Pizza

Unknown

Hi,
We tried Pizza on the EGG last nite. We used a pizza stone. We timed the pizza starting at 12 minutes and the bottom was charred black but the top was great. We decreased the time to 7 minutes and again, the bottom charred. Egg temp was 500 degrees. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Tammy

The Naked Whiz

Tamarah Moffatt,
Here is a link to my web page on pizza hints and tips:
TNW
[ul][li]The Naked Whiz's Pizza Hints and Tips Page[/ul]

Pakak

The answer? My latest addition - a pizza screen. My crusts came out perfect on both the pizzas I made using the screens. I fought and fought with getting the crust right before I had them. Now, I think I've got it. Both were crisp, yet chewy - the way I like them. I used Mr. Hydes's recipe but increased it by 50% since I like my crust a little thicker. Perfecto.[p]

UnConundrum

You know, Tamarah, everyone starting out seems to have problems with pizza, including myself. There are methods like suggested by the other posts, but it drives me nuts that any "gimmick" has to be used. I used to make pizza professionally, and have all my old recipes... I used to cook those pizzas in a 500 degree pizza oven... but set the egg to 500, and it's a crispy critter!!! I'm thinking it's a dome vs. cooking area thing. That pizza stone (and plate setter) are much closer to the heat than the dome thermometer, and since the flow of air is affected by the plate setter, I'm thinking there might be a much higher variation in temperature than a normal cook....



Now, there's some pizzarias that do wood fires and cook at heats around 700 degrees. We didn't do that... But I'll bet we could modify the dough recipe to take more heat. First, cut back on the sugar. Sugar caramelizes quickly at those heats and will brown the dough. 2nd, I'm thinking that the pizza's I've had from wood fired ovens is usually super thin, almost paper thin. That allows it to cook very fast, and get done before it burns.... Thin dough would mean a high gluten flour so it will stretch without breaking....



Anyway, pardon the rambling as I think out loud... Folks here have had a lot of luck with pizza. Just follow their advice and keep at it... Cheese...

Puj

UnConundrum,[p]The content you provided disqualifies your post as "ramblings". I found your post to be very thoughtful, and I share your thinkings.[p]I bake pizza in the Egg at high heat - 700F to 750F. I shape the pizza into a thin crust, and for the dough, it's high gluten flour, barley malt syrup, salt, olive oil and water.[p]The conduction heat that comes from the hearth (pizza stone, platesetter, etc.)is the culprit that drives many a pizza bake south, and the most challenging aspect of the pizza bake. The thicker the hearth, the more even the heat on the stone and the better the chance to manage the surface temperature. I typically use (3) 16" hexagon ceramic stones as my hearth. I use the "toss some flour on the stone" to test the surface temperature. If it browns too quickly, I'll mop the stone with a damp cloth prior to the first pizza. I also turn the crust throughout the bake, forcing me to pay attention. The typical time to bake fluctuates between 5 to 9 minutes. It just depends ... [p]Puj