Pizza Night

[Chetlaham]

Making some pizza. Wild Mikes Frozen Cheese Pizza, topped with sliced deli pepperoni, olives, onions. Pizza pringles, and grated Parmesan cheese on the side. Lemon lime cola, caffeine free.

How do others make their pizza?

 

[turquoisedude]

Mine's all the way from scratch.   I make up a small batch of yeast dough then load it up according to my mood.  This week it's pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, cheese, mushrooms, green peppers, green and ripe olives, and hot pepper strips.

[this post was last edited: 2/13/2022-14:43]

 

[ea56]

Bellissimo Paul

your pizza is a masterpiece! That’s just the kind of pizza I like, loaded!

I’m lazy, I just get a Papa Murphys Take and Bake Combo, then add a few extra diced onions and some diced green pepper and just a little bit more shredded mozzarella. And I always sprinkle a little crushed red pepper on my piece too.

Eddie

 

[Chetlaham]

Delicious!

That looks so tasty!!!!!!!!!! Scratch is the way to go. Hot pepper strips are nice, but I prefer Tabasco. The aged barrel flavor makes the pizza so savory.

 

[askolover]

I wimped out and got Dominos for supper...two mediums, one pepperoni with onions, peppers, and black olives for Tony and mine with sausage and ham.  And we can't forget the stuffed cheesy bread.  Hmmm, I think I need to go eat a cold piece right now.

 

[foraloysius]

Instead of pizza I make pizzalike tartlets. Because I cook only for myself most of the time I can't be bothered with making pizza dough and I don't like the ready made ones. So I use to puff pastry squares, bake them first until they are crispy and then lay them with pizza sauce, smoked cheese, grilled vegetables, pesto and some mozzarella and paresan cheese.. When I'm in a healthy mood I use two slices of toast from fully grain bread.

 

[chachp]

From scratch too..

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I always make the yeast dough, the sauce and usually the chicken sausage we put on it.  I like to try new recipes and a couple of weeks ago I tried a recipe using '00' flour and made in the Thermomix.  The dough came out so nice I was surprised.  I usually make one that goes into the fridge for 24 hours.  This dough in the Thermomix was easy to work with and very tasty.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I didn't get any pics before it went in but a friend who has the same toaster oven has never made pizzas in hers so I snapped a picture to show her how well they come out.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">And a tip I learned years ago was to put the pizza on the stone using parchment paper and then slide it out a few minutes later.  I'm not a fan of cornmeal on the peel to slide it off.  The cornmeal alsways gets too brown and I don't like that.  With the parchment it slides right off the peel on to the stone.</span>

 

[askolover]

I have made a mean Chicago style deep dish pizza a few times in a big cast iron skillet with home-made thick crust.  I just haven't found a crust recipe I really like just yet....but the best pizza I ever ate came from Gino's in Chicago!

 

[frigilux]

I’ve been on a keto (very low carb) diet for a year, which has “reversed” my Type II diabetes—or at least brought my A1c back down to 5.2, which is solidly in the normal (non-diabetic) range. I’ve also lost a substantial amount of weight.

Over the past few months, an egg white protein bread has become very popular with keto YouTubers. I use recipes tweaked by Nili Barrett on the Indigo Nili YouTube channel. Her recipes have the most bread-like texture. I make sandwich loaves with her bread recipe and hamburger/sandwich buns, hoagie buns, and pizza crust with her Butter Buns II recipe (included here).

Made this pizza for dinner last night. In place of the bun pan/silicone mold used in the recipe, I lay a sheet of parchment paper down on a large rimmed baking sheet. I also add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning and a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder along with the butter powder and acacia fiber, which is gently folded in after the egg whites have been beaten to stiff peaks. The recipe makes enough for two large pizzas, but I generally make one pizza and then 3 or 4 hamburger buns with the remaining foam batter.

I par-bake the crust for 10 minutes, add sauce, toppings and cheese, then bake for another 10-12 minutes.

ANYWAY, it was keto pizza night for me, too!

Photo 1: Pizza
Photo 2: Hamburger/Sandwich Buns/Pizza Dough recipe
Photo 3: Hamburger Buns
Photo 4: A club sandwich made with Nili Barrett’s egg white protein bread recipe. Bread makes great toast, too.

 

[robbinsandmyers]

I have a mid 70’s gas stove that’s barely able to get to 500 Degrees so I use the broil setting. I just buy store bought dough made in Tarrytown NY, Oscar Mayer thick bacon I par cook, use Bel Gioso mozz, and a 14oz can of Cento Italian tomatoes I crush by hand. Then add some Pecorino or Reggiano at the end depending what I have on hand. Takes about 7 mins to cook. Thin crust the way I like it. If I have onions I’ll add some as well.

 

[chachp]

These all look so good and so creative!!

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Eugene, those products look like the bread we eat every day.  I had no idea you could have food that looks like that and still follow a Keto diet.  They look really good.</span>

 

[whitewhiskers]

tonight is pizza night

because I'm really enjoying my new Breville Convection Toaster Oven. My first experience with convection cooking was very disappointing in the form of a Sharp Convection Microwave, now 20 years old. The oven would take longer to cook via convection, and the results were unimpressive.

Everything is different with the Breville. The thing heats up real fast, and cooking time is easily 10 minutes less than conventional cooking. This morning I made chocolate muffins which turned out super great. Tonight it's pizza on the included pizza pan and custom setting. It really does produce excellent results. I'm now totally sold on convection cooking.

 

[good-shepherd]

Best pizza I've ever had

Was a local small Italian restaurant and bar, (it burned down years ago unfortunately).

They would make a thin crust "bar pie" (personal size pizza) that was amazing. One of things that made it so good was they would bake or serve it on a pan with either bread crumbs or semolina (or both?) underneath.

When I used to make home made pizza I did the same with bread crumbs on the baking sheet. Not nearly as good of course but way better than what you get at most pizza joints these days.

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

I'm almost embarrassed to post. Currently I am buying Jack's frozen pizza. The DiGiorno was an afterthought. I guess you can say I have tried all the frozen varieties. Newman's Own, Tree Tavern, Pizzeria Uno, Dr Oetker to name a few. I always add some Extra Virgin Olive oil and real Pecorino Romano cheese. Sometimes some pesto. And always a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. As for delivery, my usual go to is Danny's and Singas. As for making my own, aside from buying a pre-made crust and assembling it myself, that's as far as I gone.

 

[wayupnorth]

DiGiorno personal supreme, with lots of toppings. Cant be bothered to make one from scratch just for myself.

 

[DADoES]

 
TombStone.  Or Pizza Hut if order-out (prefer TombStone).

 

[Chetlaham]

Made another Pizza. 365 Thin Crust. Added meat loaf on top of the pepperoni. Popcorn and Sprite drink. Dave's hot Sauce for a strong kick.

 

[vacerator]

Our pizza dough recipe; 2-1/4-2-1/2 cups of double 00 zero flour for a nice chewy authentic crust, 1 envelope quick rise or regular yeast, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1-1/4 cups of warm 105f. water.
Mix yeast with warm water and let bloom. Mix salt with flour in a food processor with the metal blade, or stand mixer with a dough hook. with machine running, add olive oil, then water slowly until a ball forms. If too sticky, add a bit more flour. If too dry, a bit more water.
Spread out on a pan and let rise at least 20 min. Preheat oven to 400f. and a stone if desired. Top as desired and bake 12 to 14 minutes or until then top is bubbly, but bottom browned, not burned. You will never want frozen again. No chemicals or preservatives.
You can use regular flour too, it will just be more bread like.

 

[ea56]

Years ago, before we moved to our home 31 years ago I used to make Pizza frequently using the Chef Boy Are Dee Pizza mix that came in a box. Then when we moved here and there was a Papa Murphys Take and Bake Pizza right across the street so I stopped making pizza and bought our pizzas from Papa Murphys. They were always really excellent pizzas and they used to be only $6.00 for a family size combo. Now they are $25.00, still good, but they’ve gotten a bit stingy with the toppings, so I was always adding extra cheese, onions and bell pepper.

In August I decided I’d start making pizza from scratch, since I’m very comfortable making yeast dough now due to my baking of all of our bread and rolls since 2018. I bought a nice 16” non stick pizza pan and found that making pizza is not that much work at all.

The first pizza I made I topped it with 3.5 oz. salami, 3.5 oz pepperoni, 8 oz. cooked mild Italian sausage, 1 2.25 oz. sliced black olives, 1/4 cup each of diced onions and green bell pepper and 8 oz, shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/2 7 oz. jar of pizza sauce. I baked it at 425 F for 18 mins and it was great. But I didn’t like the way the sausage that I cooked on the stove came out, it was too crumbly and we prefer chunks of sausage.

The next pizza I made I left off the salami and pepperoni and used Italian sausage that I pre cooked in the oven instead. I used 1 lb. of Sweet Italian sausage that I removed from the casings and pinched off nickel sized pieces and placed them on the bottom the broiler pan and baked them at 350 F for 20 mins, then drained it on paper towels before putting in on the pizza. That pizza was the BOMB!

I’m attaching photos to the first pizza I baked before baking and after it came outta the oven along with the hand written recipe for the dough, which is very similar to Mike’s dough recipe in reply #18.

I prefer using Active Dry Yeast instead of Instant Rapid Rise Yeast. I also have found that I get much better gluten development using my Kitchen Aid hand mixer instead of the stand mixer or by kneading by hand. Every yeast dough I make now I add 1/2 of the flour that the recipe calls for to the warm liquid with the proofed yeast and beat it with the beaters on speed 4 for a couple of mins until its like a smooth batter, this gives the gluten development a real jump start. Then I switch to the dough hooks, add the remainder of the flour and knead on speed 4 for 5 to 6 mins turning the bowl by hand and moving the dough hooks around the edge of the bowl until a smooth, elastic dough forms that cleans the side of the bowl. Then I pinch of a piece of dough the size of an egg and using my fingers gently pull the dough from both sides until I can see light through the dough without it tearing, this is called “the windowpane test”, which shows that the gluten is properly developed and you will get maximum rise from your dough. It works every time!

I know that this is a whole lotta 411, but I wanted to share what I’ve learned through trial and error to help others that may be interested in tackling baking with doughs made with yeast. I hope that it helps.

Eddie

 

[vacerator]

Eddie, looks and sounds delicious

 

[joeekaitis]

Everything from ALDI. Mama Cozzi's Frozen Rising Crust Cheese Pizza. 1 oz. Mama Cozzi's Turkey Pepperoni. 2 links (6 oz) Never Any! Chicken Italian Style Sausage, cut into 8 slices each on the bias ("flower petal" cut). Air Fry setting at 400º on the Frigidaire for 24 minutes, 10 minutes standing time. Dinner today, lunch tomorrow for Cathy and me.

 

[Chetlaham]

That looks absolutely amazing, delicious and comforting! It would be gone in one sitting at my house LOL. Any drinks to go with that scrumptious pizza?

 

[mattl]

Looks good, but I'm a half and half guy. My pizza has to have at least as much veggies as meat. Onions, peppers - green and banana, olives, tomatoes and mushrooms. But no pineapple.

 

[phillymatt53]

I'm no good at making home made piza, or even cakes.
So, I order out from a famous pizza place nearby called "Geno's.
They make totally awesome pizza, always perfectly prepared, delivered, and hot.
Their pizza steaks and onion rings are out of this world, no skimping on anything.
And the prices are very reasonable too!

 

[runematic]

So I have been on a pizza making journey the last few years. I scored a premium wood fired outdoor oven at an auction that had never been used other than as a display for a patio/deck outdoor living company. Anyway, I make my own dough starting with a poolish (preferment) then a 24 hour ferment in the refrigerator. Sauce is from scratch. I also blend 50/50 low moisture mozzarella and provolone. For a New York style pizza that's called an east coast blend. Here are a few pics.

Since we are in PA Dutch Country and the home of Lebanon Bologna, we make a pie with Lebanon Sweet bologna we call the Ol' Dutchie. It's so much smokier and has a better depth of flavor than pepperoni. It's become a favorite of ours and folks we give pies to.

 

[mat_l]

So I have been on a pizza making journey the last few years. I scored a premium wood fired outdoor oven at an auction that had never been used other than as a display for a patio/deck outdoor living company. Anyway, I make my own dough starting with a poolish (preferment) then a 24 hour ferment in the refrigerator. Sauce is from scratch. I also blend 50/50 low moisture mozzarella and provolone. For a New York style pizza that's called an east coast blend. Here are a few pics.

Since we are in PA Dutch Country and the home of Lebanon Bologna, we make a pie with Lebanon Sweet bologna we call the Ol' Dutchie. It's so much smokier and has a better depth of flavor than pepperoni. It's become a favorite of ours and folks we give pies to.

Hi runematic
From the images, it looks like your temperature of oven vs the stone is out of kilter.
It looks like the base is wanting to over-cook on the bottom while you are trying to get the top of the crust done. I.e. the oven dome (air space) is not hot enough and/or the stone is too hot - my guess is the dome is too cool. This means you are having to keep it in the oven too long to cook the top and that is leading to the pizza dough looking a little overdone (image 3 - it looks like it almost ran away from you and appears to becoming a little dry from the over cooking).
Not sure on your oven make - but a potential way to rectify would be to let the oven heat a little longer to see if you can get some heat into the upper space, then make sure the stone has settled to the right temp before loading the pizza.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Well pizzas here range from store-bought frozen, to a few I made from maybe not from scratch, but a store-bought kit…

Always a good, quick and easy meal, of which I love having with a hot cup of coffee…

Looking forward to making one tonight after today’s holiday of fasting!

 

[runematic]

Hi runematic
From the images, it looks like your temperature of oven vs the stone is out of kilter.
It looks like the base is wanting to over-cook on the bottom while you are trying to get the top of the crust done. I.e. the oven dome (air space) is not hot enough and/or the stone is too hot - my guess is the dome is too cool. This means you are having to keep it in the oven too long to cook the top and that is leading to the pizza dough looking a little overdone (image 3 - it looks like it almost ran away from you and appears to becoming a little dry from the over cooking).
Not sure on your oven make - but a potential way to rectify would be to let the oven heat a little longer to see if you can get some heat into the upper space, then make sure the stone has settled to the right temp before loading the pizza.

Not really. I'm not sure what you are seeing. We heat the oven for an hour minimum. The stone and the dome are right in line. There is some char on the sides on the last pie from the wood fire. The undercarriage is nice, not burned, and the top is done as well. Definitely no dry pizzas here. A lot of people like the char. One of the persons I give pies to asks for char. Ask folks from New Haven, Ct how they like their pizza. Maybe I didn't post my best pics. I was in a hurry when picking the pictures as a customer was walking in. Anyway, feedback is always welcome.

 

[mat_l]

Not really. I'm not sure what you are seeing. We heat the oven for an hour minimum. The stone and the dome are right in line. There is some char on the sides on the last pie from the wood fire. The undercarriage is nice, not burned, and the top is done as well. Definitely no dry pizzas here. A lot of people like the char. One of the persons I give pies to asks for char. Ask folks from New Haven, Ct how they like their pizza. Maybe I didn't post my best pics. I was in a hurry when picking the pictures as a customer was walking in. Anyway, feedback is always welcome.

Hi @runematic
That is cool. Apologies if the comment was out of place.