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Pizza Mess

Doc_Eggerton
Doc_Eggerton Posts: 5,321
edited February 2012 in EggHead Forum
OK, I baked bread for the first time on my BGE today, and it turned out just fine.

Just tried pizza, and I had a problem.

I used dough from the local bakery, and rolled it our on top of flour so it would not stick.  Shifted the dough into a floured pan and put the toppings on.  when I went to put it on the baking stone it was too limp to slide, and I could not get the peelers under it.  I ended up sliding and pushing onto the stone, and reshaping it a little.

OK Egg Heads, how should I have handled the dough differently.

BTW, by way of introductions.  I bought my first BGE (a large) about six weeks ago.  About a month later I bought an Extra Large.  We have cooked almost all our evening meals on the BGEs, frequently using both.  Highlights are smoked salmon, smoke fresh ham, and killer wings.  Our most frequent dish is grilled vegetables.

Doc

XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

Comments

  • I had the same problem. The gods of Eggdom suggested doing all pizza work on parchment paper. You can pull the paper out after a few min of cooking.
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • Hi54putty
    Hi54putty Posts: 1,873
    +1

    parchment paper was a life saver for me. 
    XL,L,S 
    Winston-Salem, NC 
  • I don't pull the parchment paper out at all.  I leave it there, and pull it over to the peel when the pizza is ready.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • It actually came out pretty visually good, and taste great.  I will try the paper method.

    Doc

    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

  • Use parchment, I pull the paper after 2-3 minutes, then I can check to see how the crust is doing towards the end of the cook. I also watch for hot spots on the crust and spin the za around to prevent it from getting to hot in one spot. Keep trying it does get better. It tastes amazing on the egg. We don't order in anymore.
    Large, small, and a mini
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,432
    Since you already have a peel ("peelers") just build the pizza on the peel (hopefully its a wooden one).  I get the dough stretched to size on the countertop, dust the top with flour, sprinkle some cornmeal on the wooden peel with a dedicated salt shaker, then flip the dough upside down onto the peel, dress the pie quickly, then shake the pie on the peel right before you slide it onto the stone to make sure it isn't sticking anywhere.  Cornmeal on the stone itself is not necessary!!  
    I've never tried the parchment method but it sounds pretty foolproof, especially if you don't currently have a wooden peel.  But, my method works perfectly too, and I don't have to worry about the paper after the pie is cooked.
    Good luck, and post pics!  
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • Cowdogs
    Cowdogs Posts: 491
    edited February 2012
    I use parchment too, for 2-3 minutes, and then pull it out. Parchment is foolproof, and it allows you to make the pizza 60 minutes or more ahead of time and still get a perfect landing on the stone. You can't do this any other way I know of.

    I also use pizza screens, but not for putting the pizza on the egg. Here's the thing, the egg cooks a great pizza, but it is not easy to control the heat of the stone relative to the heat in the dome. I want a perfect pie... brown on the bottom, but not burnt, and I want my cheese and toppings to have lightly browned edges on the top.
    So after pulling the parchment, I'll check the pizza's bottom in 5 minutes, and if it looks brown enough I will slide a screen under the pizza. The screen will lift the pizza about 1/8" off the stone, and this really slows down the browning on the bottom. Now I can keep cooking the pizza until the top is done to my liking, and not worry about the bottom getting burnt.

    I don't always need the screen, but when I do, it works.



  • olive oil on the stone, never has stuck on me
  • gerhardk
    gerhardk Posts: 942
    I think 500º+ will smoke the olive oil, when using cornmeal I have found that it burns and leaves a bitter flavour, I vote for the parchment method.  

    Cowdogs I like your idea of using the screen to control the browning of the bottom of the pie, I find after the second pizza I tend to get a bit darker crust than what we like.

    Gerhard
  • No cornmeal or parchment paper for me. Flour on the peel and the stone gives me exactly what I'm looking for.
  • Cowdogs
    Cowdogs Posts: 491
    edited February 2012
    Try leaving the pizza on the peel for 45 minutes, and see if it comes off with just flour.

    I use a pretty fairly wet dough. Flour only works for me if I slide it off within 5 minutes or so.
  • Cowdogs
    Cowdogs Posts: 491
    olive oil on the stone, never has stuck on me

    I am not talking about sticking to the stone, and neither is the OP. If your stone is hot, nothing will stick.
  • Try rice flour or semolina flour on your peel and I bet dough won't stick to the peel...that being said, I use parchment every time, primarily so I can build pizzas ahead of time on it.
  • my pizza is never on the peel for more than five minutes. Using a medium with the small (12") stone we make several pizza's. keep shaking it and you're good. Once part of it  is on the stone you're golden. Just put a finger on the pie where it's on the stone and slide out the peel. eezy peezy lemon squeezy. watch it thru the topp!
  • I always use alittle cornmeal on pan then put dough on andcook for 3 to5 min.
    then pull off should have a light crust starting build pizza then slide off on to stone.
    Works great for me and my homemade dough
  • Cowdogs
    Cowdogs Posts: 491
    I agree, for less than 10 minutes cornmeal and semolina work fine. However cornmeal can burn, and semolina won't make it 10 minutes with a wet dough.

    I like to make the pizzas well in advance, and let the egg sit at 650+ for 30+ minutes. When everyone is ready to eat, I can turn out 2 pizzas, perfectly cooked on both top and bottom, in less than 20 minutes.
  • I picked up a couple of pizza screens from Gordon's. Build the pizza right on the screen and set it on the stone.
  • Cowdogs
    Cowdogs Posts: 491
    I picked up a couple of pizza screens from Gordon's. Build the pizza right on the screen and set it on the stone.


    Just one tip on using screens ... be sure you cook the pizza soon after making it. If you let the pizza sit around on the screen too long, the dough can "sink" into the screen a bit, and you'll end up with an aluminum pizza crust.
  • Gato
    Gato Posts: 766
    @ Cowdogs

    Great idea on the use of the screen to control crust. Not always needed but a nice backup. Thanks
    Geaux Tigers!!!
  • boatbum
    boatbum Posts: 1,273

    Used to do cornmeal - learned here about parchment paper - swear by it now.

     

    Cookin in Texas