Topic: Pizza from scratch

[JerryM]

Secret Santa,

George has wrapped this up in his post - it's a bit like our BIR passion - i think perhaps even worse. many opinions, many variables.

i'm not expert in it for sure and have much to learn. these are my pizza key requirements:

1) hydration -use UB's naan idea of much water - water needs to be 65% of the flour by weight. the dough is very sticky and difficult to handle - with practise it becomes 2nd thought and easy
2) technique - don't use rolling pin - dough must be pushed out or pulled by hand to make the pizza - it must sort of step taper in cross section to compensate for the filling (thinner over the filling area than around the edge)
3) equipment - i use steel pizza pan or tins - i think they compensate for not having very high heat in a domestic oven. any metal sheet would do the job (i'm not keen on perforated).
4) oven characteristics - amount of filling (less is more), pizza dough thickness and cooking time are interrelated and very much dependent on the oven.  set oven at max temp. a bit of trial and error is then needed to get the balance right - starting off with less filling - would say even make garlic bread pizza intially (brush with butter/garlic) until you establish best thickness and bake time (nb this will increase when you progress to using fillings).

the spreadsheet should get you up the learning curve quite easily. from then on though you are likely to get hooked.

i currently have 5 off dough boxes and 1 off sauce box in the fridge.

[Willyeckerslike]

Hi

A heads up for anyone wanting one,
Just back from Morrisons and they are doing a Pizza stone for ?5.  Not sure of the exact size but looks about 12 inches.

Will

[Secret Santa]

Jerry thanks for those tips they look like ones learnt through trial and error so they're bound to be useful.

I was about to make a pizza dough from the link martinr1000 posted earlier but I got to the bit where it said 'gently mix the dough for fifteen minutes' and thought damn it I'm not kneading dough for 15 minutes. So I'm about to buy a cheap hand mixer with rotating bowl attachment. I don't think it'll get used too often so it should do me well enough.

[martinr1000]

Hi SS, i'm with you all the way with regards to hand kneading dough. above all else i'm crap at it. I went through a process of trying to jury rig something to knead my dough.

i started with my trusty drill and one of those plasterers paddle mixers however the dough ripped the mixing attachment up like it was made out of paper.

after that i bit the bullet and got this

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4233251/Trail/searchtext%3EFOOD+MIXER.htm

apparently it's a rebranded russel hobbes one (dunno if that means anything, not to me at least) in any case it certainly beat forking out two or three hundred quid for a kenwood or kitchenaid.

i use it to mix pizza and naan dough and it's always been bob on for me.

[JerryM]

but I got to the bit where it said 'gently mix the dough for fifteen minutes' and thought damn it I'm not kneading dough for 15 minutes

Secret Santa,

don't buy anything for mixing or needing. pizza does not need the same kneading as for bread - surprisingly little in fact.

i'm currently trying out this idea of "cold fermenting" ie put the "mixed" dough in the fridge. with this technique the kneading is actually done for you in the fridge. when i say "mixed" it's all done with a spoon in a bowl - if it's too hard it's done. that "Jeff Varasano" website spells it all out.

the secondary benefit from this approach is that the dough can be made days in advance and effectively stored until say 3 hrs before needed.

[Secret Santa]

after that i bit the bullet and got this

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4233251/Trail/searchtext%3EFOOD+MIXER.htm

Blimey at ?65 quid that's twice what I was going to pay for one but then I am a skinflint.   ;D

I reckon I'll only use it once a week so I'm prepared to take my chances with a cheap one...it's a German make so it might last the course.

[Secret Santa]

Secret Santa,

don't buy anything for mixing or needing. pizza does not need the same kneading as for bread - surprisingly little in fact.

Hmmm, you've put me in two minds as to whether to get one or not now. I might just go for it anyway and do a side by side to see for myself what difference it makes.   

BTW jerry how did you go from spelling it "needing" first and then correctly "kneading" second?

It's ok I'm not doing a George on you (sorry George  ) I just found it odd that they occured so close together.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Blimey at

[Peripatetic Phil]

posted in error.

[George]

Oddly enough, GBP 65-00 is exactly what I paid for my 2nd-hand Kenwood Major

That's a top rate, near-professional machine. I have one, too. It certainly should out-perform and out-last any new mixer costing ?65 bought today.