crust 'snap'

[PizzaSuperFreak]

ok. i just had something of a semi-religious experience. i visited this pizza joint by my new place of employment for the first time yesterday. wow. that was some tasty pie.

i had to say that i was most impressed by 2 main characteristics of the pie. one was the lightness and airyness of his dough. (actually i'm finally able to acheive this @ home).

and 2, there was an incredible 'snap' to the bottom of the crust. again, the top was light, soft and airy. but the bottom had this thin, almost cracker-like crust on it that caused it to crack like the san andreas fault when you folded it (ala NYC).

anybody able to acheive this @ home yet? if so, can you give me some pointers?

btw, he was using standard baker's pride ovens, at around 600 degrees (so he said). and he put the dough on screens for the entire duration of the cooking.  he also said he used only flour, yeast and water in his dough, along with extra virgin olive oil. and 'the highest quality ingredients'. he said he used high gluten flour, purified water, and an overnight rise.

standard stuff really.

he pulled the dough off a tray that was covered in plastic and sitting under the counter in a storage container.

also, i ordered 2 slices and they were from an already-cooked pie sitting out (just like so many street-pie places do) and were re-heated in the oven. could this have contributed to the snap? i've reheated pizza @ home on a non-stick pan before which also gave it a similar snap. perhaps this is it?

that's about all i know.

if anyone has ideas, please share.

thanks!

[buzz]

See my cracker crust recipe already posted!

[PizzaSuperFreak]

thanks buzz. i'll have a look.  but just to be clear. the crust is not cracker-like. it's just the bottom part of the crust is very crisp. the majority (top 2/3) is light, airy and puffy.

[PizzaSuperFreak]

anybody else know what i'm talking about?

[Pete-zza]

PSF,

I believe I know what you are talking about, and I believe the "snap" was due to reheating the pizza. I often do this with individual slices by sliding them on the pizza stone while it is still hot enough to keep the slices hot. The localized heat of the stone seems to create that snap you talk about. I believe it was quido who talked about the same phenomenon when he talked about the pizzas he orders at Patsy's.

Peter

[PizzaSuperFreak]

thanks pete-zza.

i think you're right. it has everything to do with reheating the pizza.

i really liked it though. i wonder if there's a way to reproduce this by the cooking method (not reheating)

oh well. the quest continues...

[buzz]

When I make my cracker crust, the bottom is crisp and cracker-like, but the top has a lot of air bubbles and is crisp, airy, and puffy. I think it's the three rises.

I've had very good luck using the Salton pizza cooker, especially with reheating leftover pizza--it brings back the crispness! You might want to pick one up and try it.

[PizzaSuperFreak]

hmm. sounds interesting, buzz.

i did a search to try and find your recipe though, and couldn't find it. could you please point me in the right direction?

thanks!

i'll let you know how it turns out!

[buzz]

The post is titled "Cracker crust" on page 3 of this board. I haven't tried it in the oven--only in the pizza cooker. Par-baking is essential!

[pizzamagic]

I use a standard 60% hydration recipe with KA All Purpose Flour and 1% yeast. I preheat my oven at 500 degrees with a large Fibrament Stone on the bottom shelf and a smaller stone on top. I cook directly on the stone. The bottom of the crust snaps when you fold it or cut it. The top stays moist. If I use too much sauce though it goes to mush. I found that if I strain any excess liquid from the sauce, the crust is very crispy on the bottom. I think the crispness comes from the well preheated stone.

[PizzaSuperFreak]

thanks pizzamagic.

is the fibrament worth the investment?

[Randy]

If you have an electric oven use a pizza screen on the lowest rack without a stone.  Placing the pizza in the oven at the right time is the key.  After the oven reachs 500 degree and the bottom elment  goes off wait until the light comes on again meaing the bottom element is coming on again.  Place the pizza in at that moment.
If you have a good dough recipe this should at least get you close.
Mine crackles when you cut it.   Watch it like a hawk, you can burn the bottom before you know it.

Randy

[buzz]

I made a thin crust last night--you're right, Randy, it crackles when you cut it, and flakes of crackly crust shear off on the cutting board. The top is full of big, puffy holes, crisp and thin! Great struff!

I tried Pastorelli sauce and didn't like it. It's very thick--I like a thinner, pizzeria-style sauce which is easy to make with tomato sauce as the base. Pastorelli's looks like it's made with tomato paste.

[pizzamagic]

thanks pizzamagic.

is the fibrament worth the investment?

The Fibrament stone is larger then most other retail stones and covers most of the surface area of my oven. I can get a 14 inch pie done easily. Once it gets broken in, (follow the instructions), it does a very good job of heat transfer. My pies are consistently done in 7 minutes. I think it's worth it.

[Anne]

Randy,

Thank you very much! 

I have an electric oven, and always have a hard time getting my pizza to come out properly.  The bottom is often undercooked.  I'd taken to putting my pizza on the bottom shelf, which helps.  But I hadn't made the additional step of waiting for the oven to cycle. 

I did tonight, and my pizza definitely cooked better!  So thank you for adding that little tip. 

(I'm still working on my dough, which is way to bready, but that's a different issue.)

Anne, pizza maker wanna-be