Adelaide WFO Build

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

In our little neck of the woods we call this "hobo" or sometimes "river" coffee. We don't use fine ground, though. A few egg shells boiled in with the grounds helps them settle out

The shape of the pot helps a lot, with the pot I bought you can decant the coffee off and leave most of the grounds in the pot. It has a wide flat spout that allows you to easily see when you're starting to pour the grit.

I've never made coffee this way before, I've always used a machine / percolator / cafetiere. I'm quite impressed with the results.

Managed to get a bit more of the kitchen made today. I knocked up some doors for the work counters. I used some kapur screening to match the bench seat I made. This is a teak like hardwood from Malaysia.

I made up a basic steel box frame and welded it to the flat bar that I cast into the underneath of the work surface. I also fixed it to the wall using fischer bolts. I then welded the hinges to the frame and fixed the doors. I still need to sand and oil the doors but I think that the kitchen area is really starting to come together now. I'm well pleased with the results.

The only remaining thing is to make the right hand counter top. This is a bit trickier to cast than the first one as I am going to inset the gas hob from the BBQ in it. I will probably cast this one in a box and then mortar it in place Once this is done I can then think about what kind of finish I want on the tops. I found out about concrete polishing - this is a simple as hiring a polisher for half a day so might give this a go once the second top has had time to cure a little.

Here's some pics

[Gulf]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

In our little neck of the woods we call this "hobo" or sometimes "river" coffee. We don't use fine ground, though. A few egg shells boiled in with the grounds helps them settle out

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Went out and bought some cast iron cookware from Ikea tonight. Very reasonably priced. I figure there is only so much pizza man can eat Looking forward to making some kind of casserole or stew. I especially like the idea of slow cooking using the residual heat of the oven.

I also picked up a Turkish coffee pot. It makes great coffee. Simply stick it in the oven near the fire and wait for it to boil. You have to grind the beans really fine. The trick is to take the pot off of the heat once it boils and let it sit for a short time before you pour it. This lets the grounds settle in the pot. If you are a coffee fan it's a cheap way to use the oven for making coffee.

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Cast half a teaspoon of semolina into the centre of the floor. It should go black in three seconds. Two seconds, too hot. Four seconds, not hot enough. If it is too hot just place the first one or two pizzas closer to the entry.this method has been used for centuries, it's simple and reliable.It's also a good party trick and makes your guests think you know what you're doing.

Thanks. Think I need to get some semolina

[david s]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Cast half a teaspoon of semolina into the centre of the floor. It should go black in three seconds. Two seconds, too hot. Four seconds, not hot enough. If it is too hot just place the first one or two pizzas closer to the entry.this method has been used for centuries, it's simple and reliable.It's also a good party trick and makes your guests think you know what you're doing.

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

After blowing the ash away I use the semolina cast onto the floor trick to test temp.

How does this work?

[david s]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

I gave up on the mop ages ago. I just use a length of pipe and blow the ash away from the cooking area. I've found an 8mm stainless steel pipe the ideal tool for this although a 12mm copper pipe will suffice too and is more readily available.
After blowing the ash away I use the semolina cast onto the floor trick to test temp.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Gudday
I gave up on brushes ages ago they just get burnt and the bristles hate the heat....I use a simple mope... strips of cloth wired to the end of a broom handle. Replace them often. Dip in a bucket on water , wring out and give the hearth a wipe... cleans better than a brush. If you think it will effect the heat think again that amount of water will not make 1 bit of difference to a hot hearth.

Regards Dave

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

if you cook on trays then moisture will be trapped between the base and the tray resulting in a soggy base. You can do it that way and remove them from the tray and replace the pizza to cook the bottom, but that all takes more handling time and you lose valuable heat having to heat the tray as well, better to place the pizza straight on to the floor of the oven (traditional Italian method).

Yes totally agree. We initially cooked on the tray the first time we fired it up. The oven wasn't particularly hot at this point and the pizza took quite a while to cook, the heat absorbed / wasted in the tray was very obvious. We then decided that direct on the floor was definitely the way to go so bought a mop to clean it down with. Cooking directly on the hearth just seems 'right'.

I will check out the pizza mix at Gaganis Bros. I have a feeling they may make it themselves as I know they mill their own flour. We've bought bread mix from them before which was pretty good. Will let you know how we get on. Looks like pizza for tea again tonight

[david s]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

No, we only let it prove once, cut into dough balls ready to roll out. By the time you are ready to do that they have risen again somewhat. We also add about 7% semolina flour to the initial mix which gives the base a nice crunch.
I use Allied Mills pizza flour, it's cheap and pretty good.

if you cook on trays then moisture will be trapped between the base and the tray resulting in a soggy base. You can do it that way and remove them from the tray and replace the pizza to cook the bottom, but that all takes more handling time and you lose valuable heat having to heat the tray as well, better to place the pizza straight on to the floor of the oven (traditional Italian method).

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

From one batch of dough (500 g flour) we get four pizzas around 10" diam. We find it more convenient to make them this size because they're quicker to prep and handle and my oven is small. If you use 50% oo flour the bases roll out beautifully with very little "springing back"

Do you let the dough prove twice? The second batch of dough we used after only proving once (straight from the machine), it was easier to handle but did not cook as nice. It was not as crispy - more like a typical fast food pizza with a soft base. (not necessarily a bad thing).

I'm intending to buy some 'pizza dough mix' from the local wholesalers (yes that's what is says on the bag). Not sure what it consists of but at $13 for 10 kilos it's worth a try. Previously we simply used white flour, yeast etc.

[david s]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

From one batch of dough (500 g flour) we get four pizzas around 10" diam. We find it more convenient to make them this size because they're quicker to prep and handle and my oven is small. If you use 50% oo flour the bases roll out beautifully with very little "springing back"

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

I read through the official Neapolitan pizza 'standard' it too mentioned separating into separate balls of about 200gms. (or similar). This seems like a good idea and from what I experienced is about half of the dough made by our bread machine. That's what I plan to do next time. Also letting it prove twice makes a much better base but the dough becomes very elastic and hard work. Is there a technique to working the dough when it's elastic like this?

Regarding volume. The bread machine is perfect for up to two pizzas (one load), but without starting some kind of production line is not very good for a big party. Making one lot of dough takes about an hour and half (that's simply how the bread machines program works). I know I can store the dough but I don't really want to waste most of a day making batches of dough when I can simply get my hands dirty (well more sticky really) and make up one massive batch. Time is something that is in short supply in my household.

I will definitely heed everyones advice and let the dome dry out some more before rendering it. After all my hard work I don't want the render to crack.

One of the main issues I found when trying to transfer the pizzas around was simply that I did not have a very good work surface / area. I initially made them up on a bread board, but this was simply too small. I then used the big aluminium pizza tray we bought along with our metal peel, this is where it got stuck After a while I got the hang of it and managed to get them from the tray to the peel to the oven and back again with no issues. The problem was that the tray had a lip and so was a little fiddly to work with. I stopped off today at the local dollar shop and picked up a massive bread board so hopefully things will go a little better next time. Once the work surface has been polished / tiled I will simply make them up directly on the work surface.

I checked the oven this morning as I put the temporary MDF door in last night after we had finished cooking, as expected it's still nice and warm. Not sure what the temp is as I don't have a thermometer. I will pick one up this evening at the wholesalers.

One thing I have found a little hard to locate is a decent brush. I've been looking for a medium / soft bristle wooden brush that I can mount a long handle to - pretty much like an old fashioned wooden dustpan / cobweb brush. I managed to find metal dustpans but the brush still eludes me. Did manage to find a poker / pan / brush set at the local BBQ / Wood fire place but at $200 they can keep them. For that price I would have expected it to at least be made of brass not black iron. Only thing I can think of that might come close is a wallpaper pasting brush.

Might stop at Bunnings tonight and take a look at pasting brushes. Will also pick up some more square bar as I need to make a poker (or two). Definitely more fun making my own tools. The scraper worked a treat moving the coals around; it's simply a bit of square bar with a bit of flat bar welded to the end.

Next up is to make the door. I'm planning on making this out of sheet steel so that it forms a hollow section filled with vermiculite - maybe about 3 inches thick. I will also weld a tube in it so that I can fit an oven thermometer through it.

I'm planning to map out the temp fall off of the oven so that we can figure out when to cook certain dishes. It will also be interesting to find out how well the insulation performs. (well when it's finished). My only concern is that as my flue bends up back over the oven, part of the dome (the part in the flue) is uninsulated. I only realised this when I went to render it. At this stage I had already capped off the flue and so will need to remove the stack and capping to get access to it. Not sure how much impact this will have, but it will obviously have some. I guess the temp map will tell all.

Not too much image wise. Just one snap of my temporary door.

[david s]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Smaller diam bases are also easier to manage. You can graduate to bigger diam and thinner as you get better at it.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Gudday
Try 200 gm ( yes measured ) dough balls they'll give you a 12 in pizza which is easy to handle and about right for most people to eat. Anything bigger i put in on trays and slide off 1/2 way through to dry out the wet bum, don't do this oftern these days....the customer gets a choise of toppings only.
I use a wooden peel myself with rice flour and slide em off real easy, I also have a mate who will only use a metal one hates wood ....find what works for you.

Regards Dave