Author Topic: A PHILOSOPHY OF PIZZA NAPOLETANISMO! (Read 171326 times)

DannyG · « **Reply #140 on:** July 11, 2011, 08:27:01 AM »

Omid, the baked dough almost looks translucent. What a beautiful pie, I bet it tasted as good as it looks.

Pizza Napoletana · « **Reply #141 on:** July 12, 2011, 12:38:43 AM »

Quote from: DannyG on July 11, 2011, 08:27:01 AM

Omid, the baked dough almost looks translucent. What a beautiful pie, I bet it tasted as good as it looks.

Dear DannyG, I thank you for your compliment! Frankly, I am not keen on pear pizza (fresh oregano, fior di latte, fresh diced Japanese pears, gorgonzola, fresh basil, and fruity olive oil). However, I think it is definitely worth your while to try it, if you have not already. I have noticed that some Californians believe that the pear pizza is of Californian origin. I really doubt it, for the simple balance of the ingredients do not implicate a Californian sensibility! In variance, some others believe that "California Pizza Kitchen" was the original inventor. The first time I had pear pizza was about 14 years ago in Rome, Italy–where the recipe is believed to have had its genesis. Thereafter, about 12 years ago, Trader Joe's (a california food market) commenced to import frozen pear pizzas from Italy. Good night!

Pizza Napoletana · « **Reply #142 on:** July 12, 2011, 08:01:16 PM »

Quote from: Bill/SFNM on June 26, 2011, 07:38:26 PM

I'm going to have read this a few more times to find something I disagree with. There must be something you got wrong, but I haven't found it yet. Doesn't the Internet exist so that we can show others how wrong they are? How frustrating! Seriously, this is the best description of the beloved pizza of Naples that I have ever read. If you can bake pizzas as well as you write about them, you should open your own joint.

Dear Bill, I believe somewhere in this forum I read that you operate a forcella mixer by "Santos". Until a couple of months ago, I used a forcella mixer made in Iran, but it broke. So, today, my wife surprised me by disclosing that she has electronically purchased for me a Santos Dough Mixer (model #18). If you do not mind, I have several concerns. I am wondering how you like your mixer, and if you have any tips. Already, by watching some videos about the mixer, I have noticed that the fork rotation seems to be faster than I prefer. Moreover, according to the Santos' website, lifting the safety cover automatically stops the mixer. Can the rotation speed be decelerated (hoping that it will not jeopardize the rotation of the mixer bowl)? How about disabling the safety feature of lifting the cover? What is the smallest amount of dough that can be prepared with this mixer? At last, is there a difference between Santos "18" and Santos "18n"? Please, forgive me for asking too many questions! I thank you in advance for your trouble. Good night!

Follow up:
I have added a second picture of Santos mixer below, which I think is the model #18. Notice it has a different base than the first picture, which probably exhibits model #18N.

JConk007 · « **Reply #143 on:** July 12, 2011, 08:24:18 PM »

Omid,
I would like your thoughts on the Bosch mixer and all the threads and praises Jackie Tran Is a big fan as am I and I know Scottr actually prefers the bosch to the point he sold his Santos mixer. I personally use the diving arm now but all my home mixing is done witha a bosch produces a beautiful high hydration %60-%69 neapolitan dough.
thanks
John

Pizza Napoletana · « **Reply #144 on:** July 12, 2011, 09:08:42 PM »

Quote from: JConk007 on July 12, 2011, 08:24:18 PM

I would like your thoughts on the Bosch mixer. . . .

Dear John, I have never operated the Bosch mixer and, unfortunately, do not know anything about it. Please, let me know which model of Bosch mixer you use so I can look it up on the net. And, also, let me know which brand and model of diving arm mixer you own. Thank you!

Omid

dellavecchia · « **Reply #145 on:** July 12, 2011, 09:22:09 PM »

Omid - Congrats on your gift! I don't have a Santos, but here is a video of one modified for slower speed and the cover removed:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9lU843ATI0&feature=youtube_gdata_player" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9lU843ATI0&feature=youtube_gdata_player</a>

John

BrickStoneOven · « **Reply #146 on:** July 12, 2011, 09:27:13 PM »

The person who made that video is a member on this forum. You might want to pm him and see how he did it on his. His username is scpizza http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=2823.

Pizza Napoletana · « **Reply #147 on:** July 12, 2011, 09:31:51 PM »

Quote from: dellavecchia on July 12, 2011, 09:22:09 PM

Omid - Congrats on your gift! I don't have a Santos, but here is a video of one modified for slower speed and the cover removed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9lU843ATI0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

John

Now, that is sublime! Do you know how the two modifications are accomplished? Thank you!

Pizza Napoletana · « **Reply #148 on:** July 12, 2011, 09:33:18 PM »

Quote from: BrickStoneOven on July 12, 2011, 09:27:13 PM

The person who made that video is a member on this forum. You might want to pm him and see how he did it on his. His username is scpizza http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=2823.

God bless your soul!

Bill/SFNM · « **Reply #149 on:** July 12, 2011, 10:22:17 PM »

Quote from: Pizza Napoletana on July 12, 2011, 08:01:16 PM

Dear Bill, I believe somewhere in this forum I read that you operate a forcella mixer by "Santos". Until a couple of months ago, I used a forcella mixer made in Iran, but it broke. So, today, my wife surprised me by disclosing that she has electronically purchased for me a Santos Dough Mixer (model #18). If you do not mind, I have several concerns. I am wondering how you like your mixer, and if you have any tips. Already, by watching some videos about the mixer, I have noticed that the fork rotation seems to be faster than I prefer. Moreover, according to the Santos' website, lifting the safety cover automatically stops the mixer. Can the rotation speed be decelerated (hoping that it will not jeopardize the rotation of the mixer bowl)? How about disabling the safety feature of lifting the cover? What is the smallest amount of dough that can be prepared with this mixer? At last, is there a difference between Santos "18" and Santos "18n"? Please, forgive me for asking too many questions! I thank you in advance for your trouble. Good night!

Follow up:
I have added a second picture of Santos mixer below, which I think is the model #18. Notice it has a different base than the first picture, which probably exhibits model #18N.

Congratulations on your new mixer. You clearly have an awesome wife. Mine is the one shown in the top photo. Not sure what the difference is. Some quick answers:

1. It is easy to defeat the safety feature. I just jammed a piece of wood into the switch and wrapped an elastic velcro band around the stand to hold it in place.

2. As of a few months ago, I have stopped (temporarily?) using it for pizza and baguette dough, preferring the Tartine fold method which allows me to create a more highly hydrated dough - for me a good thing although not a universally held position around this forum. I still use it with great success for my stiffer doughs like bagels, brioche, rye, struan, etc. At some point I'll make up a batch of pizza dough again with the Santos to see how much of the progress I attribute to the Tartine method is an artifact of other decisions or a shift in my preferences.

3. The smaller the batch of dough, the more manual intervention you'll have to do to insure even kneading. My standard batch size is 1250g but I've had no problems with 1000g. Don't think I've tried less.

4. There have been discussions in this forum about ways to slow down the mixer - rheostats, changing motor gears, etc. Not something I ever considered. It is my experience that is very hard to overheat or overknead the dough. However, I am also at 7000 feet above sea level with a lower partial pressure of oxygen in the atmosphere which could be a factor.

BrickStoneOven · « **Reply #150 on:** July 12, 2011, 10:50:07 PM »

Also I don't know if you know this or not but the bowl isn't driven by a motor. From what I've seen in videos and read from posts it's pushed by the dough while it's kneading. The bowl has a tension bolt or screw. Bill would know more about that to explain it for you.

Bill/SFNM · « **Reply #151 on:** July 12, 2011, 10:51:16 PM »

Quote from: BrickStoneOven on July 12, 2011, 10:50:07 PM

Also I don't know if you know this or not but the bowl isn't driven by a motor. From what I've seen in videos and read from posts it's pushed by the dough while it's kneading. The bowl has a tension bolt or screw. Bill would know more about that than more to explain it for you.

Exactly right.

Pizza Napoletana · « **Reply #152 on:** July 12, 2011, 11:15:23 PM »

Quote from: Bill/SFNM on July 12, 2011, 10:22:17 PM

Congratulations on your new mixer. You clearly have an awesome wife. Mine is the one shown in the top photo. Not sure what the difference is. Some quick answers:

1. It is easy to defeat the safety feature. I just jammed a piece of wood into the switch and wrapped an elastic velcro band around the stand to hold it in place.

2. As of a few months ago, I have stopped (temporarily?) using it for pizza and baguette dough, preferring the Tartine fold method which allows me to create a more highly hydrated dough - for me a good thing although not a universally held position around this forum. I still use it with great success for my stiffer doughs like bagels, brioche, rye, struan, etc. At some point I'll make up a batch of pizza dough again with the Santos to see how much of the progress I attribute to the Tartine method is an artifact of other decisions or a shift in my preferences.

3. The smaller the batch of dough, the more manual intervention you'll have to do to insure even kneading. My standard batch size is 1250g but I've had no problems with 1000g. Don't think I've tried less.

4. There have been discussions in this forum about ways to slow down the mixer - rheostats, changing motor gears, etc. Not something I ever considered. It is my experience that is very hard to overheat or overknead the dough. However, I am also at 7000 feet above sea level with a lower partial pressure of oxygen in the atmosphere which could be a factor.

Dear Bill, I thank you prodigally for all the information.

Pizza Napoletana · « **Reply #153 on:** July 12, 2011, 11:17:02 PM »

Quote from: BrickStoneOven on July 12, 2011, 10:50:07 PM

Also I don't know if you know this or not but the bowl isn't driven by a motor. From what I've seen in videos and read from posts it's pushed by the dough while it's kneading. The bowl has a tension bolt or screw. Bill would know more about that to explain it for you.

Dear BrickStoneOve, I thank you for pointing that out.

shango · « **Reply #154 on:** July 12, 2011, 11:49:26 PM »

Da Michele offers double sauce and double cheese as the ONLY available topping additions. Truly Napolitan. Gave me a tummy ache. Gino Sorbillo and Salvo are the best in my opinion.

Pizza Napoletana · « **Reply #155 on:** July 13, 2011, 12:38:05 AM »

Quote from: shango on July 12, 2011, 11:49:26 PM

Da Michele offers double sauce and double cheese as the ONLY available topping additions. Truly Napolitan. Gave me a tummy ache. Gino Sorbillo and Salvo are the best in my opinion.

Dear Shango, I think double cheese and tomato can be burdensome gastronomically speaking.
I invite your attention to the three images hereunder. One form (or "ideal", Platonically speaking, as the source of inspiration), but three representations: da Michele, Sorbillo, and Salvo. There is unity within diversity!

BrickStoneOven · « **Reply #156 on:** July 13, 2011, 08:53:00 AM »

Salvo's pizza look truely amazing. That's what I would strive for personally. If it tastes half as good as it looks, then....

dellavecchia · « **Reply #157 on:** July 13, 2011, 10:20:27 AM »

Quote from: BrickStoneOven on July 13, 2011, 08:53:00 AM

Salvo's pizza look truely amazing. That's what I would strive for personally. If it tastes half as good as it looks, then....

I agree, it looks perfectly balanced. It is also interesting to see the size of the cheese, with two being "strips" and the other being "dotted". I usually go with larger, ripped chunks. I am assuming the only reason for the size is that the cutting operation is done by machine for such a large volume of product in those restaurants. Thanks for the nice visuals, Omid.

John

BrickStoneOven · « **Reply #158 on:** July 13, 2011, 10:35:36 AM »

Quote from: dellavecchia on July 13, 2011, 10:20:27 AM

It is also interesting to see the size of the cheese, with two being "strips" and the other being "dotted". I usually go with larger, ripped chunks. I am assuming the only reason for the size is that the cutting operation is done by machine for such a large volume of product in those restaurants.

This is the prep of the cheese at Salvo and the pie before it goes into the oven.

pizzablogger · « **Reply #159 on:** July 13, 2011, 12:58:28 PM »

Quote from: dellavecchia on July 13, 2011, 10:20:27 AM

I am assuming the only reason for the size is that the cutting operation is done by machine for such a large volume of product in those restaurants. Thanks for the nice visuals, Omid.
John

John, in some instances you are exactly correct.

Zoom forward to 4:39 of this video and you'll see fior-di-latte being run through a shredding/cutting machine at Da Michele.