It seems like the more I read, the less I know...

[Chef_Boy-R-Dee]

So I was scouring through some old posts, and I find myself getting more confused by the minute!

It seems that many people here have many different opinions and viewpoints...Is the only was to learn about proper fermentation, dough handling, dough management is too just do it...and repeat it...and tweak it...and repeat it...and so on?

[Frankie G]

AGREED.  ovens, and climate affect as well....  try and try again.

[Bill/SFNM]

Is the only was to learn about proper fermentation, dough handling, dough management is too just do it...and repeat it...and tweak it...and repeat it...and so on?

Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Outliers (I highly recommend it), talks about people who have achieved the highest positions in their field, be it arts, music, sports, technology, etc. The common thread amongst these super-achievers is that they all put in a least 10,000 hours of practicing their skill/art. On the surface, 10,000 hours  seems an arbitrary number, but Gladwell makes the point, convincingly, that although talent is always a important factor, practice is more important in achieving success. I'm not saying by any means that pizzamaking requires 10,000 hours of practice, or 1,000 or 100 hours. But there is absolutely no question in my mind that your 100th pizza will be far better than your 10th, even if you aren't really trying. It is not just the increased knowledge and improved technique. If you are like me, your taste buds and criteria will evolve. I would guess during the past 8 years I have baked over 2500 pies, adjusting my efforts to my changing tastes. You would think there would be a point of diminishing returns; I haven't hit it yet.

Of course, most people think franchise pizza is good enough and have better things to do with their time.

Bill/SFNM

[Pizza_Not_War]

I saw Gladwell on TV doing an interview about his book. When asked how his theory relates to President-elect Obama, not being very experienced, he solved that problem by surrounding himself with many 10,000 hour types. This of course could be used by inexperienced pizza makers who take up with a mentor to help them guide the way.

Be prepared Bill for some visitors to your home looking for guidance. LOL


PNW

btw - I have incorporated many of your tips to greatly increase my pizza skills.

[Pete-zza]

I would say that the bulk of my knowledge about pizza making comes from doing rather than reading. I read a lot on the subject, of course, but I don't always accept as true what I read. I will spend endless hours making doughs just to test out concepts and principles--not for the purpose of just making pizzas, even though I enjoy them as well. I also learned from November how many things held out to be true are not really true after all or have been overgeneralized or stated in a way as to not be entirely credible or reliable. So, that has made me more skeptical and, as a result, I am now more likely to question conventional wisdom, think things through more completely, research areas where my knowledge is weak, and test things out for myself. As a result, most of what I write on this forum comes from personal experience. When I first started, I relied more on the teachings of others, some of which teachings I no longer follow. For areas where I have not tested things out for myself, I cite and give attribution to others for their views and contributions.

Peter