Pizza fails

Richtermedic

Ive done pizza twice now. Fails both times. Tonight is attempt # 3. Hoping the third time is the charm. Someone wanna tell me whatim doing wrong? First time, dough was dry. May have been too dry when put it on. Also cooked for 20 + minutes. Which I'm sure didn't help. I sent it to london for the discus toss. Second time, had a real hard time getting dough onto plate setter. Was stuck to my pan. The. Cooked for 6 minutes at 420 and crust still came out on theurnt side on the bottom while toppings were only warm. Using inverted plate setter at @400-420. Suggestions?

tazcrash

sounds like you need to get the stone higher up. This way the toppings have a chance to cook, and the bottom will cook slower.
As far as sticking, some use parchment paper, I use corn meal.
Also i build my pizza on the peel, and make sure it still slides.

HTH

MikeP624

do not put pizza on plate setter.  Go with plate setter legs up, grid and then a pizza stone.  Or plate setter legs down, spacers and then a pizza stone.  This should help keep the bottom from burning. 

Also, i cook pizzas at around 550.  Make sure the pizza stone is up to temp.

chuff

do not put pizza on plate setter.  Go with plate setter legs up, grid and then a pizza stone.  Or plate setter legs down, spacers and then a pizza stone.  This should help keep the bottom from burning. 

Also, i cook pizzas at around 550.  Make sure the pizza stone is up to temp.

^^this

Also, if your pizza is stuck to your peel just lift an edge of the crust and blow under it. Seriously. It will ripple up all the way across and come loose. After that you just have to keep it moving around on the peel until you get it on the stone. Just be careful and blow gently. If you aren't careful you'll turn your pizza into a hovercraft and it will motor right off the edge of your peel!

midwestsmoker

Try everything mentioned above and consider a pre-made pizza to get the hang of placement and temperature, may be a little less frustrating.

tazcrash

midwestsmoker said:

Try everything mentioned above and consider a pre-made pizza to get the hang of placement and temperature, may be a little less frustrating.

+1 i used local pizza joint dough for my first 4 cooks.

Bullhalsey

Easiest way I've found, and mine come out great, is don't overdo it w/flour, work the dough for a while till u get it round(make sure to let that dough sit and rise for a few hours) then put the dough on a piece of parchment paper. When all your toppings are on, take it out to the egg w/a pizza peel, parchment paper and all, and slide it off onto your pizza stone. Temp should be at least 550. Give it about 3 min, then just slide the parchment paper out from under the pie in one quick motion. Let it cook till crust is nice n brown. It's trial and error the 1st few times, but once you perfect it, there's no pizza like it.

nolaegghead

do not put pizza on plate setter.  Go with plate setter legs up, grid and then a pizza stone.  Or plate setter legs down, spacers and then a pizza stone.  This should help keep the bottom from burning. 

Also, i cook pizzas at around 550.  Make sure the pizza stone is up to temp.

^^this

Also, if your pizza is stuck to your peel just lift an edge of the crust and blow under it. Seriously. It will ripple up all the way across and come loose. After that you just have to keep it moving around on the peel until you get it on the stone. Just be careful and blow gently. If you aren't careful you'll turn your pizza into a hovercraft and it will motor right off the edge of your peel!

Cool tip!  I'm gonna try that.

SkinnyV

Pizza fails are part of the pains of learning to pizza. I've had plenty , always had something to eat off em . It gets better with practice.

jimreed777

my suggestion:

http://www.amazon.com/EXO-Super-Pizza-Solid-White/dp/B001T6OVPO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1345068501&sr=8-4&keywords=pizza+peel

works GREAT!

Hillbilly-Hightech

+1 for the Super Peel - it works just as advertised.  However, after receiving it, I realized how simple it was to make your own (never dawned on me the construction of it as I was looking @ the pics & watching the videos prior to purchase). 

Anyway, if you have or know how to use a router, and have some spare fabric, and a clip, you can make your own "super" peel.  Or you can just buy one... whatever floats yer boat B-)

Anyway, you've already gotten some darned good advice regarding the pizzas - I agree that you may wanna try a Costco raw, or a Papa Murphy's till you get the hang of it. 

FWIW, my pizza setup is: 

1. plate setter legs up
2. cooking grid on top of the legs of the plate setter
3. BGE ceramic feet (or bricks, or even balls of aluminum) on top of the cooking grid]
4. pizza stone
5. corn meal on pizza stone
6. pizza

Also, make sure you give PLENTY of time for the plate setter & pizza stone to get up to temp - just cuz the Egg's dome thermo says "XXX" temp, that doesn't necessarily mean the ceramic pieces (ie, the stone & the setter) are at the same temp.  They are huge heat sinks & will take time to achieve temp equilibrium. 

HTH,

Rob

hogsfan

I received the Superpeel as a Father's Day present. It works EXACTLY as advertised and I absolutely love it, but HH is right, there is not much to it. If I broke mine, I would buy one again in a second though just because it works so well. 

When we have pizza parties, my wife will make multiple pies on the counter and I can scoop them right up off the counter with no corn meal or extra flour. This leaves much less to clean up both inside and outside and now there is no burned corn meal to deal with around the egg.

vettes2

I bake right on the plate setter legs down at 550-600. Large BGE.

I use PANKO bread crumbs on the bottom of the dough.

This adds flavor and crunch and the pizza slides right off every time.

2 -3minutes on the setter lift+slide the pizza and put it on a  pan,

place a spacer

I use a 10x10 inch un glazed quarry tile (70 cents,LOWES) and replace the pan

on top of that, continue to the end, usually 6-10 minutes more.

yzzi

Another tip is to not build your pizza until the last minute before you're putting it on the egg. The moisture when it sits on the peel makes it prone to stick it seems.