One Batch of dough, 3 very different delicious results.

[patnugent]

We use a pretty basic NY style dough, ~3.5 cuprs flour ~1.75 cups water, some salt, some OO, a good amount of honey and 1 IDY packet.

This is our typical Sunday haul.  The only variation this week was that the deep dish was a no kneed.  Bulk fermented for ~12 hours, but instead of balled all 3 doughs I only balled 2 and put the third hunk of dough into  cast iron skillet to hang out until it was time to cook(about 6-7 hours).

Everything was done on a stone that I stole from my parents.  550, preheated to 545ish then kick it to 550 when I put stuff in to make sure the elements are on during the crucial times...

Here were the results...  Everything tasted awesome.

 

[patnugent]

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[patnugent]

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[patnugent]

First up is Garlic Knots.  I rub some garlic/basil/oo on the dough before cutting it up and knotting them, they're cooked in a large cast iron pan with a generous amount of OO in it so the bottoms almost fry.  3-4 minutes before they are done i put the rest of the garlic/basil/spices on em and let it glaze onto them nicely.  This time around we used 1/2 roasted garlic 1/2 fresh which cuts down the garlic kick a little bit.

Next up was Spinach and Artichoke. Sautéed them together with some garlic and spread it out pretty evenly so it was in every bite. 

Last comes the deep dish/pan/sicilian.  This was the first time I made it without rolling the dough.  It was a bit more airy than it has been in the past.  Spread some of the roasted garlic on the dough before saucing, cheesing, meating and peppering it.  Was a very nice subtle garlic taste.  Pie was pretty much perfect.

For cheese we get fresh mozz from a little italian deli that makes it fresh every morning, for sauce it's just straight 6-in-1.

[deb415611]

Very Nice!

[Chicago Bob]

Glad to see the no ball pan dough worked out. Everything looks great, seems that you have quite a versatile dough there Pat, congrats.
Bob

[patnugent]

Went for a NY/Chicago Hybrid today.

Same dough formula.  Let it ride in the pan like a normal sicilian then patted down the middle a bit, par baked with a thin layer of cheese for 3 min then patted the middle down again as i piled in some sauteed garlic, spinach and artichoke.  a layer of cheese over that and a decent helping of sauce over the top.

[GuzziJason]

These pan pizzas look great - I definitely need to give one of these a go sometime soon!

__Jason

[patnugent]

My wife likes the garlic knots when they all form a big cake, so I put them in a smaller cast iron pot this time around and let them form a pie.

The meat pie is pepperoni and dried sweet sausage with a honey drizzle, the dough it almost a no kneed dough, only folded it twice instead of the normal 8-10 times.  Was very happy with the results.

[pbspelly]

I'm intrigued by your 545/550 temperature trick. f your oven is anything like mine, when you open the door to put the dough in, the temperature usually drops significantly.  So wouldn't the elements come on automatically to get it back up to 550? Or do you think there is a delay that can be avoided with resetting the temp to 550?

Great looking pizza, by the way

[TomN]

Hi patnugent,

Could you post the recipe for your sauce? Thank you.

TomN

[patnugent]

The elements may kick back on without resetting the temp but it never goes back to reading 'preheating' Nd I have noticed a difference in the way the top of the pie cooks when switching the temp back and forth(much more evenly with the bottom.)

For sauce we use 6-in-1 straight from the can. I feel like additional spices would take away from the robustness of the tomatoes.

[TomN]

I have tried 6-in-1 and even 7/11 by Stanislaus straight onto the pizza. They just don't do it for me without some kind of spices added. Perhaps the cheese you are using makes the difference. Could you share what cheese / cheeses that you enjoy on your pizza??? Thanks

TomN
PS
your pies look GREAT

[patnugent]

We use fresh mozzarella from a deli in town that makes it fresh daily but will sometimes throw in a bit of something else(recently it was a bit of sharp cheddar)

[Serpentelli]

Hey,

Get that carrot out of that kid's mouth!

He's obviously suffering from PDS (Pizza Deprivation Syndrome)

He's gonna grow up being quite the pizza snob if that's what poppa is baking at this tender age!

Great looking pizza, and family!

John K

[patnugent]

Wasn't planning on doing pizza last night, then decided we should.  Made the dough at around 1, was in the oven by 4.  30 minutes bulk fermented then rolled and sat on the counter in oiled bowls until go time.

Also added 3 tsp's of ground flax seed to the dough, was hardly noticeable.  Just did it for the health benefits, good way to sneak it in!

[patnugent]

Cooked beer in the morning and pizza in the evening.  Pretty sweet Sunday.  Upped the hydration in the dough a little bit for a change and also minimal kneading.  Awesome results.  A little less airy, more 'traditional' NY dough.

First pie was corn, sweet potato and roasted red pepper.  Second pie was a deep dish with caramelized Pineapple on top...  I was very skeptical, my favorite chain pizza is always whatever with extra pineapple, but I had never had luck at home...  The caramelization did the trick.  Every bit was sweet, tangy and juicy.  Would do again, and again... and again.

[Chicago Bob]

Great looking pizzas Pat...very nice! That last one is calling to me I do believe.
Tell me though..how did you manage to keep the toppings from sliding off in that first pic? You are good man...real good.  

[patnugent]

I have a light hand with the cheese and also am sure to layer the pie(sauce, cheese, toppings, cheese) so that everything is stuck in place.  Growing up working at a couple of pizza places on Long Island helped too I'm sure.