[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Post your Pizza (Page 2 of 2)
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Okay I have a question.
When I get pizza from Pizza Hut (one of several chains we have around here, none of which are actually decent as compared to the New York style pizza which I prefer) I always order thin crust, because I like it best. Do any of you know how to manipulate the dough so as to get "thin" crispy crust as opposed to the thicker pan and hand-tossed type crusts? This is of particular interest since my diet includes no bread. I cheat when I eat pizza, but with the thin crust, I'm cheating LESS, and I like it better anyway. I am going to try some of these pizzas. As to anchovies. I don't like them as a rule, but atop a really good homemade bruschetta, they are AMAZING, so I'm thinking that atop just the right pizza, with fresh tomatoes, the effect might be similar. 
kitties |
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Do any of you know how to manipulate the dough so as to get "thin" crispy crust as opposed to the thicker pan and hand-tossed type crusts? As to anchovies. I don't like them as a rule, but atop a really good homemade bruschetta, they are AMAZING, so I'm thinking that atop just the right pizza, with fresh tomatoes, the effect might be similar. And you'd be right. Anchovies are an absolutely authentic topping and used with a light hand, are delicious. yeah, you can see that in the previous pic of my "Sicilian Pie" that it's literally SMOTHERED but normally I don't use that much. Usually just a few fillets finely chopped and sprinkled about. Fresh mozzarella, chopped anchovies, fresh tomatoes, and a bit of chopped fresh oregano. Wonderful. ... I like my pizza's more on the rustic Italian style so for me, less is more. My tomato sauce is little more than drained plum tomatoes processed to a lightly chunky consistency with a little olive oil, fresh ground black pepper, and some sea salt. If the tomatoes are on the acidic side maybe a pinch of sugar. ... As for the thin crust dough, just turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin. If it stretches back, let it sit for a couple of minutes to allow the gluten to relax. a good dough will be "silky" yet pliable. Not hard as a brick (too much flour) or sticky (too little flour or too much water). You really need to knead the dough to get that silk texture even if you mixed it in a food processor or mixer with a dough hook. You should learn to mix dough by adding flour a bit at a time until it starts to "come together" as you may not need to use all the flour the dough recipe calls for esp. if the humidity is low. ... But the BIG secret of a great crust is a LONG, SLOW, rising time...around four hours minimum. The longer the rise, the tangier and chewier the crust esp. if it's "bricked" on a baking stone. If you really like your homemade pizza, flatbreads, and breads in general do yourself a favor and buy a BIG, THICK baking stone or cover the bottom rack in your oven with unglazed tiles. Those thin little baking stones suck. Baking temperature should be as hot as you can get your oven and a baking stone should preheat for at least 20-30 minutes so it's scorching hot. |
Some essential (to me) pizza-making tools:
In the foreground is an Allied Metal Spinning (Bronx) "Black Maria" Sicilian-Style steel pan available here. I have the regular steel pan vs. non-stick. They come coated in some sort of kerosene-like stuff which has to be burned off and the pan seasoned....and re-seasoned after each use until it develops it's own "teflon". Other tools include a large perforated pizza pan (available everywhere either plain aluminum or non-stick). a perforated pizza disc (King Arthur Flour), a rock maple pizza and pasta rolling pin, a steel dough scraper, a 12" x 12" metal pizza peel (I hate wooden ones), and what I refer to as a "Glock pizza cutter": a polymer half-moon pizza cutter again purchased from King Arthur flour (no longer in stock). Whichever pan/disc I use I place directly on the hot stone which in turn sits on a rack in the bottom of the oven close to the heating element. I freely admit to the generous use of either olive oil or non-stick baking spray to lubricate pans. |
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I'd be amiss not to post the dough recipe I use and I've used it for years. It's awesome. I can make it in my sleep I don't even need to see the recipe card to make it.
It's an adaptation of a recipe from "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian" (this dough is in the traditional Neapolitan style) Ingredients 1 1/4 cups tepid water (about 110 degrees) 1 pkg dry yeast (I prefer regular vs. fast-rising) pinch sugar 1/4 cup (2 oz.) cornmeal 1 TBS olive oil 18 oz. flour (about 31/4 cups) measured on a scale and divided into 6 oz. and 12 oz. 1/2 tsp salt Directions Place the tepid water in a mixing bowl. dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. You wait five minutes to ensure the yeast is active (called "proofing") Add the olive oil. 6 oz. of the weighed out flour, and the cornmeal. Beat together to form a batter (called a "sponge"). Add in the remaining flour at bit at a time until the dough "comes together" then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and silky. If too sticky add small amounts of flour to correct. Towards the end of the knead time you can sprinkle in the salt. DO NOT add salt to the sponge as it is a yeast growth inhibitor. Add it last. Place on a clean counter and cover with the bowl (cleaned and lightly oiled). Allow to rise until double in bulk. A 3-4 hour rise is preferred. Punch the dough down and divide into 2 or 3 equal parts or you can use the entire batch to make a very large thick pizza. |
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Quoted: But...but... I don't LIKE chewy dough.  I like "thin & crispy" dough. What then????? I haven't tried this recipe, but it looks similar to how I made thin dough @ the pizza joint I worked at in high school. http://www.pizzamaking.com/thincrust.php |
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Oooh, I need to make some pizza now!
I have been playing with some of the recipies in this book; http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Apprentice-Mastering-Extraordinary/dp/1580082688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253805551&sr=8-1 and I really like the flavor and texture of the Pain L'Ancienne bread and use it for pizza dough. Basically, you use cold water to mix, and let it sit in the fridge for up to a couple of days. This slows down the yeast, and they actually break the flour down a bit differently (more efficiently?). The crust has more of a reddish tinge to it, and the flavor is a bit more "full" IMHO. When you want to use it, let it come back up to room temp., and be careful not to deflate the dough when cutting it. I like smaller pizzas (maybe 12" DIA at the most). I'll wait until my over is about 600 degrees (a little hotter is OK, but not over 700 degrees). The pizza will cook in about 3 to 5 minutes. I'll make the pizza directly on the peel too. I use cornmeal liberally. I actually use it to kind of guage how hot my oven is by throwing it on the bricks. I bake the pizza diectly on the bricks, and when I'm done, I rake the coals back over the bricks again. I need to start another culture of sourdough because I think that flavor would be outstanding with some pizzas. |
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But...but... I don't LIKE chewy dough.
I like "thin & crispy" dough.
What then????? You're looking for that "cracker" crisp dough. Don't worry...roll it out thin enough and you'll be fine. You can also leave the 1/2 tsp. salt out of the dough. that's what the pizza place were I worked as a teen did: salt-free dough. |
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I make my own dough too. My wife found me a big mixer with a dough hook and I love the thing! http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz1.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz2.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz3.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz4.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz5.jpg damn that looks good..... |
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I make my own dough too. My wife found me a big mixer with a dough hook and I love the thing! http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz1.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz2.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz3.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz4.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz5.jpg damn that looks good..... Yes it does. I'm hungry. |
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I make my own dough too. My wife found me a big mixer with a dough hook and I love the thing! http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz1.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz2.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz3.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz4.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz5.jpg damn that looks good..... Yes it does. I'm hungry. it looks very good
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I make my own dough too. My wife found me a big mixer with a dough hook and I love the thing! http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz1.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz2.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz3.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz4.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/pz5.jpg recipe? i knew i bought the gf a $300 mixer for something |
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recipe? i knew i bought the gf a $300 mixer for something I bought a bag of bread flour and followed the directions for pizza dough. Although I knead the dough with the hook, I flour a cutting board and knead by hand for 45 minutes. This makes it chewy like a pizza place. Oh I followed Alton Brown's method for pizza. |
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But...but... I don't LIKE chewy dough.
I like "thin & crispy" dough.
What then????? Ok I know that this spits in the face of making your own dough. However, sometimes when I want pizza I don't always have time to make dough. But I do almost always have tortillas on hand. I use two tortillas as my dough. And it makes a great thin crust. The reason for two tortillas for me is some extra cheesiness. Lay down your first tortilla, spread a cheese of your choice on top. (This is the glue that holds the tortillas together). Layer second tortilla on top of cheese, and top like you would any pizza. I run a kitchen at a retreat center, and throughout the week I have to make lunches for the staff. Some days I will have them come in and make their own personal pizzas on 6-8 inch tortilllas. They love it. And it is a good thin/crispy crust.
However, let me make myself clear. If I have planned the meals out ahead of time, and not making it a last minute thing, I make my own dough. 
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My pizza tonight! http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/mypz1.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/mypz2.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/mypz3.jpg My wife's THIN CRUST I made from the other topic recipe. Partially baking the crust is the secret! http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/rpz1.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/rpz2.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/screamingcockatoo/meals/rpz3.jpg damn im real hungry now
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Homemade: tomato sauce, Canadian bacon, onions and Chanterelles picked today.  |
