Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

How do you get pizza off the peel?

Grillin' on Wheels
Grillin' on Wheels Posts: 11
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
First, thanks to Kasey and Julie for encouraging us to try our first pizza. I put the dough on the peel and it slid around fine. Put stuff on it... took it to the Egg, and it wouldn't slide off. Could it be dough too thin? too much stuff on it? not enough flour under it?

I'd appreciate your suggestions!

Ken
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    Cornmeal should solve the problem.
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • smokeybreeze
    smokeybreeze Posts: 216
    (1) your dough needs to be relatively dry on the surface

    (2) use salt, corn meal, grits, or other inert non-highly moisture absorbant material on your peel before you put your dough on it

    (3) don't roll your dough too thin such that you negate the above 2 steps

    (4) tell us more so we can help you with your specific problem

    -smokey
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
    Ken: First, it was awesome to meet you at the Fest! Thanks for attending, and thanks for your smile! :) Glad you enjoyed!
    I make sure I put a slight coat of flour/and or cornmeal on my peel, and I slide it around between each step. (Add sauce...jiggle...add cheese...jiggle...add topping...jiggle...etc) Should slide right off for you if you keep it moving during building. Hope this helps!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Grillin' on Wheels
    Grillin' on Wheels Posts: 11
    Thanks for the ideas... I plan to try again tomorrow so I'll let you know how it goes. They say, "the more you practice, the better you get", huh?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    semolina is awesome (instead of corn meal or flour). you don't need much and it's like ball bearings. and nowhere near the residue corn meal leaves. some build the pizza on parchment paper and slide it, paper and all, onto the stone. others use a pizza screen. me? I don't like parchment paper or screens. semolina for me.

    Oh, and shake the peel from time to time as you're building the pie. helps to keep it from sticking.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SkySaw
    SkySaw Posts: 656
    What do you not like about parchment? The other options seem like a pain compared to parchment, but if there is a good reason, I would change.

    Mark
    https://plantbasedbbq.wordpress.com
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    Parchment Paper.Works EVERY time.You can slide the parchment out from under the pizza after it has been on the stone a coupla minutes. ;) Put the parchment on the peel,make pizza,transfer to stone, then remove parchment after a minute or two,retrieve pizza from stone with peel when it's done. :)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • smokeybreeze
    smokeybreeze Posts: 216
    To really get the hang of this, you might want to volunteer at a local (non-chain) pizza joint to make pizza for them on Thu, Fri, Sat, or Sun night.

    I put myself through college doing such crazy things and really learned what a good dough feels like, and the techniques needed to make a great pizza. That was 30+ years ago and I'm still tuning the results to my 'ideal'.

    If your dough isn't talking to you, or you aren't listening to it, you're probably not doing something right.

    There's 'art' involved in the 'science' of cooking.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    I find that, unless i pull the parchment out from under the pizza after a minute or two, the crust is not as crisp as it should be. and i'd rather not be bothered with pulling the paper. more trouble than it's worth. semolina is awesome!

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • smokeybreeze
    smokeybreeze Posts: 216
    Yup! Practice makes everything better.

    Personally, I don't use corn meal, grits, or anything like that on my peel. My raw pizza/crust slides off my wood peel just fine, whether the crust is cracker thin or thick bread-like.

    Let your dough talk to you (and listen to it).
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ripnem
    Ripnem Posts: 5,511
    Ken,

    I use a little corn meal on the peel and then be sure and give the peel a little shake while you are building the pie so it doesn't get a chance to stick. It's a PIA at first but well worth the hassle.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SkySaw
    SkySaw Posts: 656
    I guess I'll give semolina a try. See if the crust is better.

    Mark
    https://plantbasedbbq.wordpress.com
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    Watch that dude,he eats chopped pork! :laugh: ;)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Basscat
    Basscat Posts: 803
    Cornmeal or Semolina flour will act like ball bearings and it will slide right off. Dust off the stone between pizzas to get rid of any burnt bits.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ripnem
    Ripnem Posts: 5,511
    Hoss,

    What's chopped pork? :huh:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SkySaw
    SkySaw Posts: 656
    Isn't it the same as pork chop?
    https://plantbasedbbq.wordpress.com
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    It's what they eat "up yonder"! :laugh: ;)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    NOT EVEN CLOSE! Unless you run your pork chop through a grinder before eating it! :laugh: Just Kidding CQ!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Grillin' on Wheels
    Grillin' on Wheels Posts: 11
    That's a great idea. I'm gonna' check around. Thanks.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Grillin' on Wheels
    Grillin' on Wheels Posts: 11
    Thanks for the suggestion... I may at least try this until I "get the hang" of it.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj8M6KOkyw8

    Up yonder, Hoss? I believe Chris Lilly is from Alabama. I guess if you were in Florida, even 'Bama would be "up yonder". :laugh: :P

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,768
    Hoss I do it just like you. It only takes one real sticky pizza to send you back to the paper. On for a couple of min's and pull paper; still get the crust you want....
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Just given a Mini to add to the herd. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Spring Chicken
    Spring Chicken Posts: 10,255
    Super Peel is a pretty cool idea, especially if you are doing multiple pizzas or other dishes. I have one.

    Check it out: http://superpeel.com/

    And be sure to watch the video:

    http://superpeel.com/videos.html

    Spring "Super Peeled" Chicken
    Spring Texas USA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Hungry Celeste
    Hungry Celeste Posts: 534
    I'm in the build-on-parchment camp, and I too slide the 'za off the paper once it sets. I would like to be able to prep the pizza right on the peel & get it onto the stone, but that would probably require me to top the pizza outside next to the egg. If I do it in the kitchen then schlep it outside to the egg, it always seems to stick.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories