Pizza Dude In Texas

[Killmeyer000]

Hi all, my name is John.  I live in Texas.  I've been trying to duplicate the pizza I remember from my childhood hometown in Northeast Ohio, which was a Sicilian style...baked in a rectangular pan.  Depending on the family, or the restaurant, the crust could be crispy and light, or more soft, open and airy.  The sauce was usually lightly applied, but very flavorful.  And the cheese was usually lightly applied...and could be just a dusting of Romano and/or Parmagiano...or could be a light layer of mozzarella and/or some other white cheese.

Looking forward to learning here.

John

[TXCraig1]

Welcome John. I can't offer much help with Sicilian though many here can. It's always great to have another Texan around. We're pretty well represented here.

Craig

[norma427]

John,

Welcome to the forum!  I don’t know what the pizzas from your childhood hometown look or taste like, but these pizzas below are baked in a pan and are soft, open and airy, and also have some crisp on the bottom.

Maybe you might want to look at “Detroit Style”, http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,3783.0.html or Jet’s pizza at, http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,8247.0.html or maybe “Victory Pig”, at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13048.0.html

Norma

[johnnydoubleu]

@Killmeyer000: I don't have any idea how the Sicilian pizza in Ohio is made but I am a lifelong NY'er and live in Brooklyn where there are some pretty legit Sicilian pizzas still being made (thankfully). What size and type (material) is your pan? Assuming you have a half-sheet pan (ideally a well seasoned blue/black steel) I would go with around 1k grams of finished dough and modulate that up and down to reach the/your desired thickness. The "proofing" should be done in the pan for 1-2 hours or so. Also what type of flour are you using? NYC Sicilian is typically made with a bromated, "high-gluten" (even "ultra-high") flour (e.g. GM All Trumps bromated), though it def does not need to be. Sauce and cheese it pretty typical; aged mootz and a fairly conventional pizza sauce. An oven around 550 Fahrenheit will do you justice.

[buceriasdon]

Like Norma I recommend reading steel_baker's Victory Pig thread.   http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13048.0.html
You can easily change the type of cheese.
Don

[Killmeyer000]

Thanks for the reponses.

Hi TXCraig - Go Lone Star!

Hi Norma - Thanks...I lurked for awhile before joining...and found my way to those threads.  The Victory Pig looked pretty similar to what I remember.  I have copied that recipe...and altered it a couple of times.  At this point, I am pretty happy with the outcome...especially the texture, browning and crumb of the crust.  However, still needing a little more flavor in the crust.  I posted a question about that today in another part of the forum.

Hi Bucer! - Yes, Victory Pig Thread has been very helpful.  Thanks goes out to Steel_Baker.

Hi Johnny - Pans are 12 x 17 blue steel (pretty new...not seasoned yet).  I'm using an altered version of Steel_Baker's Victory Pig recipe...so, I cold rise for about 24 hours...then proof in the pan twice, once for 2 hours, and the 2nd time about 1 more hour.  I'm using King Arthur Bread Flour.  My mind likes to get one thing right at a time before moving on, so I'm using canned sauce and sliced mozz until I get a crust I like...plus I hate wasting good toppings on a poor crust.  My current crappy oven won't go above 450...but, have a new one coming late next week that should be able to get hotter.