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how high is your pizza?

Never Summer
Never Summer Posts: 162
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I love pizza on the egg, but sometimes the bottom crust is definitely done and the top isn't quite there. Should I be cooking higher in the dome?

I'm a potter so I didn't buy the typical egg accessories, but my stone (13" round kiln shelf in my case) is even with the top of the bottom half of the egg and I have a large egg. I use 1/2 kiln bricks around the perimeter to raise the grate I have the stone on. I've had dome temp at 550 and am wondering if I should have the pizza higher into the dome? A lower temp? Doesn't sound right, but maybe.

I've heard higher temps are better for pizza but wouldn't the crust burn long before the top is done? I followed someone's suggestion on this forum to wipe the stone with a wet rag to cool it down a bit right before sliding the pizza from the peel, but the bottom is still ready to come out while the top is not done.

Any ideas on what adjustment to make? The pizzas are close to perfection, but not quite there! I'm new to this whole egging world - any advice is much appreciated!

Thanks,

Patty

Comments

  • i always thought you were supposed to get high then make pizza? huh? :huh: blink :blink:

    anyways, i think the temp really depends on what kind of crust you are using. i use the premade mama mary's crusts and bake them at about 420. i tried raising the pizza up into the dome like this

    pizza-017.jpg

    but it really works better for me like this

    pizzaasparagus-002.jpg

    chipotleprocspizza-009.jpg
  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
    Howdy Patty
    I don't think the height is that important, as long as your pizza ia above the gasket line. The more important thing is your pizza stone. It always pays, and especially when you are doing multiple pies, to put some spacers between the pizza stone and your "other" ceramic. Copper pipe elbows, the big green egg feet, anything to create an air gap so your pizza stone ends up the same temp as the air in your cooker.

    My buddy Cap'n and I cooked something like 26 pizzas when Woodoggies got married. The spacers were critical. Without them, the first pie comes out fine, but then the stones heat up too much and you start burning the bottom before the toppings are done. Spacers were the answer.


    Just some idears. Good luck!
    Chris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
    Ah yes! An illustration of spacers in many forms!
    You da mang, mang.
    Chris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
  • Avocados
    Avocados Posts: 465
    I use the plate setter (legs down) and then put the three little green feet that came with my Egg to hold the pizza stone on top of the plate setter with an airspace between them.

    This puts the top of the stone about an inch or so above the felt line on the bottom half of the egg. The space between the plate setter and stone is about 3/4 inch.

    My pizza's cook with the bottom of the dough and the toppings coming out good at the same time. Dome temp is usually around 500 +/- 50 degrees.

    I usually have heavy toppings and lots of cheese so it has to cook thoroughtly. This works is using both the premade pizza crust like Boboli and also with dough purchased from publix. (I'm too lazy to make my own.)

    Cheese is cooked until it is browned and bubbly and the crust is almost crunchy and lightly brown in some places.
  • Thanks, Rick - your pizza is definitely higher than mine! I thought maybe I'd have to "smoke a fatty" before the pizza.

    Thanks for the pics.

    Patty
  • Thanks to you and Nature Boy - I think I'm a bit low in the egg and will try a few inches higher next weekend.

    I'll let you know the results.

    Patty
  • Thanks Chris, I've missed any previous discussion on this. Makes perfect sense. I learned something new! Cheers, Scott
  • Puj
    Puj Posts: 615
    There are other factors to consider when baking the pizza in addition to the setup of the stone(s) in addition to what I've read in this thread. Here are a couple to ponder:

    - Wetness of the dough: Hydration counts, the wetter the dough the slower the bottom crust will burn. You may have to tweak your dough formula ...

    - Stone's surface temp: You can use current technologies such as an infrared thermometer, or you can use centuries' old technologies such as taking a couple of pinches of flour (bread, AP, or High-gluten), sprinkle the flour on top of the stone and time how long it takes for the flour to turn a brownish color. For my pizzas, 15 to 20 seconds is the target time frame for the flour to brown and know that the stone's surface temp is "favorable".

    Keep at it; nothing like experimenting and getting it the way you like it.

    Puj
  • Slick
    Slick Posts: 382
    I like the cheese very brown. If the crust gets done too soon, I pop it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off.
  • Thanks, Puj. I never thought about the wetness of the dough. I'll have to play around with that one. This dough was a bit drier than usual.

    Patty
  • Oledog
    Oledog Posts: 118
    The pies look awesome; I have three questions.

    What is the paper under the pizza?

    How long do you cook them?

    Dome open or closed or both?

    Thanks,
    Chris
  • wow... thanks, mon.

    this is pretty far down the thread list and i just happened to see it. i'm watching american idol like a car crash :P

    - parchment paper
    - about 20 to 25 minutes
    - dome closed

    *i can sing!*