Pizza Stone

[pasquale]

This was the best gift I've gotten in a while.

I've been using this pizza crust with organic whole wheat flour and whatever I can find around the house for the remainder of the ingredients. One thing that I do that isn't listed is really work the heck out of the dough. I kneed it as hard and as fast as I can for 10 minutes before I place it in the bowl to rise, and then again after. It really enhances the quality of the dough in my opinion.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jays-signature-pizza-crust/detail.aspx

I've been making this sauce. It's very good if you take the time to really cook down the onion and celery. Very flavorful and thick.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Ultimate-Pizza-Sauce-114392

I then use Clement's italian sausage (support local companies), green pepper and pepperoni. I pre-cook the pepperoni and then wipe the oil off. This makes it really nice and crispy, just the way I like it.

The pizza stone results in AMAZING crust. It's so freaking good. I'm extremely pleased with this.

Did you buy a stone or a quarry tile?

FYI: going nuts on kneading the dough is not good for traditional crust, but if you like a tougher, chewy crust, it's perfect! The more you knead, the more gluten, and the tougher it will be.

[Partial]

Got the stone for my birthday in august. The dough was crisp on the bottom and fluffy on the inside. It was basically perfect. SO good!

[Freak Out]

Got the stone for my birthday in august. The dough was crisp on the bottom and fluffy on the inside. It was basically perfect. SO good!

Who got you a pizza stone for your birthday? How old are you know...? Like 24 maybe?

[Partial]

Got the stone for my birthday in august. The dough was crisp on the bottom and fluffy on the inside. It was basically perfect. SO good!

Who got you a pizza stone for your birthday? How old are you know...? Like 24 maybe?

Girlfriend got it among other things.. why?

[Freak Out]

Got the stone for my birthday in august. The dough was crisp on the bottom and fluffy on the inside. It was basically perfect. SO good!

Who got you a pizza stone for your birthday? How old are you know...? Like 24 maybe?

Girlfriend got it among other things.. why?

Ok....that explains it I guess. The nesting instinct.

[Partial]

Got the stone for my birthday in august. The dough was crisp on the bottom and fluffy on the inside. It was basically perfect. SO good!

Who got you a pizza stone for your birthday? How old are you know...? Like 24 maybe?

Girlfriend got it among other things.. why?

Ok....that explains it I guess. The nesting instinct.

What? I asked for it. I've been experimenting with Pizza's for months. I <3 cooking.

[3irty1]

As with anything that you bake your crust recipe will matter less than your method. Go ahead and tweak your recipe to your tastes. Do you like your dough more chewy? Use patent flour or kneed more. Tender? Replace some of your oil with shortening. Crunchier? Cut your AP flour with some semolina or cornmeal. Pizza dough is tough to wreck. For the last couple months I've been making sourdough crust from a starter I grew from wild yeast.

That sauce recipe you posted is pretty complex for my taste. Over a dozen ingredients. I don't believe in a secret sauce and thus mine is a simple blend of seeded steamed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oil. Sometimes I'll add roasted red peppers to my puree for flavor but also to reduce the acidity of straight tomatoes without adding a ton of oil. I've added fresh oregano before but only if I'm not going to use it as a topping. Have to get the oregano in there somehow.

The bottleneck of homemade pizza will always be the oven. Using a stone or lining your oven in tile will probably both help replicate a brick oven used in a professional setup. I find it helpful to give the crust a head start in the oven.

[pasquale]

3irty1 is a pimp at pizza dough. Listen to him.

[SkinBasket]

3irty is either Papa John or the Noid. No ordinary man can know that much about pizzas.

[MJZiggy]

As with anything that you bake your crust recipe will matter less than your method. Go ahead and tweak your recipe to your tastes. Do you like your dough more chewy? Use patent flour or kneed more. Tender? Replace some of your oil with shortening. Crunchier? Cut your AP flour with some semolina or cornmeal. Pizza dough is tough to wreck. For the last couple months I've been making sourdough crust from a starter I grew from wild yeast.

That sauce recipe you posted is pretty complex for my taste. Over a dozen ingredients. I don't believe in a secret sauce and thus mine is a simple blend of seeded steamed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oil. Sometimes I'll add roasted red peppers to my puree for flavor but also to reduce the acidity of straight tomatoes without adding a ton of oil. I've added fresh oregano before but only if I'm not going to use it as a topping. Have to get the oregano in there somehow.

The bottleneck of homemade pizza will always be the oven. Using a stone or lining your oven in tile will probably both help replicate a brick oven used in a professional setup. I find it helpful to give the crust a head start in the oven.

You don't cut the acidity with a tsp of sugar? That's how I was taught to do it.

[Patler]

I have quit using pizza sauce. Instead, I peel and half tomatoes (fresh off the vine in summer) and partially dry them in the oven (200-250 degrees, 4-6 hours) sprinkled with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and some turbinado sugar. When I make the pizza, I coat the dough with olive oil, add the tomatoes (more or less depending on my intentions for that particular pie) and add whatever else I want.

I have started using honey in the dough, and I really like it. Adds a whole new flavor.

[MichiganPackerFan]

It's on my to-do list to try making homemade pizza for the first time next week, so these suggestions are great! I've done really well with the homemade breads, so it seems this is the natural next step.

[GrnBay007]

It's on my to-do list to try making homemade pizza for the first time next week, so these suggestions are great! I've done really well with the homemade breads, so it seems this is the natural next step.

And here I thought I was the only one who had never made homemade pizza! I made it for the first time a few weeks ago and it was just OK. Can't wait to make it again and try some of these suggestions.

[3irty1]

As with anything that you bake your crust recipe will matter less than your method. Go ahead and tweak your recipe to your tastes. Do you like your dough more chewy? Use patent flour or kneed more. Tender? Replace some of your oil with shortening. Crunchier? Cut your AP flour with some semolina or cornmeal. Pizza dough is tough to wreck. For the last couple months I've been making sourdough crust from a starter I grew from wild yeast.

That sauce recipe you posted is pretty complex for my taste. Over a dozen ingredients. I don't believe in a secret sauce and thus mine is a simple blend of seeded steamed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oil. Sometimes I'll add roasted red peppers to my puree for flavor but also to reduce the acidity of straight tomatoes without adding a ton of oil. I've added fresh oregano before but only if I'm not going to use it as a topping. Have to get the oregano in there somehow.

The bottleneck of homemade pizza will always be the oven. Using a stone or lining your oven in tile will probably both help replicate a brick oven used in a professional setup. I find it helpful to give the crust a head start in the oven.

You don't cut the acidity with a tsp of sugar? That's how I was taught to do it.

To balance the flavor of acid yes but the tomatoes don't physically lose acid just by adding sugar. Peppers cut the sauce and make it less acidic which has other benefits. If you like your cheese gooey and stringy then you could either pile on the cheese, or you could just make the sauce less acidic. If you really don't like the stringy mozzarella then more more acidic sauce will keep it in line. I've even seen people squeeze lemon on top just to stop the cheese from oozing. This isn't for me though, the cheese can take on a waxy texture with too much acid.

[Partial]

I had no idea you were so proficient in acid, 3irty1. Have any good wheat flour recipes? I'm looking for one.