Pizza Secrets by Beverly Collins

[tapco1]

Secrets From Inside the Pizzeria
By Beverly Collins

Has anyone ever reviewed this Pizza Secrets DVD and Pizza Making Documents for Dough, Sauce and Pizza making techniques.

She incorporates many of great ideas used on this Blog site for making what I think is a very good
NY Style Pizza.

Listed below is the table of contents from her .pdf Secrets From Inside the Pizzeria

Table of Contents
START WITH THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT..................5
Pizza Stone........................................................5
Pizza Screen.......................................................6
Pizza Paddle (Peel)..............................................8
Pizza Cutter.......................................................9
Heavy Duty Mixer...............................................9
The rest of the equipment..................................10
DOUGH – IT’S IN THE FLOUR AND TECHNIQUE..10
Basic Lean Dough Formulation for 16-inch Pizza...10
Flour Secrets....................................................11
CREATE YOUR OWN SECRET SAUCE...................17
MAKE THE PERFECT CHEESE BLEND...................20
TOP IT OFF.........................................................22
RECIPES AND TECHNIQUES!..............................25
Pizza Dough Recipe for Thin Crust Pizza...............26
Secret Sauce....................................................30
Cheese Blend...................................................31
ASSEMBLE THE PIZZA........................................32
Form the Perfect Pizza Crust...............................32
Spread the Sauce..............................................33
Sprinkle the Cheese..........................................34
Place the Toppings............................................34
Transfer to Oven...............................................34
Ring the Dinner Bell!.........................................34
TROUBLESHOOTING AN IMPERFECT NY PIZZA...35
Common Crust Problems....................................35
Common Sauce, Cheese and Flavor Problems........37
The 2-Day Wait Dilemma...................................37
DEEP DISH SICILIAN STYLE PIZZA FORMULA....38
NEAPOLITAN STYLE PIZZA TIPS........................40
SOURCES...........................................................43
READERS WRITE................................................46
TALES FROM INSIDE THE PIZZERIA...................73
The start of an amazing career saga....................73
Business School Analysis....................................74
Golden Rule.....................................................74
A horrible thing happened..................................75
Mentors...........................................................75
Architect turned Pizza Guy..................................76
Everyone had The secret sauce...........................76
But I nearly had a heart attack...........................76
We had the most expensive flour on the planet.....77
The Glass Ceiling..............................................77
50% rule.........................................................77

[Bill/SFNM]

Seems well-regarded by a few folks at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Inside-Pizzeria-Beverly-Collins/dp/B000VK90ZU

(moving this thread to "Cookbook Reviews" forum)

[Draven782]

 I have the dvd... Fell asleep watching it.     It has SOME good info on it but nothing that has not been disscused here in length.  I'll send my copy to anyone who wants it.  Just send me a message through this site with a name and address and its yours.

[tapco1]

Thanks Draven

Send copy of the DVD too:

Tom Peca
9612 Commons East Drive Apt C
Charlotte, NC  28277

Tap

[Draven782]

No prob Tom...I'll try and get it out to you tomorrow.

Paul

[scott123]

These are all direct quotes from Bev Collins (from her website)

Hello Jerry, Be sure to check out alternate less costly ways of doing everything: About $5 for unglazed quarry tiles at the home store in place of a $40 baking stone

The dough should sit until it is doubled in size. If it doubled in the refrigerator, you can use it right away.

The screens really do help you to get a round pizza. You can transfer it directly to the stone once the pizza releases from the screen.

Wow! I and many other people (including Pampered Chef dealers) have been preheating Pampered Chef stones for years.

Recently I have been experimenting with a different type of stone: Fibrament – with excellent results.

I'll give her a little bit of credit for understanding the value and inherent safety of using bromated flour, but when it comes to oven thermodynamics and how to properly bake a pizza, she's completely and utterly clueless.

[Pizzamaster]

There's safety in using Bromated flour?

[buceriasdon]

I have not read all 85 pages of the pdf. ebook completely but I found it was competently written and would be informative for someone starting out baking New York style pizza. I easily found it by googling.
Don

[dellavecchia]

...but when it comes to oven thermodynamics and how to properly bake a pizza, she's completely and utterly clueless.

Scott - I think it would be pretty intimidating to have you over my place for pizza! 

John

[tapco1]

Hi Scott123,

How about a quick lesson, or pizza making link, on the proper use of thermodynamics when making pizza.

Thanks,  Tom


PS - I use a Fibrament Stone, KASL flour and, 6 in 1 or San Marzano Tomatoes, but always looking to improve my technique.  

[tapco1]

HI Scott123,

KASL Flour is never bromated:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SIR-LANCELOT-KING-ARTHUR-FLOUR-/170604705564?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b8d5371c

I believe Bev Collins recommends KASL flour for her NY Style Pizza.

Tom

[Pete-zza]

I agree with Don's assessment of the Pizza Secrets document. Bev Collins worked for many years at Domino's in a prominent research capacity, quite possibly including the time where Domino's used deck ovens, so I believe that she knows more about ovens than discussed in the Pizza Secrets document (she does talk about lining shelves of home ovens with stones or tiles--although she prefers the Fibrament stone--and she discusses moving the pizza around the oven and using different rack positions to get an even bake). Ms. Collins does mention the KASL for those who want to purchase high-gluten flour in small quantities but she also discusses other high-gluten flours, including bromated flours, for those who want to purchase in much larger quantity, such as 50-lb bags.

The Pizza Secrets document is directed to folks who just want to make a decent pizza at home, not those who are as devoted to achieving perfection as the members on this forum. I personally learned only a few new things when I first read the document but I think it might help those who are just starting out with their home pizza making efforts and do not wish to wade through the posts here on the forum to find the same information and how to assemble that information to make a credible pizza at home.

Peter

[scott123]

There's safety in using Bromated flour?

Yes (do a forum search).

[scott123]

Scott - I think it would be pretty intimidating to have you over my place for pizza! 

John, you make some of the best looking Neapolitan pizzas this forum has to offer.  I would probably be the one who'd be intimidated

Now, if you started going around telling people that you're expert on NY Style pizza and have a recipe that guarantees the 'Best Pizza Anywhere' using a fibrament stone and a screen, then not only would I recommend not having me over for pizza, but I'd highly recommend avoiding me completely- because you and I would have a big problem.

[scott123]

How about a quick lesson, or pizza making link, on the proper use of thermodynamics when making pizza.

Tom, I'm in the process of documenting my process, but if you really want to step up your game, get a better stone.  The single greatest factor in making great pizza is an abbreviated bake time.  Fibrament has the lowest conductivity of just about any material used in baking and produces mediocre 8+ minute bakes (at traditional peak oven temps).  NY style should ideally be closer to a 4 minute bake. To achieve that you have to either have a conductive stone (steel or soapstone) and/or mod your oven so it gets hotter.

[scott123]

The Pizza Secrets document is directed to folks who just want to make a decent pizza at home, not those who are as devoted to achieving perfection as the members on this forum.

From Bev's Order Page

100% UNCONDITIONAL “BEST PIZZA ANYWHERE” GUARANTEE

Peter, that's a 'Best Pizza Anywhere' guarantee, not a 'Decent Pizza' guarantee

Now, this book may compare relatively favorably to the books that are out there, but, let's face it, what's out there is garbage.  Reinhart?    And I don't think 'wading' through this forum is that arduous of a task.  The Lehman recipe is front and center.  Lehman, 1/2" steel plate, bromated flour. That's an 'UNCONDITIONAL “BEST PIZZA ANYWHERE” GUARANTEE'   Now, beginners will have to learn the ins and outs of yeast and how to recognize proper fermentation, but I would think that process would be far easier to master under this forum's tutelage than a book- a book that most likely just says 'use x amount of yeast until dough is 'doubled.''  And no book will ever give people the necessary muscle memory for launching a pie off a peel and onto a stone.  That's just practice. Add Tony G's videos on forming and this forum blows any book out of the water.  Especially  a book by someone who used to work for Dominos. That's just plain embarrassing  

[forzaroma]

From Bev's Order Page

Peter, that's a 'Best Pizza Anywhere' guarantee, not a 'Decent Pizza' guarantee

Now, this book may compare relatively favorably to the books that are out there, but, let's face it, what's out there is garbage.  Reinhart?    

You don't like Reinharts book? His bread bakers apprentice is a great book, and i do like American pie as a starting point to read even before these forums.

[scott123]

You don't like Reinharts book? His bread bakers apprentice is a great book, and i do like American pie as a starting point to read even before these forums.

Reinhart is a breadmaking icon. Pizza, not so much.

[forzaroma]

Well just the travel through Italy I personally thought was a cool story. Not that I am an expert by any means but i thought it was a decent book on pizza for a beginner.

[Tscarborough]

Scott, I only know 2 NY guys who are making commercial NY slice pies here in the Austin area, and both are very specific (because you can bet I quizzed them) that they cook on deck ovens with stones at 550-575 for 6 +/- minutes on their 20" pizza. And I have watched them both do it.  Is your 4 minutes a number to shoot for in a home oven?

Edit-and if it makes a difference, both are "re-heaters".