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Pizza crust like rock. What did i do wrong?

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Danny
Danny Posts: 12
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I cooked my first BGE pizza today. Bought a BGE pizza stone. Used bread flour, yeast, salt, honey. Let it rise for two hours. Cooked at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. By the time my toppings were cooked the crust had become hard as a rock. Not burned (black, singed) just hard. Anyone got any advice. Thanks!
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  • Pharmeggist
    Pharmeggist Posts: 1,191
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    Danny ,
    Click on the link below for helpful tips. Scroll down the BGE forum to see my earlier post about Pondering the Perfect Pizza Recipe. I got several good responses.[p]Happpy Egging, Pharmeggist

    [ul][li]http://www.nakedwhiz.com/pizza.htm[/ul]
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  • Danny
    Danny Posts: 12
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    Pharmeggist, Thanks - good web page. I think i had my pizza stone too hot.

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  • Pharmeggist
    Pharmeggist Posts: 1,191
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    danny,
    I am curious about your pizza recipe. If you wouldn't mind posting it I would appreciate it.[p]Thanks, Pharmeggist

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  • ronbeaux
    ronbeaux Posts: 988
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    Danny ,
    needed oil in the mix. About 2 teaspoons.
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  • Ed
    Ed Posts: 123
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    Danny,[p]The July-August, 2006 issue of Cooks Illustrated had the following:[p]"To see what effect such extreme temperatures would have on my recipe, I borrowed a local pizzeria's commercial pizza oven. I baked my pizza (using combination of all-purpose flour and cake flour) and compared it with the pizzeria's (made with a dough that includes high-protein flour). Four minutes later, I expected two ultra-crisp pizzas to emerge, but mine was too soft, almost cakey. The crust made with high-protein flour was light, tender, and crisp. Back in the test kitchen, I made my recipe and the pizzeria's recipe (with the high-protein flour). This time the professional dough failed, yielding a tough, leathery crust. [p]Why did my recipe work well in a 500-degree test kitchen oven but not in an 800-degree commercial oven? And why didn't the professional recipe work in our oven? After some head scratching, I realized that time (not just temperature) has a big effect on the texture of the crust. In the super-hot professional oven, my dough cooked so quickly that it didn't have enough time to dry out and become crisp, high-protein flour was essential. Back in the test kitchen, the reverse was happening. The high-protein dough spent so much time in the oven that it became tough and crackery. The tenderizing, low-protein cake flour in my dough kept the interior of the crust soft while the prolonged baking time crisped the exterior. Apparently, you don't need an 8OO-degree oven to make great pizza-you just need the right dough for the job."[p]The ratio of flours in the Cook's Illustrated recipe was 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour and 1 cup cake flour, no bread flour, cooked in 500 degree oven for 10 minutes.
    [ul][li]Pizza Margherita[/ul]
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  • Spin
    Spin Posts: 1,375
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    Danny ,[p]Raise your cooking temperature to a very well heated 550 degrees and shorten the cooking time to 8 minutes. The crust cooked too long and dried out. You need a shorter cook at a higher temperature so the toppings will get done before the crust dries out.[p]Good luck,
    Spin
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  • Danny
    Danny Posts: 12
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    Pharmeggist, I just used a BGE recipe. Taste was great, just need to adjust my cooking time/heat. thx

    [ul][li]http://www.biggreenegg.com/recipes/newRecipes/baking0261.htm[/ul]
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  • Danny
    Danny Posts: 12
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    ronbeaux, Thanks - i will add some olive oil in next batch.

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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    Pharmeggist, Thanks - got it printed out. Will use for next batch.

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  • Danny
    Danny Posts: 12
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    Spin, Great - thanks. I will try that temp/time tonight.

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  • Danny
    Danny Posts: 12
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    Ed, thanks - i have been using "Bread Flour". Will try new flour.

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