She Wants Pizza.. I Need Help.

ROllTIDEEGGING · June 2015

I've read so many pizza posts and it appears you can cook them a ton of ways. I need the full idiot proof egg method of cooking these things. I've honestly just cheated in the past and got the premade fresh market pizzas to cook on there.
Tell me if I've got this right.
publix dough rolled out thin? do green peppers or mushrooms needs to be pre cooked at all?
place setter legs down - pizza stone on top - get egg to around 500ish. cook for 15 minutes, turn a few times?

I appreciate any input. You guys make some amazing pizzas and I'm inspired. I did purchase a pizza screen today in hopes it would help my pizza turn out like the post I read.. lol

Also what's your favorite combination to knock the socks of this cook?

Thanks fellas

Carolina Q · June 2015

I have never rolled dough, always shape by hand. I've never precooked ingredients either. I do platesetter legs down, some say that will trash your gasket. I say, who cares? It's gonna get trashed anyway!

As for stone on top of the platesetter, no. You need an air gap between the two. Three balls of foil, three copper plumbing elbows, even rocks will work. Just something to stop the direct heat.

500° is fine. I don't really time mine, I pull 'em when they're done. Don't think I've ever had one go 15 minutes. Except Chicago Deep Dish, more like 30. If you like deep dish, this is the easiest, fastest pie you will ever make... http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1167656/how-to-make-authentic-chicago-deep-dish-pizza-in-two-hours-or-less/p1

Here's my setup. I prefer more space than the minimum some people use. Now I just use my oven for pizza. Couldn't be bothered with the egg.

Hope some of this helps. Good luck.

Carolina Q · June 2015

Couple of other things... whether you make your own dough or buy it premade (grocery store or pizza joint), divide it to single pizza size portions, form them into dough balls, put them into some sort of covered proofing container and then into the fridge for at least a day. Three is better.

Here's how to form the balls...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he-V1J86REA

When it's time to shape the pizza, take the ball(s) out of the fridge at least 2 hours before shaping them and then, try this (stop when you get to the part about the rolling pin). I never bother with the semolina mix thing, just flour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjYqw1CLZsA

mtbguy · June 2015

Publix pizza dough is what I use. BGE has a recipe on their site. I usually use bbq sauce then put meat on in usually left over from the egg. I lightly salt the bottom of the dough. Then put it on parchment paper. Then sauce then meat then cheese. Yum. You can use cornmeal if you don't have parchment paper. Watch the video on BGE site. Heat the pizza stone to about 400, dome will be around 500-600. Then about 7 mins or until crust is the way I like it. Enjoy. I make 2-3 pizza a week. Platesetter legs down then the rack on top of the platesetter then the pizza stone.

THEBuckeye · June 2015

I buy dough from a local family owned pizza joint.

The sauce and toppings are the easy part. Cooks choice

Dust peel w/ corn meal

Heat stone to 450-500.

8-9 minutes

THEBuckeye · June 2015

Easy!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/vl/pfqo5r4xi0o8.jpg

Wolfpack · June 2015

The only time I precook ingredients is when i want to impart some kind of flavor. One of our family's

favorites is grilled asparagus- use pesto for sauce and fresh mozzarella.

Skiddymarker · June 2015

IMO, if you like lots of topping, specially mushrooms and peppers which are very moist, you might want to sweat out some of the moisture before they hit the pie, helps the tops brown a little faster. I nuke them, then dry with a paper towel. I also use shredded cheese which air dries in the fridge for a couple of hours - again to reduce the moisture.
Takes fair amount of lump to get an egg to 500º-600º and stabilize it, hence @Carolina_Q using the oven....

EggHead_Bubba · June 2015

Pizza is my kryptonite... Still working on finding the right combination. Stretching the dough by hand doesn't work out for me or my wife. It just always shrinks back. What we finally end up with is an odd shaped crust. Last cook the crust was done on the bottom but the top was undercooked. Not giving up though because I see so many great looking pies here. Every type of meat I cook turns out great but pizza is just a struggle right now.

Carolina Q · June 2015

Skiddymarker said:

... hence @Carolina_Q using the oven....

Nope. Never really thought about how much lump it took. Except when I was doing them at 900°. Mostly, I just find it so much easier in the oven. If I thought egged pizzas were better, I'd still be doing them there.To me, they're not.

Eggsalent · June 2015

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1170491/my-pizzas-suck#latest i feel for you

jtcBoynton · June 2015

@ROllTIDEEGGING Lots of different styles of pizza and lots of variations of each. Many different ways to cook them. The key is to get the stone close enough to the dome to get the right amount of radiant heat coming off the dome. If the stone is too far from the dome, the toppings will not be done by the time the dough is cooked. If the stone is too close to the dome, the toppings will burn by the time the dough is cooked. The proper height will depend on the dough recipe, cooking temp, dough thickness, and amount of toppings. Many find the sweet spot to have the stone 2-3" above the felt line - but remember you will need to dial it in for yourself. We all make our pizzas a little different so take all the advice as a starting point and make adjustments for your personal style.

Foghorn · June 2015

Yes. As @jtcBoynton says. Finding a sweet spot for that matches your particular pie is key. We get our dough from a local chain pizza joint. Stretch it as thin as possible. Cover it with a little garlic and olive oil. Put a thin layer of sauce from a jar. Add some toppings and cheese in what could probably best be described as medium thick.

Platesetter with legs up, then the standard grate and then the XL pizza stone. At 450-550 degrees it is money. Any hotter and the crust burns before the cheese cooks. When we have made thicker pizzas we have to go with a slightly lower temp.

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1175520/semi-ot-pizza-on-the-egg-and-a-blind-taste-test-to-determine-our-favorite-pinot-noir

I came into this wanting to make pizza at 750-900 degrees like some here do and like some great restaurants do. I may still do that one day when I have the time to make my own dough and sauce, etc. But for now, after making about a dozen very mediocre pizzas I have found my sweet spot. Good luck finding yours. Hopefully, some of the posts here will help in that effort such that you spend less time mired in mediocrity than I did.

ROllTIDEEGGING · June 2015

I appreciate all the comments and hints.. really helpful.. I'll post pics of this adventure ... plan to cook Monday night.. She's a picky one when it comes to pizza so I'll just give it the ole college try.

onedbguru · June 2015

Start preheating almost 1hr before cook time. Temp to 650-700 (light a full Weber chimney, get blazing hot - dump it in and fill the FB). Vent wide open, no DFMT - wide open)
PLSetter LU
Grate
3 white firebricks leftover from when they built my house that has 2 fireplaces.
PZStone

I have used store-bought dough (not so much) or bought from a local pizza shop (best if it has been refrigerated) or made my own (best so far)

Peppers/onions don't need to be pre-cooked.
I use Reynolds Foil/Parchment foil side down. thin crust rolled stretched to ~18" sauce, toppings.

Slide it onto the PZS after 3 min or so, pull the parchment out and let it finish (5-6 minutes total) DANG GOOD!!!!

Enjoy.

jtcBoynton · June 2015

ROllTIDEEGGING said:

I appreciate all the comments and hints.. really helpful.. I'll post pics of this adventure ... plan to cook Monday night.. She's a picky one when it comes to pizza so I'll just give it the ole college try.

Just another thought or two to get you started.

In general, I think in terms of "thin crust/high temp/short time/high hydration dough'" vs "thick crust/lower temp/longer time/lower hydration dough". Many people like what is often called American style pizza. This is medium to medium-thick crust cooked at moderate temps for longer times. 500°F +- works well for this. This is a good style to start with. If you want a NY style or Neapolitan style pizza, you need higher temps. You can get good results for these styles with a BGE, but they are tricker to do right.

You need to preheat the ceramic thoroughly. It helps to think of heat in terms of quantity, not just air temp. The pizza stone needs to soak up enough heat so it can rapidly transmit it to the dough during cooking.

She Wants Pizza.. I Need Help.

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