Pizza Heresy

jlsm · March 13

My husband has strongly resisted making pizza on the egg for unstated reasons. I finally talked him into a stone. I made cold fermented dough for the first time, got the egg up to 550-600, and cooked the best pizzas we have ever made. But I had two variables -- new dough and the egg -- so I couldn't make any conclusions. Yesterday, after the remaining dough had been in the fridge for three days, I cranked the oven to 550 and heated our old pizza tiles for a half hour. Made the same type of pizza, light sauce, pepperoni and moz. And they turned out just as good. Really. In the same amount of time. So in my view, the only reason to use the egg is if you don't want to heat up the kitchen.

Griffin · March 13

Neither the wife nor I felt like cooking last night, so we picked up Papa Murphys. Thought about putting it on the Egg, but realized I would have to add mroe charcoal, wait for the VOCs to burn off (20 to 30 minutes) before even starting the pizza. Ended up cranking the oven and tossing it in there. Was it better? Not sure, but it was less work and neither of us felt like doing any work last night.

Another reason to do it on the Egg is to impress friends. Don't overlook that one.

TonyA · March 13

I've yet to cook a pizza on the egg. We do in the oven regularly - i had always imagined you get that fire cooked flavor .. no?

SmokeyPitt · March 13

TonyA said:

I've yet to cook a pizza on the egg. We do in the oven regularly - i had always imagined you get that fire cooked flavor .. no?

Just my $.02 but I think you can definitely taste the egg flavor. It tastes like a pizza cooked from a wood fired oven. That's not to say the same pizza couldn't be just as good in the oven, but I do think you will notice a difference in flavor.

Mickey · March 13

Never add wood to our pizza cooks. To me the lump gives off just the right amount of smoke to

make pizza from the Egg a little better than the oven. I agree with Griffin, if tired the oven works.

Skiddymarker · March 13

Oven pizza is still a monthly event at our house. It is good, but it is not a wood fired pizza, which happens maybe three times a month. Like @Mickey says, the lump just gives the right amount of smoke. I've also noted the amount of smoke taken on by the pizza decreases with respect to higher egg temps (maybe because at higher temps the pie is not in the egg as long). A target dome of 500-550 and an 8-10 minute cook gives just the right amount of smoke.

Chubbs · March 13

95% of my pizzas have been skillet pies for the past few years. There is no comparison in oven and egg on these IMO. Egg cooks it better and the flavor is so much better.

SWVABeanCounter · March 13

We'd been making our own pizzas for years before we got the egg. The egg just takes it to another level. One more type of restaurant I won't go to. Unfortunately I like skillet best and SWMBO likes thin crust. Which do y'all think we make most?

Mama Roneck · March 13

We do pizzas in the oven and egg frequently. Either two pizza stones in the oven or just one in the egg, but as high up in the dome as possible.

I've never noticed a huge difference in flavor, but the recovery time is much better on the egg - meaning we can cook more pizzas faster. I keep the egg at 550-600 for pizzas, while our gas oven maintains a constant 500 about as well as a non-commercial oven can.

daffy1909 · March 13

we have done pizza nite for years on fridays,got the egg at christmas and there is no doubt its better on the egg!nice crisp crust,little smoke,just like wood fired! i cook mine 600-650! 7-8 mins

\:D/

Charlie tuna · March 13

Made my own pizza dough and things came up to where we didn't use it for three days. It sat in the refrig. We both think it made a big improvement -- kind of extra thin and crispy. Will try this again!!??

MrCookingNurse · March 13

my secret to egging a pizza is this and simply this, IT IS COOL AND IMPRESSIVE TO OTHERS!!!!

lol, my wife makes homemade pizza a couple times a month in the oven, they are amazing. I get the egg to 1000 degrees because it is awesome, i make a wood fire'd pie at 600-700 because i can and my friends think its cool. haha

@griffin right bro??

caliking · March 13

I made pizzas with tipo 00 flour for the first time recently, and was not overly impressed with the crust compared to regular KA AP flour. Since then folks have mentioned that tipo 00 flour likes higher heat, so to try that I will need the egg. The home oven tops out at about 500-550°F, but the egg can chug along at 800°F+. For home ovens, apparently cooking on the top rack will help cook the toppings quicker since the pie is closer to heat reflected off the top of the oven.

michigan_jason · March 13

MrCookingNurse said:

my secret to egging a pizza is this and simply this, IT IS COOL AND IMPRESSIVE TO OTHERS!!!!

lol, my wife makes homemade pizza a couple times a month in the oven, they are amazing. I get the egg to 1000 degrees because it is awesome, i make a wood fire'd pie at 600-700 because i can and my friends think its cool. haha

@griffin right bro??

That's what's up haha.

Eggcelsior · March 13

Charlie tuna said:

Made my own pizza dough and things came up to where we didn't use it for three days. It sat in the refrig. We both think it made a big improvement -- kind of extra thin and crispy. Will try this again!!??

Yes. Cold-aged dough is awesome on days 3-5. Not so much day 6 and later. The cold air retards the yeast's ability to digest sugars in the dough(waste product is CO2), creating better flavor compounds. The gluten development is improved as well.

Found this out on Serious Eats Pizza Lab

jlsm · March 13

I have to say the cold fermented dough is amazing. I don't usually think that far ahead, but with a five-day leeway, it can be managed. I used KA's bread dough.

caliking · March 13

MrCookingNurse said:

my secret to egging a pizza is this and simply this, IT IS COOL AND IMPRESSIVE TO OTHERS!!!!

lol, my wife makes homemade pizza a couple times a month in the oven, they are amazing. I get the egg to 1000 degrees because it is awesome, i make a wood fire'd pie at 600-700 because i can and my friends think its cool. haha

@griffin right bro??

Do you fire the egg only with wood for pizzas? I've thought about doing this to get more of a wood-fired taste.

nineee · March 13

What do you mean by cold-aged dough? Is that dough from a sourdough starter? I've made pizza with my sourdough starter and while the crust was certainly crisp (we like thin crust) it didn't seem worth all the work and wait involved. We've made our own pizza for years and have the recipe down pat cooking in the stove oven. Couldn't see an appreciable difference as far as crisp.

But the person above is right--it is impressive to make pizza for friends on the egg.

Eggcelsior · March 13

Cold aging is just letting your dough rise very slowly in the fridge. Yeast action doubles every 18 degrees F. The floor is 40 and the roof is 131. At room temperature, yeast is 4x more active than 40. By slowing it down, better flavors develop because the yeast can't
turn sugars into carbon dioxide as quickly, causing better flavor development.

Charlie tuna · March 13

Eggcelsior said:

Charlie tuna said:

Made my own pizza dough and things came up to where we didn't use it for three days. It sat in the refrig. We both think it made a big improvement -- kind of extra thin and crispy. Will try this again!!??

Yes. Cold-aged dough is awesome on days 3-5. Not so much day 6 and later. The cold air retards the yeast's ability to digest sugars in the dough(waste product is CO2), creating better flavor compounds. The gluten development is improved as well.

Found this out on Serious Eats Pizza Lab

Thanks for that information Eggcelsior. I'll let you know how my next batch turns out!!

MrCookingNurse · March 13

@caliking
I wouldn't do that. I imagine the flavor would be horrendous. You'd prolly have problem getting it up too

@mickey

I've always gotten just enough from the lump. I think it has more to do with temp than anything

Chubbs · March 13

@Eggcelsior, that is exactly right. I am off this week and was watching food network earlier. There was a segment on a bagel shop and their dough. The guy said to let the dough sit in the fridge for a ha dful of days. It allows for the chewy more flavorful dough.... I would imagine this would translate Into thinner crust pies.... I'll bet my mini on order that Sam chimes in here at some point and will tell us he invented pizza.... :)) Joking Sam... Kind. Of.

milesbrown4 · March 13

Wow @Eggcelsior good info. Thanks this is very informative. I will have to try this out!

Botch · March 13

Eggcelsior said:

Cold aging is just letting your dough rise very slowly in the fridge. Yeast action doubles every 18 degrees F. The floor is 40 and the roof is 131.

:)) :)) :))

Man, I read that 3 or 4 times, thinking your refrigerator roof is at 131?!?!?

It's been a long day...

b-( :D

Optiontrader · March 14

Would anyone care to share their most awesome pizza dough recipe? I have only done fresh, never frozen, store bought pizzas.

caliking · March 14

MrCookingNurse said:

@caliking I wouldn't do that. I imagine the flavor would be horrendous. You'd prolly have problem getting it up too @mickey I've always gotten just enough from the lump. I think it has more to do with temp than anything

I was wondering I could simulate a wood-fired pizza oven, by firing it up with wood only and letting the egg get saturated with heat and letting the wood burn down to coals. Just a thought.

There's an off-color remark in there somewhere that I'm dying to make, but I'll let it slide to keep this a family friendly forum :))

Chubbs · March 14

@Caliking, that is what the pill is for brother... :))

Charlie tuna · March 14

Thin crust Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 cup warm water (about 105 degrees)

1 cup cake flour ------------- I used King Aurthers Bread Flour

1 cup - plus three tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a small bowl, wisk together the yeast, sugar and warm water and let stand until foamy, about five minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, combine the cake flour, all purpose flour and salt and pulse 3 or 4 times.

Whisk 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the yeats mixture.

With the motor running, slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more.

Pulse the machine 10 to 15 times to knead the dough. The dough should clean the insides of the bowl, but will be slightly sticky.

Coat the inside of a large bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.

Dust your hands with flour and remove the dough from the food processor. Form the dough into a ball and place in the bowl. Cover the bowltightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Divide the dough in half and roll out as directed in the pizza recipe. Makes two 10 inch thin crust pizzas.

Little Steven · March 14

caliking said:

MrCookingNurse said:

@caliking I wouldn't do that. I imagine the flavor would be horrendous. You'd prolly have problem getting it up too @mickey I've always gotten just enough from the lump. I think it has more to do with temp than anything
I was wondering I could simulate a wood-fired pizza oven, by firing it up with wood only and letting the egg get saturated with heat and letting the wood burn down to coals. Just a thought.

There's an off-color remark in there somewhere that I'm dying to make, but I'll let it slide to keep this a family friendly forum :))

Real bad idea to use wood in an egg. A few chunks yeah but a full bowl no.

Mickey · March 14

Tortillas for thin crust pizza.

Duganboy · March 14

jlsm said:

My husband has strongly resisted making pizza on the egg for unstated reasons. I finally talked him into a stone. I made cold fermented dough for the first time, got the egg up to 550-600, and cooked the best pizzas we have ever made. But I had two variables -- new dough and the egg -- so I couldn't make any conclusions. Yesterday, after the remaining dough had been in the fridge for three days, I cranked the oven to 550 and heated our old pizza tiles for a half hour. Made the same type of pizza, light sauce, pepperoni and moz. And they turned out just as good. Really. In the same amount of time. So in my view, the reason to use the egg is if you don't want to heat up the kitchen.

I have made pizza once a week for over a year. Always refrigerate the dough for three to five days. I love being on the deck when the weather is nice and cook pizza on the BGE, but when the weather is cold and the wind is blowing I just make them in the oven. Honestly, I agree with you @jslm I can't tell much difference in them.

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