Home Run Inn Success and Final Formulation

[norma427]

Norma

[Chicago Bob]

This time I dropped the hydration some,  dropped the yeast amount and dropped the corn oil amount from what I used before.   

I think this is a good direction(I would have liked to see the oil level stay high though, just my opinion and what I'll do on my next one).

Norma, you said you folded that dough and put it away till Sat.   On my next attempt I am going to try the letter/book fold and rerolling trick such as is done in some of the cracker threads we have seen others doing.

Bob

[norma427]

I think this is a good direction(I would have liked to see the oil level stay high though, just my opinion and what I'll do on my next one).

Norma, you said you folded that dough and put it away till Sat.   On my next attempt I am going to try the letter/book fold and rerolling trick such as is done in some of the cracker threads we have seen others doing.

Bob

Bob,

What oil level are you going to try?  I am trying 17%.

I am thinking along the lines of letting the dough cold ferment for my bigger skin to see what happens.  I am not going to roll the dough again.  What I am really trying to do is to see if the skin really doe not have to be pre-bake if somehow the layers will appear when the whole pizza is baked.  For my great-granddaughter’s skin, I wanted to see if the whole pizza can be made in a few hours.

Look forward to your experiments.

Norma

[norma427]

This is what my great-granddaughter’s pizza looked like.  I thought it tasted good, but am not sure what I am looking for.  The pizza was baked at 480 degrees F.

The fluted edge did stay upright this time.

Norma

[Chicago Bob]

This is what my great-granddaughter’s pizza looked like.  I thought it tasted good, but am not sure what I am looking for. The pizza was baked at 480 degrees F.

The fluted edge did stay upright this time.

Norma

You have taught her well Norma. 

I know I said I was leaving behind the bland HRI grocery store frozen pizza's....but I still have some left over from when I was going to send some to you.
Soooo....last night I baked up another.

I did the Garvey 410 degree bake with a regular size cheese and pepperoni pizza that I allowed to defrost before cooking. No extra doctored up toppings this time. Just a straight HRI product.

This pizza was very good. No brittle/hard rim now. I am a sauce lover and this pie had plenty of it. Bottom crust had nice flakiness to it.

I was finally put in mind of how a HRI pizza tastes like on 31st. St.(been a long time since I've been there).

It was not "spot on", of course but the rich flavor from the crust came through in every bite.

Norma, I'm reporting this because I know you have never had "the real deal" but since you have recently tried the frozen one's now, hopefully, one of those turned out the same as what I had last night and now you can be more assured of what to look for.

Bob

[Garvey]

I am a sauce lover and this pie had plenty of it. Bottom crust had nice flakiness to it.

I was finally put in mind of how a HRI pizza tastes like on 31st. St.(been a long time since I've been there).

It was not "spot on", of course but the rich flavor from the crust came through in every bite.

Yeah, you gotta figure that no parbaked, frozen pizza will be as good as the real deal.  But for the frozen aisle, it's darn good.  And to be honest, it's better than almost every pizza joint in this entire stinkin' Southern town.

And you're right, Bob, it's tres saucy.  A key feature of HRI (frozen and real).  Heck, a key feature of all Chicago thin, if you ask me.

Cheers,
Garvey

[Garvey]

On my next attempt I am going to try the letter/book fold and rerolling trick such as is done in some of the cracker threads we have seen others doing.

Cool!  I was hoping someone would try that.  My wife does something kinda like that when she makes biscuits, and they are so layery and great.  I asked her if she'd get involved with my next pizzamaking experiment, to do the pizza dough that way.  She just rolled her eyes at me.

 

Garvey

P.S. I was kinda bummed when you said you were only kidding about taking your pizza dough to the drycleaner's.  That would have been awesome. 

[mrmojo1]

oh yeah Norma!! i think thats going get you some layers!!! I cant wait to see the results! and oh my gosh your great grand daughter is so lucky!!!  you're an awesome ggrandma!  teaching her pizza making!! and you know so many different kinds of pizza!! that is so great!

i think i am going to have to get some frozen hri's shipped!  i cant stand it anymore.  all this talk!  and bob and garveys latest descriptions are killing me!!  man! i loved frozen hri's growing up.  and i did microwave the small ones all the time...why?  because i couldn't wait that long that it took to oven cook one...and oh boy i loved em!  i think it was 5 min on high on the silver disc.   i used to be able to get them shipped from tastes of chicago...but now they're gone!   i must search more!!!

[norma427]

I know I said I was leaving behind the bland HRI grocery store frozen pizza's....but I still have some left over from when I was going to send some to you.
Soooo....last night I baked up another.

I did the Garvey 410 degree bake with a regular size cheese and pepperoni pizza that I allowed to defrost before cooking. No extra doctored up toppings this time. Just a straight HRI product.

This pizza was very good. No brittle/hard rim now. I am a sauce lover and this pie had plenty of it. Bottom crust had nice flakiness to it.

I was finally put in mind of how a HRI pizza tastes like on 31st. St.(been a long time since I've been there).

It was not "spot on", of course but the rich flavor from the crust came through in every bite.

Norma, I'm reporting this because I know you have never had "the real deal" but since you have recently tried the frozen one's now, hopefully, one of those turned out the same as what I had last night and now you can be more assured of what to look for.

Bob

Bob,

I am surprised that you liked the HRI frozen pizza now, but that is good that it gave you memories of a real HRI pizza.

I haven't tried any of the other frozen HRI pizzas.

Norma

[norma427]

oh yeah Norma!! i think thats going get you some layers!!! I cant wait to see the results! and oh my gosh your great grand daughter is so lucky!!!  you're an awesome ggrandma!  teaching her pizza making!! and you know so many different kinds of pizza!! that is so great!

i think i am going to have to get some frozen hri's shipped!  i cant stand it anymore.  all this talk!  and bob and garveys latest descriptions are killing me!!  man! i loved frozen hri's growing up.  and i did microwave the small ones all the time...why?  because i couldn't wait that long that it took to oven cook one...and oh boy i loved em!  i think it was 5 min on high on the silver disc.   i used to be able to get them shipped from tastes of chicago...but now they're gone!   i must search more!!!

Terry,

I don’t know what the other skin will, or will not do, in layers.  Thanks for saying my great-granddaughter is lucky.  She likes to try anything, so I don’t know if she will like to make pizzas in the future.  She also talks your ear off.  She said so many funny things today.   

I hope you can get some HRI frozen pizzas.  Good to hear you liked the small ones microwaved.

Norma

[mrmojo1]

oops!  im sorry Norma! i thought you said you were gonna fold it a bunch and re roll it, i mis-read that! bob's the one who is gonna try that!  i am still very excited about seeing the results of your next skin!  you ggrandaughter's little pie looked pretty darn good, i didnt see layers but i saw a lot of nice bubbles, it looked crispy and airy and delicious!

[norma427]

oops!  im sorry Norma! i thought you said you were gonna fold it a bunch and re roll it, i mis-read that! bob's the one who is gonna try that!  i am still very excited about seeing the results of your next skin!  you ggrandaughter's little pie looked pretty darn good, i didnt see layers but i saw a lot of nice bubbles, it looked crispy and airy and delicious!

Terry,

No need to say you are sorry.  I did try to laminate doughs at one time, but never experimented with that method enough to get consistent results. 

I am sure HRI isn’t using the method of letting the skin ferment for a few days, but wanted to see if that method works to create layers in the baked crust. 

My great-grandaughter’s pie was good in my opinion.  It was very tender when eaten. 

Norma

[norma427]

This picture of an HRI cheese pizza was posted on facebook a few hours ago.  I wonder if the cheese on the HRI cheese pizza is a little too dark.

https://www.facebook.com/homeruninn

Norma

[Chicago Bob]

looks like the lighter half has sausage on it....I've seen plain cheese pies that brown(heck, I try for that when making Chicago thin pizza )

[Garvey]

 ^^^What Bob said.  Brown all over is the way to go.

[norma427]

looks like the lighter half has sausage on it....I've seen plain cheese pies that brown(heck, I try for that when making Chicago thin pizza )

Bob,

I am not sure, but think it is a cheese HRI pizza.  I learn something new everyday if the cheese is supposed to be that brown.

 ^^^What Bob said.  Brown all over is the way to go.

Thanks Garvey for also telling me the cheese is supposed to be that brown.

Norma

[mrmojo1]

gang, could we simulate an HRI hot press with a cast iron pan or something we heat to the specs peter posted and push down hard!!!!!  maybe start with a 6 incher???  anyone tried this?  i was thinking of those old fashoin irons with no holes on the bottom you heat on the stove?  heee!  it just might not work!!! 

[norma427]

gang, could we simulate an HRI hot press with a cast iron pan or something we heat to the specs peter posted and push down hard!!!!!  maybe start with a 6 incher???  anyone tried this?  i was thinking of those old fashoin irons with no holes on the bottom you heat on the stove?  heee!  it just might not work!!!

Terry,

Lol, love your creative thinking.  I sure don't know about trying something like you propose, but I have some of those old irons. 

Norma

[mrmojo1]

i cant say i can explain the physics/chemistry of it, but with that hot press they use. heat is being distributed/ diffusing through monolayers at a set time, so you should legitimately get a layer that cooks and separates from the uncooked mass of dough beneath as the press pulls these "cooked" layers away as it compresses.  then another layer gets to that "cooked point" i mean not really cooked but h20 moved out of it maybe?  and it rips away from the uncooked gooey layer below till  the whole mass is slightly cooked and you have layers.  so the heat and spreading force cooks a monolayer and then tears it away locally from the uncooked areas underneathe? just a thought....trying to imagine in my head what is going on locally.....in the dough.

[mrmojo1]

Terry,

Lol, love your creative thinking.  I sure don't know about trying something like you propose, but I have some of those old irons. 

Norma

hee!!  i dont want you to ruin your dough!!!  i need to seek out peter's posts of the temps of those presses and the times!  i do have a cast iron pan!!!! what fun!!  Norma, read the review of your new york pizza here!  saw those pics!  man you are so adept at so many different pizzas your new york looked awesome!!!!!  the reviewer also thought so!  way to go!!!!