Drive-In Theatre Pizza

[crazybob]

I made a batch of dough tonight, & it was the best one yet. I followed the above recipe to a "T", plus the NY pizza DOH guidelines. I got 15, 15.6 oz. dough ball, with an oz. or two left over.

[norma427]

crazybob,

Great to hear your batch was the best one yet.    Your dough looks great.  It is important to follow everything to the T.  If you are in an air-conditioned place, you should be okay.  Where my stand is, I am not in air conditioned place, so I have to manage my dough differently.  You should be able to keep you dough balls out for 1-3 hours while opening the dough.  If you see they are starting to bubble too much, then put them back into you cooler.  Let the dough warm up between the 1-3 hours.  This will let the dough open easier and also prevent bubbling when placing the pizza in the oven. 

What temperature do you keep your ovens?  I played around with different oven temperatures.  After you try this current formula, you might find that you would like a higher hydration, meaning more water.  It is easy to figure that out on the Lehmann dough calculator, just by putting in a higher number for the percentage of hydration and keeping the other numbers the same.  I am not sure how much hydration the Pillsbury Balancer will take, because I am not familiar with what protein content that flour has. 

I hope you did cover you dough balls after taking the picture, or they will dry out and form skins on your dough.

You have come a long way, and I hope your pizzas go well this weekend.  Thanks for showing the pictures.

Best of luck,

Norma

[Mad_Ernie]

Bob:

The pictures look good and help to tell the story of your pizza pilgrimage.  Welcome to the insanity!

I continue enjoying reading your posts.  Please keep them coming and maybe give us some more pics of your final product. 

How are your customers reacting to these changes in your pizza?

-ME

[Pete-zza]

crazybob,

That's good news. I also see that you mustered up the courage to use the Lehmann dough calculating tool. I think you will find it useful if there is a need to modify the Lehmann dough recipe for any reason. From the dough formulation shown in the first photo, it appears that you used the Morton's Kosher salt, a container of which is shown in a later photo, along with a container of the Diamond Crystal salt. You can use either brand of Kosher salt in the Lehmann tool. For those who are interested, the pizza size entered into the Lehmann tool is 14". The nominal thickness factor is 0.10 and the bowl residue compensation is 1.5%.

FYI, if you want to play around with different oils or oil blends, or if you want to add or change ingredients (like substituting honey for table sugar), you can use the expanded dough calculating tool at http://www.pizzamaking.com/expanded_calculator.html.

As Norma mentioned, you might try using a higher hydration at some point. You might try inching up the hydration gradually by a percent at a time until you feel you have optimized the results based on your ability to open up the dough balls and the performance of the dough in your particular oven. Ownership of the Pillsbury brand has bounced around a bit in recent years (I believe that General Mills now owns it) and I am not sure what the protein content of the Balancer flour now is, but most high-gluten flours can handle a hydration of around 63%. Most pizza operators tend not to go that high but it is doable. You should be able to get a more open and airy crumb with the higher hydration but the dough will also ferment a bit faster. You will have to find the sweet spot for your particular situation.

Peter

[crazybob]

I ordered a 50lb. of high-gluten from my food service. They brought me this so-strong Pilsbury. Is this simular to balancer? I pulled a tray of balls out of the cooler at 5pm. We open at 7pm. They didn't grow much like last weeks batch. I'll be back later tonight with the results. Here's my little work area. The vintage pizza table was a standard in many drive-ins, where I've worked since the 60's. ..The Bakers Pride P-1 oven too!

[Pete-zza]

crazybob,

I recently did some research on that flour when another member mentioned it. I discussed what I found at Reply 77 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,691.msg96810.html#msg96810. I have not seen the specs for the Pillsbury Balancer flour but it appears to me that the Pillsbury So Strong flour should work for your application. However, you should take note of any differences that might govern which flour you might buy next time.

Peter

[norma427]

I ordered a 50lb. of high-gluten from my food service. They brought me this so-strong Pilsbury. Is this simular to balancer? I pulled a tray of balls out of the cooler at 5pm. We open at 7pm. They didn't grow much like last weeks batch. I'll be back later tonight with the results. Here's my little work area. The vintage pizza table was a standard in many drive-ins, where I've worked since the 60's. ..The Bakers Pride P-1 oven too!

crazybob,

I just looked on Pillsbury's website and it looks like both flours are from spring wheat and high-gluten flours, if I wasn't reading it wrong.  I typed in Pillsbury So Strong Special versus Pillsbury Balancer in Google. 

If this information is correct they dough should work okay.  Some of my dough didn't have any rise either, when used the next day. 

Other high-gluten flour that are bromated are All Trumps and Kyrol.  I used both of these before.  I now use King Arthur Sir Lancelot flour.  It is non bromated.  Maybe you could ask your distributor if they carry the All Trumps or Kyrol flour or just make sure they understand what kind of flour you want to purchase.  My distributor for cheese and sauce one time substituted another kind of sauce and had loaded it in my van.  I didn't realize it until I got it to market.  I had to run back again and get the right kind.

Your vintage pizza table is nice.    I like anything vintage or antique. 

Best of luck to you tonight and will be looking forward to hearing how everything went,

Norma

[crazybob]

Here are some friday night pictures. This was the balancer. I just made a 15lb batch of so-strong. It seemed no different from the balancer. I'll check tomorrow to see if that holds true.

[norma427]

Here are some friday night pictures. This was the balancer. I just made a 15lb batch of so-strong. It seemed no different from the balancer. I'll check tomorrow to see if that holds true.

crazybob,

Your dough looks fine and I don't think you are going to have problems with the Pillsbury So Strong, because it is a high-gluten flour that is bromated.  It looks like your dough opened okay.  Did you get the desired 14" pizza you were looking for and was it thinner like you wanted?

Best of luck tonight,

Norma

[crazybob]

Hi, Norma. The dough opened up nicely into a 14" skin! I did the way I saw you doing it in your video. I even put on a show & tossed & spun it in the air! I always wanted to do that since back in the 50's! No tears or holes! It wasn't as thin as Macks, but it tasted  alot like one. It was was cripsy & chewy.  It will get better with experience.

I'll try to get someone to take a pic of me tossing one tonight. I'll try to make a video, but I may have problems uploading it up here due to slow internet (air card). We were packed last night. We should be more packed tonight, & sold out on Sunday because of the all night, Dusk to Dawn show.

[norma427]

Hi, Norma. The dough opened up nicely into a 14" skin! I did the way I saw you doing it in your video. I even put on a show & tossed & spun it in the air! I always wanted to do that since back in the 50's! No tears or holes! It wasn't as thin as Macks, but it tasted  alot like one. It was was cripsy & chewy.  It will get better with experience.

I'll try to get someone to take a pic of me tossing one tonight. I'll try to make a video, but I may have problems uploading it up here due to slow internet (air card). We were packed last night. We should be more packed tonight, & sold out on Sunday because of the all night, Dusk to Dawn show.

crazybob,

That’s great to hear you could toss your dough with no tears or rips.  You are fastly getting to be a great pie maker.   

It would be great to see a video, if you can upload it. 

Good to hear you are getting many people at your drive-in.  It takes me back to old memories of going to “all-nighters” at our local drive-ins.  They were fun.  That was when I was a teenager, maybe about 47 years ago.  We had three local drive-ins, back then. They were called the Comet, Sky-vue and Columbia drive-ins.  Your place brings back good memories. 

Continued success to your drive-in  and your pizza,

Norma

[norma427]

crazybob,

Here is an article that was in our local paper awhile ago, about the local drive-ins, if you are interested in reading it.

Movies & memories under the stars

For generations the Columbia Drive-In has meant cool entertainment on hot nights. This summer could be the finale for the county's last outdoor cinema.

By Cindy Stauffer
Lancaster New Era

Published: Mar 30, 2005 2:19 PM EST

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - This weekend may be the final summer opening for the Columbia Drive-In.

The final summer that teens line up in its blue-and-white tiled snack bar for popcorn and sodas.
The final summer a projectionist loads giant reels and aims movies onto a slightly rusting screen that has stood alongside Columbia Avenue since 1956.
The final summer that families nestle on blankets in the bed of a pickup truck to watch a movie under the stars.
The final summer of the countys only remaining drive-in theater, and the end of an era.
The drive-in has a new property owner, who has been talking with a developer, who has indicated to West Hempfield Township officials that this will be the theaters last season.
Thats what the developer is saying to us, that he would be in the position to proceed by the end of this year, said Charles Douts, West Hempfield Township manager. They have not indicated their plans. It will be some type of commercial or commercial/residential mix. This isnt the first time people have talked about the drive-ins closing. Rumors of its demise have been circulating in Columbia for almost 10 years.
But this time, it looks more likely.
Last year, Gardiner and Michael Murphy, two brothers from Columbia, bought the 17-acre tract where the drive-in stands for $637,500. Gardiner Murphy says hes not sure what will happen to the property but adds, It could be the last year, and it probably will be.
The tracts developer, Steve Hogan, did not return repeated calls for comment on his plans for the tract.
If the theater closes, it will mark the end of drive-in theaters in Lancaster County.
The Sky-Vue Drive-In was the countys first ozoner, opening on Route 30 in 1953 and closing around 1980 to make way for whats now Tanger Outlet Center. Next came the Comet Drive-In, which opened off Route 283 in 1955 and closed in 1979 to make way for a truck equipment firm. The Columbia Drive-In opened Aug. 10, 1956, billed as the countys first all-year drive-in with automatically installed car heaters for the winter months.
I would like to keep this a drive-in forever, says Tucker Mooney, the drive-ins president for the past five years.
Mooney, a Montgomery County resident who formerly operated a Bucks County drive-in, would like to buy just the seven acres the drive-in sits on, but says he has not been able to negotiate an affordable price with the Murphys.
My understanding is this is the last year, he says. Im upset about it. Everybody loves this place.
Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz was a regular at the drive-in when he was a teen, bringing his future wife there on dates during its 60s heyday. It was really neat to be able to go to the movies and sit outdoors in the summer on a lounge chair or a folding chair and pack something to drink, he says. It was a lot nicer than sitting in the house. There wasnt a lot of air conditioning back then. It was a real big young peoples social place.
Lutz remembers teens flocking to the drive-in on Memorial Day and July 4 for all-nighters, a dusk-to-dawn marathon of watching movies, flirting, gossiping and popcorn-eating.
The drive-in also has been a source of community controversy at times. In the 70s, the theater briefly showed X-rated movies, prompting local officials to post no parking signs along Route 30 and to eventually ban the showing of the films in the township.
In recent years, the theater has been a magnet for families, says Michael McBride of Columbia, who has worked at the drive-in for about 10 years and gone to movies there since he was a kid.
McBride remembers a year when the theater stayed open all the way until Christmas, so it could show Miracle on 34th Street. Thats the year it also sold Christmas trees beneath its enormous white screen. These days, the theater can attract up to 700 cars and 3,000 fans from as far away as New Jersey on a warm, summer night, Mooney says. You got mom and dad coming out with their sons and daughters, McBride says. Where are they going to go now? Its going to be the end of an era. The drive-in is a vanishing breed.

Norma

[crazybob]

Thanks for posting the above article, Norma. I enjoyed! I know Tucker Mooney's partner (from the Bucks & Columbia). John Mellor. 

I want to post more pics. & updates soon. It just got so busy this week (That's a good thing!)

I forgot to make dough balls for the  small 9" pizza's, so we were cutting the 15.6 oz.balls in half. ..not good. So here's my idea of the week.  I sell the  LG.14" for 9.99, the small for 4.99, & a slice is 1.89 (2.00 even with PA. tax). When they order a small pizza, I'll just make a large, & cut it in half. Give the customer his 1/2 pizza, & put the other 4 slices in the counter top merchandiser. I guess I should change the menu to 1/2 pizza for 4.99, instead of small or personal size? ..So there you have it,  I'm Crazy Bob reporting live from the Moon Drive-In.

[Mad_Ernie]

I forgot to make dough balls for the  small 9" pizza's, so we were cutting the 15.6 oz.balls in half. ..not good. So here's my idea of the week.  I sell the  LG.14" for 9.99, the small for 4.99, & a slice is 1.89 (2.00 even with PA. tax). When they order a small pizza, I'll just make a large, & cut it in half. Give the customer his 1/2 pizza, & put the other 4 slices in the counter top merchandiser. I guess I should change the menu to 1/2 pizza for 4.99, instead of small or personal size? ..So there you have it,  I'm Crazy Bob reporting live from the Moon Drive-In.

Bob, you crack me up!

Actually your plan is something I saw done once before many years ago.  A pizza chain called "Original Pizza" moved into the Kansas City area around 1979 and if you ordered a small, you got half a large pizza - just what you described.

Good luck!  Sounds like you are off to a great start.  Keep on postin'! 

-ME

[norma427]

crazybob,

It’s a good thing you are busy and doing well.  I don’t know what you want to do, with your personal size, but that is up to you to decide what you want.  I did make personal pan pizzas for a short time.  I mostly sell pizza slices.  When I made my personal pans, I used a dough ball that weighed about 5.7 oz.  I also used the same dough to make Panini’s.  Just had to stretch the dough out, put in the oven until light golden brown for the Panini, then fill with whatever you want and onto the Panini grill.  I also make pizza Panini this way.

If you decide to make personal pizzas you can adjust the smaller dough ball in anyway you want.

Great to hear you are doing well.  How to you like the dough formula?  Is the dough giving you any problems? 

Thanks for reporting in live, you are doing a great job, 

Norma

[Pete-zza]

Bob,

You are shortchanging yourself when you sell a half of a 14" pizza at the same price as a 9" personal pizza. The area of a 9" pizza is 3.14159 x 4.5 x 4.5 = 63.62 square inches. The area of a 14" pizza is 3.14159 x 7 x 7 = 153.94 square inches. Half of that is 76.97 square inches. So a purchaser of one half of your 14" pizza gets more than he or she would get buying a 9" pizza. If you are interested, there is a way of calculating the size of a round pizza with an area of 76.97 square inches, but if you plan to discontinue the 9" size and go with the half 14" size, you might want to adjust your pricing for the half 14" size. Often when people do this sort of thing, the half-pizza price can be more than half the full pizza price.

Peter

[crazybob]

Hi, Peter. You're right, I'm probably am giving them more than they paid for, but I'm seling the other 4 slices @ 1.89 each. I' getting 4.99 for the half pizza, plus 7.56 for the slices. So I get a total of 12.55, vs 9.99.

 Yesterday, I saw an old vintage Pepsi sign hanging on a wall at an ice cream stand on RT. 45, in Mifflinburg, PA. It said "Costs A Nickle, But Worth A Dime". My prices are way too low compared to any other drive-in theatre. This seems to be working for me, because I go after the happy repeat customers.

I just took these pics. of the dough I make, last night. I made two batches to get (30), 15.6 oz balls. Here's the top & bottom trays, after 12 hrs. I only crossed stack them for an hour, & I guess that it should have been two hours like the pizza doh said, but I was tired. These should still turn out great! (..I hope?) Thanks, Crazy Bob.

[Pete-zza]

Bob,

Tom Lehmann's general recommended cross-stack time is 2 hours. However, I have seen him recommend as little as 45 minutes and as much as 2 1/2 hours. I am going strictly on memory but I think he once recommeded a cross-stack time of 3 hours to deal with a particularly vexing problem. Of course, the precise cross-stack time will be affected by the number and sizes of dough balls. However, in general, if the cross-stack time is too short, the dough balls won't cool down as fast and result in a faster fermentation. If that becomes a problem, then increasing the cross-stack time should solve that problem.

Peter

[crazybob]

When I made the dough, Thursday night, My back kitchen was humid, & the room temp. was 80 degrees.

Last night I had a tray of dough balls that had grown together (scarey looking, with big bubbles. ..it looked like it was coming to get me.) I was going to throw it away, but ..no. I tore off a piece of dough & wrapped it around a Snickers bar & deep fried it! I think that that I found the holy grail! We wraped Oreo's & gave them out as samples. I'm going to try doing it to a hotdog tonight & put a stick in it. ..The possibilitie's are endless! I may have to make extra dough now!

[Pete-zza]

Last night I had a tray of dough balls that had grown together (scarey looking, with big bubbles. ..it looked like it was coming to get me.)

Bob,

That can happen if your finished dough temperature is too high or if the cross-stack time is too short or the temper time is too long for the prevailing room temperature. But all's well that ends well.

Peter