Thank you Bob, Paul, Tee and Norma!
Doesn't it apply perfectly to this kind of pizza making?
Bill - Being able to coax complex flavors out of simple ingredients, and treating them simply is the essence of this pizza making - I completely agree. This was an exercise in basics and the end result was just as complex tasting as the intricate workflows and natural ferment approaches I screw around with so much. It was refreshing.
Are you happy with the result?
Scot - Yes, the result was very good. I could have used even less yeast as the temps around here were very high, even with an air-conditioned house. At 10 hours bulk, the dough was going pretty fast - I did have 8 balls total so the mass effect played a role here. The cheese was bufala and melted like a dream. This was a 40 second pie.
That is a great looking pie! Love the crumb, didn't think you could get that kind of development with such a quick ferment. One question: why do you add the salt at the beginning? I've read a lot recently about salt slowing down the yeast reactions, what's the principle behind putting it in at the beginning? (I've been doing it that way myself, but I'm trying to understand the reasoning behind the alternatives)
Jamie - The reason I do it is simply because the salt I use is a sicilian sea salt that is rather course - it is easier to dissolve directly in the water. You can add it at any point, but I would be careful adding it directly next to the yeast in succession.
John
