Author Topic: 2Stone high temperature ovens (Read 40654 times)

jimd · « **Reply #20 on:** June 02, 2008, 04:51:34 PM »

Thanks for the reply, Willard, and for the plug too!

The www.uknead.com website has been going well and has been alot of fun to work on. I appreciate very much the link from your site.

A visitor to uKnead emailed me asking about some of the pizza videos, and indicated he was thinking of buying a 2stone. He had found my site from the 2Stone site! I told him how much I am enjoying my 2Stone, which is one of the best gifts I have given myself in recent years. I hope you are selling them as fast as you can make them ---it is one of those products that exceed expectations.

Hope all else if well and thanks again.

Best,

Jim

canadianbacon · « **Reply #21 on:** June 02, 2008, 06:47:22 PM »

Hi Willard,

Nice looking pie you have there, it looks great !

I like your setup too. I think I could see myself taste-testing a few of your pizzas
on a nice summer afternoon.

Keep up the good work Willard, you are are real inspiration for a lot of people here.

2stone · « **Reply #22 on:** June 03, 2008, 10:18:39 AM »

Jim,

That's great, The videos you have featured are very well done. It's nice to see someone who is inn an otherwise sort of secretive industry being so willing to share all of her methods and procedures so openly. I am recognizing that the needs and desires are very different for a commercial pizza operator than they are for the residential pizza maker.

Canadianbacon,

Thanks, Your 2stone videos are a real contribution. You have a real knack for all the graphics stuff. What program are you using for your editing software? I have tried a few but really haven't settled on one I really like yet.

willard

canadianbacon · « **Reply #23 on:** June 03, 2008, 10:45:12 AM »

Thanks Willard,
I enjoy making videos and stuff, as you can tell :-) I use Pinnacle Studio. Fun to use, and EASY to use, so it's right up
my alley. Been using that software now since my first miniDV camcorder about 8 years ago

P.S. On the topic of videos, I found a good tutorial series on making soft pretzels on the same website Jim uses
on his site.
http://www.monkeysee.com/play/9617-how-to-make-an-auntie-anne-s-pretzel

I was reading up on their FAQ, and they encourage anyone with a blog, website, or whatever to embed their video series,
so that's really cool to know. I may start doing that. I may even become a member and become an "expert" :-) ... well maybe
not. From the videos I've watched thus far, they are all professionals, and I'm not in that same league. However, I did do a search for "beer" and noticed a guy who owns a beer making store, and was showing how to make homebrew. This make me think that you should do some video tutorials for that website Willard, and this would be good to get your 2Stone ovens really showcased to thousands of users ! ( and hey, the price is right ! ... it's FREE )

Quote from: 2stone on June 03, 2008, 10:18:39 AM

Canadianbacon,

Thanks, Your 2stone videos are a real contribution. You have a real knack for all the graphics stuff. What program are you using for your editing software? I have tried a few but really haven't settled on one I really like yet.

willard

sourdough girl · « **Reply #24 on:** June 04, 2008, 04:25:41 PM »

OMG!! My very own 2stone!!
I never thought I would have something to thank GW Bush for (certainly NOT for sending my DH to Iraq!) BUT, thanks to the "stimulus check" I can now purchase a 2stone from Willard! I'm SO excited that I can barely stand it!

I'm already looking forward to trying many recipes... the old Weber Kettle is cleaned up and waiting patiently for its new friend! It wasn't hard to sell DH on forking over some of the check since he is the beneficiary of all my kitchen/grilling/smoking toys! Our next-door neighbor said he used to "cuss" DH when he smelled the BBQ or smoker or grill... until he found out it was ME making him slobber all over himself! HA!! I'm the family pryomaniac... learned it from my father who put me in charge of family campfires in the mountains of Oregon at a young and tender age! He thought he was a big man when he and Mom came back from fishing and he thought my fire wasn't big enough... so I watched in amazement as he threw gasoline on the fire... and singed off his eyebrows, eyelashes and... hair! Lesson learned... but I digress!

I've been so excited seeing the pizza photos posted by various members... and now, I will be able to post photos of my own!

~sd

2stone · « **Reply #25 on:** June 05, 2008, 10:02:09 PM »

Canadianbacon.

Real cool site, that "monkeysee" I'm gonna see if they have any free trials on that software and try it out.

SDG,

Can't wait to see some of your master pieces from the 2stone. You'll be getting it as soon as you get back from the "Big Trip" Yeh, by all means keep the gasoline can in the shed. By the way you don't need gas to singe your eyebrows off........just lean into the front of the 2stone too close and you won't have any eyebrows or eyelashes for a while!!

Willard

pwaldman · « **Reply #26 on:** June 06, 2008, 09:29:24 PM »

Willard,

I've been playing around with different flours and temperatures with the 15.5" 2 Stone Oven I got about a month ago. Initally I have to say I was a bit disappointed but with time, experiments and practice I am now a believer! My initial disappointment was probably because I was very well satisfied with my home oven results and struggled with adapting to the 2 Stone. I was really going for the Caputo dough style at high temps and short bakes; it turned out OK but the only one that really loved it was my daughter. The rest of my family and friends were solid NYC style type of people. The NY style with KASL turned out well but not particulary better than I could get with my home oven. Recently I did a mixture with KASL and Caputo that everyone loved! The outer crust was crisp but very thin and the inside was soft and very flavorful. The best thing about the oven is how adaptable it is to different needs. I am now baking between 625⁰ and 650⁰ and it only takes about 20 minutes to get there!

Love the 2 Stone, thank you for inventing it. One comment - I also bought the cart which is very nice but when you move it for any distance it is quite heavy (all your products are very well built!). I took it upon myself to make a slight modification which you may consider as an option for the future - I added 4" swivel casters with brakes to the solid leg side which always me to very easily move it on flat surfaces and still have the benefit if lifting and going over curbs with the pneumatic tires. Just food (pizza?

) for thought.

Thanks again.

Pete

pwaldman · « **Reply #27 on:** June 06, 2008, 09:44:44 PM »

Forgot to mention that a 14" wooden peel fits perfectly in the opening. I am able to make a pie right at the 14" limit and have never had a problem unloading and removing. You have to get to know exactly how far to insert the peel before you start to shake but once you figure that out it works everytime!

Pete

2stone · « **Reply #28 on:** June 07, 2008, 02:53:30 PM »

Hi Pete,

Glad to hear you are finding your groove......Initially with all the excitement of being able to reach 900+ with the oven, I spent a lot of time playing around with various doughs in that range. I soon returned to the lower temps I was working with on the original pizza grill. I like the crust better when it is done between 650 and 725, and it is also important to remember that the air is running 150-200 higher than the stone.

I just spent the afternoon yesterday with the owner of a bakery who has the Pizza Pro. She is doing enough Pizza business now that we are adding another oven and converting them to natural gas. She also told me she went through the same experience of the high temps. and settled in at the high 600 to low 700 range. She also says at those temps. she is able to use cornmeal because they like the taste.

She has been at it for 30 years, and her bread is some of the best around. I just brought home some of her rye bread, and it was the best rye I have ever had. I haven't had a chance to sample her pizza lately but I hear it is phenomenal. She says it takes her people 5 years to learn the business, and much of it is in the understanding of gluten, fermentation and heat/baking procedures.

After talking with her yesterday, I got a new understanding of what oil does in the high heat baking process and I am going to start adding it to my dough. I have a lot to learn yet but I'm having fun.

Your idea about the swivel casters is great. Even though we try to keep the weight down I ended up adding some bracing to stiffen it up. It is really too risky to have something as hot as the 2stone gets on anything remotely unstable.

Hope to see some pics of your pies sometime.

regards,
willard

widespreadpizza · « **Reply #29 on:** June 07, 2008, 06:22:02 PM »

Willard, could you elaborate on the what oil does tho the hight heat cooking process? Thanks -Marc

2stone · « **Reply #30 on:** June 07, 2008, 10:18:56 PM »

Marc,

I never have a problem with my dough tearing, I get enough gluten from the lower gluten flour such as all purpose. The oven spring is excellent and it seems high gluten flour just contributes to a tougher crust with the 2stone. When you add oil it shortens the gluten strands. They use the term "shortening the dough" as in less gluten. Much of the push for high gluten is to get good voids or airy crumb at lower temperatures. When you add high heat the steam is more intense and you get that anyway. With heat the gluten coagulates or sets up and with high heat may set up too fast or hard, which can contribute to the toughness. So the oil directly impacts / changes the gluten structure.

willard

MWTC · « **Reply #31 on:** June 11, 2008, 01:10:05 AM »

Willard,

Problem solved.

Using the cement blocks, I achieved an additional 13 inches. Perfect for sitting in a chair to monitor the bake.

Check out the picture.

MWTC

2stone · « **Reply #32 on:** June 11, 2008, 06:29:35 AM »

MWTC,

You have stripped it - down to the bone - I can't compete.

regards,
willard

MWTC · « **Reply #33 on:** June 12, 2008, 12:20:13 PM »

Just bought a new digital camera, Nikon Coolpix P4. Just wanted to see how the pictures show up on the Forum.

Twenty one day old dough!!!

MWTC

2stone · « **Reply #34 on:** June 12, 2008, 05:53:27 PM »

Your pictures look good, especially since they are only 60 KB - Willard

MWTC · « **Reply #35 on:** June 13, 2008, 11:08:33 AM »

Last nights pizza, made with a 22 day old dough.

This was baked at a stone temperature of 625 degrees for 3 minutes in a tin plated steel pan in the 2stone Oven.

MWTC

2stone · « **Reply #36 on:** June 13, 2008, 12:23:31 PM »

MWTC,

Besides the fact that I always admired your pizzas, your pictures are a great improvement with your new camera! Nice Job.

I just got done doing a little test adding a little whipping cream to the Grande WM diced Mozzarella - stirring it into a dry cottage cheese like mix, to get it to behave more like fresh Mozzarella at a high temp bake.

- Willard

MWTC · « **Reply #37 on:** June 13, 2008, 12:51:23 PM »

That is a great looking pizza Willard.

What flour?

What did you think of the taste with the whipping cream? What brand?

MWTC

2stone · « **Reply #38 on:** June 13, 2008, 02:49:05 PM »

Thanks, That' KA AP four day cold rise with a little olive oil.
The Cheese - Grande Whole Milk diced with some Walmart GV heavy whipping cream.
It's rich and reduces the stringiness of the cheese, a little cream goes a long way.

-Willard

MWTC · « **Reply #39 on:** June 13, 2008, 03:10:46 PM »

Do you think it improved things? The sign will be, will you continue to add the whipping cream to the cheese.