Author Topic: The Dom Video (Read 4269 times)

snowdy · « **on:** December 13, 2007, 01:40:16 AM »

Just watching this again....

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8z0ajsvFPc" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8z0ajsvFPc</a>

some questions for you Di Fara heads.. Pete i hope you're reading this....

1) What's with the cheese? I just ordered a 1 pound block of grande whole milk from pennmac and i was going to have a local deli slice it, but it looks like he is grating it? Is there any difference in consistency from grating vs just throwing down a bunch of slices?

2) He puts the sauce on first, then grates the cheese over it. I usually put slices all over the dough, then put sauce on top of that. Any real differences from doing it either of these 2 ways?

3) I'm wondering about the oil. When he makes the pie he puts a ton of oil all over it.. then at the end when he's boxing up the guys pie he drips even more on there. Is there anything that would prevent me from doing that here with my home oven? The heat of that gas oven doesnt cook different with all that oil or anything does it?

Thanks.. just trying to really nail this di fara thing. I have all the same toppings he uses coming my way soon, except for that fior di latte grande bucket or whatever its called.

Thanks

Dave

scott r · « **Reply #1 on:** December 13, 2007, 02:38:55 AM »

Snowdy, I've visited difaras a few times in the past year and have made some observations. He has changed things over the years, so these are based on the latest version I have seen. The cheese he has been using lately differs between the sicilian and the round pizza. Round gets grande fresh mozzarella, grande dry mozzarella, and a generous sprinkle of grana padano. Square gets buffalo mozzarella, grande dry mozzarella and grana padano. Between the two I prefer the flavor of the cheese on the buffalo mozzarella pies.

Don't underestimate how much the shape of your cheese will effect the final product. If you want to be as close to dom as possible get a box grater and use the slicing side just like he does. A deli slice would be much larger and thinner than what dom is using.

Dom's oven is really hot, my guess is about 650. The cheese melted in an oven this hot tastes different. Higher temps favor buffalo mozzarella or fresh mozzarella, so you my prefer normal boring old dry cheese in a 550 degree oven.

petef · « **Reply #2 on:** December 13, 2007, 02:58:59 AM »

Quote from: snowdy on December 13, 2007, 01:40:16 AM

J
3) I'm wondering about the oil. When he makes the pie he puts a ton of oil all over it.. then at the end when he's boxing up the guys pie he drips even more on there. Is there anything that would prevent me from doing that here with my home oven? The heat of that gas oven doesnt cook different with all that oil or anything does it?

I've found out a long time ago they adding oil makes a big difference in how the cheese
cooks. It flows nicely with the olive oil, instead of becoming like a sheet of cheese. It
also contributes to the taste as the oil & cheese & sauce blend together.

I'm using Bertolli extra virgin Rich & Fruity (Rich Taste) on my pizzas in my home gas oven.
Question is, what brands & blends of Olive oil are others like Dominic using?

---pete---

Pete-zza · « **Reply #3 on:** December 13, 2007, 07:37:32 AM »

Dave,

Welcome back.

If you analyze what Dom does you will see that he uses a blend of Italian and American styles. He uses an imported Italian 00 flour and he uses an American high-gluten flour. He uses Italian tomatoes (San Marzanos) and local tomatoes. He uses Italian cheeses (buffalo mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano/grana padano) and fresh and processed American cheeses (from Grande). He uses the Italian practice of putting olive oil on the pizzas (although I don't recall whether he does this with pepperoni or other high-fat meats used on the pizzas). Like scott r says, Dom does change things around from time to time but mostly brands and not the basic techniques he uses. If you are trying to replicate what Dom is doing, I would use comparable ingredients and techniques, including using the slicing side of a box grater to produce "shards" of cheese, and putting some olive oil over the pizza. Where you are likely to fall short is using your home oven at around 500 degrees F. When I last played around with DiFara clone pizzas, I built a mini oven in my home oven to get somewhat higher temperatures and that seemed to work pretty well as a home oven version. Some members have made pizzas using doughs similar to Dom's doughs in the 2stone oven/grill arrangements with good results from what I have read. The pizzas made in those arrangements will be smaller than Dom's, however.

Peter

MWTC · « **Reply #4 on:** December 13, 2007, 12:11:23 PM »

Quote from: Pete-zza on December 13, 2007, 07:37:32 AM

He uses Italian tomatoes (San Marzanos) and local tomatoes.

Peter,

Does He mix the two together, if so do you know the percentages? I assume the Italian tomatoes are plum.

MWTC

Pete-zza · « **Reply #5 on:** December 13, 2007, 12:39:14 PM »

Quote from: MWTC on December 13, 2007, 12:11:23 PM

Does He mix the two together, if so do you know the percentages? I assume the Italian tomatoes are plum.

MWTC,

The sauces are made out back out of sight so I don’t know what proportions of the canned and fresh tomatoes Domenic uses. The canned tomatoes he used for many years, and may still be using, are the Vantia DOP San Marzanos, as shown here: https://venda.securesites.net/?ACT=PROD_INFO&PROD=732&CAT=2&SUB=8&SB=28. However, member snowdy recently posted a photo, at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,5902.msg50606.html#msg50606, showing a different brand of canned tomatoes on a shelf behind the work area. I don’t know how old the photo is, but the canned tomatoes on the shelf look to my uncalibrated eyeballs to be Colluccio DOP San Marzanos, as shown here: http://www.cuginifinefoods.com/mangia/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=166&IDCategory=20.
Maybe he is using more than one brand of canned tomatoes.

Peter

Mahoney · « **Reply #6 on:** December 13, 2007, 01:39:40 PM »

Cool video - I am not surprised that he drizzles olive oil on the pizza, but I am surprised at the amount he appears to add before and then even more after the oven.

MWTC · « **Reply #7 on:** December 13, 2007, 02:14:55 PM »

Is he adding spices to his sauce?

MWTC

snowdy · « **Reply #8 on:** December 13, 2007, 02:19:11 PM »

Thanks for all the info guys....

Now i too am wondering if i should still put oil on top of the pie when i use pepperoni. Especially if its Ezzo, that seems to be pretty fatty already.

thoughts?

Pete-zza · « **Reply #9 on:** December 13, 2007, 02:36:25 PM »

Quote from: MWTC on December 13, 2007, 02:14:55 PM

Is he adding spices to his sauce?

MWTC,

As best I can tell, Domenic uses fresh basil and dried oregano.

Peter

BenLee · « **Reply #10 on:** December 13, 2007, 02:43:53 PM »

putting cheese on first and sauce above it can make a huge difference. It usually makes the crust crispier because the cheese prevents moisture in the sauce from penetrating into the crust. Also, the sauce should cook faster and will be slightly drier when the pie comes out.

scott r · « **Reply #11 on:** December 13, 2007, 02:44:30 PM »

I have seen dom using both whole tomatoes and passatta. These products could not be more different, and because of this his sauce really changes depending on the visit. I have seen so many brands and types of tomatoes (not all san marzano's) that I have come to the conclusion that he is either buying whatever is available (or on sale), or he may be searching for the ultimate tomato himself. Trying to nail down what he is doing for sauce would be impossible. If you put fresh basil, salt, olive oil, and a bit of garlic into good quality tomatoes you will be very close to what he is doing.

MWTC · « **Reply #12 on:** December 13, 2007, 04:56:36 PM »

Do you think he is shredding fresh mozzarella on that pizza or is it something else? I just read Scottr's entry, He said he is mixing both on the round? And is Parmigiano Reggiano/grana padano the same thing?

MWTC

scott r · « **Reply #13 on:** December 13, 2007, 08:54:32 PM »

he shreds his fresh mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, and dry mozzarella with the box grater. Grana padano has a sharper flavor than parmigiano reggiano and it gives his pizza a little bit of a cheddar taste. I have never actually seen dom with anything but grana padano, but there may be pictures. He really doesn't seem to care much about brands other than when he is dealing with his grande cheese. I have seen many different brands of oil, tomato, buffalo mozzarella, oregano, and even heard about various flowers as well.

2stone · « **Reply #14 on:** December 13, 2007, 10:58:00 PM »

Quote from: Pete-zza on December 13, 2007, 07:37:32 AM

Some members have made pizzas using doughs similar to Dom's doughs in the 2stone oven/grill arrangements with good results from what I have read. The pizzas made in those arrangements will be smaller than Dom's, however.

Peter

Peter,

They just got bigger!

willard

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,5541.400.html reply 407

MWTC · « **Reply #15 on:** December 13, 2007, 11:07:27 PM »

Thanks Scott r.

Nice to have someone from the forum observing someone with such great experience in action. You know what to look for!!!

I picked up a few things just from a couple viewings of the video.

1. The use of the side of the box grater. Great labor saving idea.
2. The cutting of the pizza from the center out. Keeps the toppings in place while the cheese solidifies.
3. The use of oil before and after baking. Knew about it but never tried it. Seeing a master do it inspires me to try it.
4. Finding out about new cheeses that you put on after the pizza bakes. Grinding it out right on the spot to keep the remaining unused portion in solid form, keeping it as fresh as possible.

Thanks again.

MWTC

MWTC · « **Reply #16 on:** December 14, 2007, 02:45:37 PM »

Grana padano. Does anyone know where to find this cheese? I checked a couple places, so far, no luck.

MWTC

Pete-zza · « **Reply #17 on:** December 14, 2007, 03:40:05 PM »

Quote from: MWTC on December 14, 2007, 02:45:37 PM

Grana padano. Does anyone know where to find this cheese?

MWTC,

If you do a Google search you might be able to find a source near you but usually you will find grana padano in specialty cheese shops, Italian food stores with a good cheese selection, or upscale food stores with a good cheese section. There are also many online sources, including igourmet.com (also sold through Amazon), agferrari.com and pennmac.com. However, you should check shipping charges. Of the three places I quoted, PennMac has the best prices, not only on the grana padano but also the Reggiano Parmigiano if you would like to do a side-by-side test. But, since PennMac has come under a lot of criticism for its high shipping charges, you may want to check all the sources you consider to find the lowest overall cost.

Peter

MWTC · « **Reply #18 on:** December 14, 2007, 04:28:32 PM »

Thank-you Peter,

I just called Whole Foods here in Michigan and they do have them both. The Grana Padano is $16.99 a lb and the Parmigiano Reggiano is $17.99 a lb. They will sell lesser amounts than by the pound. I am going to get some tonight.

MWTC

Seaside Thom · « **Reply #19 on:** December 14, 2007, 05:26:23 PM »

MWTC
I buy grana at Costco. I had never seen it before then. The way I understand it grana is a less expensive alternative to reggeono, the two of which can be used interchangeably.