As close to perfection as I have come so far

[Tory]

Craig,

Your pizza looks amazing and so delicious. It looks like it could have come from a restaurant.

Here's a pic of my first attempt the other day. Compared to how your pizza looks, I think I need to
work on mine more.

Tory

[TXCraig1]

Thanks Tory.

I think your pie looks great. It looks every bit as good or better than my first pie. You're right it takes work. Experience is a big factor.

Best of luck. Let me know if I can help.

Craig

[Tory]

Craig,

Thanks for the compliment.

Actually, if you wouldn't mind, do you cook your pizzas in a WFO or conventional oven? And what kind of flour, sauce and mozzarella do you use?

Thanks again,

Tory

[TXCraig1]

Actually, if you wouldn't mind, do you cook your pizzas in a WFO or conventional oven? And what kind of flour, sauce and mozzarella do you use?

Oven: WFO @ 900F+

Flour: Caputo Pizzeria

Sauce: Cento Italian tomatoes (35oz can) run through a food mill with the coarse plate and generally a little less than 1Tbs sugar and 1tsp salt - both to taste

Mozz: Galbani Mozzarella Fresca Bocconcini - these are about 2oz balls packed 4 toa pack and come in a cup with water. I tear them up into pieces about the size of a marble or a little smaller by hand and let them drain on a couple layers of paper towel in the fridge for at least 4 hours. The rugged shape and drained water let the cheese melt into the sauce without an abrupt edge or excess of water on the pie.

There is a lot more about my pies in here: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,14249.0.html

Craig

[Tory]

Craig,

Thank you for this helpful info. I appreciate you taking the time to write this out.
I envy you for having a wfo. That's pretty awesome!

I'm familiar with that flour and sauce, but had never heard of that kind of mozzarella.

Thanks again,

Tory

[TXCraig1]

I'm familiar with that flour and sauce, but had never heard of that kind of mozzarella.

It's the most common fresh mozz in the grocery stores near me - nothing exotic or anything. Try whatever brands of fresh mozz you can find near where you live, and I bet you'll find something you will like.

If you have a Costco near you, many sell Fattorie Garofalo Mozzarella di Bufala. It is really good if reasonably fresh. Look at the bottom and make sure it has at least a week of life left on it - more is better. This is the other cheese that I can get that I really like. Drain it on paper towels after you tear it up for at least 6 hours - 8 is better especially if it is getting close to that last week of life.

Craig

[anton-luigi]

Craig,

Your pizza looks amazing and so delicious. It looks like it could have come from a restaurant.

Here's a pic of my first attempt the other day. Compared to how your pizza looks, I think I need to
work on mine more.

Tory

That is a great looking pie Tory,  you have nice color there.

[Tory]

That is a great looking pie Tory,  you have nice color there.

Thank you, Anton-luigi I appreciate the nice words!

[Tory]

Craig,

With the Caputo 00 flour, do you do a cold ferment? And if so, for how long?

Tory

[TXCraig1]

I go into a lot of detail how I do things throughout this thread: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,14249.0.html

In a nutshell, I use a 48 hour ferment, 24 hours in bulk at 65F, 12 hours in balls at 65F, and another 12 in balls at 75F (this will vary between 65 and 75F as needed).

I use a natural culture (Ischia) and no baker's yeast.

I am not a fan of cold fermentation.

Craig

[Tory]

Oh, and what is this Ischia culture? I've never heard of it before.

Can I make one myself, or is it something I'd have to purchase?  If can make it myself, how do I go about it?

Is there something different about it than a wild yeast starter, or is it just another name for a wild yeast starter?

I've tried searching the net for it, but when I google it, I just keep being led back here to this forum. 

Thanks,

Tory

[toddster63]

Oh, and what is this Ischia culture? I've never heard of it before.

Can I make one myself, or is it something I'd have to purchase?  If can make it myself, how do I go about it?

Is there something different about it than a wild yeast starter, or is it just another name for a wild yeast starter?

I've tried searching the net for it, but when I google it, I just keep being led back here to this forum. 

Thanks,

Tory

You can buy the Ischia culture at www.sourdo.com. It comes in the "Italian Cultures" and comes with another Italian culture from Naples—the Camadoli culture.

[TXCraig1]

Ischia is probably the most popular culture with people on this forum using a natural yeast for leavening. It is a wild yeast culture from Naples, and the flavor just can't be beat for pizza IMO. You can get it here: http://www.sourdo.com/home/cultures/italian-cultures-includes-two/  This is where I got mine and most of the other members got theres. There are other places if you want to look.

You can make your own natural yeast culture, but it opens a whole new can of worms. There are several threads here that discuss it. You should be able to find them with a search. If it was me, I'd get the culture I noted above. It is a very stable and predictable culture.

Craig

[Tory]

Craig,

Once again, thank you for your help.

Tory

[TXCraig1]

I was pretty happy with these tonight.

[Jet_deck]

I see the Calbrian Chili oil, are the red things the chili's or tomatos?

[TXCraig1]

Chilis

[p.elkjaer]

I was pretty happy with these tonight.

I can see why!

[Kermit]

Craig, stunning as always. The last pizza - just arugula and crudo with some parmegianno? Or is there something hiding underneath it?

[TXCraig1]

Craig, stunning as always. The last pizza - just arugula and crudo with some parmegianno? Or is there something hiding underneath it?

Just some mozzarella and mascarpone. There is a little Meyer lemon olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt on the arugula.

CL