An Easy Way to Do Pizza.

Anthony Up North

Those who are having trouble sliding a pizza onto the BGE, might want to consider this method.[p]I've been making pizza for 5 or 6 years, long before I bought my BGE a few months ago. I make my crust from scratch and also my Italian sausage. My wife and I like thin and crispy crust. Using a double layered pizza pan, the top layer having holes in it, I bake my crust (425 degrees) to about 1/3 doneness (about 10 minutes) BEFORE I put on the ingredients. This way the top of the crust will become tan & crispy, because it is not hindered by the sauce, cheese and meat during the initial baking, and because the partly baked crust will not absorb the moisture of the sauce as quickly as an unbaked crust would.[p]Then when the crust is about a third baked, I take it out of the oven, and put on the ingredients and return to oven (at 425) for another 10-12 minutes to complete the process. (Until the cheese begins to bubble). Comes out perfect every time. It would certainly rival any pizza house pizza.[p]So yesterday I thought I would adapt this method to the BGE. I stoked up humpty to about 450 degrees with four fire bricks atop my cheap weber grid. Put the crust on the top pan, (the one with the holes in it) and put that atop the fire bricks in the BGE. (I didn't use the bottom layer of the pan) I baked it for about 6 minutes. Took it out. Put on all the ingredients. Put the whole pizza back in the BGE for another 12 minutes.[p]Result: Pizza crust was slighly charred on the bottom. Next time I will take it out somewhat sooner or used both pans. Aside from that the pizza was excellent. The added smoke flavor did add to the taste compared to oven pizza.[p]Here is the point. I plan to get a plate setter and pizza stone soon. Then I will bake my crust as I have been doing on the pan until its one third done. Then I will take it out, put on the ingredients, slide the whole pizza onto a peel, and then slide it onto the hot pizza stone atop the plate setter in the BGE for the final baking. I can't wait to try that.[p]But since I don't yet have plate setter nor a pizza stone, I thought I would post this for those who might be interested in trying this method. Maybe they could report back on the results. [p] It would seem easier doing it this way (at least for begginers) than struggling with an unbaked crust and having it stick to the peel. Here the 1/3 baked crust will be somewhat stiff and should not stick to the peel, especially if the peel is sprinkled with a bit of cornmeal. Nor should it absorb moisture from the pizza sauce. [p]Hopefully the old pros will make suggestions to improve this method. They almost always do, and their suggestions are always helpful. [p]CHEERS! [p]Anthony [p][p]

Bama Fire

Anthony Up North,
I haven't tried scratch pizza on the EGG, yet. You're suggestions have been printed and will be added under the pizza tab in the BGE recipe folder.[p]thanks for the insight![p]B~F

Unknown

Anthony Up North,
Care to share your actual dough recipe with us? ^oo^~

JimW

Anthony Up North,
All I do is set some firebricks around the perimeter and put a second grate on that and a pizza stone on that. I use one of those metal pizza pans you see at most pizza places and sprinkle some cornmeal on that. I then spread the dough out on the pan, load on the toppings and put it in the BGE at 550F for 12 to 14 minutes.[p]Like your method, this eliminates the need for a peel which I'm not good with. The crust comes out nice and crispy. I think if I did prebake the crust it might come out a little too much on the browned side. If I did it at 450F it might be able to cut it. I really think the pizza stone helps to brown the pie on the bottom.[p]JimW

Mary

JimW,
A properly heated stone bakes the dough from the underside while the toppings bake from the radiant heat in the egg. I'd rather get proficient with a peel than scrub additional pans. ;-) I've noticed since I've become proficient at artisan bakering techniques, baking breads and such means a whole lot less clean up work. Not the fun part.[p]Mary

BluesnBBQ

Another way to do it is on a pizza pan, with the pan on a pizza stone. When I've used just the stone, I've almost always burnt the crust. Now I use one of those aluminum pans with holes poked through it. That goes on the stone, and it always turns out great. Not exactly like wood burning oven pizza, but very tasty.

Unknown

Anthony Up North, I'm glad to see ya pickin up on the stones and bricks..I also have the holy pan :-) (pun) but never use it much. Might try it again for grins. Here is something you might try with your air vent pan is to raise the pan from the actual stone or bricks just a tad with 3 or 4 spacers around the edge. This will take away the higher heat concentration directly on the bottom. I haven't done this with pizza, but I do it with bread pans. For spacers I use hollow aluminum tubing bent flat on the ends. Copper water pipe will work also..
Your tips is what helps makes this "salt and pepper" forum so great. Good sharing..
Cheers...C~W[p]

Unknown

Mary,
hi, Im just back from Italy, ran out and got a stone. What temperature do you preheat to? I gather you're saying you cook crust and topping at same time. Is that correct? Do you put corn meal, flour, or oil on dough?
Any tips will be appreciated.[p]Gary

Anthony Up North

JimW,[p]In your response to the crust being too brown! Not really! That is the beauty of it. Because total bake time is almost the same with double baking or one baking with a raw crust. Trick is to just bake it enough the first time to get it tan on top - and then not overbake when you put on the ingredients. Just do it until the cheese begins to bubble. Then its done.[p]Good luck in your baking ventures.[p]Anthony

Gretl

Anthony Up North,
I'll try your suggestion. I also use 4 thin firebricks topped by TWO pizza stones; one crappy cheap thin one, and one expensive BGE pizza stone. I let Mr Big preheat for quite a while. Using a peel, the crust comes out just fine on the stone direct. Jim likes very thin crispy crusts, so I tried an even thinner crust in a lightly oiled pizza pan (no holes) and it was crispier. But not for long; dispite being removed to a rack, the leftover pieces were limp. [p]So I'll try your method of first the pan, bake w/o toppings, then the peel. Sounds like the best of both worlds. And before I used the stone-on-brickes layers, I was burning the crust, too. This configuration is great.[p]Cheers,
Gretl

Anthony Up North

Cjar-Woody,[p]
What this "Cjar-Woody" routine? I am thinkin that yooou've been drinkin too much of your favorite beverage.[p]Seriously C-W - I thank you for your words of support.[p]Anthony[p]

Anthony Up North

Gretl,[p]Crispy of limp may have to do as much with the recipe as the baking process, or a combination of both. See my desription in a new post above.[p]Good luck on your try. I certainly hope it works. Let us know.[p]Anthony

Anthony Up North

one feral kat,[p]See the post above.[p]Good luck to you.[p]Anthony

Anthony Up North

Bama Fire,[p]You are welcome. You might also want to check the recipe I posted above.[p]Good luck to you. [p]I've also been meaning to tell you how lucky you are to have good football teams to root for at "Bama". The Gophers (the Gophs as we call them) will finally be better with their new coach. Maybe a Rose-Bowl bid in a few years. Last year they were only one win away from that. Had they beat Wisconsin, (the lost in overtime by a fiel-goal) Minnesota would have been in the bid for the roses rather than Wiconsin.[p]Anthony

Char-Woody

Anthony Up North, sometimes my east finger goes north.
All good ideas are welcome here. Have fun, thats why we play here. :-)
C~W[p]

Anthony Up North

Char-Woody,[p]Your East finger going North would be flyin directly overhead here in the North Country. If I find it, I'll send it back to you all. You shouldn't be missin a finger. It's too important for our learnin from you.[p]Cheers.[p]Anthony

Spin

Anthony Up North,[p]Making pizza is like cooking on a wok. Everything must be ready before starting the cook. This applies to all methods of making pizza.[p]As a forum we do tend to make pizza using many different cooking setups and methods to employ these setups. Each predictably produces the pizza they way intended and this is good. Your method sounds solid. Go for it.[p]Spin[p][p]

Char-Woody

Anthony Up North, well lets say a slippery keyboard :-)
BTW..this teacher is about to take the back seat. These guys, gals, and include yourself are plowing new ground. Way back in the archives, Mary B posted some excellent baking manuscripts. Your in that league also, and if you can, check back and review em. I believe the threads included Dave Spence, also a excellent baking enthusiast.
Cheers...C~W

Anthony Up North

Char-Woody,
C-W! Coming from a real expert on this forum like yourself, I take that as a real compliment. I thank you kindly. You are a gentleman![p]Cheers![p]Anthony

Nature Boy

Gary Friedman,
Look in the recipe section for Spin's pizza recipe. It covers all the details.
This thread also has a bunch of great stuff in it, as do the archives.[p]550 seems to be the temp to use. I put corn meal on the peel.
First time I used a peel the pie slid right off. Give it a little shake (like Spin covers in his masterpiece).
After reading his recipe and instructions, I got it right the first time.[p]Cheers!
NB