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[scottfsmith]

I slice fresh Mozz very thin and put it on paper towels to absorb some of the moisture.

I do the same and have gotten very good leoparding / cooking results (air temp 950F dropping to 800F over the 2-minute cook; stone temp 750F at pizza insert).

On the subject of toppings, I recently tried some mini fresh mozz balls from Trader Joes (about the size of marbles) and those were very easy to use, just throw them on.  Also I have found that onion rings 1/16 to 1/8" thinly sliced will cook up perfectly on the pizza, as does garlic sliced as thinly as possible.  Its funny how our family has evolved to being cheese pizza lovers to being 50-50 split between cheese and marinara lovers .. all thanks to the excellent quality of the 2stone pie itself and not the use of cheese just to "fatten up" the quality.

Scott

[MWTC]

One small note...if you are getting to the end of your propane tank everything changes.

It was at the end of the propane tank. Please explain what effect you are referring.

MWTC 

[2stone]

MWTC,

I think it may have to do with the propane suppliers possibly. But some times when I get to the end of a tank, there will be a foul odor. If I shake the tank a little it seems to clear up. I'm not sure if this is because I have the burner on full throttle. It's probably not such a issue with grilling because temp drops are not as noticeable. I have a bigger tank that I also use and then I don't need to worry about it so much.

My grandmother is 99 years old and in her younger days she ran a pretty good Norwegian flatbread business. Most of the Norwegian flatbread is a mixture of potatoes and flour. Her flatbread was renowned around the area and people would swear by it. She had a secret recipe which she guarded closely.
When I was home visiting my parent some years ago, my mom passed on the secret recipe to me.
The secret involves a specific mixing procedure along with a specific temperature controll. Since all of this type of flatbread uses the same basic ingredients, it is incredible how much her method improved the product. I gather that the same is most likely true for pizza dough.

You guessed it...yesterday I ran my first batch of Norwegian flatbread (called "lefse" or "lumper") in the 2stone!! (Norwegians use a high temp open hearth baking meathod)
Because I was in a hurry I cheated on my grandmothers recipe. The end results lacked the qualities of my moms and my grandmothers flatbread. Otherwise the 2stone worked great and saved time flipping it.
So I am now going to follow my grandmothers "secret method" which involves a specific temperature and mixing procedure. (by the way the signature look of a good "Norwegian lumpe" has nice, pronounced leoparding)

regards, willard

below is a pic of a
norwegian lumpe (lefse)
I did yesterday.

[MWTC]

So what you were referring to was an odor issue not a baking/temperature issue? There was not a noticeable odor. But for some reason it seemed to be burning hotter, any ideas? If I were to reduce the flame upon baking what should I be looking for? Is it just a matter of experience and experimentation?

MWTC 

[gschwim]

Scott,

"On the subject of toppings, I recently tried some mini fresh mozz balls . . ."

I tried it, but the pizza tasted funny.  Aren't "mozz balls" not same thing as "matzo balls?"   

Gene

[scottfsmith]

I tried it, but the pizza tasted funny.  Aren't "mozz balls" not same thing as "matzo balls?"   

These said mozarella on the package and tasted the same.  I was just saving wear and tear on my fingers with mozz.  Matzo balls are very different.  Trader Joe's had some name for them which I cannot recall now.  Oh, Google just helped me out -- "Perlini".

Scott

[Pete-zza]

I think Gene is pulling our leg. Maybe what he is looking for is the bocconcini or ciliegine mutz balls.

Peter

[MWTC]

Good news. The leoparding came back.    I did not use the fresh mozzarella but I did use 3% whole milk mozzarella and 25% Munster. When the leoparding appeared on the pie I turned down the heat just so the "jet engine sound" was eliminated and finished it off to my taste. And it was back to normal. I will experiment with the fresh mozzarella on up coming pies.

MWTC 

[mmarston]

Willard,

Wow lefse!
I have not thought about lefse for years. My mother's family were Swedes from Minnesota and I remember having lefse many years ago at holiday dinners. I was very young and don't know whether they made it or bought it but I do remember enjoying it as an exotic food at the traditional American table.
Not that it matters but I remember them being rectangular or square.

Michael

[2stone]

Michael,

Yes, Lefse is very popular in Scandinavia.
It comes square or round. I think round may be
more traditional in Norway.
I was adding to the "Leoparding mix"!! There is no sugar
or yeast in the dough so I think that is why it leopards
very consistently. The dark spots are blisters and there is
no carmalizing from the sugar.

willard

[bambino32]

With this high heat baking with the Bayou and oven how many pies do you get per 20lb propane tank?  The jet sound you guys talk about sounds like high fuel consumption.

Thanks

[mmarston]

Bambino32,

The Bayou oven uses much less gas then the grill version as the heat is concentrated where it is needed and the oven heats up much more rapidly.

After moving from Brooklyn, to an upstate pizza wasteland, I have been making home oven pizzas for 2-3 years with knowledge gained from this forum and they were very good. Never quite as good as the Neapolitan style pizza I always hoped to make. The high temperature Neapolitan style is not for everyone but many consider it the finest pizza possible.

The 2Stone can take your pizza to a level that is not possible at home oven temperatures. This is a method where the difference between fabulous and burned to a crisp can be a matter of seconds.

If you are not sure this is what you want try to find a local wood or coal fired pizzeria that bakes at high temperatures 8-900 degrees f. and try their pizza to see if you like it.

Or jump, and the net will appear.

Michael

[bambino32]

Michael
I assume the 2stone oven can bake pizza in the 500 to 600° range as well 900°.  I have never made a Neopolitan pizza as I have no way of getting those high temps.  I have always preferred pizza from wood burners with a little leoparding on them.  I would use the 2stone oven to do a variety of flat breads and pizzas.

The bayou is rated at 155,000 btu which is almost 3 times my gas grill with all burners on high.  When cooking at 900° how many pizza are you getting per 20lb/5gal tank? I think this thing would really suck the propane.

Thanks

[giotto]

I'm a bit surprised at the propensity here to use flours that include Malted Barley at such high temps. Malted Barley of course is an enzyme included in most American non-organic flours that enables the amylase process to extract the sugars from the starches to produce browning under lower heating conditions, which is mostly accomplished in a period of 8 hours.  I always assumed that when I had access to high DOC level pizza temperatures, I would use a flour that would be void of such an enzyme to avoid unnecessary burning, and to ensure a color that is almost exclusively from char.  Here, for example, is a color that I received at 530F, which would be an unacceptable amount of enzymatic activity if I were to place it at 900F temps:

https://home.comcast.net/~keck-foundation1/all-by-itself.JPG

In Naples, pizzas are often developed same day since flours like Caputo are poor in the amylase process, and additional sugars are not allowed to be added to feed the yeast.  With DOC temps of 900F +, the pizza can rely on their color from char.  It seems that certain Organic flours (e.g., Giusto used by Chris Bianco) would be an alternative for temps in the 900+ F level, since they often do not include malted barley or a similar enzyme, and produce paler colors unless charred at higher temps.

Of course, Caputo is also different in its primary use of a soft wheat flour, which is mixed with Manitoba hard wheat, and can provide a great taste without extensive bacterial fermentation. Whereas, American flours are typically comprised of hard winter or spring wheat, producing a different texture.  The American flours of course can be combined with organic pastry flours that are void of malted barley and consist of soft wheat to produce a comparable combination in texture. 

On the other hand, I have found excellent char (the kind that comes off on your fingers, which is quite distinct from burnt crust) at middle ranges of say 750F in a well insulated Woodstone oven.  And while the overall color accents are not of a Neapolitan look, it makes a great New York version of pizza, which is a personal favorite of mine.  However, fermentation times of 48+ hours may offset problems with typical American flours, since yeast fermentations deplete the sugars over time even while in the refrigerator, just at a slower rate, as does bacterial fermentation.

[widespreadpizza]

Giotto, I have wondered about this as well,  since my oven brick  has been completed, I have had to entirely give up in flours with malted barley.  I use Caputo 99% of the time,  but have just started trying out the brand hogdon mills naturally white flour as it has no other ingredient besides wheat.  Test results were very good,  and now i will consider it as a backup, or alternative to Caputo.  It did mottle less than Caputo, with a more even brown,  but did not burn as would say KASL.  BTW how many days do you think I would have to cold ferment KASL to reduce burning?  Can that really work?  This coming weekend I will be doing a sourdough shootout between Caputo and hogdon.  I will post pics then.  -Marc

[mmarston]

Bambino32,

I'm sure you could run the 2Stone at lower temperatures if you like.
As far as propane use goes I normally make 2-4 pizzas, running the burner for about 20-30 min. I run it on high for about 10 min then turn it down a bit to bake.

I have not kept careful records but I estimate getting at least 40 pizzas out of a tank. I just started a new tank so I'll keep track.

Michael

[MWTC]

I have been keeping track of my propane usage with pies baked including warm-up time. So far (regular sized tanks that you get anywhere) I have used two tanks. I am warming up the oven for 20 minutes in my garage (its winter here) and baking the pies in a 1-1/2 inch tin steel pan for 4 to 4 1/2 minutes. The temperature of the stone at that point is approx. 700 degrees. I have warmed the stone up for 15 minutes and the stone is at approx. 550 degrees and the bottom of the pie isn't done enough when the top of the pie is done. With the 20 minute warm-up I am getting 15 pies per tank. At the cheapest propane refill I can find in my area is $15.00, so it is approx. $1.00 per pie. At that rate, I am very happy. I am learning that I do need to turn down the temp. somewhere into the bake depending on the type of cheese and amount of it that I am using. So maybe in the future I will get more pies per tank.

The picture to the left is an example.

MWTC 

[mmarston]

MWTC,

How many pies do you bake each time?

Michael

[MWTC]

Just one 11 inch. Then I turn it off.

MWTC 

[mmarston]

MWTC,

That confirms my estimate of around 40 pies as I average around 3 pies at a time.

Michael