my best pie yet.

[grovemonkey]

Greets all,


If you have time, take a look at my newest pie.  It was my best ever.  http://picasaweb.google.com/grovemonkey/Pizza5

This pie was made with the following recipe:
202 g flour
127.65 g of water
1/2 t of oil
3.55g of salt
1/4 t of yeast

I've already posted 2 other sets of photos in my earlier posts but this pizza was completely different.  Why?  I can only speculate that the new changes I made helped to make this better. 

What were the changes?

I did 4 things different. 
1.  I bought a new flour (japanese brand) that is 13.8 percent protein I had been using an unknown percentage.
2.  I used a bottled water instead of tap.
3.  I used a new yeast brand.
4.  I made 2 pies.  With each pie, I let the dough come out of the refrig and at  first I took the dough out of the cold container (both were puffed up) and I punched it down and let it heat up to room temp and start to rise again which was about 2 hours total time.

I made the pizza dough by hand.  I first heated the water to 38C and added the yeast to the water ( added the salt into the hot water and disolved the water first).  I then combined all the ingredients except 25% of the flour.  I waited 30 minutes then added the rest of the flour and formed a ball, put in a container and let it sit in the refrig for a day.

I was impressed with the rise in the oven and the dough performed completely different than my previous experiences.  I really think the flour type, new yeast brand and the long post refrigerator wait contributed to the end result. 

by the way.. those mushrooms on the pizza are really tasty shitake mushrooms.  very nice and they cook up really well.  if you get some dried ones just reconstitute them for a really tasty topping.

[Pete-zza]

grovemonkey,

Whether you realize it or not, your most recent dough formulation is basically the Lehmann dough formulation, using 63% hydration and ADY. Compared with the last dough formulation you used, you reduced the amount of yeast (ADY) substantially, used a lower rehydration water temperature, and you reduced the amount of oil. I think these changes were instrumental in the changes you noted, in addition to using a different flour, etc.

I noticed also that you used a pizza screen this time. Adding a pizza stone to your arsenal might be a logical next step along with a pizza peel, of course. I often use a combination of pizza screen and stone to make pizzas, mainly for sizes of pizzas that are larger than my stone can accommodate. I also use the broiler to get enhanced top crust browning.

You are clearly heading in the right direction with your pizzas.

Peter

[grovemonkey]

Pete,

thanks for the info.  I have used this lehman recipe 3 times before this (though no photos).  The reason I didn't post those previous pie photos is because the pizzas basically looked like my previous pizzas I posted, really.  No significant rise, no browning/very little browning and an unremarkable flavor.  Why I posted this set of photos is because even though I had used this same recipe before but still seen very little success, the 4 changes I made seem to affect the final product significantly.  In fact, I was a little discourage when i switched to a screen and used the lehman recipe initially because I didn't see any significant browning.  I figured it was basically a heat problem and I just couldn't get my unit hot enough to get any rise or decent browing, it only goes to 250C. 

Today's results surprised me, not for the fact that I produced a somewhat decent pizza (so little done, so much undone)  but more because I only changed those 4 factors.   Maybe I'm just downplaying the significance of those 4 factors.   Of course, I don't dismiss the possibility of another, unknown factor, also being at play.    I'll be more impressed with myself if I can begin to replicate this, consistently and then take the process to the next level. 

[pizzoid]

I figured it was basically a heat problem and I just couldn't get my unit hot enough to get any rise or decent browing, it only goes to 250C. 

I assume that's what the oven thermostat says. Have you checked the actual inside temp. of the oven with an inexpensive oven thermometer to see if it's actually getting there?

- Al

[grovemonkey]

my oven is a japanese convection oven.  It's all electrically controlled.  I set it to 250c max and it will heat up until that temp.  When the temp gets to the selected temp, it beeps.  I usually keep the cycle going.. it will continue to heat the oven at that temp for around 30 min. then it will shut off if there is no activity (safety mechanism I imagine).  I think it's accurate overall.  I haven't check the inside with a temp gauge yet though.  I usually heat until 250 then I prepare the pizza after a few minutes.  by that point, the oven is very hot, you can't put things on the oven and no prolonged touching of the outside.