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Looking good Rossco,

This is my Biga. It definitely looks different to yours - obviously heaps more IDY.

I also measure carefully, but my scales don't have a resolution beyond single grams. This was 200g of flour (eventual dough will be 1kg), 60% hydration, and about 1/3 teaspoon of IDY. I think that 1/3 teaspoon is around a gram, which may be up to 5 times what's required.

Will make the dough with this tonight and see how it performs on Saturday.

Thanks for the help
Mick

[texassourdough]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Hi Mick!

I agree your biga looks quite different - and yes, it has more IDY by % but I am struck by the HOLES. It looks like you just mixed it until you barely got it wet and stopped as there appears to be very little gluten development. This is not a big deal for the yeast will be fine and your biga is certainly more active than Rossco's so you shouldn't have any big problems. Since you have about 320 grams of biga it appears you are going to add roughly 420 grams more flour and about 260 of water. That is a fairly low expansion for IDY so you are probably going to overproof no matter what you do. The pizza will still be good. Just may want to ball it on mixing and use it fairly quickly after removal from the fridge (say once it is warm enough to be malleable).

INSERT: I later found photographs of biga showing holes like Mick's and looking very similar so the fact that I have not familiar with that look is probably erroneous. Looks like my interpretation is way wrong.

Extended development doughs like this will need personal refinement to match your IDY, your refrigerator temp, your habits/expansion practices, time, etc. Looks like you need more like half that yeast. (A bit more mixing wouldn't hurt either). Addition of 1 percent salt to the biga (2 grams to your 200 of flour) would also help slow down the yeast. Don't go over about 2 percent though or you will risk too much... (And be sure to recognize the early salt when you make your dough and put in the rest.)

Good Luck!
Jay

Good luck!
Jay

[splatgirl]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

mmm. I haven't fired my oven for two weekends. tomorrow for sure.
One of my neighbors claims to be a dough tosser from way back. Evidently she worked at papa johns in college. I've never seen it, but one of these days I'm gonna call her on that claim. Then I might actually be able to get some pictures of pizza, with the added bonus of learning whether it's a skill worth trying to master or not...

[texassourdough]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Hi splatg!

Good to hear from you! I look forward to the confrontation. Should be worth some yuks!

Since I got into Italian style dough I have never had a "throwable" dough that I considered to have good texture. To hold shape while spinning it has to be a very strong and/or low hydration dough. Your neighbor may end up wearing the pizza!

Fire in the hole!
Jay

[splatgirl]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

I'm going to pretend I didn't read that, Jay. She is the kind of person who might benefit from the reality of a big doughy mess. Bwwaaahhhhhaaaaaa

[BackyardPermaculture]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Jay,

Thanks for the highly-informative answer - I understand all those terms you've used (have been reading lots of books), but still not sure that I get what's actually going on

A few clarifications:
- Planning to add 800g more flour (as per Rossco's chart that had 200g flour in the biga and another 800g flour added).
- Mixed it quite a while in electric mixer, but it didn't come close to a ball - it just flapped around in floury tatters. Mixer doesn't have paddles, just hooks that seem OK with high hydration but not for biga.
- Worked it a while on the bench by hand - perhaps not long enough.
- Let it ferment for 90 minutes, but I think it got a bit warm. It's winter here, but it got a fairly direct blast of the warm airconditioner.

Anyway, I'll try your suggestions with the dough and see how it goes Saturday.

Cheers,
Mick

[heliman]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Hi Mick ...

I do a detailed scale calculation to work out the biga requirement at the outset.

I prepare and knead the biga as it if were a normal piece of dough i.e. water, flour and yeast hand mixed to combine. Autolyse 20 mins, knead for a few minutes till smooth and silky. Leave of counter for 1 - 1.5 hrs. Into the fridge overnight.

When making the final dough, add liquid ingredients and salt to a bowl, add flour, then tear up the biga into little pieces to facilitate mixing and then place in bowl. Mix for a minute or two with hook to combine. Auto for 20 mins then crank up the mixer for about 5-6 mins, varying speed from slowest to fastest. There will be slapping - don't worry! My mix is 67% hydration so it is easy to knead. Once that is done, onto the bench for a hand knead for a few mins to finish. Cover for 1 hour then cut, ball and into the fridge for an overnight proofing.

Remove dough an hour before use the following day. May be good for a further day or so in the fridge, but after one day there is a subtle sweetness to the dough and it is very smooth and pliable. Perfect for pizza making!!

[czaunb2]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Looks so great! It makes me so eager to finish so that I can finally make good looking food. The rosemary pizza looks so good--almost seems like it has a similar texture to naan bread. YUM!

[texassourdough]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Hi Mick!

My comments were based on your statement you were expanding to 1000 grams of "dough" not flour so....my comments aren't quite so meaningiful. Your biga seems strange. It shouldn't be like that if it was mixed (but in your case maybe overmixed due to the low hydration is part of the blame?) Whatever it is it shouldn't look like that! (Again, not that I think it hurts much)

Gotta think about this. I will get back to you!
Jay

[heliman]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Thanks for the kind comments czaunb2...

This evenings bake-off, done in the electric oven.

I seem to be able to keep the consistency going and tonight was no exception. I was pleased with the results overall. One observation however was that the biga was slightly more proofed than previously. Whilst this wasn't a problem, I did see increased crust puffing which was fine though and the taste was still very good.

Kicked off with salami, Danish fetta and mushroom with a light sprinke of fresh chilli from the garden.

Then I made the standard anchovy, capers and mushroom, followed by a wife-pleaser... the caramel and banana with cinnamon and caramelised sugar.

[texassourdough]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Those look just about perfect Rossco. My biggest criticism would be that they look too perfect to be "rustic" and "handmade". You are turning out pizzas so round and smooth they look machine made! But not the crust puff! It is perfect though there are those who like some larger bubbles so you get some char - and this may do that but you will need to use the WFO to find out.

You seem to have definitely found a combo that works for you! NICE JOB!
Jay

[heliman]

Re: Personal Best Pizza

Thanks Jay ...

Yes, will defiitely have to crank up the WFO to see how the dough performs in that environment. I will aim to get that elusive leoparding that has pretty much eluded me so far...

No more baking this weekend unfortunately as we are going out to a restaurant for spare ribs tomorrow night, and Sunday I'll be making a meat only BBQ.

Anyone baking this weekend??