Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

[Richard]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

OK - just questioning, not being critical, we all try to help on this forum.

Do you use iodized table salt , kosher salt , or sea salt

[nissanneill]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

Hi Richard,
common old table salt is all that is used. A rather small pinch very lightly sprinkled over the front edge of the peel is all that I use, less seems to work fine without adding to the flavour. Try it and reply if you find it taints your pizza.

Neill

[Pizza Man]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

If you want to put a lot of toppings on your pizza, cook the crust first just until it firms up a little and them take it out and put the toppings on. It will come off the peel fine.

[oventhusiast]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

Hey Jan,
I loved the 'Murphy's Law' explanation ! Very funny! I can't wait to light this thing and start the 'burning curve'! Oops! I mean the 'Learning Curve'!!! (I think my first 'newspaper' fire will be tomorrow!)
Rick

[oventhusiast]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

Well it's been 3 weeks or so and this is the third time we had pizza. I'm feeling like a terrible flop. My pizza is getting WORSE! The first one was awesome! And it was just an experiment! The oven was at it's last curing stage and I ran to the local pizza shop and got a nice fresh piece of dough, spread it out , added the tomato, cheese and spices (and EVOO) and Viola! a Great pie! The next week we had a couple of neighbors over and it was like eating a tasty rubber frisbee. I blamed that on the cold store bought dough. Tonight (this afternoon) we got really good fresh dough and I let it sit to rise and we made five pizzas. I really didn't let the oven go white because the wood I just bought (1/2 CORD) is 'wet'. The oven wasn't getting hot enough so I ran down to the store and bought a $6. bundle of dry hard oak. It lit up like a dry christmas tree! I figured I could start cooking the pizza but the floor never got hot enough. The pizza burnt on top and the bottom was limp ! I guess I really need to get some dry wood (lots of it) and let the oven go white all over, let it come down a bit and then start cooking. I hope so because this is going to be a really expensive paper weight if this keeps up !
Feeling lousy,
Rick

[Unofornaio]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

Well as you mentioned in your previous post welcome to the curve... Don't feel bad its gonna happen, there really is NO other way to learn. I will say though and you may take it the wrong way but I mean it in a good way.. It sounds like you really need to make more of a commitment to cooking in the oven. By this I mean plan the event and take your time going through all of the necessary steps. These ovens need a routine that is followed in order to expect good results each time there really are not any shortcuts. The important thing is that it sounds like you are keeping track of what your mistakes are and thats all that you can do to learn from. My advice..slow down, forget the store bought dough making a 1 lb batch by hand can be very rewarding. If you have a mixer do it in that, the point is it sound like you need to really take in the whole experience more. People think I crazy when I tell them you really need to establish a relationship with your oven but its true. Others hopefully will confirm this, cooking in that oven is like dating, the first date its very exciting but extremely uncomfortable because you both do not know each other. as time goes on after each encounter you learn a little bit more about the other and then one day you get a call and they say "your a crazy #@$^ don't call me any more"...just kidding... But seriously its gonna take time and you know what they say about "getting the milk before the cow"...actually I don't even know how that one goes I just know its bad..you cant rush this process just resolve your self that you will have some Frisbees along the way...
You will be fine don't get discouraged..

[oventhusiast]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

Thanks Uno,
You really made me feel relieved after reading your post and I really do know what you mean about the 'commitment'. I would have tried to make dough this morning but I was trying to get the walls of the dome house made. It's getting cold around here and I want to get this oven insulated and water tight before the winter sets in for good. I know what you mean about the relationship thing but you only got that 'kinda right'! It's more like getting a nineteen hundred pound wife through the mail! She shows up, you marry her, but if you can't get along with her, 'she ain't leavin''! She's gonna' be right out side in your yard! And you gotta' look at her every time you pass her by!!!
Rick!!!

[dmun]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

A couple of weeks ago I made a batch of low-yeast fairly wet caputo dough, and froze the excess in individual round covered bowls, when I didn't need it after the three day cold retardation. This weekend i pulled them out after lunch, and they thawed all afternoon at room temperature. By the time the oven was hot, i started working with the dough, and it was immediately clear that something was wrong. The dough was much bubblier than usual, and it was liquid to the point that it would flow when the bowl was tilted. The first dough ball I decided to re-kneed to work some bench flour into it to get it to the right consistency. This was a mess. The dough wouldn't stretch out, and when it did, it would tear. Yikes. I finally got it sort of flat, about half the target size, put some toppings on, and got it into a cooler part of the oven so the thicker dough would cook. It actually wasn't half bad, but it sure looked weird. The second dough ball I poured out onto a floured counter, and patted more bench flour on top, flippingit using a silicone spatula until I could pick it up and stretch it normally. This one looked fine, stretched without tearing, and made a fine pizza.

The moral of the story, which I should know by now, is don't mess up your gluten development by handling your dough any more than necessary.

[james]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

The moral of the story, which I should know by now, is don't mess up your gluten development by handling your dough any more than necessary.

This is such good advice. I've watched lots of beginners and lots of kids make pizza -- all starting the great dough -- and it is amazing how much being gentle matters.

Thanks David.
James

[gjbingham]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

My first attempt resulted in an overlythick crust because I couldn't get the dough flat. I guess I should have given the dough a few minutes to relax.

I was expecting a two minute pizza, but because the dough was thick, the edges browned as expected, but the middle of the crust was still doughy. I carmelized the toppings by raising the pizza up into the dome after about 2ish minutes, then served up a rather half-done crust pie. I should have moved it to the front of the oven and given it more time, I guess. It took three tries to get the bread right. Hopefully that is all I need with pizza.
George

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

Disasters? ...they all get eaten!

Let's see....

too many toppings
hearth not hot enough
hearth not cleaned enough

that last one was probably the worst as there was ash in it.

I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunity for future PD (pizza disaster)

PMS....pizza made simple

XJ

[SpringJim]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

From last weekend....

3) putting in too much wood for the nuclear fire and snuffing out the fire

2) trying to do too much without help so the forgotten pizza burned

1) using the turning peel to serve the pizza (upside down in the bark!)

That last one was my 4 cheese and tomato pizza at the end of the party and there were no more dough balls for the replacement ....not like I didn't get enough to eat though!

but do have enough dough and toppings to play around after everyone is fed ...it's fun making folded pizzas and stuffed longbreads with the leftovers!

[Alfredo]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

1) using the turning peel to serve the pizza (upside down in the bark!)

sorry

[thomasz]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

yes,thanks I would do better.

[PizzaPolice]

Re: Common Mistakes, Pizza Disasters

Dogs do not readily enjoy sausage that had spilled onto the fire deck.