Nearlypolitan

[pizzablogger]

Toby, nice job mate.....that pie is a thing of beauty.

I wish I had a broiler as hot as yours (mine is not that hot), but then again there is a lot more to that pie than just cooking under a broiler.

Good stuff as usual! --K

[norma427]

Toby,

I echo the others on your Nearlypolitan Pie.  It sure looks exactly like a Neapolitan!  Great job.  

Thanks to you and Peter’s calculations, this is something I will have to try in the future.

Norma

[Infoodel]

Thanks PB, Norma.
You may have to play around with the set-up in the oven to suit your particular oven and broiler element. My stated procedure isn't gospel. FWIW I had to juggle things around for about at least a month before finding what was best for me.
Cheers,

Toby

[Infoodel]

Second batch with tweaked formula (14% canadian flour + long autolyse):

[Matthew]

Second batch with tweaked formula (14% canadian flour + long autolyse):

Toby,
Looks like you got yourself a new Avatar.  Awesome work man, keep it up!

Matt

[Infoodel]

Heh thanks Matt.
Flavour was a little sourer in the second batch than I wanted it which was probably due to a forced 'rushed' proofing at >80F...also made the dough a little harder to handle.
I should have taken pics of the pizza I goofed yesterday. Charcoal Picante with extra char.

[norma427]

Toby,

Those pictures look amazing!    Wish I could be there to taste a slice!

Thanks for sharing the pictures,

Norma

[scott123]

The next time you make a pie, is there any chance you could post a photo of the bottom of the crust?

[brayshaw]

They look so nice Toby! Very impressive!
I see you are from the UK too, where are you based? Sussex here.

Brayshaw

[Infoodel]

@Scott Fortunately I still had a slice in the fridge (see below). Some were not as charred as that because of my impatience to put another pie shortly after the last (that and a minor mishap with a certain salami piccante pie...!)

@Brayshaw West country here.

[scott123]

Toby, thanks. LOLed at the title of the jpg.

One more question- could you describe the stone you're using?

[Infoodel]

Toby, thanks. LOLed at the title of the jpg.

One more question- could you describe the stone you're using?

Sure, it's a relatively cheap 15" round pizza stone (you can find them online or even some large dept. stores - maybe even W@!m*rt). It rests on a larger (circular) pizza tray to make lifting and moving easier.

Toby

[pizzablogger]

Toby, you mentioned you do not have an infrared thermometer, but do you have a more standard oven thermometer? I'd be extremely interested to hear what kind of heat your broiler is throwing off.

Personally, I have a laser gun, but continually opening the oven door to get a reading directly from the stone, or other part of the oven is a good way to lose heat.....and I'm not sure how accurate shooting through the thick glass of my oven is.

I have found a surface reading thermometer placed on a side of my stone, in addition to two hanging thermometers placed above the pizza, allows me to view the temp through the glass quite easily.

http://www.amazon.com/Maverick-Industries-ST-01-OvenChek-Thermometer/dp/B0009XBILS/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1263840578&sr=8-14

http://www.amazon.com/Component-Design-Inc-EOT1-Thermometer/dp/B000HHJ0FC/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1263840578&sr=8-16

My broiler flames at the same max temp as my oven (550°F) and I have yet to find a way to set up my oven to generate that degree of leopard spotting on my pizzas. In addition, I cannot fire my broiler at the same time the oven is on, so I have to cook on the stone, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler...which takes a full minute to kick on. My pies are so close to the broiler while finishing that it nearly touches the flame....but it does not get hot enough to really finish the top of the crust like I want it.

I'll keep tinkering around with different set ups, but any ideas? My wife is NOT down with the self-cleaning cycle, but is down with a WFO when we get a yard.

Toby, the Brussel Sprout Pancetta pie looks delightful! --K

[Infoodel]

Hey K,

I do have a standard oven thermometer - but I'm not sure how to use it to read the broiler element temperature. I suppose at least I could take the stone temperature. Just a bit worried about frying it while it sits under the broiler

As for broiler and oven being on at the same time - I have the same thing with my oven. The regular oven heat is only being used initially to heat the stone - after that - it's broiler all the way. FWIW I've used two different ovens, one in the UK, on in TN (neither of them particularly fancy models) and  both produced respectable heat.  Weird. Not sure what to say on that one...

Oh - one thing I forgot about totally. I do use a foil 'screen' around the edge of the stone. I'm not sure it really does a whole lot. I was hoping that it would reflect 'stray' radiation from the broiler element back on the pizza - but honestly I've had decent leoparding/char without the foil there.

Cheers,

Toby

edit: Oh and the Sprouts/Pancetta pie tasted good but I think it can be better. Got an idea for a better combination which I will try next time I make a batch of dough.

[pizzablogger]

Toby, am I correct in assuming that you are no longer employing the lava rocks around the edges of the pizza to place direct heat to the crust (but that would impede airflow, no?)?

Did you marinate or sautee the brussel sprouts at all before firing on the pizza? They look like the tops are burnt a bit (which looks like a good potential crunchy texture addition from the pics).

Thanks --K

[Infoodel]

Toby, am I correct in assuming that you are no longer employing the lava rocks around the edges of the pizza to place direct heat to the crust (but that would impede airflow, no?)?

Did you marinate or sautee the brussel sprouts at all before firing on the pizza? They look like the tops are burnt a bit (which looks like a good potential crunchy texture addition from the pics).

Thanks --K

Re: lava rocks - you are correct. they are no more.

re: marinating -  nope. They would not have held up to sautéeing (individual leaves are quite delicate). They were like crispy, slightly bitter flakes. Not much on their own but worked esp. well with the pecorino.

[JimR]

I heat the stone for a couple of hours (max temp of the oven which is around 500-550F) and then place it under the broiler for ~20 minutes (the thermostat will shut it off typically once during that time).
I shape the base and when the broiler clicks back on, I finish topping it and transfer the pizza to the stone. The cook time is ~2 minutes during which I give it one, maybe two small turns (making sure it's gone through at least 90 degrees). Allow a few minutes (or one broiler cycle) between pizzas. That's about it.

That's really interesting. I have a 2stone grille now, but I may have to try that and take a temperature reading just to see the sort of temps you can get on the stone surface using this method.

From your later pics, though, I'm still not seeing really good leoparding.  Still, this looks to be a worthwhile technique.

[Tbombs34]

Toby,

The recent pies look great.     As a follower of your blog, it looks like you've made some great improvements over what was an already great product.  As I asked on your blog on one of your previous posts, would it be possible to use this recipe/formulation without using a starter?  If so, what would the altered process/formulation be?  Thanks and keep up the great work!!

Drew

[Infoodel]

Toby,

The recent pies look great.     As a follower of your blog, it looks like you've made some great improvements over what was an already great product.  As I asked on your blog on one of your previous posts, would it be possible to use this recipe/formulation without using a starter?  If so, what would the altered process/formulation be?  Thanks and keep up the great work!!

Drew

Hi Drew,
Now that I've had some time working with the formula and also the oven - I think it is possible to make a separation between the formula and the cooking method.

Which is to say, I think just about any well-risen/proofed dough in the region of 60-65% hydration using predominantly 00 flour (maybe even other AP flours) can get you in the same ballpark, aesthetically speaking.

However as far as flavour is concerned, this formula represents my own particular tastes - which are inextricably tied to the use of a sourdough starter. I know I previously suggested trying a baker's yeasted biga (the equivalent in this latest formula  would be a  sponge/poolish) but it just won't give the same flavour and I'd hate to mislead you (further than I may already have??) by saying you could get a similar flavour from using IDY.  I'll brainstorm the IDY angle a little more in the next few days and see if I can't find something appropriate.

Meantime I feel sure there are several formulas in the 'Neapolitan' section of these forums that might be good candidates for what you might want to achieve.

Cheers,
Toby

[DEfusion]

That Pizza looks amazing, and given the oven temp and cooking technique gives me hope for my experiments.

I have a quick question about the Levain, having never used one I fancy giving it a go. The only bit I'm not sure of is how to get my starter going can you explain how you make/maintain your starter?