The secret to WFO crispy crust?

[Ken524]

Re: The secret to WFO crispy crust?

Hi Pizza,

I get the char spots (I love 'em!) and there is usually a light crispness to the bottom when it comes out. Yes to the active fire question. I rotate the pizza once during baking.

I'll often do the Hendrix maneuver to finish things off... but I still often get an undercooked top edge crust (harrumph!)

Someone mentioned adding olive oil or sugar to the dough. Will that help?

[PizzaPolice]

Re: The secret to WFO crispy crust?

Your dough looks o.k. as far as ingredients. Might be fire management. You state the oven is fully heated. Was there an active fire going? What was the proximity between the fire and pizza. Was the edges uniformly brown or did they have the sweet, sweet char spots? Personally, my ideal crust ( or at least what I shoot for ) is spotted with just a slight crunch, but the middle is soft and airy. An over baked pizza will have a thicker crunchy crust but appears almost normal. You can try the Jimi Hendrix and kiss the sky. Raising to the roof will quickly brown and crisp your top within a few seconds.
As always, I'm no authority.

[Ken524]

We had another successful pizza bake Sunday night. The only "pizza challenge" I'm having a struggle with is crispy crust.

My recipe is ASUDaveW's found here:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f10/my-adapted-dough-recipe-4027.html

I've also used the Caputo/FB recipe with very similar results.

I mix the dough in my KitchenAid for a minute, let it rest, then finish it for a minute or two. Bulk rise until double, split into balls, sprinkle with flour and rise a few more hours in covered containers.

In a fully heated 42" Pompeii, I get good spring, puffed up edge crust and a good tasting char on the bottom. The toppings are cooked, cheese slightly brown, but the top of the crust is a little pale and the crust is chewy.

Don't get me wrong, the pizza is GREAT!! But I'm looking for a different style. I'm trying to get a browner, crispier top crust (like Pizza hut??).

Over all, my pizza crust is a bit chewy. Like New York style pizza that they fold in half and eat like a taco.

I tried rolling out some crust with a rolling pin Sunday night. Interesting results. Very thin, uniform and cracker-like, but still not crispy on the top of the edge crust.

Any advice? I know this has been talked about before but I couldn't find any particular thread that clued me in on the solution.

Are you all getting the same results as I am?

Thanks!