Author Topic: Victory Pig Style Pizza - Northeastern PA (Read 25049 times)

steel_baker · « **Reply #120 on:** January 20, 2012, 11:54:51 AM »

Quote from: norma427 on January 20, 2012, 09:27:18 AM

s_b,

I was using a Baker Pride deck oven for the Victory Pig clone pizza. Maybe my deck temperature isn’t right for this style of pizza, or maybe baking directly on the deck has something to do with my bottom crust not getting crunchy enough.

Will be waiting to see your Victory Pig bake.

Norma

I suspect that the stores making this pizza have their ovens specifically set for it. They probably have higher bottom temps so that they can "fry" the crust crispy before burning the cheese. I use a "gun" style instant read thermometer to measure surface temps when I cook or bake. I do fish & steaks on cast iron & having that right min temp for cooking fish is critical to get the sear you want and not have the fish stick.

Anyway, when I bake pizza I sometimes read the temp on the floor of the oven. Even at 350F oven temp, the floor of the oven sometimes goes as high as 600 degrees! By observing this and baking just a few inches above the floor, I've been able to get a nice crispy brown on the bottom of all of my trays before burning the cheese on top. I get a lot of comments about the textures in the pizza. i.e. the soft creamy cheese, soft body of the crust, then the crispy bottom to offset it. That is one of the huge pleasures of eating this style of pizza.

So in baking a tray later today, I'll measure the amount of onions in the sauce, and the amount of sauce per tray. I already know that I use 8oz of cheese blend per tray. I'll post my results.

s_b

norma427 · « **Reply #121 on:** January 20, 2012, 04:57:27 PM »

Quote from: steel_baker on January 20, 2012, 11:54:51 AM

I suspect that the stores making this pizza have their ovens specifically set for it. They probably have higher bottom temps so that they can "fry" the crust crispy before burning the cheese. I use a "gun" style instant read thermometer to measure surface temps when I cook or bake. I do fish & steaks on cast iron & having that right min temp for cooking fish is critical to get the sear you want and not have the fish stick.

Anyway, when I bake pizza I sometimes read the temp on the floor of the oven. Even at 350F oven temp, the floor of the oven sometimes goes as high as 600 degrees! By observing this and baking just a few inches above the floor, I've been able to get a nice crispy brown on the bottom of all of my trays before burning the cheese on top. I get a lot of comments about the textures in the pizza. i.e. the soft creamy cheese, soft body of the crust, then the crispy bottom to offset it. That is one of the huge pleasures of eating this style of pizza.

So in baking a tray later today, I'll measure the amount of onions in the sauce, and the amount of sauce per tray. I already know that I use 8oz of cheese blend per tray. I'll post my results.

s_b

s_b,

Thanks for your tips.

I have an IR gun too, and might try to use it for my next attempt. I guess I could put the steel pan under some screens, to maybe be able to bake better, if I try my deck oven again in making your Victory Pig clone. My oven at market is kept at the same temperature, because that is the temperature I use for my regular pizzas and experiments.

Norma

steel_baker · « **Reply #122 on:** January 20, 2012, 06:39:16 PM »

The tray tonight was outstanding. Substituted honey for white sugar and the dough is excellent.

Anyway, I measured everything today during prep & topping.

Sauce: (1) 28oz (793g) can of crushed tomatoes, 120g of finely chopped white onions for a total of 913g. I can top 3 trays per can so each tray is topped with 913/3=304g of sauce per tray (approx 10oz +/-).

Cheese: the 50/50white cheddar/mozzarella cheese blend is spread at 8oz (14g) per tray.

With these weights, it should be possible to turn out a consistent product every time. I followed these measurements today and the tray was excellent. Perfect balance of cheese, tomatoes/ onions, and a soft chewy dough on top, crispy & browned on the bottom.

s_b

seascan · « **Reply #123 on:** January 20, 2012, 08:41:47 PM »

Hi All. I have been reading all the posts here and am eager to make my first VP style pizza.

Has anyone bought a minimum order of the 15X12X2 Blue Steel pans from P.A. Products and would like to sell one?

Thanks!

Terry

Bob1 · « **Reply #124 on:** January 21, 2012, 03:45:16 AM »

Seascan,
Checkout this thread.
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13687.0.html
I just bought two 12 x 17 blue steel with plastic lids. It was $48 with shipping. I ordered them Tue and I got them today.
http://www.northernpizzaequipment.com/bluesteelpans.html
I was using a heavy gauge steel pan and it will be interesting to see how these work.

Bob

norma427 · « **Reply #125 on:** January 21, 2012, 07:40:20 AM »

s_b,

Your Victory Pig pizza sure looks delicious! Great job.

Norma

seascan · « **Reply #126 on:** January 21, 2012, 09:10:24 AM »

Thanks Bob! I will call them on Monday.

steel_baker · « **Reply #127 on:** January 21, 2012, 09:19:31 AM »

Quote from: seascan on January 21, 2012, 09:10:24 AM

Thanks Bob! I will call them on Monday.

Just ordered lids online from them for my 12x17's. Will definitely make it easier for me since I can put the dough in the pans and put a lid on them to hold in the moisture instead of using plastic wrap.

steel_baker · « **Reply #128 on:** January 21, 2012, 09:26:04 AM »

Quote from: Bob1 on January 21, 2012, 03:45:16 AM

Seascan,
Checkout this thread.
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13687.0.html
I just bought two 12 x 17 blue steel with plastic lids. It was $48 with shipping. I ordered them Tue and I got them today.
http://www.northernpizzaequipment.com/bluesteelpans.html
I was using a heavy gauge steel pan and it will be interesting to see how these work.

Bob

Season them well and expect some sticking the first few times you use them. Once you get past that, you're golden. I never wash mine. I scrape any stuck bits out, then just wipe them down with a paper towel to eliminate any excess oil from puddling when I store them. Unlike a restaurant that uses them everyday, as a home pizza baker, if you leave oil in them it will go rancid and you'll need to wipe it out of there before using them. Learned this the hard way, nothing like baking your pizza in rancid oil to get your attention.

When I got them out of the box, I gave them the one & only washing with soap (Dawn) to remove the oils they were coated with for shipping, then rub them with Crisco and place them in a 250 degree oven upside down for 2-3 hrs. Then wipe them down & repeat. Mine come out with a beautiful oily coating on them and they're ready for some serious baking.

Mine are all well seasoned at this point and I get minimal to no sticking whenever I bake in them now.

s_b

seascan · « **Reply #129 on:** January 23, 2012, 07:40:14 PM »

P.A. Products is temporarily out of stock on the 12X17. Does anyone have an opinion on the Paderno (http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-11-825-Baking/dp/B001VH70WM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1300397422&sr=1-2-catcorr)?

steel_baker · « **Reply #130 on:** January 23, 2012, 08:38:08 PM »

Quote from: seascan on January 23, 2012, 07:40:14 PM

P.A. Products is temporarily out of stock on the 12X17. Does anyone have an opinion on the Paderno (http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-11-825-Baking/dp/B001VH70WM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1300397422&sr=1-2-catcorr)?

Yes, it actually works quite well for this pizza in terms of the quality of the pizza. The only issue with them is the 1-1/8" depth. Certainly not the deepest. Depending upon how much oil you use, you can get some dripping out into the oven & some smoking. I only use 1-1/2oz of oil in the pan these days so if you season them well and just use that little bit you'd probably not have a problem with overflow while baking.

You can also try the link from above: http://www.northernpizzaequipment.com/bluesteelpans.html

They appear to stock the 12x17's as well.

s_b

seascan · « **Reply #131 on:** January 23, 2012, 08:45:18 PM »

Thanks Steel Baker!

Killmeyer000 · « **Reply #132 on:** January 26, 2012, 01:55:29 PM »

Quote from: steel_baker on January 20, 2012, 06:39:16 PM

The tray tonight was outstanding. Substituted honey for white sugar and the dough is excellent.
s_b

Hi, I'd be curious to know how much honey you used...and what differences you noticed, if any, from using the honey?

Thanks,
John

steel_baker · « **Reply #133 on:** January 26, 2012, 03:29:57 PM »

Quote from: Killmeyer000 on January 26, 2012, 01:55:29 PM

Hi, I'd be curious to know how much honey you used...and what differences you noticed, if any, from using the honey?

Thanks,
John

I used 8g of honey, same amount as if it was sugar. I noticed a slight difference in the the texture that seemed a bit lighter.

s_b

pizza mama · « **Reply #134 on:** January 29, 2012, 06:30:27 PM »

I made VP pizza Friday night. Turned out wonderful. Made 3 trays the family ate all of it. I live in Northeast pa and its the closest recipe I found. Hey, Steel baker did you ever have Ferri,s pizza. There is one in Taylor and one in Moscow. Would love to know that recipe.

steel_baker · « **Reply #135 on:** January 29, 2012, 07:41:43 PM »

Quote from: pizza mama on January 29, 2012, 06:30:27 PM

I made VP pizza Friday night. Turned out wonderful. Made 3 trays the family ate all of it. I live in Northeast pa and its the closest recipe I found. Hey, Steel baker did you ever have Ferri,s pizza. There is one in Taylor and one in Moscow. Would love to know that recipe.

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with Ferri's.

Glad you enjoyed the pizza.

s_b

Killmeyer000 · « **Reply #136 on:** February 01, 2012, 03:28:13 PM »

Quote from: steel_baker on January 26, 2012, 03:29:57 PM

I used 8g of honey, same amount as if it was sugar. I noticed a slight difference in the the texture that seemed a bit lighter.

s_b

Thanks. Appreciate that info...the detailed recipe...and the video. All were a huge help.

John

Chet · « **Reply #137 on:** February 02, 2012, 12:26:18 AM »

Quote from: pizza mama on January 29, 2012, 06:30:27 PM

I made VP pizza Friday night. Turned out wonderful. Made 3 trays the family ate all of it. I live in Northeast pa and its the closest recipe I found. Hey, Steel baker did you ever have Ferri,s pizza. There is one in Taylor and one in Moscow. Would love to know that recipe.

I am good friends with Bill Ferri, good pizza, I live near the area. I just had the pizza a few weeks ago.

Chet

pizza mama · « **Reply #138 on:** February 02, 2012, 10:05:18 AM »

Chet, My family loves Ferri,s pizza any idea what they put in the sauce and what kind of cheese they use?

Chet · « **Reply #139 on:** February 11, 2012, 08:48:06 PM »

Bill

Did I see a Bosch Universal plus on your counter, if so, any problems with smaller batches of dough.

Chet