gastro gnome wrote:Becca are you guys using store-bought whip cream or whipping your own? If it's the latter, that would answer Ronnie's question about the sweetness - you could just leave the sugar out.

Actually, I was thinking that unsweetened cream has an inherent sweetness. So does ricotta but it's not as profound. So, even though I presume that Becca's whipped cream is homemade, I wonder about the sweetness factor.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

gastro gnome wrote:Becca are you guys using store-bought whip cream or whipping your own? If it's the latter, that would answer Ronnie's question about the sweetness - you could just leave the sugar out.

Actually, I was thinking that unsweetened cream has an inherent sweetness. So does ricotta but it's not as profound. So, even though I presume that Becca's whipped cream is homemade, I wonder about the sweetness factor.

=R=

We do whip the cream at home. I suppose cream does have an inherent sweetness but we don't usually taste that on the pizza. I usually season the outer curst with salt to add flavor to the 'cornicione' but no seasoning on the cream itself. It does add richness. Also, the cheese lends a salty/savory flavor so that helps balance out the cream.

thaiobsessed wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

gastro gnome wrote:Becca are you guys using store-bought whip cream or whipping your own? If it's the latter, that would answer Ronnie's question about the sweetness - you could just leave the sugar out.

Actually, I was thinking that unsweetened cream has an inherent sweetness. So does ricotta but it's not as profound. So, even though I presume that Becca's whipped cream is homemade, I wonder about the sweetness factor.

=R=

We do whip the cream at home. I suppose cream does have an inherent sweetness but we don't usually taste that on the pizza. I usually season the outer curst with salt to add flavor to the 'cornicione' but no seasoning on the cream itself. It does add richness. Also, the cheese lends a salty/savory flavor so that helps balance out the cream.

Just cannot wait to try this. I was already a devotee of Nancy Silverton but your post has inspired me. Thanks again.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Just cannot wait to try this. I was already a devotee of Nancy Silverton but your post has inspired me. Thanks again.

=R=

Same! I need expand my repertoire of sourdough discard recipes so I see some sort of pizza in my near future as well.

I made my first pizza tonight and based on stuff I had on hand, kind of copied Becca's from a couple posts back.

I used a sourdough discard dough, whipped cream base (I added pepper and no it didn't taste sweet), shaved asparagus with ramp pesto, green garlic, low-moisture mozzarella, and parm.

I made deep dish for the first time on Sunday. Kinda Gino's East style with the full round of sausage. Seasoned the tomatoes a good 6 hours before using. Came out real good. Will be in the rotation now according to my wife. Used a cast iron skillet. Would post a picture if I knew how to.

Puckjam wrote:I made deep dish for the first time on Sunday. Kinda Gino's East style with the full round of sausage. Seasoned the tomatoes a good 6 hours before using. Came out real good. Will be in the rotation now according to my wife. Used a cast iron skillet. Would post a picture if I knew how to.

I'd love to know what kind of tomatoes and seasoning you used. Did you cook them down at all? Also, just mozzarella, or a mix? Did you make it in a pan or cast iron skillet? Thanks!

this thread always makes me hungry, really about time I got into the homemade pizza game myself

My sister's family recently got a wood pizza oven, and we had a socially distanced pizza party today. Made the standards (e.g. sausage & mushroom, pepperoni and potato chip), and some of the stand outs were:
- a take on lahmacun - tahini base, a Moroccan spiced ground beef mixture (unfortunately no ground lamb at Caputo's today), then topped with chopped fresh grape tomatoes, mint and lemon yogurt. Fantastic
- Tomato sauce, mozzarella, nduja, and broccolini. One of our most made pizzas. We're so lucky nduja is made in Chicago and pretty easy to find
- Olive oil base, pancetta, ricotta, baked, then topped with a raw egg and rebaked until barely set, and topped with arugula and truffle salt

Are some of these not pizzas in the strictest sense? Probably. But they were devoured nonetheless.

Honest Man, I did use a cast iron pan. I used Mozz, Parm, and Provolone cheeses. For the tomato, I was going to cook them down some, but they were already thick so I did not. Used a 28 oz can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes that I buy at Tenuta's deli in Kenosha. I also buy their italian seasoning blend. I put two tablespoons of the blend in along with one teaspoon of sugar, one teaspoon of crushed red pepper, one bay leaf (discard prior to use) and a stream of EVOO and mixed well. Let is sit all afternoon prior to use. Stir occasionally. Worked well.

We made a few pizzas this weekend:

-Our old standby:




-Half vodka cream sauce, roast cremini mushroom, sausage, hot gardiniera + half whipped cream, ramp pesto, asparagus sausage

Becca,
That pistachio, sausage, basil, whipped cream pizza has me gobsmacked. I'm going to steal that idea!

Bill/SFNM wrote:Becca,
That pistachio, sausage, basil, whipped cream pizza has me gobsmacked. I'm going to steal that idea!

I'm totally flattered [bow down to the master of pizza] though I stole it from Spacca Napoli (minus the whipped cream)...

We had that Spacca Napoli pizza earlier this week - really great! I was tempted to try to recreate it at home, but instead went with a caramelized crust with sausage, mushroom, bell pepper and basil. I was happy with how it turned out, although I think I'll reduce the sauce some more next time.



Crust: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes ... ust-recipe
Sauce: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree ... ce-2215972
Sausage: https://amandascookin.com/how-to-make-pizza-sausage/

Made some 250g dough balls with a 70% hydration and a sourdough starter. Had a leftover ball for breakfast the following day and it was the best of the bunch!

mhill95149 wrote:

pizza.JPG

Made some 250g dough balls with a 70% hydration and a sourdough starter. Had a leftover ball for breakfast the following day and it was the best of the bunch!

I've experimenting with baking doughs same day or retarding overnight in the fridge. Haven't settled on which I prefer.

Do you augment with commercial yeast or does starter do all the leavening?

This is all starter and gets about 4 hours in a large covered bowl on the counter to rise. After punching down and shaping / weighing into the fridge for a couple of days.

What % levain do you use (of the flour weight)?

gastro gnome wrote:What % levain do you use (of the flour weight)?

700 g flour
500 g water
150 g starter
12.6 g salt

Not much of a % guy (should be)

21% but it sure could be less

Or, maybe larger containers!

Here are a few slices inspired by Becca's use of whipping cream. But I decided to substitute Mexican table cream, blended with roasted Hatch chiles and garlic. Topped with mushrooms roasted in clarified butter, and Oaxacan cheese.

Bill/SFNM wrote:and Oaxacan cheese.

The best melting cheese. Provided you've found a quality brand/source, you don't go back to other stuff once you get used to melted Oaxacan. The least greasy melt I know of, with a firmer texture than the alternatives.

Bill/SFNM wrote:
Here are a few slices inspired by Becca's use of whipping cream. But I decided to substitute Mexican table cream, blended with roasted Hatch chiles and garlic. Topped with mushrooms roasted in clarified butter, and Oaxacan cheese.

Just beautiful. I love the idea of adding Hatch chiles to the cream. Joe Beddia has a bunch of recipes for blending cream with other ingredients (e.g. Calabrian chiles, roasted mushrooms). I'll have to play around with that.

gastro gnome wrote:What % levain do you use (of the flour weight)?

If you really want to geek out on levain percentages, this is a super cool post from TxCraig1 on Pizzamaking.com that describes how long and at what temperature to ferment pizza dough with different levain percentages. I use about 5% (based on flour weight) and use ice water to make my dough, then dough a 24 hour bulk ferment in the fridge, divide the dough and let proof another 24+ hours in the fridge. If I'm not seeing some tiny bubbles, I'll move it to a cooler with ice packs for a few hours...

thaiobsessed wrote:Just beautiful. I love the idea of adding Hatch chiles to the cream. Joe Beddia has a bunch of recipes for blending cream with other ingredients (e.g. Calabrian chiles, roasted mushrooms). I'll have to play around with that.

Thank you! I blend in plenty of chiles since the fat in the cream can neutralize some of heat by the time you serve the pizza.

thaiobsessed wrote:If you really want to geek out on levain percentages, this is a super cool post from TxCraig1 on Pizzamaking.com that describes how long and at what temperature to ferment pizza dough with different levain percentages.

Whoa

Puckjam wrote:Something that I always wondered about. When getting pepperoni on a pizza, there seems to be various styles. I have always found the smaller coins that end up curling up into a saucer type round when finished cooking on the pizza to have the best flavor. The grease sits in the "saucer cup" and is spitting grease a bit when served. Are these cut right from the bulk cylinder as opposed to pre-cut pieces? Thanks.

At the grocery store this afternoon I came across a new product from Hormel called "Cup N' Crisp Pepperoni". Pre-sliced, $3.99 for a 5 ounce bag.

Some pizzas from last weekend:
I sliced and roasted some Yukon gold and sweet potatoes for a potato theme.

Hi,

At Restaurant Depot last weekend, I bought a 12-inch pizza pan. It is cited in Milk Street's pour in the pan crust, which has an 85% hydration crust.

I have some ideas on how I want to used this crust, but for the first time out I did it the Chris Kimball way: dressed with 2-ounces grated mozzarella cheese, 1 cup cherry tomatoes split in half, deseeded and pressed down with my box grater. They suggested a potato masher, but pressing with the box grater worked out just fine. Sprinkle on some dried oregano and Kosher salt (just a bit too much). Baked in a 500 degree oven for 15 minutes:


The oil on the pan helps to really crisp this pizza. While this may seem a bit plain Jane, it was really a nice pizza. You did have to ignore my over salting, though.

What I am interested in making is a Flammekueche with this dough.

Or serve a Detroit Style pizza with a few of these pizzas as appetizer or something to eat when you need just a little more. For sure, I will be picking up one or two more pans, which at $2.50 or $3.50, is not very expensive.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

At Restaurant Depot last weekend, I bought a 12-inch pizza pan. It is cited in Milk Street's pour in the pan crust, which has an 85% hydration crust.

I saw this recipe and one of the few things I don't have is this style pan, at least not anymore, any other suggestions because I am still avoiding the purchase of items that are one-trick ponies.

Good-Looking Pie.

pairs4life wrote:I am still avoiding the purchase of items that are one-trick ponies.

It's flat. It can sit upright next to a cookie sheet. It can be used as a cookie sheet. It could even be used as a lid. It is not taking up counter space. At the cost of $2.50-$3.50, it did not dig a hole in my pocket, either.

One trick pony is something I might assign to a cherry pitter. I use a paperclip.

Regards,
Cathy2