Author Topic: Heston Blumenthal's pizza recipe (BBC TV) (Read 37410 times)

evilal · « **on:** November 28, 2006, 04:06:18 PM »

Did anyone see the "In Search of Perfection" segment tonight on BBC2? Heston (owner of The fat Duck) takes on pizza napoletana, including a vist to the San Marzano tomato fields. He spends ages trying to get the cooking temerature up in a home setting (including a weird setup with a BBQ and a fan) and eventually does it like this:

He takes a cast-iron frying pan and heats it on the stove for 20 mins on high heat. Then he turns the grill on in his oven, flips the pan upside down, and puts it under the grill. He cooks the pizza on the upturned pan, which it gets grilled from the top. Awesome. Can't wait to try it!

Shin · « **Reply #1 on:** November 28, 2006, 04:33:32 PM »

yes i saw it

was very interesting, although a little controversial in terms of methods used!!

those who missed it can catch it here online

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/programmes/?id=heston_blumenthal

the link wont be live for long

does anyone know how to save the videos to disk??

MTPIZZA · « **Reply #2 on:** November 28, 2006, 07:25:55 PM »

They must have takent it off the site...I can't access this video from the link provided...

David · « **Reply #3 on:** November 28, 2006, 09:48:30 PM »

It's under the "Try at home " link I believe.Unfortunately I was unable to see it.i went to the help section and found the following message:

Why can't I watch the video from outside the UK?

For many programmes, there are broadcast rights restrictions, which do not allow us to show BBC Two programmes and content to people outside the UK. In addition, broadband content is expensive for the BBC to stream, so we have to give priority to people within the UK, who ultimately bear the cost of us doing this through their licence fee.

Some BBC programmes are available via our international services (see bbc.co.uk/info/channels) or through agreements with commercial broadcasters overseas.

Additionally if you use any web accelerator software, you may find that you can no longer access UK Only streams. This is because the software routes information via another country. We advise disabling these when trying to access video content on bbc.co.uk.

Shin · « **Reply #4 on:** November 29, 2006, 04:51:18 AM »

I've just again checked and your right mate its still there

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/programmes/?id=heston_blumenthal - click on the try now

Not available outside the UK.

Not sure if this would work but try setting your keyboard settings to english-uk - might fool the server? clutching at straws - but i know some web stat tools use this setting to determine the originating country - but think its an outside shot!

Back to the program - what was most interesting about the program was that it was about his quest to make the most perfect neo pizza in the home having been on pilgrimage to Naples. Indeed the title of the show was 'In Search of Perfection'.

If there was ever a program made about this website and in particular the neo threads - that would be it!

Check youtube.com too - someone may have been kind enough...

Caio

Ps.
Best London Pizza - theres a new kid on the block - Dean Street, W1, close to Oxford St. end - Spaigoli Napoli (think the spellngs right) - incredible lunch time deal £6.99 for 2 courses. Spoke to the chef downstairs, where the wood fired oven is on proud display. All ingreidients including the buffalo mozzi, are imported from Naples.

- and no, I have no connection with this establishment, other than as a (now) frequent customer.

pizzanapoletana · « **Reply #5 on:** November 29, 2006, 05:07:02 AM »

Quote from: Shin on November 29, 2006, 04:51:18 AM

Best London Pizza - theres a new kid on the block - Dean Street, W1, close to Oxford St. end - Spaigoli Napoli (think the spellngs right) - incredible lunch time deal £6.99 for 2 courses. Spoke to the chef downstairs, where the wood fired oven is on proud display. All ingreidients including the buffalo mozzi, are imported from Naples.

- and no, I have no connection with this establishment, other than as a (now) frequent customer.

It is not new!i BELIEVE IT IS ALSO CALLED "SPACCA NAPOLI" They are the same owner as Sarracino in Hampstead. I had their Pizza and could barely believe that they had a wood oven (I ate upstairs. I had to go downstairs to check after have spoken with the Manager..... The oven is not built in the Neapolitan way, it is actually a bread oven, not a pizza oven, made by a guy from Salerno.

If you want to try a better pizza, try Donna Margherita in Clapham. If I may add that would be better to wait after the 10th January as they will have their oven replaced with a proper one.

Ciao

Shin · « **Reply #6 on:** November 30, 2006, 06:04:46 AM »

Hola Chicos!

Here's Heston (not monsieur Charlton) Videos. Its a 90 second home recipe 'neopolitan' type pizza - well his version anyway.

He achieves this by heating a copper pan and turning it over and using that instead of an oven stone! lateral thinking in the Varasano mode dare I say? - thats a compliment btw Varasano

The sauce preparation looks like over kill, but that attention to detail may be worth a try - he is an acclaimed chef.

Pizza Dough:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uOng2plzZA" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uOng2plzZA</a>

Sauce:

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

Toppings:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E0GP1rkFRM" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E0GP1rkFRM</a>

Give them the approriate 5 star rating it deserves!

Enjoy

Byeee

Ps. My stress counsellor made me add the following statement:

Please no negative comments about how he should conform to certain rituals and practices to be a 'true neopolitan' pizza - this is his personal quest of making the perfect pizza at home which is refreshingly different.

evilal · « **Reply #7 on:** November 30, 2006, 08:05:10 AM »

To me at least, this underscores the need for a proper thermometer like Heston had (is it laser or infra-red)? I know my oven goes to 250c (I have an oven thermometer) but I have no idea of the heat the pizza stone gets to. I intend to try heating the stone further under the grill, but I don't know how much that will help.

Alex

November · « **Reply #8 on:** November 30, 2006, 08:16:06 AM »

The man looks uncomfortable making pizzas.

varasano · « **Reply #9 on:** November 30, 2006, 09:36:37 AM »

Shin, thanks for posting this. I was trying to load it for 2 days.

I worked out the percents - Pete, you let me beat you to it. What is the world coming to :-)

Bread Flour    365g (100%)
Water    195g (53.4%)
IDY    7g (1.95%)
Salt    4.50g (1.23%)
Malt 2g (0.5%)

Ok, Shin, close your eyes:

All I can do is repeat what I've already said. These celebrity chef's, even one's I otherwise like, think they can just ask around about recipes then just jump into pizza and then teach us something. It's just not the case. That pie looked ever bit like the average newbie pie on this board.

Also, I'm pretty sure he just flat out lied about the pie cooking in 2 minutes. We've all seen that color of browning
- that pie was probably 6 minutes or even 10.

evilal · « **Reply #10 on:** November 30, 2006, 10:28:58 AM »

Well, you more experienced pizza makers may sneer at his methods, but it gives encouragement to a newbie like me -- I am really struggling to obtain decent browning in my home oven with a stone, and he's given me some ideas to try.

I also like his roasted tomato topping, as well as the pressure cooker idea. Haven't tried them, but I do like his fresh approach to what can be achieved at home with ordinary tools.

varasano · « **Reply #11 on:** November 30, 2006, 10:35:55 AM »

Unfortunately, that encouragement will quickly turn to discouragement when mixed with misinformation.

click the little globe under my name for ideas on how to get browning at home. All the photos are from my regular home setup.

Jeff

Pete-zza · « **Reply #12 on:** November 30, 2006, 12:41:19 PM »

Quote from: varasano on November 30, 2006, 09:36:37 AM

I worked out the percents - Pete, you let me beat you to it. What is the world coming to :-)

Jeff,

I got off to a slow start this morning. Temperatures in the Dallas area dropped from about 80 degrees yesterday to 30 degrees this morning and I had to bring in my potted basil and thyme plants to salvage them. It also took me multiple viewings of the video to see exactly what Blumenthal was doing with the dough.

I believe you made an error in the amount of flour. Also, you did not account for the preferment in the total formula. The preferment represents about 1/3 of the basic dough as made in the video. If my math was correct, I get the following total formula after adding in the preferment and doing the conversions of volumes to grams:

100%, Flour (350 g. + 116.7 g. = 466.67 g.)
55.7%, Water (195 g. + 65 g. = 260 g.)
1%, Malt (1/2 t. + 0.17 t. = 0.67 t. = 4.69 g.)
1.59%, Salt (1 t. + 1/3 t. = 1.33 t. = 7.42 g.)
2%, Yeast (7 g. + 2.33 g. = 9.33 g.)
Total dough weight = 748.11 g.
Dough ball weight = 150 g.
Number of dough balls = 748.11/150 = 5

I assumed that the malt syrup is non-diastatic (because of the short fermentation times), that the salt used is regular table salt (not Kosher), and that the yeast is instant dry yeast (because it was not re-hydrated in water).

Actually, I think Blumenthal did a creditable job with the dough preparation. I am talking here onlly about his technique, not whether his dough captures the authentic Neapolitan experience. He uses a preferment that is similar to the dough into which it is to be incorporated, which ensures the same hydration in the final dough, and he uses an autolyse-like process by adding the salt and yeast after the rest period. What Blumenthal does not say is whether the preferment was allowed to sit at room temperature for about a day or whether it was kept in the refrigerator. At 2% yeast, which is very high and more characteristic of so-called "emergency" types of doughs, the preferment would be extremely active and rise very quickly at room temperature. In breadmaking circles, such a preferment would normally be kept in the refrigerator, either immediately after making or after a short room temperature rise.

I agree with you that 2 minutes total bake time is most likely too little if a standard home-type oven was used.

Peter

evilal · « **Reply #13 on:** December 01, 2006, 07:21:26 AM »

Quote from: varasano on November 30, 2006, 10:35:55 AM

Unfortunately, that encouragement will quickly turn to discouragement when mixed with misinformation.

click the little globe under my name for ideas on how to get browning at home. All the photos are from my regular home setup.

Jeff,

I know your site well, and often turn to it for tips and excellent advice.

However, most of your browning tips seem to be based on your modified oven, which runs at commerical oven temperatures due to its cleaning cycle and your clever mods. My oven has no self-cleaning setting, so I find it very hard to get above 250c (480f). I do think Heston's "back of the frying pan" method might have some merit, although I have not tried it yet. Have you?

Alex

Shin · « **Reply #14 on:** December 04, 2006, 07:26:30 AM »

Evilal raises a good point about not having a modded oven

I'm just learning and dont have access to super duper equipment which is why i like inventive methods like hestons...like the home made 'basil spray' - basil what I hear you say?

I watched the clip around a mates house on dvd (if i can find a way of grabbing it, ill post it up to youtube) which isn't on the BBC site and I don't know if it was aired in the program either.

He believes the speed (120 secs - his claim boys) it takes to cook the pizza dosn't allow too much time for the basil to flavour the pizza.

Basically he takes fresh basil and adds it to VODKA(!)

.

He then blends the basil with the vodka in a blender and puts the liquid contents into an atomiser.

When the pizza comes out of the oven, he sprays the pizza. The alcohol evaporates before it hits the pizza. He reckons you should only make the basil spray at the time of cooking since it loses its magic very quickly. Not something ive tried....yet.

scpizza · « **Reply #15 on:** December 13, 2006, 09:03:42 AM »

Quote from: November on November 30, 2006, 08:16:06 AM

The man looks uncomfortable making pizzas.

Ha ha ha! Yes!

And ditto varasano's comments. Celeb chefs should stick to pan fried asparagus with salmon tartare and butter sauce - i.e. dishes where there is no standing body of experts to say boo about the dish. I do like his enthusiasm and creativity, but that doesn't make up for his lack of awareness of his subject.

NegativeSpace · « **Reply #16 on:** December 31, 2006, 08:56:01 AM »

Quote from: scpizza on December 13, 2006, 09:03:42 AM

Celeb chefs should stick to pan fried asparagus with salmon tartare and butter sauce

Yeah, he's only a 3-star Michelin chef whose restaurant was voted best in the world of 2005 by a panel of over 600 professional chefs, food writers and restaurateurs. Man he sucks.

Quote from: varasano on November 30, 2006, 09:36:37 AM

All I can do is repeat what I've already said. These celebrity chef's, even one's I otherwise like, think they can just ask around about recipes then just jump into pizza and then teach us something. It's just not the case. That pie looked ever bit like the average newbie pie on this board.

Also, I'm pretty sure he just flat out lied about the pie cooking in 2 minutes. We've all seen that color of browning
- that pie was probably 6 minutes or even 10.

This programme was not intended for pizza experts; nor was he fastidious about the authenticity of the pizza's Neapolitan-ness. In fact, if I remember correctly, he decided against using the traditional tomatoes for his sauce because he wasn't particularly impressed with their flavour.

As for the browning -- why would he lie? If it WAS 6-10 minutes why wouldn't he just say so? Besides, that basil looked too fresh to have been in for longer than a couple of minutes.

Also, please don't tell us how average it was -- one man's perfect is another man's horrid. This was HIS interpretation of HIS perfect pizza. Not yours, and not a Neapolitan's.

scpizza · « **Reply #17 on:** December 31, 2006, 09:36:23 AM »

Quote from: NegativeSpace on December 31, 2006, 08:56:01 AM

Yeah, he's only a 3-star Michelin chef whose restaurant was voted best in the world of 2005 by a panel of over 600 professional chefs, food writers and restaurateurs. Man he sucks.

I didn't say he sucks as a chef. I said he doesn't know pizza like the gurus on this board know it. A casual watching of Top Chef will illustrate how a good chef is a very broad expert of food science able to intuitively craft good dishes from desserts to meats to drinks incorporating a panoply of foodstuffs. That's what this guy is famous for. Probably no one here could best him at it.

Instead, the people here have focused with laser-precision on not just pizza, but Neapolitan pizza, and spent years of their lives figuring out every conceivable aspect of combining flour, water, salt, and yeast. This guy doesn't stand a chance against that. He should stick to his combination-of-the-week of eclectic ingredients. That's what he knows. Not pizza.

Pete-zza · « **Reply #18 on:** December 31, 2006, 09:55:42 AM »

As I previously noted, I thought that Blumenthal did a creditable job with the dough preparation techniques. There are things that were not revealed in the videos I viewed, such as certain details of the preferment preparation and the sizes of pizzas made with with 150 grams of dough, but those are matters that can be resolved through a bit of experimentation. I was most intrigued by the short bake time, which I took to be an error in the instructions. But after thinking more about it, especially in the context of my cast-iron skillet which can get up to high temperatures, I am anxious to give the cast-iron skillet a try sometime to see what it delivers and in what timeframe.

Peter

scpizza · « **Reply #19 on:** December 31, 2006, 10:16:05 AM »

Quote from: Pete-zza on December 31, 2006, 09:55:42 AM

I was most intrigued by the short bake time, which I took to be an error in the instructions. But after thinking more about it, especially in the context of my cast-iron skillet which can get up to high temperatures, I am anxious to give the cast-iron skillet a try sometime to see what it delivers and in what timeframe.

The use of cast-iron for cooking pizza for those without hot ovens has great potential. Some time ago after I noticed I can easily get my stovetop cast-iron grill up beyond 800 degrees, I explored getting a large cast-iron dutch oven, skillet, or flat griddle covered with a lid, but never tried it out on a pizza.