Craig's Neapolitan Garage

[frankie_knuckles]

Craig, I have gotten some excellent tips and key directional info from this community but your chart has really improved my process and pizza like nothing else. Understanding the combination of time, yeast and temperature can be quite a challenge (seemed like a mystery) and your chart presented the concept so simply and accurately.  I might have it blown up and framed.  Thanks for putting it together.

[TXCraig1]

Happy to hear it's been useful!

[Frznrth]

Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge and experience - its been very informative for a noob like me - I started reading your post from the start but then jumped to the end and started to read backwards - just too hard to carve out enough "pizza time" at "work" - this has left me with some gaps though.

I know at some point you started using AP instead of 00 as 00 wasn't easy to get - it isn't easy or cheap for me to source either.  I'm wondering if you continued on with AP?  Do you miss the 00 in anyway?  Is there a certain AP that you like best?  The easiest and by far the cheapest flour for me is "strong" bread flour from my local Costo - no idea of its exact specifications except that the bags are big and cheap - lots to practice with.  I found your detailed instructions for making NP with Caputto - do you have something similar for AP - or "strong" costo flour?

Thanks for your help.

[Frznrth]

The Costco “Strong” is 4g protein for every 30g.

[TXCraig1]

I still mostly use unmalted AP or BF. There isn't a special procedure for it. Just tweak the hydration if necessary. Likely, little or no changes will be needed.

[Frznrth]

Thanks. I’ll see what I can do.

[Frznrth]

Hi Craig
I tried a couple of different AP/Bread Flours.  Do you find that AP/Bread Flour is always a bit harder to work with than 00 - harder to shape/stretch?

Have you found "ideal" hydration, amount of fermentation, temperature the dough is brought to before shaping, length of time at this temp to make it as easy as possible?

Thanks for the help.

[TXCraig1]

In my experience, King Arthur flours can be a bit harder to work with/more difficult to open. Most others I've tried are similar to '00' in terms of workability.

For me, I like to work with room temp dough (I don't do much cold fermentation, and almost never for NP). I like my dough in balls for ~ 12 hours, and total fermentation of 24-28 hours depending on what I'm doing.

As for things like hydration, you need to experiment to see what works best for you. I tend to like ~62%.

[Frznrth]

Thanks - it sounds like there is a lot of experimenting in my future.  Hope my belly can handle it. 

[dylandylan]

The prep station is complete, and the test was a complete success!

Hey Craig, I'm considering whipping up a dedicated prep station.  If you had to build your station again from scratch, is there anything you'd change?

[TXCraig1]

Hey Craig, I'm considering whipping up a dedicated prep station.  If you had to build your station again from scratch, is there anything you'd change?

No probably not. It's really worked well for me.

[dylandylan]

No probably not. It's really worked well for me.

Good to know, thanks

[Movefast]

Craig, if we are using your table and doing a 24 hour and shorter ferment time, what do you recommend for the amount of time bulked and then how long in balls?  Would it be safe to say for a 24 hour, 12 and 12?  And then less than 24, just a few hours bulked but say 80% in balls?

[TXCraig1]

Craig, if we are using your table and doing a 24 hour and shorter ferment time, what do you recommend for the amount of time bulked and then how long in balls?  Would it be safe to say for a 24 hour, 12 and 12?  And then less than 24, just a few hours bulked but say 80% in balls?

I pretty much only do 36+12 and 12+12.