January 2011 Monthly Challenge: "New to You"

[DKM]

Never made a deep dish or stuffed, never tried your skills at cracker thin?  It's a new year for try making a new type of pizza.

What?  You have tried all the styles?  Created something new, use a new topping, a new kind of sauce, a new type of cheese.  Let you mind go free.

DKM

[SELES]

It was cold night here in Queens and my usual—not-so-politan pie—wasn't going to warm my belly. Plus, it had been over a year since my last Chicago stuffed flop and I was ready for a rematch.

I made the dough from American Pie, only I made too much of it or my pan was too small and it didn't shrink like I'd expected it to. So it's a little hefty around the edge, who cares, it tasted great.

I mostly just had odds and ends and I thought what better time to use up the rest of my ingredients.
Here's what's in it:

Bottom dough
Red wine Parm reg sauce from friend at work
Soppresatta
Motz
Pecans
Shroom
Onion
Smoked Gouda

Top dough
More sauce from friend at work
Basil
Oregano
Shredded Parm reg
Feta

Picture to come

[buceriasdon]

Seles, I applaude your efforts, I doubt I'll ever do a deep dish but yours look good.
Regards, Don

[SELES]

Seles, I applaude your efforts, I doubt I'll ever do a deep dish but yours look good.
Regards, Don

Thanks, Don.

I was just reading about Lou Malnati's on slice and realized how far off my pie was. I'll get it right one days.

[DKM]

Seles, I love the look of that crust.  Very rustic.  I might try something like that.

[finlaut]

This is the pie I made tonight. Never tried it before.
It's a chicken bacon ranch pizza with mozzarella and I added sliced jalapeños and red onion to it. Came out pretty good, tasted the best after we let it cool down and the ranch dressing kind of set. I would definitely make it again.

[Bill/SFNM]

I've never made a "Sicilian" pizza, so with guidance from Matt, I tried making one. The sausage slice is present because I made up a batch of Italian sausage. No idea how authentic this might be, but it was very tasty. I'm sure I do could a lot better.

[JConk007]

OK 1st time so new for me. This "00" flour is the restaurant depot Supremo Italiano Brand. as recommended by scottr  It was amazing 25K for $25 bucks!! I will be required to do a side by Side blindfold test between the 2 as I really thought it tasted similar or Better than the Highly regarded (slightly overpriced and hard to get in bulk) Caputo 00 flour I have only used that flour and only good results as well but this stuff was on par honest I did a 65% hydration and cooked in my Friends forno primavera 250 G balls "pillows" Window paned amazing ! the other 2 balls are 100% all trumps which I wanted to try in the WFO will post pizzas in next post.
Take a look at the dough below the pics are  not so good all pics from a phone camera so sorry.
anyway vaery happy with this NEW to ME flour 
John

[JConk007]

And the pies

[Matthew]

I've never made a "Sicilian" pizza, so with guidance from Matt, I tried making one. The sausage slice is present because I made up a batch of Italian sausage. No idea how authentic this might be, but it was very tasty. I'm sure I do could a lot better.

Brilliant!  What formula did you end up settling on.
If it tasted as good as it looks I doubt it would be your last.   Very nice work.

Matt

[Bill/SFNM]

Brilliant!  What formula did you end up settling on.
If it tasted as good as it looks I doubt it would be your last.   Very nice work.

Matt

Thanks, Matt. 50/50 blend of Semola and Caputo. Ischia starter:

Flour (100%):      511.48 g  |  18.04 oz | 1.13 lbs
Water (65%):      332.46 g  |  11.73 oz | 0.73 lbs
Salt (3%):      1 5.34 g | 0.54 oz | 0.03 lbs | 3.2 tsp | 1.07 tbsp
Oil (5%):         25.57 g | 0.9 oz | 0.06 lbs | 5.68 tsp | 1.89 tbsp
Total (173%): 884.86 g | 31.21 oz | 1.95 lbs | TF = 0.153

Preferment:
Flour:      8.98 g | 0.32 oz | 0.02 lbs
Water:      7.65 g | 0.27 oz | 0.02 lbs
Total:      16.62 g | 0.59 oz | 0.04 lbs

Final Dough:
Flour:      502.5 g | 17.72 oz | 1.11 lbs
Water:      324.82 g | 11.46 oz | 0.72 lbs
Salt:      15.34 g | 0.54 oz | 0.03 lbs | 3.2 tsp | 1.07 tbsp
Preferment:      16.62 g | 0.59 oz | 0.04 lbs
Oil:      25.57 g | 0.9 oz | 0.06 lbs | 5.68 tsp | 1.89 tbsp
Total:      884.86 g | 31.21 oz | 1.95 lbs  | TF = 0.153

[buceriasdon]

I have a number of parties to attend this week and set out to make a St. Louis style thin and crispy square pizza for the requested appetizers to bring. I upped the hydration to 50% on this one but it was difficult to handle so I'm dropping back to 40%. The only goat cheese I could find today had a black outer coating, hence the strange grey color. It did make me think of a black bean hummus pizza though. Smoked the salmon in my wok, it's from Chile, not bad fish, but not great salmon. I tried some other thin and crispy doughs using baking powder, ugh, didn't like them one bit. It was baked on a steel plate in my toaster oven. The hair brush docker worked quite well,lol. As I bake during the week I'll post more pics. Oh yes, the cheese spread was 4 oz. goat cheese, two tablespoons sour cream, and three teaspoons prepared horseradish. Parbaked then topped with dried dill, salmon and capers.
Don

[buceriasdon]

Getting close, which is good as this Saturday is the first of three parties to bring appetizers for. I figured what the heck, use the Bob's Red Mill Flour at $3 a lb. here, the only 5 lb. bag I have, go for broke. The best thin crust so far, very happy. Sauce was the last of the Italian canned tomatoes, with some mixed cheese I needed to use up. I made a mushroom ragout, next time more. 40% dough and very hard to roll out but worth it. The goofy hair brush works quite well as a docker, as does the steel plate in the toaster oven.
Don

[Pete-zza]

Don,

I love the mushroom ragout. Very nice. And very creative use of the hairbrush.

Peter

[SELES]

Seles, I love the look of that crust.  Very rustic.  I might try something like that.

Thanks!

[norma427]

I tried  “New to Me”, in making this pizza, that I never tried before.  I made a taco pizza and used a steel pan to bake the pizza on. 

The taco pizza was dressed with fried hamburger and taco sauce, mild white cheddar, fresh salsa, grape tomatoes, and jalapenos. 

The steel baking pan turned upside down did heat fast, so this is another way for me to make pizzas, and not heat my kitchen up too much.

Pictures below

Norma

[Smith1026]

Decided I wanted to do a deep dish cracker crust, so here we go. Used what I think is a regular cracker crust formulation. Rolled it out and formed it into a Crisco greased deep dish pan. The Crisco was more for glue on the sides of the pan than anything else. The toppings (fillings?) were prefried on the cook top. The pizza was to be half all meat (for the kids) and half supreme (sadly no mushrooms as the wife is not a fan). Dough scraps from the overhang were saved. The crust was baked at 475 until it began to brown. The crust was pulled from the oven and a layer of mozerella slices was applied. The two topping mixtures were spread into the crust. Sauce was spooned on. A layer of shredded Italian cheese was sprinkled on. Back in to the oven to heat  it all up. Went to broil on the oven to get a brown on the cheese on top.

The crust scraps were later brushed with butter, sprinkled with raw sugar and cinnamon and shoved into the oven. Daughter loved it, rest of family was at least complimentary.   

F 100%
W 36%
ADY 1%
Salt 1%
Oil 2%
Sugar 1%

[buceriasdon]

Wish my toaster oven got hotter, but I will save my recipe for a gas oven. I'm using a 12x12x1/4" steel plate. I have one more to do Tuesday night.
Don

[DKM]

There have been some very creative and very nice looking pizzas made for this challenge.  I know I'd like to try several of them.

[parallei]

Nothing new or creative here, but I've never made a calzone before.  Well, there has been one or two "accidental calozone".  They didn't turn out too well.  If I make them again, I'll cut back on the HR and loose the sauce on the inside.  Anyway...