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Parchment Paper and pizza...explain this to me one more time

I know that this has probably been discussed to death, but I'm a little confused when it comes to using parchment paper, fresh dough and a pizza peel.  I'm frustrated with my dough sticking to the peel, and I've tried semolina flour and cornmeal.   I'm pretty sure that the solution is parchment paper, based on all the praise I've seen, but I wanted to be 100% sure of the process itself before I burn a bunch of paper and ruin a good pizza. Tell me if this is the right way:

- Put a piece of parchment paper directly on the pizza peel

- Roll out pizza dough to desired thickness, transfer to parchment paper

- trim around outside of pizza dough, leaving enough to grab later

- transfer everything to grill and heated pizza stone

- after several minutes, slide the parchment paper from underneath the crust

- continue to bake until crust is done

 

Is this right? Are there any variations?  I understand that the hotter the grill, the sooner I need to pull the paper out to avoid burning.  Do I need to put cornmeal or semolina on the parchment paper before I put the dough on it?

Sorry if I'm beating a dead horse, but without pictures or videos to help, I don't have a lot of faith in my reading comprehension. 

LBGE since June 2012

Omaha, NE

Comments

  • Bingo. That's how I do it. Not a big fan of the cornmeal so went to parchment. After pulling the paper, no need for any cornmeal or semolina. Then just cooked to your preferred level of doneness.
    Clarendon Hills, IL
  • jlsm
    jlsm Posts: 1,011
    You really don't need to pull the paper, but you should reposition your pizza about halfway through to compensate for high spots, so you might as well.
    *******
    Owner of a large and a beloved mini in Philadelphia
  • I just throw a little flour on the parchment and roll the dough right on it. I trim the parchment close to the pizza and throw it on the egg. Sometimes I'll pull the parchment but not at the expense of burned hand. I do them quite hot and never have had a problem

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • DonWW
    DonWW Posts: 424
    What is the heat tolerance of parchment?  I have been under the impression that it is around 400 or so, which is much lower than pizza temperature.
    XL and Medium.  Dallas, Texas.
  • I do as you stated , pull after a few minutes, continue to cook until done. I have had the parchment discolor from leaving it a little too long !
    Ova B.
    Fulton MO
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    I've had the parchment paper burn and fuse to the bottom of the pizza.  Depends on how hot your pizza stone is.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • I've never encountered any off flavours when it turns colour. I do try and pull it but if it doesn't come easy and I don't have tongs handy I just let it ride.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • I do as you stated , pull after a few minutes, continue to cook until done. I have had the parchment discolor from leaving it a little too long !
    +1.  On Pizza Night, we end up with a lot of discolored pieces of parchment.
    Flint, Michigan
  • I'm in the no parchment camp (even though I have used it in the past and know you can make fine pies with it).  A couple of thoughts:  if your dough is sticking even with cornmeal and semolina, your dough may be to hydrated.  I use an wooden peel and minimal corn flour and have very little sticking even with an 80% hydration dough; second any barrier between the stone and the dough will prevent (even if minimally) the removal of moisture from the dough during cooking and may not let your dough cook fast enough if cooking at higher temps.

    If you are going to stick with parchment, it appears you have the process down.
  • RAC
    RAC Posts: 1,688
    I got a Super Peel a few weeks ago and this thing really works great.

    Ricky

    Boerne, TX

  • I would suggest that instead of your step 2 where you transfer the rolled out dough to the parchment paper, that you roll out your dough directly on the parchment paper, IMHO.

  • I only flour my wooden peel and put the raw pizza straight onto the hot stone (no cornmeal).
    No need for parchment if you do the following.  
    1.) Have all ingredients cut up and ready to assemble.
    2.) Put ingredients on quickly.
    3.) Give the peel a little "shake" a few times when you're assembling your pizza so it won't stick.
    I've never had one stick doing it like this.

    Packerland, Wisconsin

  • gerhardk
    gerhardk Posts: 942
    lensegg said:
    I would suggest that instead of your step 2 where you transfer the rolled out dough to the parchment paper, that you roll out your dough directly on the parchment paper, IMHO.
    I am a parchment user but I would not suggest rolling anything out on parchment, you would end up pushing the paper around your work surface but the dough would not get much action.  Having said that I don't use a rolling pin at all, take the dough ball push down in the middle working it to about 3/4 of  an inch of the perimeter, then pick it up to stretch it, when I have it thin enough I put it down on parchment covered peel.  Doing the dough this way leaves you a higher crust around the edge just like they do at your favourite pizza place.

    Gerhard
  • SaltySam
    SaltySam Posts: 887

    Thanks to everyone! I'll make sure to post pics on the next pizza night. 

    LBGE since June 2012

    Omaha, NE

  • @SaltySam, late to your post, but didn't see this tip. I trim the paper to the size of my stone, just put the stone on a piece of paper and draw a line around the outside, Trim the paper to be 1/2" less than the stone size, ensures no overhang. Put the paper on the peel. Roll, hand form or whatever the dough to be about the same size as the paper, transfer the dough to it, no flour/meal. 

    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • gerhardk said:
    lensegg said:
    I would suggest that instead of your step 2 where you transfer the rolled out dough to the parchment paper, that you roll out your dough directly on the parchment paper, IMHO.
    I am a parchment user but I would not suggest rolling anything out on parchment, you would end up pushing the paper around your work surface but the dough would not get much action.  Having said that I don't use a rolling pin at all, take the dough ball push down in the middle working it to about 3/4 of  an inch of the perimeter, then pick it up to stretch it, when I have it thin enough I put it down on parchment covered peel.  Doing the dough this way leaves you a higher crust around the edge just like they do at your favourite pizza place.

    Gerhard
    I don't roll either, dunno how that came out

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • I had to use a lot of flour to get my pizza to slide off of the peel. The pizza was good, but the flour on the bottom of the dough did hinder the taste a bit.

     

    I cook my at over 700 degrees, so I don't know about using parchment paper.

     

    I'm curious of the "hydration in the dough" comment. Is there something I can do to the dough to make it be less sticky? Right now I use the recipe from the big green egg page with minor modifications. After its risen for 1.5 hours I usually make the pizza immediately. Would it be better to let the dough sit, or refrigerate it for a day first?

     

     

  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    @HAWKCARL - depends on many things. The type of flour being a big one. Some flour has more gluten than others, reacts different to being worked hot or cold and wether used dry or wet. IMHO the best pies I've made have a sticky dough, I've never been able to get a bread like dry dough to taste right.

    Never cooked with parchment much above 600º and I use it all the time, not sure how it would react at 700º. The paper is only under the crust for a few minutes. It is used to get the pie onto the stone easily. Once the crust has started to set, it is pulled out, at 700º prolly in 3 minutes or so. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
    Buy 2 Air Bake pizza pans...16" from Target or Amazon and don't worry about parchment paper or any thing else ever again... 
  • flynnbob
    flynnbob Posts: 665
    I pull the parchment paper after a minute or so on the stone. It slides right out and you do not have to worry about it burning.
    Milton, GA.
  • corn meal or flour on the paddle and a couple of "is it still moving around" shakes while quickly adding the toppings and you will not need parchment.  I too am anti-rolling pin as the rolling deflates the crust too much for my preferred style of pizza.
  • I put a product called Wondra on the work surface before I roll the dough out.  Then a light sprinkle of Wondra on the peel. 

    Right before I put the pizza on the Egg I lift up an edge of the pizza and blow under it.  It makes the pizza float up off the peel.  Slides off easily every time.

    I used this method for 14 pies on Saturday and not one stuck.

    Woodbury, MN. Large BGE
  • jerryp
    jerryp Posts: 232
    don't use the stuff with aluminum foil on one side. I burned the hell out of one using that stuff.