Greek pizza

[Ronzo]

It looks a little on the thick side but delicious none the less. Practice makes perfect, I always say.

Yep, exactly. It was a little thicker than I wanted it to be. I didn't put a thick layer of dough in the pans, but I did par-bake them. Perhaps that's why they puffed up so much?

[buceriasdon]

Ron! lol! I made one today myself for a friend of mine's birthday. Yours looks great! Sounds great tasting also. The thing I love about this pizza style is it's so easy, nonstressful and great tasting. Welcome to the fold.
 Don
Ron, I don't parbake, just top and bake mine.

[norma427]

Ron,

Good to hear you tried your first attempt at a Greek pizza.  Your Greek pizza looks really good!  Don’t you just love the crispy edges?

Norma

Don,

Lol, and you even made one today too!  I agree, this is a easy, good, non stressful pizza. 

Norma

[Ev]

Yeah, I think par baking is the reason for the increased thickness. I never par bake this style. I never really pan rise either, at least not intentionally. Sometimes at market I'll pre-load my pans an hour or so ahead of time out of convenience.

[Ronzo]

Yeah, I think par baking is the reason for the increased thickness. I never par bake this style. I never really pan rise either, at least not intentionally. Sometimes at market I'll pre-load my pans an hour or so ahead of time out of convenience.

So, spread out the dough, layer the sauce and cheese, and just throw it in the oven? Won't be too dense or gummy?

[buceriasdon]

I break the rules. I roll out to about an 1/8" thick, set the pan on the skin and cut away the excess, oil the pan and drop the skin in. Let it rest for about an hour, restretch if needed, top and bake.
Don

So, spread out the dough, layer the sauce and cheese, and just throw it in the oven? Won't be too dense or gummy?

[Ronzo]

I break the rules. I roll out to about an 1/8" thick, set the pan on the skin and cut away the excess, oil the pan and drop the skin in. Let it rest for about an hour, restretch if needed, top and bake.
Don

That sounds like it would work well.

[Ev]

Load and bake has always worked well for me. Give it a try.

[Ronzo]

Load and bake has always worked well for me. Give it a try.

Will definitely do that next time.

[TXCraig1]

Ron, I don't know what Greek pizza is supposed to look like, but that pie looks βασιλικός.

CL

[Ronzo]

Ron, I don't know what Greek pizza is supposed to look like, but that pie looks βασιλικός.

CL

My oldest daughter said it's the best pizza I've ever made. She's a carboholic, so the thick pie was right up her alley.

By the way, it WAS βασιλικός! That Romano around the edges is the way to go.

[Ev]

I wasn't sure whether to post this here or under one of the oven topics or even "General", but I just wanted to see if I could bake one of these in my portable, semi-wfo. As it turns out, I can! It took a little longer than my kitchen oven, and I didn't get enough bottom browning in the pan. Another minute or so on the brick took care of that. The dough was half of a regular Lehmann ball. About 280g, 3day cold fermented.

[norma427]

I wasn't sure whether to post this here or under one of the oven topics or even "General", but I just wanted to see if I could bake one of these in my portable, semi-wfo. As it turns out, I can! It took a little longer than my kitchen oven, and I didn't get enough bottom browning in the pan. Another minute or so on the brick took care of that. The dough was half of a regular Lehmann ball. About 280g, 3day cold fermented.

Steve,

Your Greek pizza baked in your portable semi-wfo looks really good!    I guess you will be able to give your camping friends a new kind of pizza to try this year.  I am sure they would love the Greek pizzas.

Nice job! 

Norma

[norma427]

Steve made this Greek Pizza Tuesday at market.  I am posting the pictures because he is still having problems with his camera.  He used the Ischia starter by 10% of the water weight and room temperature fermented his dough from Monday until Tuesday.  If you want to ask him any questions about his Greek Pizza, Steve said he will answer them.

The Greek style pizza was delicious! 

Pictures below

Norma

[Ronzo]

Norma... yer killin' me.


That's gorgeous.

[norma427]

Norma... yer killin' me.


That's gorgeous.

Ron,

The Greek pizza Steve made was very good, especially using the Ischia starter and room temperature ferment.  I wish I could eat another slice now.   

Norma

[Pete-zza]

While I was in Massachusetts recently, I had an opportunity to sample a Greek style pizza that used a dough that was quite different than the Greek style dough formulations that I had tried or researched before. What was different is that the dough included milk and eggs. When I mentioned to the owner that that was quite unusual, he said that it was the eggs and milk that made his pizza so good, and he gave me and my friend slices of his cheese pizza to convince us of the superiority of his pizzas. For those who are interested, I reported on other details of my visit and what I learrned about the dough formulation used at the pizzeria at Reply 2 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,14426.msg144008.html#msg144008. When I mentioned to scott r that the pizzeria used eggs and milk, he told me that that was quite common.

Peter

[Saturday Coffee]

While I was in Massachusetts recently, I had an opportunity to sample a Greek style pizza that used a dough that was quite different than the Greek style dough formulations that I had tried or researched before. What was different is that the dough included milk and eggs.

I have not had the pleasure of having any pizzas in Massachusetts.   How does this differ from the Pizzas served in "Greektown" Detroit?  

[Pete-zza]

I have not had the pleasure of having any pizzas in Massachusetts.   How does this differ from the Pizzas served in "Greektown" Detroit?  

Saturday Coffee,

I have never been to Detroit but after doing a Google search of pizza places in the Greektown section of Detroit, including reviewing a list of food merchants in Greektown, the two names that came up most often in the pizza category were Pizza Papalis and Niki's. Pizza Papalis specializes mostly in the Chicago stuffed deep-dish style and a thin/flat pizza style (http://www.pizzapapalis.com/Pizza.aspx). The stuffed deep-dish pizza can be seen in the YouTube video at

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rVBz1IPYmk" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rVBz1IPYmk</a>

. The other Greektown pizzeria that came up in my search is Niki's (http://nikispizza.com/2010/?id=menu). That restaurant specializes in a square pan pizza along the lines of the Detroit area Buddy's/Shield's/Cloverleaf/Jet's style of pan pizza. The Niki's square pizza can feature the standard toppings but one can also get "Greek" style toppings like lamb, feta cheese, etc. You can see an example of the latter in the YouTube video at

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm-LKImn8eg" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm-LKImn8eg</a>

.

Like the Niki's pizzas, the Massachusetts Greek style pizzas are also pan pizzas but the pans are round. Also, the Massachusetts Greek style pizzas use mostly white cheddar cheese although there are some operators who blend white cheddar cheese with mozzarella cheese and/or provolone cheese. I don't know what all of the Detroit-area square pizza makers use as cheeses but Buddy's uses a brick cheese (or so I was told) and Jet's uses Grande mozzarella cheese. Many Massachusetts operators will offer Greek style toppings like feta cheese on specialty/gourmet pizzas, often along with spinach, olives, etc.

Maybe one of our members from the Detroit area can give you a better and more comprehensive explanation of the types of pizzas that one might expect to find in Greektown Detroit and how they relate, if at all, to the Massachusetts Greek style pizzas.

Peter

[Ev]

Peter, I'd love to try a new recipe if you can recommend a % for the egg & milk.