Aurelio's Quest

[OTRChef]

Congrats, man, on finishing the Ph.D.!  And I totally get the "too hot for pizza."  I haven't made any pizza since late June.

It's NEVER too hot for pizza! If you do not wish to make your pizza indoors...make it on the grill!

[Garvey]

Keeping with the whole "pictures or it didn't happen" thing, I decided to make this recipe again and post some pix.  I am also hoping that this would encourage others to try it.  I think this recipe really tastes like Aurelio's, and I would love some feedback.  Crowdsourcing is what this forum is all about.

(BTW, the sausage application isn't true to style, exactly, since I went a little large.  Just made that sausage this weekend and felt like going with the big chunks for some reason.)

[Garvey]

My own observations are the same as last time.  I'd like to try a longer cold ferment (48-72 hrs) and maybe more yeast, given the high oil content.  I also need to work on my baking technique. Cutter pans are still a new thing for me.  Plus, I've made this recipe only a couple of times.  (It's not down pat for me like my Pizza Factory recipe is, which I have made hundreds of times in the last 11 years.)

[Chicago Bob]

YUM.......

[OTRChef]

Double yum!

[dmckean44]

Mrmojo1,

Yeah, I really think Classico may be the key, but i dunno for sure.  They are made at the same plant as 6-in1, according to the sales rep I talked to.  The Classico are sweet as is, right out of the can.  I've also made this recipe with Classico peeled ground, and that worked, too.

I don't know what's in it right now.  I'm on the road.  Sorry.

HTH.

Cheers,
Garvey

[edit: the more I think about it, yeah, the Classico are just pure awesome.  The sugar/salt ratio issue Chicago Bob mentioned could be a problem if you use something else.  This recipe is configured for Classico.  I wish I lived in 6-in-1's distribution, bit this is either the same product or very, very close.]

I'm going to do this one next, so I can just use 6-in-1's in place of the Classice product? Do I need to puree them or anything like that?

[Chicago Bob]

I'm going to do this one next, so I can just use 6-in-1's in place of the Classice product? Do I need to puree them or anything like that?

No...they are pretty much same product as the Classico. I would suggest though that you use Garvey's sauce spice blend if you are not already planning to do so.

Bob

[dmckean44]

Yeah, I'm planning to do that. I just wanted to make sure the tomato products were the same. I just made the dough ball and plan to let it go 48 or 72 hours in the fridge.

[Garvey]

Yeah, they're the same.  No worries.

Classico has disappeared from my local Walmarts, and I think this is the story everywhere.  Bummer.  Guess I'll hafta mail order 6-n-1.

Report back on the pizza!

Cheers,
Garvey

[Chicago Bob]

Yeah, I'm planning to do that. I just wanted to make sure the tomato products were the same. I just made the dough ball and plan to let it go 48 or 72 hours in the fridge.

Wait a minute....I just scrolled up and saw they were using Classico "Puree"....very different animal.
In fact, I checked back in on your last post to tell you next time try "puree" instead of crushed tomato product. Hunt's puree is not bad. I think Classico stuff is all but gone at Walmart.

Bob

[dmckean44]

Made this tonight, I've never had Aurelio's so I don't know what it should taste like but I really liked the sauce. The dough was very easy to work with but didn't have as much flavor when cooked as the pizza factory crust. I think when I make it again, I'll use a big malty beer for the liquid.

[dmckean44]

Crum shot for ChicagoBob.

[Garvey]

Made this tonight, I've never had Aurelio's so I don't know what it should taste like but I really liked the sauce. The dough was very easy to work with but didn't have as much flavor when cooked as the pizza factory crust. I think when I make it again, I'll use a big malty beer for the liquid.

Thanks for posting this.  You'd think that the high oil content in the dough would add more flavor.  The Pizza Factory crust's flavor is due to the long ferment.  Maybe this recipe could benefit from a similar treatment.  I dunno.  I would be very interested to hear how it turns out with beer. 

As popular as Aurelios is, I have been mystified by the general lack of interest on this board to clone it. 

Crum [sic] shot

Cheers,
Garvey

[Chicago Bob]

Crum shot for ChicagoBob.

Thanks for the crum dmc!          

Your pizza looks great and I am a sucker for a good ole sausage and mushroom so this one is particularly appealing. You did a good job! 

Back home we had a couple places that added beer to the dough back in the 70's and they were probably the more popular busiest pizzerias in town. I think you'll like it. Member TomN can teach you anything you ever wanted to know about beer....his awesome thread starts at  http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,17415.0.html
Good luck and please don't forget to report back.   

Bob

[dmckean44]

Thanks for posting this.  You'd think that the high oil content in the dough would add more flavor.  The Pizza Factory crust's flavor is due to the long ferment.  Maybe this recipe could benefit from a similar treatment.  I dunno.  I would be very interested to hear how it turns out with beer.

I backed off the yeast and let it go 3 days in the fridge and it didn't have the really strong aromas after three days like your pizza factory dough. I'm thinking that doubling the oil probably further stresses the yeast that is already stressed anyway from the cold ferment. I'm a long time homebrewer and bakers yeast and ale yeast are basically the same thing. The 40-ish degrees of a refrigerator is outside recommended range for fermentation for any ale yeast, but the cold it what causes all those nice sulfur-y esters to be thrown. At 60ish degrees you should get a clean ferment that is maybe slightly fruity and at 75-80 you'll start getting acetone and bubble gum.

I was thinking just adding beer might be the easiest way to boost flavor. I could also set my chest freezer in the garage at 50 degrees, that could possibly raise the yeast health enough to deal with all the oil but still throw off the cool temp esters. I guess I could even do both and compare.

[dmckean44]

Thanks for the crum dmc!          

Your pizza looks great and I am a sucker for a good ole sausage and mushroom so this one is particularly appealing. You did a good job! 

Back home we had a couple places that added beer to the dough back in the 70's and they were probably the more popular busiest pizzerias in town. I think you'll like it. Member TomN can teach you anything you ever wanted to know about beer....his awesome thread starts at  http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,17415.0.html
Good luck and please don't forget to report back.   

There's a place here in San Diego that does empanadas and flat breads and they use beer in their dough and I think the taste it adds is awesome.

--Dave

[Chicago Bob]

There's a place here in San Diego that does empanadas and flat breads and they use beer in their dough and I think the taste it adds is awesome.

--Dave

[Garvey]

I backed off the yeast and let it go 3 days in the fridge and it didn't have the really strong aromas after three days like your pizza factory dough.

Aha!  I believe it was either Peter or the Dough Doctor (or both) who have shown that high oil levels inhibit yeast activity.  I'd go back to the full amount and do the three day ferment again and see what happens.  Heck, I might even try upping the yeast amount from the 1% called for.

Cheers,
Garvey

[mrmojo1]

ok, I grew up on aurelios, worked under the counter there when I was 14-15.  was too distracted to pay any attention to recipes......but I love aurelios!! gimme a fiesta size cheese and sausage with extra sauce!!! oh man!  I have worked and lurked for years....watching any video.  talking to old employees.  the other thread on this site has been the biggest resource out there! 

I was obsessed with their sauce....I still think it is unique, but I think there are other factors involved. and im still nowhere close. 

its so sweet. best replica to date with puree(pasteens is my fav) basil garlic salt pepper and dash of orange juice. BUT!!! I never ever saw oj in the kitchen when I worked there...

sauce prep  had a spice packet.  quote from from former cook.  sugar sugar lots of sugar.....I am thinking bc oj was so close...maybe citric acid, its white looks like sugar?? not easy to come buy...brewers stores have it...


I think there is a sweetness to the crust that adds to the sauce...so their may be some blending there of the sweetness.  i order frozen aurelios about 1 a year.  I love them!!   I swear there is a corn smell when I cook them...so I wonder if that sweetness in the crust comes from corn flour?  it is not cornmeal,  but ihave no experience cookng with corn flour?? or combining it with reg flour.
I know this sounds weird...I grilled corn with lots of butter a couple years ago and got a flashback from the smell of the delicious grilled corn....unsolicited  It reminded me of aurelios.  my bro in law was just there(aurelios off the skyway? Indiana?), and on the way in he told me unsolicited it smelled like grilled corn??

their sausage came in bulk when i worked there and is the 1st thing anyone here in Idaho remarks on when I share one of their frozen pizzas..its not the sauce to my disbelief, its not the cheese, they all comment on the sausage!. shoot!  it is a really good tasting Italian sausage imo......different from anything I can place!! sweet?  I make/grind my own...still not as good as aurelios.. according to my wife(shes from Idaho)

their cheese is different....in my opinion its crusty on the outside.  I think scamorza!!(chellino brand)   I prepped cheese sometimes when I worked there.  I rememember thinking I was grinding parmesean.....only to find out it was the main cheese.  we cut like 10lb blocks into butter stick size pieces and I fed them through a meat grinder.  it wasn't a shred but much more granular.  and thaty explained the appearance of the frozen ones we got as a kid.

the orange or yellowing of the cheese...I don't know of any other that gets that orange color...scamorza I think does get a little yellow...but not that orange..is it paprika or saffron in the sausage??

sorry for the random notes...this is all I know on my aurelios quest!!

there are a lot of unique things in my opinion wrt aurelios....and they have kept the knowledge limited!!  kudos!  a tough pie to decipher!!  but they never knew all these great pizza minds would be able to convene electronically!

I hope some of this helps..it doesn't look like it but there have been many pizzas made, ordered, then eaten to get the limited knowledge I just shared! it was worth it!!!!!!!!!!!

[Garvey]

Wow, Mojo Man--lots to reply to there!

I think the corn smell is probably corn oil.  But other than that, the dough does have certain characteristics that are hard to nail down.  I wish we could crowdsource this thing here.  I know BTB is a big Aurelio's guy, too, and there surely must be others.  I, too, have searched far and wide for the videos and so forth.  Aurelio's does have a slightly thicker crust than other Chicago thin--but not quite to HRI proportions.  I also believe it has a higher oil content, based on what the underside looks like, how it smells, etc.  That aspect reminds me of some of the DD I've made--that golden, surface of the moon look, with irregular dimples, divots, pocks, etc.  I almost wonder if it would benefit from a short knead or no-knead and a long ferment.

As far as the sauce goes, try the recipe I've posted here.  I really think it nails it.  I'm bummed that I can't find Classico anymore, because they have an inherent sweetness that was essential to this recipe.  Maybe I can sub in something else and adjust accordingly, or just mail order 6n1.  Forget OJ and everything else.  Try this recipe.

Their sausage is great.  I agree.  They actually sold it in stores for a while.  Still might.  I haven't been able to find a source, though.  You are right: the sausage is sweet.  I may try upping the sugar content on my sausage recipe to see if that will get us closer.  Fennel is also sweet.  I wonder if we could up the fennel a bit, too?

When I was up there last summer, I didn't think the cheese was particularly orange, as others have said.  Just seemed like a properly cooked pie.  Maybe a lil scamorza, which is unobtanium around these parts.  Never saw it in stores up there, either (I looked everywhere).  I do know that they use a crapload of cheese.  One of the most heavily cheesed pies in the whole area.  (Heavy on the sauce, too.)


Cheers,
Garvey