2 at once

[derbow]

Hey,

has anyone here tried to cook 2 pizza's at the same time.  What I mean is to put one pizza on a bottom stone then dress the other pizza and put it on a top stone on the second rack before the other one is finished.  Then I would keep rotating pizzas in and out.  I am going to be feeding a large group and want to get 6 pizzas done as fast as possible.  I do realize that I am going to loose some oven temperature so my cook time will be longer.

My normal cook time is about 8 minutes in a 500+* oven.  If I preheat both stones for an hour do you guys think this will work?

I am hoping to get some recommendations from you guys on this.

Thanks,
Derrick

[Jack]

Derrick,

While I am not sure that this would not work well, I have elected not to try it for the following reasons:

1. Stones cool slightly when you slide a room temperature pie on them.  While the bottom stone would continue to receive heat quickly by the bottom oven coil (radiant + convective heat), the top stone would only see the hot air (convective heat) and not reheat as quickly.  Conversely, the top stone would be subject to much more heat from the broiler element and may brown well before the crust is cooked.

2. Like you, I cook at 550°F and it takes about 8 minutes to fully cook a pie.  It takes me nearly 8 minutes to grab the dough ball and turn it into a pie ready to slide into the oven.  Working two at once, I would need to create each pie in 4 minutes or have a helper. 

I rarely crank out more than four at any one time, but have had success in starting a bit early and allowing the first one to sit on a screen (to stay crisp) on top of the oven, while the second one is cooking.  This will allow me to serve two several minutes apart.  Once the crowd has two pies to chew on, the demand slows down a bit and my normal 8 minute cycle is fine, especially if there is other food available. 

I’m not sure what is driving your desire to crank out 6 pies in rapid succession, but for me it’s having a crowd over for pizza.  When I do, I like to think of have them into my home as an event, not just a dinner, so having serving over 30-40 minutes (2 at first and 4 more in 30+ minutes) has not been a detractor.  Often, once the first few pies are out, folks are migrating over to my prep area and I’m walking them though the process, as I form the dough and put it all together, so it may slow down even more.

Sorry I was not able to provide direct experience to address your question, but I’m hopeful that I was able to help with a solution.

Jack

[derbow]

Jack,

Thanks for the input.  I was kind of thinking the same thing you said about the second stone.  I am afraid it will cool too much, but even cooking at 400* will not "ruin" my pizza, it will just not cook as fast and might loose a little oven spring.

I am in full agreement with you on having people over as an event and not just a dinner.  This is going to be a casual gathering of about 8 adults and 5 kids.  I figure 6 pies should be enough.  I just want them done as quickly as possible.  that is why I was interested in 2 at a time.

I like your idea of keeping everyone at bay until at least 2 pies are out of the oven.  That makes a lot of sense.  The pizza would stay warm, especially over the oven vent (back right burner).

Maybe I can cook the first two at once, and then one at a time after that.

Derrick

[PizzaPolice]

The simple answer is YES.  Some years ago, using two commercial baking ovens (not pizza ovens) and several unglazed quarry tiles, we cranked out 90 pizzas in about 3 hours.
Just make sure you keep the oven cranked up and allow for enough side space so the hot air can reach the top.
Every oven is different and operates accordingly.  Give it a try.  You have nothing to lose.

[derbow]

Hey, Pizza Police,

The next time you have a 90 pizza night, I'm coming over.

Derrick

[PizzaBrasil]

I have a wood oven, and thinking in parties with my family and friends around was one of the main reasons to building it.
The oven is big and goes hot, the oven mouth give me sufficient space to work with my peels. I can bake three 90 seconds pizzas at time at high temperatures without problem.
I did never think about do that!
And there were several parties with more than 20 people in my home!
A pizza party is just that, a party with pizza… and friends that deserves your attention.
Do one pizza at time, cut it in thin slices. Begin with the children. Ask to somebody to take care of the drinks. Speak with everybody and ask for the pizza type that would like.
Let the two stones in the oven to maintain the temperature.
And be happy!

Luis
(Actually the few times that I did two pizzas at same time, were when I was just with my family, only to practice and by fun)

[PizzaBrasil]

Sorry was the wrong picture...My fault.

[MTPIZZA]

Luis, Wow what an oven.. could you please take a picture of the whole oven. I'm just curious as to the size of it... What great pie pics... Did you build it yourself??? Please explain thanks....

[PizzaBrasil]

MTPizza:

There are pictures of the oven and the pizzas in several threads along this site.
The hearth of the oven is 42´ of diameter.
I did build by myself starting from scratch. Lot of fun.
Complete history of the oven in www.fornobravo.com/forum. Look for arevalo53anos there.
Following some pictures of it.

Luis

[nepa-pizza-snob]

That oven is gorgeous! - I cannot wait to build mine. It is a lifelong dream I have had. I
am unsure where to build it at my families summer cottage where we reside in the summer
or at my future new home.

I bet you host some amazing parties - how long does it take to get up to temp?

[PizzaBrasil]

Follow picture of spreadsheet

[MTPIZZA]

What a great looking oven. Thanks for sharing the great pictures!! Just like in real estate...location location location...well here it's the oven, oven, oven... the heat you get from this and the flavor it imparts must be fantastic. Keep sending those pie pics I can taste the char....

[derbow]

Ok Guys,

I am about 30 minutes from the "Big Bake."  Everything is ready to go for making 6 pizzas.  I am trying Stella cheese for the first time.  I have to say that it tastes great, but we will see how it tastes melted.  I made the sauce with 6 in 1 tomatoes.  I have 2 stones in the oven that have been preheating for an hour already, so by cook time it will be an hour and a half.  Six dough balls have been proofing for 2 hours already.  It should be yummy.   

I will let everyone know how it goes making 2 pizzas at a time.

Derrick

[PizzaPolice]

Derrick

You'll do fine. 
I'm one hour away from Pizza Friday.  I have had my wood-fired BFO (Big F%&**g Oven) warming up since noon.  18 doughs, a bunch of friends and a lot of beer!

[derbow]

It went great.

I had only a very slight lengthening in my cooking time.  Here is what happened:

I had 2 stones and 2 peels.  I dressed 2 pizzas and put them in the oven at the same time (550*).  When those came out, I put them on cooling racks and then dressed 2 new pizzas.  That gave the stones about 5-8 minutes to re-heat.  The second batch of pizzas were done in about 9-10 minutes.  The third batch finished in about 10-11 minutes.  The 6th pizza was a big hit.  I made an "Apple Pie" pizza.  Took my regular dough and put a can of apple pie filling on top.  Then I took a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar, and whole oats, and sprinkled that on top.  Then I sprinkled some regular sugar all over - especially on the edges of the pie.  It was great and everyone loved it.

If anyone is interested, I made the following pizzas:  Pepperoni, supreme, cheese, BBQ Chicken, Pepperoni and Sausage, and Apple Pie.

I was very pleased with the results.  So, if any of you guys have been hesitant to cook 2 pies at a time because you are afraid of a loss in quality, I would say go ahead and try it.  All of the pizzas turned out great.

As for the stella cheese:  It tasted great uncooked, but I will say that I still like the Poly-O better melted on a pizza.  The stella seemed a little chewy instead of stretchy.  I also tried an aged provolone I picked up at Sam's on a cheese pizza.  Don't bother.  The flavor was too over powering.  My normal take is that more cheese is better, but I could have done without the aged provolone.  I will go back to regular provolone if I try it again.

Derrick

[Jack]

Excellent!  I'm glad to hear it went well.  The desert, apple pie, sounds great too. 

Congrats on a well executed day.

Jack