My new LBE and pies

[Jackie Tran]

Next I plan on removing the nuts that separate the 2 stones to see if I can shave even more time off.   After that I may remove the smaller stone but right now I want that mass.  

Just a quick update.  I went ahead and removed the nuts thus taking out that layer of air buffer so that the 2 stones sit one on top of eachother.   Whatever time I saved in heat up times it wasn't worth it.  The bottoms were too dark and the top was undone.  By removing the nuts I lowered the top stone ~1/3 to ~1/4 of an inch?  that was enough to create the imbalance.

So I then replace the nuts and the balance in the LBE was restored.   My current heat up times are about ~15m, I think.  I'll have to time them more often.   Made up a couple of tester pies last night.  They turned out pretty good.  Not my best but pretty decent.  The overall crust should have been lighter in texture and chew.  

Chau

[scott123]

I like what that the cheese is doing, especially on the first pie.  Is this another new cheese for you?

[parallei]

Those are looking mighty good Chau.  My goal, once the weather warms up a bit, it to kick up the temp on my 2Stone.  So far I've had the best luck around 650ish.

[dellavecchia]

Chau - I love the results you are getting. Are you the originator of the LBE?

John

[Jackie Tran]

I like what that the cheese is doing, especially on the first pie.  Is this another new cheese for you?

Thanks Scott, it's just a blend of leftover cheeses in the fridge.  It was the thawed belgioso cheese that I stretched & sliced thin, blended with a bit of Stella block mozz from Sams, a sprinkle of parm/romano, baked and then finished with a bit of freshly grated 2 year old block parm reggiano.   Eaten hot, it was really good.  I've been really into blending a bunch of cheeses, somewhat borrowing the idea from Di Fara. 

Chau

[Jackie Tran]

Thanks Parallei and John.  John I am not the originator.  Member Villa Roma (aka Ronbro) is.   There are many variations of the oven but the basic concept is the same.  I did come up with the deflector piece in the lid though.      I think it gives my pies a different look compare to other LBE pies. 

I'm sure you've seen this before but for those who have not....the original LBE thread is a great read for those who are interested in building one.   Lots of good ideas in there.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,4753.0.html

Chau

[sbxstr]

JT, I wonder if you would consider sharing the design details of your LBE with me? I'd like to make one. Sent this same query to Mmmph. Your pies also look great!

[Jackie Tran]

JT, I wonder if you would consider sharing the design details of your LBE with me? I'd like to make one. Sent this same query to Mmmph. Your pies also look great!

Thanks Sbxstr.  It sounds like Mmmph posted some reading material for you.   I would check out the original LBE thread started by member Villa Roma (formerly known as Ronbro).  You will find just about everything you need there. 

If you want to see my specific set up, I posted pics on page 1 of this thread.  Then only thing that is different is that I've removed the heat deflector plate underneath the pizza stone. 

Good luck and don't forget to write once in a while. 

Chau

[Jackie Tran]

Made a small tweak and finally got the "look" that I want.  Still need to do a bit more work on the crumb though.  Was just a touch dry. 

Interesting though, this pie is a 6 hour pie made with the CY starter I made over the weekend.  

Chau

[Mmmph]

Sweet Pie. It really is satisfying to pull one of these out of the oven, eh??

[ponzu]

JT,

These are, I think, the most beautiful pies that you have made yet.  Particularly those at the top of the page. Everything looks just right to my eye. 

One thing I did not previously like about the look of LBE pies in general, before these, was that rim of white on the inward facing edge of the cornicione.  It always looked doughy and incompletely baked to me.  The top always looked undone somehow.

These pies look just perfect.

[Ronzo]

Chau... dude, YOU'RE KILLIN' ME!

[Jackie Tran]

JT,

These are, I think, the most beautiful pies that you have made yet.  Particularly those at the top of the page. Everything looks just right to my eye.  

One thing I did not previously like about the look of LBE pies in general, before these, was that rim of white on the inward facing edge of the cornicione.  It always looked doughy and incompletely baked to me.  The top always looked undone somehow.

These pies look just perfect.

Ponzu, thank you very much.   I always really appreciate your feedback b/c I know that you are just as tough a critic as I.   About the top white rim, that was always one of my complaints.  I posted about this many times in my MBE thread.  It was member Bucierasdon and Jetdeck that gave me some ideas that I used to come up with the heat deflector in the lid.   This solve that problem directing the hot air back down onto the top of the rim.    I think this takes a bit of valuable heat away from the heat that surrounds the top cheese but a worthy trade off.  The challenge is learning where to place the pie on the stone to get coverage to that area perfectly.  As you can see from the pie above, there is still a very small white rim.  I didn't mind showing this one as I was happy with the coloration of the crust overall, very WFO-like.

I think the top pies look a bit more like Bianco's pies while the ones below look a bit closer to NP WFO pies.  
At this point in the game, the progress is rather slow tweaking small things for the greater good.  Still learning and still trying though...still after that Ultimate Pie.

Thanks Alexi,
Chau

[Jackie Tran]

Chau... dude, YOU'RE KILLIN' ME!

A real pleasure Ron.    Ron I forgot to ask you about your most recent beer pies.  What cheese or cheeses did you use?  It was a perfect melt.

Chau

[Ronzo]

A real pleasure Ron.    Ron I forgot to ask you about your most recent beer pies.  What cheese or cheeses did you use?  It was a perfect melt.

Chau

I went with HEB brand (local grocery store) deli counter whole milk mozzarella sliced at about a .5 - Not sure who actually makes it for them (might be Boar's Head but not sure), but it is REALLY good. Creamy and salty and melted very well.

[Essen1]

Made a small tweak and finally got the "look" that I want.  Still need to do a bit more work though.

Interesting though, this pie is a 6 hour pie made with the CY starter I made over the weekend. 

Chau

Gorgeous Pie, bro.

Looks like you have finally found that sweet spot in your LBE.  

[ponzu]

Ponzu, thank you very much.   I always really appreciate your feedback b/c I know that you are just as tough a critic as I.   About the top white rim, that was always one of my complaints.  I posted about this many times in my MBE thread.  It was member Bucierasdon and Jetdeck that gave me some ideas that I used to come up with the heat deflector in the lid.   This solve that problem directing the hot air back down onto the top of the rim.    I think this takes a bit of valuable heat away from the heat that surrounds the top cheese but a worthy trade off.  The challenge is learning where to place the pie on the stone to get coverage to that area perfectly.  As you can see from the pie above, there is still a very small white rim.  I didn't mind showing this one as I was happy with the coloration of the crust overall, very WFO-like.

I think the top pies look a bit more like Bianco's pies while the ones below look a bit closer to NP WFO pies.  
At this point in the game, the progress is rather slow tweaking small things for the greater good.  Still learning and still trying though...still after that Ultimate Pie.

Thanks Alexi,
Chau

The Bianco comparison on the first pies  is the exact one I had in my mind.

[sbxstr]

Jackie Tran, Thanks for the reply to my request for information on building one of these. Got the link from Mmmph. SBXSTR

[Jackie Tran]

Thanks Mike.  Your welcome Sbxstr.   

Made a few tester pies last night.  These were 50/50 00/AP, a new combination for me.   They were decent but not as good as my favored 75/25 00/HG.   They weren't as light in texture and a bit doughy.

1st pie:  Sauteed baby arugula, garlic slivers, and cherry tomatoes.   Was going to use the umami bomb sauce on this but forgot.   

2nd pie: white sauce, proscuitto di parma, baby arugula, OO & balsamic vinegar, grate parmegiano, and pine nuts.

[jeffereynelson]

Those look really good! Boy do I love arugula too.