Calling all Pizza experts

JB · October 2009

I've only done a few on the Egg, decent results but no WOW factor. I decided to try one with fresh mozzarella the other night, can't remember the brand but it was about $12/ lb. I drained the liquid, dried with paper towels and used about 2/3 lb (sliced) on the pizza below. It basically turned into a puddle. I had to pull at about 12 mins, crust was done. I let it sit for a while and the cheese did set up a bit. We ate it, taste was good, but not the yellow/ browned look/ texture I was shooting for. So, pizza experts, is the problem:

a) this type of mozz should not be used for pizza?
b) did I use too much cheese?
c) did I cook too hot (550) causing crust to finish before top?

Set-up is below, didn't get a pic of the finished pizza but you get the idea. Thanks for the input.

fishlessman · October 2009

get the deli mozzerella in the deli section next to the american cheese, have them cut a block so that you can grate it yourself.

JB · October 2009

So, "fresh" mozz= no good for pizza?

FearlessGrill · October 2009

JB,

I've used fresh mozz before without any issues, cut into pieces like you did. As you can see in the pic, it browned nicely, and worked fine.

Not sure what the issue you had was - maybe it was just the particular cheese you used. Maybe you cut the pieces a bit thick. I didn't do 'before and after' shots with ours, so I'm not really sure how thick we started with.

I asked my wife, who is the chef in the family, if she had any ideas, and she said that when you get a fresh mozzarella pizza out at a place like Bertucci's, the cheese is melted, but not browned. She thought you might have put too much cheese on your pizza, resulting in the pieces melting together into a large goo.

Good luck with your next one.

Basic%20pizza%203.jpg

-John

fishlessman · October 2009

you can use it, but it is wetter, go lighter with it and use drier ingrediants to pair with it, very light sauce etc. the deli stuff is drier like the preshredded stuff but its not covered with a starch product like the prebagged shredded stuff, the coated prebagged stuff doesnt melt right either though i do use it on occassion. i also like the ball mozzerella when using partially cooked crusts as the bottom layer in a deep dish.

Serial Griller · October 2009

I'm not an expert but I like using fresh Mozzarella.
You did everything correct.Try using an egg slicer to slice you cheese it will be thinner and then put it on paper towels to soak up excess moisture.Also use it sparingly in the middle of the pie to keep it from puddling and soaking your crust.
Hope this helps...Keep eggsperimenting!
Jon

So Cal EGGhead · October 2009

As a rule of thumb, too much of any topping atop a pizza will cause it to take longer to cook. I agree with the "too thick" posted above by fearless. If you used fresh cheese, which is perfectly ok and sometimes preferred, it cannot be cut too thick if you are looking for it to melt evenly.

Thickness of crust and temparature are also big factors. I tend to cook mine at about 650. I have used every type of cheese and have yet to have a problem. Try cheese at room temp before you put on pizza and/or thinner slices.

RRP · October 2009

not purporting to be an expert, but like clockwork I make a pizza every two weeks and have for years! I much prefer fresh mozzarella balls. I then cut them into uniform thickness using a wire egg slicer. I limit the mozzarella to only 4 oz per pizza, but also use harvarti, romano, munster and asiago cheeses as well in addition to Italian sausage, onion, green pepper and mushrooms.

fishlessman · October 2009

i like that idea, i do use the ball mozzerella at times and grating is messy with those, skinned knuckles etc. heres one with a grated ball, looks like alot of sauce but its less than 2 tablespoons and not much cheese per pie
http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=55&func=view&catid=1&id=411252

Ross in Ventura · October 2009

I think your cheese slices are too thick or your pizza stone was not up to temp.

Ross

Bacchus · October 2009

I agree with others. Fresh Mozz on pie is great, but perhaps you went with a little too much. And actually it doesnt look bad to me.

JB · October 2009

Thanks for all the input folks. I'm going to try it again with thinner slices and a little less cheese overall. Will also try the deli mozz grated and compare.

SuperDave · October 2009

Have you ever tried Fontina cheese? It's delicious, melts really nicely and has a great creamy texture and great flavor. You can use it alone or mix it with your favorite cheese.

I'm still not happy with my crust recipe or technique... any tips to offer would be appreciated!

Think about the Fontina cheese idea... I love it!

reelgem · October 2009

Great idea Ron!! I love the fresh mozzarella too!!

fishlessman · October 2009

experiment more with techniques, for me its best cooked at higher temps even though i like an occassional low temp deep dish. i found temps play more a part than actual recipes with thin crusts. with deep dish the recipe seems to play a bigger part for me. ill spend the time makeing deep dish crusts, but for thin crusts pretty much store bought will work for me.

SuperDave · October 2009

I use 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups bread flour, one packet of Fleishman's yeast or the equivalent bloomed in 3/4 cups of 105º water for 10 minutes then add three tablespoons of honey to it to feed the yeast.

Salt the flour and sift it all into mixing bowl. Add yeast mixture and stir till it comes together then add additional 3/4 cup of warm water or enough to make moisture content right.

I let it rest in fridge for about a half hour then knead until smooth, coat with olive oil and knead another minute. Recoat with olive oil place in bowel and cover lightly with cling wrap and a moist towel in a warm place until doubled in size.

Do you recognize anything wrong with this recipe or technique?

Just trying to figure it all out...

fishlessman · October 2009

like i said, i mostly just stick to the generic grocery store doughs, try cooking it at different temps, there is a big difference cooking a dough at 500 compared to say 850. i like them better cooked hot and thin (one dough ball yeilds three pizzas) and they come out moist and a little more chewy that way. i also find i like them cooked directly on the stone and cornmeal is a big nono at higher temps, i just have a little flour on the board to slide it onto the stone. i bet the store bought is made as cheap as possible, flour water yeast salt sugar. play with temps, everyone mentions the temps they cook a pie at, but i can tell you depending on the pie im building those temps can be anywhere from 400 to 1200 degrees :laugh:

Unknown · October 2009

I have found my local grocery stores carry marinated Mozz...little balls beteween marble and golfball in size. I love them for pizza, the marinade is primarily italian spices too.

Aron · October 2009

In addition to thinner slices and less cheese overall, one tip I learned was to use less cheese in the middle of the pizza than on the outsides. Since the outside crust rises higher than the topped part of the pizza, gravity will tend to pool the melting cheese towards the middle and you'll get coverage there even without putting cheese there directly. This particularly works with the wet cheeses like fresh mozzerella (not sure about grated deli mozz). Perhaps this would also help prevent the puddle you mention in your initial post.
I use a slightly higher heat than you (usually 650-750), so maybe that makes a difference too, but I've seen lots of great looking pizzas on lower temp settings from this forum.

icemncmth · October 2009

A few pizza tips....

Don't use pre-shredded cheese it contains usually corn starch to keep it from clumping and that also keeps it from melting correctly..

If using fresh mozz packed in water understand that some have a higher hydration than others and can cause a soggy pizza.

When I use fresh mozz I take it out of the water the night before and put it in a coffee filter and suspend it in a glass to allow water to drain out..

Try mixing your cheese. ( mozz + havarti ) Each cheese will melt and brown at a different temp. This can be a good thing because it will allow you to have a nice melt a browning of cheese.

When using any topping use at room temp.

Number one mistake when making a pizza is the crust...most people have a tendency to make the dough slope to the center ...or the dough is thinner in the center causing the sauce and toppings to flow to the center of the pizza.

They key to a really good pizza is pay attention to your toppings. Some have a higher fat content and that can make your pizza soggy. Some have a higher water content..again soggy pizza. Some have a higher sugar content and that can burn at a higher heat..

For greasy toppings like pepperoni or salami I will wrap in a few paper towels and nuke for 30 seconds. This will heat the meat up and the paper towels will soak up the excess fat.

A good trick to do with fresh tomatoes is to cut and put on paper towels. Salt each slice and let some of the water drain out of the toms..

You can also take your fresh vegi's and nuke them to give them a head start in the cooking process...

If you want a crust that browns more..add a T of sugar to the recipe.

Calling all Pizza experts

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