Date: Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:21:53 GMT -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v109.n023 -------------- 001 - Guy Snape Subject: Re: Pizza Dough Date: Sat, 06 Jun 2009 09:49:40 +0100 I've been working on my pizza for quite a few years and I never achieved an authentic result with a pizza stone. No matter how long you preheat it, it will never get hotter than the maximum temperature of your oven, which in my case is 230 C/450F. A proper wood fired pizza oven will get to at least 400C/750F. Jeff Varasano's famous pizza page describes how he gets around this by breaking the safety lock on his electric oven so that he can cook his pizza during the very hot oven self clean program which is designed to burn off any food residues from the oven walls. Unfortunately, he's destroyed several ovens this way. There is an alternative! You can get a 14" wide cast iron pizza pan which is designed to be heated on the stove top. You slide the pizza on to the *very* hot pan and the base will cook in two or three minutes. Then you put the topped pizza under the broiler (what we call a grill in the UK) to finish cooking the toppings. The improvement over the oven + pizza stone version is simply staggering, the high heat makes all the difference, as the underside of the base will char, giving a deep, complex, smoky flavour. I've written about my recipe and method in great detail at www.breadsecrets.com/pizza.html and there are links to the appropriate cast iron pans on amazon. Regards, - guy --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n023.2 --------------- From: "Steve Gomes" Subject: Re: pizza and electric ovens Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 08:55:27 -0600 First, let's all start crying because JK now has an electric oven. I love gas. I had to put up with electric stoves for 20 years and I have called the stove all kinds of names. Now for jean. When you go to home depot, you are looking for unglazed ceramic tile. Those tiles work okay but the real way to go is with a nice pizza stone. I am very happy with mine. I bought it on line. They have different sizes and you can even order a custom one. I think the company is in Illinois. http://www.bakingstone.com/order.php Steve the blind meat cutter --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n023.3 --------------- From: Dave Glaze Subject: Re: baking stones Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 10:35:18 -0700 Jean, I have used quarry tiles which are a half inch thick, and come in various sizes and shapes. They are unglazed and are able to withstand the high heat of the oven. They are not very heavy and tend to move around on the shelf so they frequently need straightening. Because they are heavier, I prefer to use firebrick. They are about one and a quarter inches thick and are used to line fireplaces, kilns, fireboxes, and furnaces. Mine are 4 and a half inches by 9 inches and I can fit 6 on a shelf. I also use 3 of them in a broiler pan on the bottom shelf to create steam; I pour a cup of boiling water into the pan right after I load the bread into the oven. With all that mass, I preheat my oven about an hour or more before baking. I don't understand why, but I have been told that adding excessive mass to the oven can create temperatures high enough that nearby walls can get too hot and burn. I have a self clean oven which is well insulated and I have never noticed any excessive heat on the outside of the oven. Maybe someone else can explain this phenomenon. Cheers, Dave Glaze Powell River, BC Canada --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n023.4 --------------- From: "Chris Nelder" Subject: RE: Pizza Dough Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 11:14:28 -0700 @JCK re: Pizza Dough Thanks for your recipe, I will try that (always in search of a better recipe! If your cheese is browning before your crust, I recommend using a pizza stone and getting the oven temp as high as it can go. 550-700 F is good. Let it pre-heat for at least 30-45 mins before baking so the stone is good and hot. Use the middle shelf in the oven, and don't brush the crust with olive oil, just leave it plain. Hope that helps! --Chris --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n023.5 --------------- From: donnadm87 Subject: Re: Nesco Oven Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 18:26:35 -0400 Hello Gwen, Here is the link to the Nesco roaster oven: http://www.nesco.com/ It is an electric appliance, we don't notice a difference on the electricity bill, but then we only bake bread once a week. Donna dm87 --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n023.6 --------------- From: "David King" Subject: Speaking of pizza dough.... Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 18:02:42 -0500 I once had a pizza recipe that I got from a book at the library. They no longer have the book. It contained shortening and you cut it in like pie dough. Can anyone help? Btw the book is _The Art of Regional Italian cooking_, by Maria Lo Pinto. Dave. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n023.7 --------------- From: Katie Kondo Subject: Re: baking tile Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 21:06:56 -0700 At Home Depot, it's technically called "Saltillo Tile". The people there didn't know what I wanted either, so I just went to the Tiling section (I remember they were among outdoor tiles) and they are about 10" x 10", and look like unglazed flower pots. They are terra cotta in color and should be about $1. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n023.8 --------------- From: teresag715 Subject: artisan bread Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 08:18:31 -0400 Hi, For artisan bread you can just do it w/o the stone to start, on a cookie sheet, the results won't be quite as good, but still good. At home Depot you want to ask for quarry tiles, they are made out of terra cotta and just be sure they have no glaze. . .you can also go to any kitchen store, wal-mart, etc. . . and get a reasonably inexpensive stone. Usually it will be round and annoy you if you want to bake baguettes though. good luck, teresa --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n023.9 --------------- From: Reggie Dwork Subject: Re: bread on the grill Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:26:14 -0700 I wanted to thank everyone who wrote to me about baking bread on the grill. I really learned a lot from all of you. Reggie --------------- END bread-bakers.v109.n023 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2009 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved