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First try on pizza...Q's

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drbrjb01
drbrjb01 Posts: 39
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
ok, I just got my Egg a week ago and I decided to try pizza...I made a home made dough recipe but i had a couple of issues. I took the grid out and put the platesetter in and the pizza stone on top of the platesetter. I think the first mistake is that I could only get the temp up to 450...I think it is becasue i had not cleaned it out and it was the 3rd time i used most of that charcoal. so i ended up having it on for about 20 minutes and it was ok, not great and the crust was almost too crispy, it was also really thin and I would prefer a thicker crust.

My question is, would it help my crust if I had it hotter, say 600 and got it on and off the stone more quickly with more dough for a thicker crust?

Thanks for the help.
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  • kmellecker
    kmellecker Posts: 332
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    Using charcoal for a third time is great, just add more if needed. The heat issue sounds more like an air flow problem. If you don't choose to clean out the old lump before returning it to the Egg, stir it well with the clean out tool and get as much ash as possible thru the grate. Clean out all the ash and use your Wiggle Rod, stiff coat hanger, whatever, to poke thru the bottom of the grate to loosen up the lump to allow for more air flow. With those few adjustments, you should be able to reach 550 dome without a problem. Put in your plate setter legs down and separate the pizza stone with the green feet(I use 1/2" copper tubing)to allow for air flow. I like a thin crust and the pizza is done in about 8 minutes. Less toppings seem to work better than more. Hope this helps and welcome aboard.
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,741
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    generally with thicker crust and more toppings the lower temps are what you want, 450 may be just fine, i go down to around 350 for thick deep dish. separate the stone from the platesetter like was suggested, the stone may get too hot otherwise for what your doing but it works for some with it sitting right on the setter. experimenting is key, what your looking for is most likely different than what others look for in a pie, thats why they make so many different kinds and styles of pizza.
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    The dough recipe is more to blame for the thin crust than the temperatures.

    Did you let the dough rise too long or do a double rise? A lot of times that will be the cause of a poor oven spring.

    How much yeast was in your recipe? Was there any sugar in the recipe? Did you use the appropriate amount and type of salt (kosher is not as good for baking as regular table salt).
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,741
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    is it because of the grain size with the kosher or another reason
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    Its important to really pre-heat the platesetter/stone combo. That can take quite awhile, perhaps 1/2 an hour longer than it takes to get to the dome temperature you want.

    However, I've noticed that after awhile the stone will even be hotter than the dome temperature, and so must assume that the platesetter might be around 650 with a dome around 500. This level of heat works better for thinner pizzas w. light toppings. More heavily topped, the crust may char before the tops melts and heats thru.
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  • drbrjb01
    drbrjb01 Posts: 39
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    i used bread flour, table salt, live yeast, warm water and olive oil and let it sit on the counter for an hour...
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,741
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    did you roll it out or hand toss, rolling doesnt let it rise as much either. i dont make many doughs, usually buy it from a local backery, but hand tossed gives a lighter crust
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Large Marge
    Large Marge Posts: 404
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    Next time get the fire going and dome temp stable at 400+ before putting the platesetter on. As far as thin/thick crust you'll need to experiment with more water, less oil, more yeast, more rising time, etc-- there are a ton of variables and lots of good recipes posted on this site to help you. Best of luck!
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    Grain size of the salt (and crystalline structure) is one reason, the other is that there is actually more table salt in a teaspoon than there is kosher salt due to space between crystals.

    Baking is one of those areas that really calls for precision to get the desired results.
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    If you only allowed an hour from mixing to baking, then that would be my first guess as to the cause of a flat, dense crust. The yeast needs more time to get happy.
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,741
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    probably why everyones weighing things now, bought the scale a few years back just for pizza dough and still havent taken it out of the box
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    Exactly. I weigh dough ingredients to the gram. Even the water.
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  • FlaMike
    FlaMike Posts: 648
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    If you're using the BGE pizza stone, then you're making approx 12" pizzas. I weigh my dough and use about 16 oz for a thicker crust. Maybe 13-14 oz for a thinner crust, and even less if you want a really thin crust. You have to experiment, not only with dough weights, but also dough prep, and then the patting, rolling, tossing, etc.
    Just don't get discouraged. Keep on trying, it keeps getting get better.
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  • drbrjb01
    drbrjb01 Posts: 39
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    thanks, i won't quit, it actually tasted good, just not the texture i wanted...also i think i needed a bit more sauce...i read so much about not putting too much on that i think i might have put too little...also going to try some different cheeses...jsut did mozzarella this time
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  • FlaMike
    FlaMike Posts: 648
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    The amount of sauce used to be a problem for me also until a friend suggested I measure 1/2 cup for a 12" pie. I did, and it's now my standard.
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    One of my favorite pizza tips is to avoid using the pre-shredded mozzarella that you can buy in bags. Go to the deli counter of your supermarket and get 1/2 pound of thinly sliced mozz and 1/2 pound shredded.

    Lay the slices on top of your sauce, then add your other toppings, finally top with the shredded mozz. Makes for a terrific pizza with a ton of flavor.

    I also avoid using fresh mozz that is usually sold in balls and sometimes even in a tub of water. If you use too much it can actually leave puddles on your pizza. The moisture content of that cheese is not real conducive to great pizza in my opinion.
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