After reading the article that Peter had referenced before about HRI and how they operate their frozen pizza facility, I decide to try some of their methods. These are some things taken out of article at
http://www.bsimagazine.com/Features/Company%20Profiles/US%20Archive/At%20its%20new%20plant%20Home%20Run%20Inn%20makes%20frozen%20pizza%20the%20pizzaria%20way.aspx?p=1&cck=1 “We know we offer the best pizza we can make,” he continued. “Our approach has been to make one type of product and keep it simple.” Mr. DeAngelo pointed to the ingredient statement on product packages, saying, “We keep the list short.”
Home Run Inn pizza stands out not only for its simple ingredient statement but also for its unique processing style. Every pizza is baked before it's frozen.
“Conventional frozen pizza is made with a partially baked crust that is frozen first, then topped with cheese, sauce and par-cooked meats, only to be frozen again. That's the standard way,” Mr. DeAngelo said.
“But we are one of only a few companies to manufacture in this style, producing pre-baked pizzas,” he continued. “We use all raw ingredients and par-bake the pizza as a unit. This is just like pizzerias do. It's a process that blends the flavors so you get real pizzeria taste.”
“We take pizza to the next step,” Mr. Perrino said. “We do not double-freeze the crust, so there is no loss of flavor. Because we bake the pizza, the toppings don't fall off as they do with conventional frozen pizza. And we use cryogenic freezing methods to further protect the flavor.”
Home Run Inn chose cryogenic freezing over mechanical and blast styles. Temperatures generated by the liquid nitrogen process reach -50° to -80°F (-45° to -62°C). Each pizza goes directly from the oven to the freezer and within minutes is frozen solid.
“This locks in the flavor we want,” Mr. DeAngelo said.
The cryogenic method prevents dehydration from refrigeration, according to the company. And it opens up future opportunities for new products such as pirogies and ravioli.
Soon after setting up its commercial plant, the company sought the assistance of Tom Lehman of the American Institute of Baking. “What we learned is that we have to stick to the basics, keep up our quality and not be tempted to cut costs,” said Mr. Perrino. “These are expensive choices, but they're what the public wants. And it's what we must do to achieve our plan to ‘take the niche' for premium pizzas in our market area.”
This is one part of that article that I found interesting and what was said.
“The hardest thing to do under U.S.D.A. standards,” Mr. Perrino said, “is to run a bakery in a U.S.D.A. plant, and that's what we have here.”
After mixing, the pizza dough is allowed to ferment in tubs containing 40-lb batches. The company likes the unique flavor that natural fermentation produces. Tubs are cleaned and sanitized between batches.
“Our dough is given the time to develop flavor naturally,” Mr. Perrino said. “No additives are used to speed up the process. We follow ‘old world' methods that rely on time and natural fermentation.”
After the proper amount of floor time, the dough is dumped into a Benier bread system that divides and rounds individual dough pieces and puts them through a period of intermediate proofing. From the proofer, the dough balls travel along an overhead delivery conveyor into the pressing room. A chute sends the balls to a shallow bin, and an operator manually places the balls on the conveyor leading to the presses.
That part of the article got me to thinking that I wanted to try to get the unique flavor that natural fermentation produces. The proofing two times also interested me.
I also watched the video that was referenced before at
| <![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KrnK-TORnE" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KrnK-TORnE</a>]]> |
and this video I found.
| <![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsQCgtla79E" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsQCgtla79E</a>]]> |
In the video I found they said the dough is aged for 2 to 3 days like an Artisan bread. The showed the dough on that video. They also showed how to shape the dough and dress it. I don’t think the second video was posted on either of the HRI threads, but maybe I missed it.
Home Run Inn CEO Joe Perrino appeared on Fox Business in February to about the company's history and our strategy for growth even in the worst of times.
| <![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgqhSVUukc8&list=UU1Yvhdso3rYkh8G42n3TlLQ&index=7" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgqhSVUukc8&list=UU1Yvhdso3rYkh8G42n3TlLQ&index=7</a>]]> |
I also read though both of the HRI threads and then this is what I decided to do. Basically, I use some of the formulations posted here, but changed them a little as what was posted on both threads. I mixed the dough with the flat beater first, then changed to a dough hook. The dough mixed fine. The dough was left in the oven to proof and then was punched down and I am letting it proof again with the oven light on. From there I will ball the dough and place it into the fridge. I am not sure if I will be able to make pizza tonight or tomorrow, but with all that yeast that was put into the dough I guess I should try to make the pizza tonight. I would have tried these methods over two or three days, but didn’t read about it before. I know am trying to decide how much sauce, cheese and sausage to use on the 10” pizza.
Any comments about what I have done and if I should have changed anything, or still need to change anything?
Pictures of the progression and the formulation I used for a 10” HRI attempt.
Norma
