Author Topic: Craig's Neapolitan Garage (Read 93618 times)

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1120 on:** October 20, 2012, 11:30:03 PM »

I'm starting to like 60%. The dough is certainly easier to work with than 62.5, and if you let it rise enough, every bit as tender if not more so. Thanks to a football game that was an hour late, the oven was not quite as hot as I would have liked, but the pies came out pretty good nonetheless. About 80 seconds. My wife asked for the fig and pork confit pie a little less done. It was probably just a bit over 60.

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1121 on:** October 20, 2012, 11:30:29 PM »

The rest:

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1122 on:** October 21, 2012, 12:11:43 AM »

Looking at the pics vs. last week, it is amazing the difference between 850 and 900 makes.

RobynB · « **Reply #1123 on:** October 21, 2012, 01:34:13 AM »

Third one down, with roasted red peppers? I know you hate pumpkin, but it *looks* like a winter squash puree of some sort???

Gorgeous as always, all of them.

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1124 on:** October 21, 2012, 01:58:45 AM »

Quote from: RobynB on October 21, 2012, 01:34:13 AM

Third one down, with roasted red peppers? I know you hate pumpkin, but it *looks* like a winter squash puree of some sort???

Gorgeous as always, all of them.

Thanks Robyn. It's butternut squash, mascarpone, and cream. Buffalo mozzerella, roasted zucchini and red peppers, and a little sea salt were the other toppings. Awesome.

dellavecchia · « **Reply #1125 on:** October 21, 2012, 07:09:39 AM »

Great combo with the figs. I have been using figs all fall.

What is your normal firing time? I remember you saying the longest was 10 hours, but is that every week?

John

norma427 · « **Reply #1126 on:** October 21, 2012, 08:22:41 AM »

Craig,

All your pies look delicious!

Norma

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1127 on:** October 21, 2012, 08:55:19 AM »

Quote from: dellavecchia on October 21, 2012, 07:09:39 AM

Great combo with the figs. I have been using figs all fall.

What is your normal firing time? I remember you saying the longest was 10 hours, but is that every week?

John

Generally right at 10 hours. Yesterday I had a 4 hour break in firing a couple hours before baking, and it made quite a difference in appearance. The pies still ate very well though.

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1128 on:** October 21, 2012, 09:11:01 AM »

Quote from: dellavecchia on October 21, 2012, 07:09:39 AM

Great combo with the figs.

John, the pie was topped with pork confit, mascarpone and brie (about 3:1), figs, and honey.

Here is how I made the confit: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,21625.msg218482.html#msg218482

CL

Mal · « **Reply #1129 on:** October 25, 2012, 07:21:45 PM »

Quote from: TXCraig1 on October 21, 2012, 08:55:19 AM

Generally right at 10 hours. Yesterday I had a 4 hour break in firing a couple hours before baking, and it made quite a difference in appearance. The pies still ate very well though.

A complete newbie question from me: how much wood does that require for a weekly firing for 10 pizzas or so?

Pizza Napoletana · « **Reply #1130 on:** October 26, 2012, 05:56:11 PM »

Quote from: TXCraig1 on October 20, 2012, 11:30:03 PM

I'm starting to like 60%. . . .

Dear Craig, your pizzas are always jaw-dropping!

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1131 on:** October 26, 2012, 06:36:45 PM »

Quote from: Pizza Napoletana on October 26, 2012, 05:56:11 PM

Dear Craig, your pizzas are always jaw-dropping!

Thank you Omid.

Mangia Pizza · « **Reply #1132 on:** October 26, 2012, 06:46:20 PM »

Thumbs up!

Mal · « **Reply #1133 on:** October 26, 2012, 08:05:55 PM »

bump

Quote from: enter8 on October 25, 2012, 07:21:45 PM

A complete newbie question from me: how much wood does that require for a weekly firing for 10 pizzas or so?

Was there some confusion about my question? I'm curious how much wood it takes to fire up an oven like yours from cold.

Thanks,

Mal

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1134 on:** October 28, 2012, 05:58:39 PM »

Quote from: enter8 on October 26, 2012, 08:05:55 PM

bump
Was there some confusion about my question? I'm curious how much wood it takes to fire up an oven like yours from cold.

Thanks,

Mal

I'm sorry Mal, I didn't see it the first time. You can get it hot enough to bake a sub 90-second pie in 3-4 hours, but you will have very uneven, unbalanced heat - most of which will be coming from the fire. For a reasonably balanced heat and a 60 second pie, it takes a good 10 hours to get it hot enough. More is better. Pies made the next day starting with a 450F oven and heating for another 6 hours are better yet. There is no comparison, IMO, between the appearance of pies from a hot oven, and pies coming for a hot oven that is fully saturated with heat.

Craig

Mal · « **Reply #1135 on:** October 28, 2012, 06:14:26 PM »

Quote from: TXCraig1 on October 28, 2012, 05:58:39 PM

I'm sorry Mal, I didn't see it the first time. You can get it hot enough to bake a sub 90-second pie in 3-4 hours, but you will have very uneven, unbalanced heat - most of which will be coming from the fire. For a reasonably balanced heat and a 60 second pie, it takes a good 10 hours to get it hot enough. More is better. Pies made the next day starting with a 450F oven and heating for another 6 hours are better yet. There is no comparison, IMO, between the appearance of pies from a hot oven, and pies coming for a hot oven that is fully saturated with heat.

Craig

Ah no worries. Thanks for the reply. I had no idea it took that long to get an oven "saturated". Definitely given me pause regarding any plans to go the WFO route. Your oven is a commercial neapolitan, am I right? I wonder if a smaller "domestic" oven would reach saturation point sooner.

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1136 on:** October 28, 2012, 06:17:15 PM »

Quote from: enter8 on October 28, 2012, 06:14:26 PM

Ah no worries. Thanks for the reply. I had no idea it took that long to get an oven "saturated". Definitely given me pause regarding any plans to go the WFO route. Your oven is a commercial neapolitan, am I right? I wonder if a smaller "domestic" oven would reach saturation point sooner.

Yes, mine is. A smaller, lower mass oven would take only a fraction of the time to heat - in some cases perhaps not much more than an hour. One of the trade-offs is less balanced heat. Though that is not to say you can't bake a beautiful pie in a smaller oven.

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1137 on:** November 04, 2012, 04:32:52 PM »

I had a guest pizzaiolo help me last night. She did very well for only her second time behind my oven. The dough was 60%HR again this week. The pie with the prosciutto was mozzarella di bufala and fig and lemon preserves with prosciutto and saba added post bake. Very tasty. Fresh shucked clams on the two clam pies. It's a good thing I got 5# as I think I ate a third of them when I was shucking. K Milbrandt Syrah 2010.

Despite another long junior football excursion, I was able to get the oven up to a proper temp. It really seems to like around 875F on the floor and 950F on the walls farthest from the fire. The penalty for not using the oven every day is that I have to run a larger fire than I would like to maintain the temp as the walls and floors are not fully saturated resulting in slightly unbalanced heat, but not too bad.

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1138 on:** November 04, 2012, 04:35:51 PM »

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #1139 on:** November 04, 2012, 04:36:11 PM »