Pizza management help....

[Xabia Jim]

Okay you pizza pro's... how do you manage making many pizzas?

We made a dozen pies and I had them all over the kitchen....on counters, on cookie sheets and on my peel. We cooked them three at a time.

What tricks do you use to prevent sticking? And unsticking once stuck a bit?

Are there other techniques you use to prep or stage your pizzas?

thanks....Jim

[maver]

Re: Pizza management help....

I start by making only two at a time . If they do become stuck beyond the blow air under it trick's ability, I use a bench scraper to free it up. I think if I was making multiple in advance I would rest them on a thick bed of flour (ideally on a wooden peel), but would then want one of Jame's perforated peels to remove the extra flour prior to placing in the oven.

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Pizza management help....

Thanks Mav,

I've always had a tendency to want to let my dough rise a bit, particularly after spreading out the dough. Because I try to use some whole wheat flour these doughs are not as "smooth" to work with.

I'm going to break down and try the Caputo 00 just to feel the difference.

[arevalo53anos]

Re: Pizza management help....

All of my pizzas are 24+ hours refrigerated.
I take the dough out from the refrigerator 1 or 2 hours preceding the baking time, to reach ambient temperature before shaping and filling.
Depending on the quantity of invitees (and pizzas) I take the first four or five dough out of the refrigerator, next ones half an hour later and so on.
There is a threat ?Party for 34 people?? with tips and tricks over there.

Luis

[james]

Re: Pizza management help....

I'm with Maver,

We make them and put them right in the oven. Otherwise, if they have a minute to sit, they start to stick.
James

[michael]

Re: Pizza management help....

Jim
Without taking too much of the fun from your pizza making party (I loved seeing all those pies ready to go), why not do what we do in a professional kitchen, have all your ingredients prep'd in small bowls, have your sauce ready with the correct spoon, have your lovely fresh mozzarella sliced, a bottle of olive oil to hand and some fresh basil cleaned and ready to go. The French call this process 'mise en place' - to have ready or in place.

When your oven is at temperature, get yourself a helper, stretch rounds two at a time, sauce and top from your mise en place, load onto your peel (dusted with a two finger pinch of flour), place number one in the oven, load number two onto the peel and place that pizza in the oven. This can all be done quick enough that the dough doesn't stick to your surfaces. Now you need to do two things at the same time, watch the pizzas in the oven and get two more rounds ready, so having a helper at this point is very nice. One person can watch and turn pizzas one and two while another is preparing three and four.

If you're working by yourself, it takes about 25 seconds to prepare a round, get it sauced and topped, and anywhere from 90 seconds to 2 minutes to cook the pizza. In the short time it takes to stretch, sauce and top the next pizza, number one is ready to be turned and number two needs to be checked. It's a bit of 'back and forth' while you prepare number three and four, take a quick look at number one, turn or pull it out near the landing, check number two, pull it if necessary...can you feel the stress? I love this! Then you just continue this process until everyone has a pizza...then start all over, because they taste soooooo good everyone wants another or they're ready for you special dessert pizza!

If you're short a good helper, I'm free on Friday night!

Michael

[Richie]

Re: Pizza management help....

Can someone post me the thread for the "party for 34" please. I have a party I donated at a charity auction for 15 couples headed at me like a freight train. Any advise would be welcome. I do have 5 couples helping us with the party. I was going to work it like this:

2 people cooking
2 people stretching and making pies
2 people helping guests top their pizzas
2 people playing hosts
2 people keeping the cooks wine glasses full

Any other ideas?

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: Pizza management help....

Here is this Party for 35 Link

Hope that helps!
Drake

[arevalo53anos]

Re: Pizza management help....

It was me!
The words of Michael are the same of mine.
I just ask to the invitees to participate helping me with beer and maintaining the peel on the table when filling the pizzas.
A lot of containers with the fillings that you think that you will need, nearly of your hands. Olives, sauce, schreded parmensan, chopped muzz, chopped onions and so on
The secret is do not worry. Everybody is going to participate, and if you have a couple of little (10 inches) dough to be filled by the children, the party will be more excited, with a line behind you.
If you could finish with condensed milk, banana and cinnamon pizza or strawberry-chocolat or even a baked skin with ice cream, you will have a fantastic end of night.


Good luck
Luis