north Dallas resources

[cjweaver]

So I've made pizza before...but after spending hours on this site, I realize I can't call what I've made in the past "pizza" !   I'm inspired,  but before I run down a 50# bag of KASL,  can someone help me with some local sources/smaller quantities...
suggestions - where do I find whole milk mozzerella?   all I saw at the grocery yesterday was skim milk/2%   
anyone find KASL in a grocery around here or suggest a substitute?

[Pete-zza]

cjweaver,

You may want to check out this thread, http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,2629.0.html, especially relative to Jimmy's in Dallas. You will not find KASL or any other high-gluten flour for that matter at the retail level in the Dallas area. A few years ago, in 2005, I was able to open an account with Dawn Food Products just outside Dallas in Garland, that allowed me to buy a 50-lb. bag of KASL. It took me quite a while to work through that bag, and I had to fight some insect infestation along the way, so I decided not to get another bag. I found that a good substitute for the KASL in recipes calling for high-gluten flour is to use the King Arthur bread flour, which is sold in quite a few markets in the Dallas area. In case you are interested, the details on Dawn are available at Reply 7 at  http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,1907.msg15853/topicseen.html#msg15853.

Good mozzarella cheese is hard to find in the Dallas area, although you will be able to find some very good brands at Jimmy's, including imported buffalo mozzarella. Central Market and possibly Whole Foods (they keep changing their inventory) also carry fresh mozzarella cheese. Most supermarkets also carry fresh mozzarella, like BelGioso and Mozzarella Fresca, for example. Getting whole milk mozzarella cheese is especially hard to get in the Dallas area. Wal-Mart sells their house brand but I do not particularly like it. Jimmy's sometimes has whole milk mozzarella. Whenever I go to Jimmy's, I alway cross examine the workers behind the counter on which mozzarella cheeses they then have in inventory. They also carry very good Provolone cheese and grating cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano and imported Romano, usually at good prices. Jimmy's in the past has carried Stanislaus and Escalon (6-in-1s) in large and small cans, at good prices, but local restaurants are likely to deplete their inventory quite quickly. So, you never know whether they will have the tomatoes in stock when you go there.

Peter

[cjweaver]

thanks Peter -
I wondered how long it took you to go through 50 # of flour!

[Pete-zza]

I wondered how long it took you to go through 50 # of flour!

I don't exactly recall how long it took me to work my way through the bag because I was also making other pizzas using different flours. I also froze some of the KASL, which also helps destroy any insect flours in the flour. In Texas, it helps to isolate different flours from each other to prevent the little critters from entering your flour from the outside and setting up housekeeping. I came to view the insects as just another source of protein.

Peter

[jjerrier2450]

Jimmy's in East Dallas is a reliable resource for 1K bags of 00 flour and they usually have some good mozzarella.  They sometimes stock our mozzarella, Bufalita.  I have had very good luck with Garafalo Mozzarella di Bufala which I have found at Market Street and Costco.  Most of the fior di latte in town is not very good.  You can get the Central Market brand fior di latte and soak it in a little warm salted water to bring it back to life.  If you don't want fresh, CM will also have blocks of whole milk mozz that you can shred.  Also, if you call the Dallas Mozzarella Company, they will prep you some curd for pick up (around $5/lb I think) and you can make it fresh yourself.

Jimmy's also has a wide variety of San Marzano tomatoes - both DOP and regular...plus they have the best sausage in town.

[cjweaver]

thanks jjerrier...but now you've been roped in to educating me   
what is "fior di latte"?

I've read a few posts where people have taken the fresh mozzerella, complained that it had too much liquid in it, so they re-melted it to get rid of the excess whey....and I'm thinking...why pay the premium for fresh and then ruin it?  why just not start with the hunk of low moisture processed mozzerella?  it's like taking a piece of filet and cooking it to well done!

I've used the Mozz Cheese Co curd before  (but not on pizza).. it's great.  Have you had any problems using it (fresh mozz) on pizza ( the issue with too much moisture?)

[Pete-zza]

what is "fior di latte"?

Fior di latte is fresh mozzarella cheese made from cow's milk. Mozzarella di bufala is fresh mozzarella cheese made from the milk of water buffalos.

Peter

[rsimon719]

For the KASL flour, we have been buying it as Cash and carry from Dawn Foods in Garland. It is in 50# bags, but it only costs about $22. If you want to preserve it for longer periods of time, get yourself some air-tight food storage containers or you can vacuum seal it in 5# bags and put it in the freezer/fridge and it will keep for a LONG time.

We go through a 50# bag in about 3-4 months. We use it to make pizza but also use it for some bread recipes.

Also, with Dawn Foods, they have a $75 min on cash and carry. They have some other food products that we really like. Their raw puff pastry dough is very good as well as their criosants.