Last Night's Pizza

[beast master]

After making pizzas for a couple years now I finally got something I am really happy with. Looking back at what I was doing before I feel like I have come a long way. I always tried a new recipe and never wrote anything down. This time I took good notes and found something that works.

I divided the dough into three parts and was going to let them sit in the fridge for at least a day but I got bored and hungry and decided to take one out after about 8 hours in the fridge. I took it out and let it rest on the counter for about 1.5 hours. Set my electric oven to 550 with a stone and let me heat up for about an hour. The dough was great to work with and easy to handle. I tried a new cheese this time and loved it. The 9.5 inch pizza cooked in about 6 minutes.

I was too hungry to get any other photos. I'll try to get some when I make the other 2 tonight.

[Jackie Tran]

Very nice job Beast!  Looks delicious.  I can tell you've been making pizzas for awhile with a good looking pie like that. 

[Bobino414]

Beast

Great looking pie.  Please share with us your technique.

[hotsawce]

I, too, would be interested in hearing your technique as the pie looks somewhat very to mine.

Where is your stone in the oven? Mine sits on the lowest rack, pretty much right on top of the element. To get the color you get in your crust, though, I have to pop it under the broiler. Is your stone moved up?

And what is the specifics of your dough?

[beast master]

I have my stone on the lowest rack in the oven. I am not exactly sure what stone it is though but I am very pleased with it. Oven and stone were preheated for about an hour before I threw the pizza in. I usually had problems with the crust getting no color but lately I have been getting some nice color, like the one I have pictured. I don't use the broiler so it must be from the dough ingredients.

The dough consists of:

100% - Flour Blend (Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten, KA Bread Flour, Caputo 00)
65% - Water
.8% - Yeast
2% - Salt
3.4% - Oil
1.6% - Sugar

This was just another experimental dough and I probably have a bit too much oil and I think I mixed in a bit too much of the VWG but I was very pleased with the result of taste and texture.

I was wondering about some of the large bubbles I got on the crust. Are those a good or bad thing? I have not experience them like these before.

[Jackie Tran]

I have my stone on the lowest rack in the oven. I am not exactly sure what stone it is though but I am very pleased with it. Oven and stone were preheated for about an hour before I threw the pizza in. I usually had problems with the crust getting no color but lately I have been getting some nice color, like the one I have pictured. I don't use the broiler so it must be from the dough ingredients.

The dough consists of:

100% - Flour Blend (Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten, KA Bread Flour, Caputo 00)
65% - Water
.8% - Yeast
2% - Salt
3.4% - Oil
1.6% - Sugar

This was just another experimental dough and I probably have a bit too much oil and I think I mixed in a bit too much of the VWG but I was very pleased with the result of taste and texture.

I was wondering about some of the large bubbles I got on the crust. Are those a good or bad thing? I have not experience them like these before.

Beast, I'm sure our members would like to know the breakdown of the flour blend as well. 

As far as the big bubbles go, it's mainly preferential, but I think most ppl like them.  At least I do.  Again, nice work.  Looks great.

[beast master]

I am not sure yet of how to calculate percentage of flour blends. I had 500g of the flour blend. I used 50g VWG, 225g KABF, 225g, Caputo 00. Would that be a 10%, 45%, 45%?

[Pete-zza]

I am not sure yet of how to calculate percentage of flour blends. I had 500g of the flour blend. I used 50g VWG, 225g KABF, 225g, Caputo 00. Would that be a 10%, 45%, 45%?

beast master,

I tried running your numbers through the Mixed Mass Percentage Calculator at http://tools.foodsim.com/, and as best I can tell, the protein content of your flour blend is over 17.5% (I had to use a two-step process to do the calculation). High-gluten flour, which has the highest protein content of white flours, rarely exceeds 14.2% protein content. Also, 50 grams of Bob's Red Mill VWG is 20 teaspoons, which is off the charts based on a total of 450 grams of KABF and Caputo. I think you created a monster, albeit an appealing one from the photo you provided.

Peter

[beast master]

Thanks for the info Pete-zza. I knew I added too much. Just wasn't sure how much. At least I ended up with a great product in the end anyways.

I made some pizzas with the other two dough balls tonight. They didn't end up looking as nice as the first one but the taste was great. They were probably even better because I made a sauce using some San Marzano tomatoes. I wish I had gotten some sooner.

Who do these look?

[hotsawce]

Oven spring all the way to the tip! I imagine that must taste awesome, but it's almost strange to look at, as I've never really seen such an even distribution of it all the way up there.

I might also add you take phenomenal pictures....what are you using?

[Jackie Tran]

Beast, your other pies look fine.  I'm glad they tasted great as that is all that really matters.  I've always felt that great pizza makers and great chefs can subsitute ingredients, experiment and still make good products. 

The crust looks a bit dry to me, but I know pics can be deceiving.  Did you think it was a bit dry at all?
Also I'm curious as to why you mix in VWG with caputo.  Was just a one time experiment?  Seems counterintuitive.  Why not just use HG or BF alone instead of using caputo and mixing VWG into it.  Unless that combination is offering you something not found in BF/HG flour alone.

Just curious.  thx

[beast master]

I don't really feel like it was dry at all but I think it was slightly overcooked on the bottom. I only added in the VWG because I saw it on sale at a local market and thought I'd give it a try. I decided to get that and some semolina flour. Before these pies I made a pizza with a good mixture of bread flour and semolina and that result was not very good at all. I ended up making some ravioli with most of the semolina after that and just use the rest for dusting now. But I was really just experimenting with the VWG on these. The results were great but I will try next time with little or none added to see its effect. My first attempt with Caputo flour was nothing special but I decided to give it another go when I was at the local Italian market getting a sandwich. All in all though these were the best pies I have made so far but I still have a lot to learn.

As for the pictures. I used a Nikon D200 with a 60 f2.8 macro lens and SB600 flash. Along with pizza, photography is my other hobby/hopeful future career.

[Pete-zza]

Another member described using a similar flour blend, along with some dry milk powder, at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6120.msg52537.html#msg52537. My recollection is that when I calculated the protein content of the blend, it was a bit over 14%. I don't know it that was planned or just coincidence.

Peter