Topic: Pizza from scratch

[Peripatetic Phil]

That's a top rate, near-professional machine. I have one, too.

In that case, you may be able to advise me : KD recommends liquidising the onion/garlic/ginger/water mixture and the peeled plum tomatoes for two minutes : is this well within the Major's abilities, or is it safer to liquidise for (say) one minute, give things a chance to cool down, and then repeat the exercise ?

** Phil.

[George]

That's a top rate, near-professional machine. I have one, too.

In that case, you may be able to advise me : KD recommends liquidising the onion/garlic/ginger/water mixture and the peeled plum tomatoes for two minutes : is this well within the Major's abilities, or is it safer to liquidise for (say) one minute, give things a chance to cool down, and then repeat the exercise ?

Those machines are built like tanks and should last 25-50 years apart from just one aspect which may need attention after, say 10-15 years, and that's the electronics which control the speed from slow to fast. On a slow speed, there can be more of a load/demand on the electronics than on a high speed. If you smell any burning, let alone see smoke on the lowest speed, let me know and I'll tell you more! Which model number is yours, exactly?

The good news is that for liquidising using the top jug (not the main bowl) you normally use the highest speed. Be sure you do. All being well, you could leave it on for many minutes without a problem. For blending, it will knock any hand held blender into a cocked hat. I might give it a break after 10 minutes but probably not less, unless it specifically states a time limit in the instruction book. Do you have one? I do, but I'll need to find it.

[Peripatetic Phil]

In
Those machines are built like tanks and should last 25-50 years apart from just one aspect which may need attention after, say 10-15 years, and that's the electronics which control the speed from slow to fast. On a slow speed, there can be more of a load/demand on the electronics than on a high speed. If you smell any burning, let alone see smoke on the lowest speed, let me know and I'll tell you more! Which model number is yours, exactly?

An interesting question : as there is no baseplate, I am not sure where to look.  But cross-referencing the only numbers I can find (MCD3 19328) suggests it is an A 707 A.

The good news is that for liquidising using the top jug (not the main bowl) you normally use the highest speed. Be sure you do.

Ah.  I typically run it at 6 for liquidising, since any higher number does not increase the speed.  And of course for pastry I run it at 1 
 

All being well, you could leave it on for many minutes without a problem. For blending, it will knock any hand held blender into a cocked hat. I might give it a break after 10 minutes but probably not less, unless it specifically states a time limit in the instruction book. Do you have one? I do, but I'll need to find it.

I thought I did, but I cannot find it -- it does not appear to be anywhere on the cookery bookshelves, and I cannot think where else it might be ...

Found it    All it needed was to change my glasses from +1.25 dioptre to +2.0 dioptre and it virtually leapt out at me ...

And in fact, the instructions say : "MOST IMPORTANT : When running the liquidiser the maximum time per run must not exceed three minutes with an interval of one minute between runs, otherwise the goblet and drive coupling may be damaged."

So my caution was, in fact, not ill-advised !

** Phil.

[George]

And in fact, the instructions say : "MOST IMPORTANT : When running the liquidiser the maximum time per run must not exceed three minutes with an interval of one minute between runs, otherwise the goblet and drive coupling may be damaged."

Thanks for that. My optimism for 10 minutes was not justified! If the speed will not increase beyond 6, it may not be reaching the lowest speeds. It sounds like it may have been worked on before, and the person did not re-calibrate the speed mechanism correctly, or set it higher deliberately to avoid the electronics smoking at lower speeds.

[Secret Santa]

If the speed will not increase beyond 6, it may not be reaching the lowest speeds.

Can't be a professional machine if it don't go to 11!   

[Unclebuck]

This is jerrym's pizza document:

   Pizza Dough Recipe               
Equipment                  
                     
Pizza pan/tin (14" dia with 2" rim - ideally 2 off or better still 3 off inc 12" for starter)
Circular cutter                  
Cake slice                     
Rolling pin                     
Plastic cake making bowl                  
                     
Quantities      Nb - weigh flour and water      
No persons   Flour (oz)   Water (oz)   Milk Powder. (tbsp.)   Sugar (tsp.)   Salt (tsp.)   Yeast (tsp.)   Oil (tbsp.)
1   6.4   3.8   1   0.4   0.17   1   1
3   19.2   11.4   3   1.2   0.50   2   3
4   25.6   15.2   4   1.6   0.67   3   4
5   32   19.0   5   2.0   0.83   4   5
                     
Dough      Nb - follow yeast packet instructions   
1   Put dry ingredients in bowl (flour, milk powder, sugar, salt, yeast)
2   Add water & oil to bowl and stir with spoon until liquid is mixed in
3   Use hands then to get the dough into a ball adding more flour if needed
4   Either knead in bowl or use flat surface (about 10mins) - dough must be damp but not sticky
5   Leave in warm until double in size (ie put in oven and switch on/off now again to keep at warm temp ~20C) typ 1 hr
6   Remove dough and weigh into pieces (6 oz thin base Napoli, 12 oz thick base American)
7   Roll out to rough size of pizza (turn 90 deg and turnover after each rolling). sprinkle with flour to stop sticking
8   Put 1 tbsp. olive oil into pizza pan and spread over pan base (thick base only)
9   Hold dough sheet underneath with clenched fists and move the fists around the edge to stretch the sheet
10   Place in pizza pan                
                     
Tomato Paste                  
1   Add 1 tsp. sugar and 3 heaped tbsp. of tom puree per tin of toms
2   Use tinned chopped toms pro rata based on 1.5 tins for 5 person (2 tins if making herb tom paste)
3   Use potato masher to remove lumps         
                     
Herb Tomato Paste   Nb - use as a starter ie no cheese   
1   6 heaped dsp tomato paste (for 1 pizza)      
2   add either 2 tsp rosemary or 1 tsp oregano & 1 tsp marjoram
                     
Garlic      Essential Ingredient         
1   chop as much as u want (upto 2 whole bulbs)      
2   add 1 tbsp olive oil and same of butter         
3   microwave for 2 mins stirring after 1 min and 2 min   
                     
Bolognaise                   
1   Chop 1 green pepper                
2   Microwave fat off  8 oz mince in water (5mins & drain)   
3   Put chopped pepper, mince in pan          
4   add brown sauce HP (large splodge), 1tsp black pepper (30 turns pepper mill), good glug of lea & perrins 10 secs
5   simmer with lid 20/30 mins.            
6   Take lid off and simmer till dry (just catching bottom of pan) typ 20 mins
                     
Other toppings                  
a)    Pepperoni with red pepper or sliced onion      
b)   Pre fried chicken "tikka" dry rub using rajah tandoori masala
c)   Ham and sweetcorn (defrost from frozen before using)   
                     
Final Make                  
1   Spread out tom paste (typ 3 heaped dsp per cheese pizza)
2   cover with grated mozzarella (typ 100 to 125 gm)   
3   sprinkle over garlic               
4   add toppings                   
5   For thick base leave to rise/prove in warm place for 10 mins (ideally below or above the cooking oven)
6   Cook 210C, thin typ 9mins (range 7 to 12 mins depending upon amount of topping), thick 15 mins (range 12 to 20)
7   Serve when the cutter is crisp when cutting the base and topping has melted

[JerryM]

UB,

quite surprising how far we've traveled particularly on the dough and cooking method.

the site won't allow me to upload my current spreadsheet but i can email or try and detail if anyone has interest.

in short i cook at the highest possible temp on stone "quarry tiles" using high hydration cold fermented dough with a touch of sourdough.

going forward it's the toppings that i need to expand on.

[natterjak]

Hi jerry. Where you you get your sourdough culture from and how do you keep it going?

[JerryM]

natterjak,

the sourdough was the hardest and easiest thing i've done in pizza.

for a long time i just could not get a taste in pizza that i've experienced in restaurants - i now know it is down to sourdough. i currently add 5% but want to get to 10% where i feel the flavour is about right (% of the flour wt and adjust the water down as the sourdough is 50:50 water:flour).

i'd always been put off sourdough by it's name and the thought of needing much care and chucking a good bit away all the time. none are actually so. it's not even sour.

i used the serious eats method "Donna Currie" of making my own (http://slice.seriouseats.com/sourdough/). i did use rye flour intially to get it going. i now use bread flour. i tend to feed it 1 tbsp of flour and 1 tbsp of water every now and then increasing or decreasing the timings to get the volume i need for when i next make pizza. i also give it a stir now and then keeping it in an open jar in the fridge. i end up using about 75% so find i never throw any away.

it's something you really can't go wrong with - i've been amazed how well it's worked in terms of feeding and harvesting.

i know that you can buy cultures or starters. i've never bothered. yes they probably give that perfect result but the make it yourself gets you 90% there.

pizzamaking.com is the key site for info and where i've learnt most. say if you need anymore info/pointers.

[natterjak]

Thanks jerry, top info. I will look into this further