A PHILOSOPHY OF PIZZA NAPOLETANISMO!

[pizzablogger]

I think so, but the main consideration is the stickiness of the dough, not the absolute HR. One objective of the entire dough management process for me is to maximize HR with minimum stickiness. Raw flour on the surface of the pie is to be avoided and no amount of slapping or shaking the pie on a perforated peel will knock off flour that has bonded to an overly sticky dough.

I couldn't agree more. Although there is a point where the absolute hydration will result in some "stickiness" I feel. My Square pizza dough is pretty sticky when I've done 85%+ HR, regardless of whatever dough management I have used (tension on skin, water on hands, etc).

There are definitely variables to the stickiness factor which includes the temperature of the dough balls when opening the skins and making pizza. There is also that fine line in long-fermented doughs where the proteolytic activity starts releasing enough water within the dough to increase stickiness. I've done two recent pizza sessions where I have made enough dough....and the pizzas were eaten at a casual enough rate....to where the sessions lasted for a few hours. In one session the dough balls stayed the exact same temperature throughout the session, but the dough definitely got noticeably more sticky during the last few dough balls. I imagine my "window of usability" was starting to deteriorate (and ideally should have started to make pizzas earlier).

Any other ideas on how to mitigate and causes for the sticky factor? --K

[andreguidon]

go 3% salt, the salt helps allot keeping the humidity inside, the dough sweats less making it less sticky and the dough balls hold for a longer period...

[thezaman]

 is bitterness just an issue cooking at high temperatures or is it an issue with lower temperatures as well?

[pizza dr]

 is bitterness just an issue cooking at high temperatures or is it an issue with lower temperatures as well?

Good question. 

I would think that this wouldn't be as much of an issue at more moderate temps but I'm definitely going to pay more attention to how much bench flour I'm using to open my dough. 

Scot

[Pulcinella]

Omid

Your passion for pizza and art is amazing.

Great work, great pizzas, great photos.

I like how you play the guitar.

There is a lot to learn from you, you are very talented.

All that left to say is just wow!

dear omid

my 14 year old daughter whose paraplegic made the caputo pizzas below following your directions .  thanks to you guidance and members of this blog for being great inspiration to her. also thanks for the picture of michelangelo's statue. so inspiring...no limit to what humans can accomplish.i find your guidance is more than just making napoletena pizzas but being through art a good person and as you say good not negative "character", overcoming "impulses" and "fears" and say yes to "life" even when it is full of pain and suffering. when my daughter wakes up every morning she can't wait to visit this blog, make dough and bless this house wit aroma of her pizzas. God bless you all   this is the spirit of AMERICA where we can FREELY choose what we want.

if i were you i would ignore those who are negative self seekers who are only preoccupied with their own empty pride (not pizza the ART) and sadistic pleasures. negativity never inspire anyone to do the right thing. compassion does!

Regards

[thezaman]

pulcinella, you daughter did a wonderful job getting caputo to cook with color and a nice rise. her methods please!!

[buceriasdon]

pulcinella, Larry speak truth. Kudos to your daughter.
Don

pulcinella, you daughter did a wonderful job getting caputo to cook with color and a nice rise. her methods please!!

[msheetrit]

Pulcinella, well said! your daughter did great job. the pizza look amazing!

after looking at this thread today for the first time i'v been also fed with inspiration, i dident planed to make pizza today but it overwelmed me.

[msheetrit]

here is the second pizza and more photos.

[Pizza Napoletana]

Omid

Your passion for pizza and art is amazing. Great work, great pizzas, great photos. I like how you play the guitar. There is a lot to learn from you, you are very talented. All that left to say is just wow!

Dear Michael, shalom and toda raba (תודה רבה)! How exciting to see someone here from Israel? Baruch Hashem! Your pizzas are wonderful. Thank you!

L'Chaim
Omid

[Pizza Napoletana]

dear omid

my 14 year old daughter whose paraplegic made the caputo pizzas below following your directions .  thanks to you guidance and members of this blog for being great inspiration to her. also thanks for the picture of michelangelo's statue. so inspiring...no limit to what humans can accomplish. . . .

[Pizza Napoletana]

Below are some great pictures to share with you all! (Special thanks to the Pizza Pilgrims, Thom and James.) The second and third pictures below . . . well, I let them speak for themselves as they are simple and unadulterated!


Happy Thanksgiving everyone
Omid

[Pizza Napoletana]

.

I thought I juxtapose Da Michele's dough balls with Salvo's (thanks to Kiwipete for the pictures!) for the sake of contrast and comparison. Good day!

http://www.lucianopignataro.com/articolo.php?pl=4458
http://www.lucianopignataro.com/articolo.php?pl=4694

[Pizza Napoletana]

Tonight's bake (using Santos, 62% hydration, Caputo Pizzeria flour, sourdough culture, 2 + 48 hours of fermentation at controlled room temperature, and home gas oven):

[dellavecchia]

True perfection Omid, very professional looking as well. I love that you show how soft the dough is.

John

[msheetrit]

Looks perfect! I would love to eat from those. Amazing!

[Pizza Napoletana]

True perfection Omid, very professional looking as well. I love that you show how soft the dough is.

John

Looks perfect! I would love to eat from those. Amazing!

Thank you dear friends! My home gas-oven is doing a fantastic job, even with all the limitations it is plagued with. Shalom!

[Pizza Napoletana]

Here is a Franco Manca pizza dough recipe, using crisceto:

http://margotskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/07/slow-pizza.html

Ingredients:
•1 litre of water
•1.7kg flour
•30g starter culture or 1g dried yeast or 3g fresh yeast
(If using dried yeast or fresh yeast, mix it in tepid water, and, once mixed with flour, leave it proofing overnight.)
•3 tsps salt

1) A small starter culture is mixed with the water until dissolved.
2) Add this mixture and the salt to the flour, working it until you have a soft dough. Knead it for about 10 minutes.
3) Cover and let it rest overnight for approximately 20 hours, in a warmish room.
4) After resting, roll out the dough, knead a bit more and let it rest for 30 min more.
5) Then, shape the dough into individual balls of 270g.
7) Leave them proofing for 1 hour and then they will be ready to be made into pizzas.

(Thanks to Margot Carone.)
http://www.margotskitchen.com/

[dellavecchia]

What a great find Omid. 3% of water starter and hydration of around 59% percent. I think that the production pizzas have a much higher hydration, but it is just a guess. 3% of water at normal room temp makes sense for a 24 hour fermentation at that hydration. What is very interesting is the state of the starter. It looks as if it is more a mother dough than a levain.

John

[Pizza Napoletana]

What a great find Omid. 3% of water starter and hydration of around 59% percent. I think that the production pizzas have a much higher hydration, but it is just a guess. 3% of water at normal room temp makes sense for a 24 hour fermentation at that hydration. What is very interesting is the state of the starter. It looks as if it is more a mother dough than a levain.

John

Dear John, I have noticed that, that is how some bakeries cultivate their cultures in various parts of the Middle East. They prefer to maintain their fermentative micro-organisms in a stiffer medium than in a more fluid medium that is probably and generally speaking characterized with a faster or higher level of bacterial and fungal activities under equal conditions. As such, a more fluid medium becomes acetic faster than a stiffer medium. Good night!