# First attempt @ home made pizza!!!



## bfunk13 (Oct 27, 2011)

This is my first attempt at home made pizza.
The town i live in has Pizza Hut and Dominoes, no "real" pizza till now. LOL

I bought a pizza stone and it works great, the crust bakes up like brick oven NY style.
I made the dough from scratch and will not change a thing. It was great. Although the hand tossing is tougher than it looks. 
I made enough dough for 3 pizzas, so tomorrow i will try to perfect it. I think i will try a pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, black olive tomorrow.

Mamma Mia!


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## hossthehermit (Oct 27, 2011)

Looks great, except you forgot the onions


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## fishingpol (Oct 27, 2011)

Looks mighty fine.  Here is one of the ones I made on the Weber grill this past summer.  Barbecue chicken with onions, my favorite.  Small oak chunks on the far side of the grill provided 500*.


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## GAMMA RAY (Oct 27, 2011)

They both look yummy!!
Fishingpol.....Blue Moon eh??? Nice choice... ;-)


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## fishingpol (Oct 27, 2011)

Yeah, they're my back up when the Sam's run dry.  I do miss the summer.


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## lukem (Oct 27, 2011)

fishingpol said:
			
		

> Looks mighty fine.  Here is one of the ones I made on the Weber grill this past summer.  Barbecue chicken with onions, my favorite.  Small oak chunks on the far side of the grill provided 500*.



Pizza on the grill is the BEST!  Nice job.


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## PapaDave (Oct 27, 2011)

bfunk13, so was this done in your stove, or in your insert?
Looks extremely edible. I have yet to get my crust just right, not sure what I'm doing wrong. I can bake a really nice loaf of bread, but the pizza dough doesn't rise enough for my taste (I've only made 2).
I'm a pizzaholic. :coolsmile:


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## muncybob (Oct 27, 2011)

almost 9 am and I'm jonesing for a pizza!


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## bfunk13 (Oct 27, 2011)

PapaDave said:
			
		

> bfunk13, so was this done in your stove, or in your insert?
> Looks extremely edible. I have yet to get my crust just right, not sure what I'm doing wrong. I can bake a really nice loaf of bread, but the pizza dough doesn't rise enough for my taste (I've only made 2).
> I'm a pizzaholic. :coolsmile:



Are you using a pizza stone?
The recipe i used calls for letting dough rise for over an hour.
Most NY style dough recipes looked about the same, maybe check that out.


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## mayhem (Oct 27, 2011)

I've made scrath pizza before...came ot ok but nothing to write home about.

Bought a pizza stone and it was the worst thing I could imagine to cook anything on.  I had to throw away the pizza and the stone because they became permanently bonded while cooking.  Since people use these things to cook on, I logically inferred that it was pilot error and I screwed something up bigtime, but I never figred out what it was.

Since my wife and daughter are gluten free and I buy special GF pizza crusts for them, I now just get myself Digiorno frozen pizza.  Its about as good as I've been able to find for frozen, but its not exactly fantastic.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 27, 2011)

mayhem said:
			
		

> I've made scrath pizza before...came ot ok but nothing to write home about.
> 
> Bought a pizza stone and it was the worst thing I could imagine to cook anything on.  I had to throw away the pizza and the stone because they became permanently bonded while cooking.  Since people use these things to cook on, I logically inferred that it was pilot error and I screwed something up bigtime, but I never figred out what it was.
> 
> Since my wife and daughter are gluten free and I buy special GF pizza crusts for them, I now just get myself Digiorno frozen pizza.  Its about as good as I've been able to find for frozen, but its not exactly fantastic.



I am new to this, but did you preheat the stone along with the oven?
From what i have read, the stone should be preheated to as high as your oven will go. 500 or so before putting pizza on top.
I luckily had no sticking. I did dust the bottom of the dough with flour and cornmeal.


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## mayhem (Oct 27, 2011)

It was so long ago that I don't recall if I did.  I'm usually a directions guy...try a product out as recommended by the manufacturer and then see how bad I can screw it up on my own.  For some reason I just had a bad experience, but I know its atypical.

That first pic at the top inspired me though and I ran out for a couple slices at lunch, so thanks!


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## bfunk13 (Oct 27, 2011)

Here is attempt #2.
Awesome flavor, pepperoni, onion, mushroom, whole sliced tomato. Topped with some basil and grated parmesan. 
The crust is perfect, if i could only make a circle.


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## firefighterjake (Oct 27, 2011)

The wife and I whip up our own pizza all the time . . . although we usually cheat and just buy a whole grain pizza dough from the Shop N' Save . . . and we use a metal pan with holes in it . . . I can never get the dough to be a perfect circle . . . my wife can . . . and can even get it to stretch enough to make a stuffed crust pizza . . . one day I should try cooking one in the woodstove.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 27, 2011)

Lookin' good Fishingpol, i will have to try that one.


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## fishingpol (Oct 28, 2011)

Your right on the nail with a pizza stone.  Pre heat to 500*, some corn meal and you are good to go.  A local wood-fired pizza restaurant gave me the idea fo rbbq chicken pizza.  They use goat cheese clumps on theirs, not for me though.  They make a carmelized onion, mushroom and sausage pizza that rocks too.

Here is their menu for ideas.

http://www.kruegerflatbread.com/index.php?link=menu


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## pen (Oct 28, 2011)

Looks great funk!  I prefer thin pizza done on a hot stone, but the wife and kids prefer I make Sicilian.

Here's one from this summer on the grill.  No extra toppings, just scratch crust and sauce.  

Can't have a better food to experiment with.  

pen


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## bfunk13 (Oct 28, 2011)

Thanks for the menu, very interesting.
You are right Pen, no better food to experiment with. And good looking pie.
I like the idea of making enough dough for 3-4 pizzas and freezing or using throughout the week.


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## PapaDave (Oct 31, 2011)

No stone, bfunk13. I use the cookie sheet like pen. Not preheated. Maybe that's my problem.
No peel to transfer either. I need more gear.


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## pen (Oct 31, 2011)

PapaDave said:
			
		

> No stone, bfunk13. I use the cookie sheet like pen. Not preheated. Maybe that's my problem.
> No peel to transfer either. I need more gear.



that cookie sheet I have in the picture is stone.

W/ sicilian pizza, you wouldn't want to preheat it as your crust would burn before the dough cooked through.

I do preheat my round stones if I am making thin crust.

Here's a good read on Pizza from Alton Brown

Never tried this recipe but it has great reviews and I enjoyed the episode on TV.  

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pizza-pizzas-recipe4/index.html

pen


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## PapaDave (Oct 31, 2011)

Thanks pen. Pics can be deceiving, eh?


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## bfunk13 (Oct 31, 2011)

I have made 5-6 pizzas now. 
The last one was by far the best. I would say restaurant quality.
My neighbor jokingly called the other night to order a pizza. He was surprised when i brought one over about 45 minutes later. 
It was really good with the cooler full of beer he always has on hand. 
I think i finally got my crust just about perfect. This beats pizza hut and dominoes any day.

Here is last nights pie.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 31, 2011)

PapaDave said:
			
		

> No stone, bfunk13. I use the cookie sheet like pen. Not preheated. Maybe that's my problem.
> No peel to transfer either. I need more gear.



Yeah, the stone makes all the difference. 
I have read that unglazed quarry tiles can be used as a pizza stone and are about .60 a piece.
I think my stone was $25 and the peel is a cheap wooden one that does the job @ $10.

The dough is really easy and makes enough for 3 pizzas.


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## Gasifier (Oct 31, 2011)

Alright. Enough already.   Now I am hungry and it is all your fault! Going to put a pizza in the oven for lunch right now. I make home made pizza as well. But I have to admit most of the time I find it awfully convenient to just buy the crust at the local grocery store. The deli there sells their own pizza, and will sell you two large rectangular crust for $4. Hard to beat it for time saving. Crust taste good too. Hard to really say it is homemade when you don't make the crust though. All I care about is how it taste. I eat pizza three times a week. Love it.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 31, 2011)

Gasifier said:
			
		

> Alright. Enough already.   Now I am hungry and it is all your fault! Going to put a pizza in the oven for lunch right now. I make home made pizza as well. But I have to admit most of the time I find it awfully convenient to just buy the crust at the local grocery store. The deli there sells their own pizza, and will sell you two large rectangular crust for $4. Hard to beat it for time saving. Crust taste good too. Hard to really say it is homemade when you don't make the crust though. All I care about is how it taste. I eat pizza three times a week. Love it.



I hear ya, i am a pizzaholic. But like i said we don't have any real pizza places in this town.
I should try the pre made dough from our deli. I don't mind making the dough as the wife follows me around cleaning up after me.


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## PapaDave (Oct 31, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> I have made 5-6 pizzas now.
> The last one was by far the best. I would say restaurant quality.
> My neighbor jokingly called the other night to order a pizza. He was surprised when i brought one over about 45 minutes later.
> It was really good with the cooler full of beer he always has on hand.
> ...



Man, you're killin' me.
Going to make some dough right now. :lol:


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## Mt Ski Bum (Oct 31, 2011)

Yours looks better than mine! Mine always turn out odd shapes, uneven crust- some places super thick, other parts of it are super thin... I don't think I was ment to be a pizza chef!


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## begreen (Oct 31, 2011)

We haven't bought pizza for years. Now on our second stone. I'll take a shot of our next batch.


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## Flatbedford (Oct 31, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> the crust bakes up like brick oven NY style.



Your Pizza looks great, but "NY pizza" is not made brick oven style. It is a thin, but kinda soft crust. Only the rounded edges should be hard, but only as hard as a good fresh Italian bread. As far as I know, you can only get NY style pizza in NY. Even close by NJ, or CT pizza is just different. 

We do what Jake does at home. Pre-made dough on one of those round pans with the holes in it.

I guess the pizza is better than the smokes! How much weight have you gained since you quit last month?


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## Dix (Nov 1, 2011)

I've made pizza for years. Make dough from scratch, etc. I gave up on the spinning, it's just not happening 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			






First helper for Bfunk ... it's OK to use a rolling pin to get the shape, just finalize it on the paddle and pinch your crust and let it rise for 15 - 20 minutes or so  ;-) 


First time was the Dixettes & moi's first Christmas on our own. Forever to be known as Christmas Pizza, she gave me a stone, paddle, wheel, and a few other things for Christmas that year. Installed horse fencing all summer, so she had a few bucks. We still make it every couple of years, for fist pumps


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## wenger7446 (Nov 1, 2011)

Pen, what is the process of making a Sicilian pizza? What recipe do you use?


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## pen (Nov 1, 2011)

For a thicker crust Sicilian I've used essentially a focaccia bread recipe (without herbs usually) for about 15 years and it works great, but I play around all the time.  What's great about any dough is that the way you treat it is often just as important as the recipe itself.  The amount of salt used determines the amount of yeast needed.  Slow cold rises often add a slightly different and more complex taste than a fast rise on the counter.  Using different fats will make big differences, etc, etc.  Some recipes call for no sugars at all, others no fats at all, etc.  That's why it's so fun to play with.  

So long as you wind up w/ the right consistency when done kneading you have pizza dough regardless of the recipe.  If you play and it's not your favorite, you still had supper and can simply try again next time.

pen


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## lukem (Nov 1, 2011)

I've had the best luck putting the pizza dough directly on the grill grates...no pan....no stone.  Gets it really crispy...but chewy on the inside.

Get the grill screamin' hot...like 600 - 700.  

Get some veggies and grill them up for a few minutes to soften them up...but don't overcook...tender-crisp.

Put the dough on for about 60-90 seconds until it bubbles a little, then flip it.  2nd side goes down for about 30 seconds.

Pull the crust off the grill and top it (topping go on side that was down on grill first) with homemade sauce, cheese, and veggies.  Put pizza back on lower indirect heat (400 - 450) until cheese gets the way you like it.


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## Gasifier (Nov 1, 2011)

lukem said:
			
		

> I've had the best luck putting the pizza dough directly on the grill grates...no pan....no stone.  Gets it really crispy...but chewy on the inside.
> 
> Get the grill screamin' hot...like 600 - 700.
> 
> ...



That sounds good. I am going to have to try that on the grill. 

I place most of my pizza crust right on the rake in the oven. Must place slightly above the middle so that top cooks fast enough and will get done about the same time as the bottom. This works great with the fresh pre-made crust I buy from the grocery deli. It is almost impossible to do with home made crust. Not firm enough. I will take a home made crust and cook it on a pizza pan or stone for a little while, then when firm enough transfer it right to the rack for the last few minutes. I like my crust a little crispier as well. Another thing I like to do when I make my pizza is put all the toppings on top of the sauce first, then load the chese on and cook. When you eat it like that you don't have to worry about toppings falling off. And the flavor is trapped right in there for ya. Getting hungry already. Just had pizza yesterday. I need to wait until tommorrow at least.


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## bfunk13 (Nov 13, 2011)

Ok, this is getting crazy. 
But Gooood!


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## bfunk13 (Mar 17, 2012)

My pizza game has improved. Now making a home made sauce that is the best and this pie has my first attempt at home made mozzarella.


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## GAMMA RAY (Mar 17, 2012)

Damn that looks great!
You guyz rock in the cooking department!
Homemade mozzarella? Wowza...you get bonus points for that!


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## bfunk13 (Mar 17, 2012)

Thanks Gamma, the mozz was very good. Need to find some fresh milk though. I hear fresh buffalo milk makes the best mozzarella. Good luck finding that one.


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## bfunk13 (Mar 17, 2012)

Mozzarella and Stromboli. Seriously Freakin' good!


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## begreen (Mar 17, 2012)

The pizza looks great! You are really getting this down pat. And you're making me really hungry!


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## GAMMA RAY (Mar 17, 2012)

begreen said:


> The pizza looks great! You are really getting this down pat. And you're making me really hungry!


 

Me too...and Holy Crap...Bfunk...your friggin doggie got huge...I just saw your new avatar.
Are you feeding him all that good pizza and stromboli?


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## Gasifier (Mar 17, 2012)

Bfunk. Looks awesome. I tried a really good pizza when I was in a little town down south one time. Very good. They used a good prov. cheese on it. I know. I thought, prov.? I have always had mozz. on mine. Turned out it was great. They did not put as much cheese on it as you would a mozz. Just a thin layer covering the whole thing. I have not done it yet, but want to try making a home made za with a combination of good mozz., good prov.. and some parm. sprinkled on it. I also like a home made with mozz., pepperoni and canadian bacon. Don't eat too much pizza and beer. (I love both as well. ) Or you will end up having to talk to the doctor and he/she will put you on a diet with no pizza and beer! Not good.


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## bfunk13 (Mar 17, 2012)

GAMMA RAY said:


> Me too...and Holy Crap...Bfunk...your friggin doggie got huge...I just saw your new avatar.
> Are you feeding him all that good pizza and stromboli?


And that is an old picture. He is every bit of 65 lbs @ 5 months. I am currently taking donations to help feed him. And for the camper shell i am buying for my truck so i can take him places.


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## greg13 (Mar 17, 2012)

I use a greased cookie tray, 425* for 10min then add the cheese. Make 20oz loafs rather than the 16oz. make it a little thicker and easier to spread. It is amazing the difference in dough, I buy from 3 different Italian bakeries and can tell witch one came from where just by the taste.


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## DAKSY (Mar 17, 2012)

lukem said:


> I've had the best luck putting the pizza dough directly on the grill grates...no pan....no stone. Gets it really crispy...but chewy on the inside.
> 
> Get the grill screamin' hot...like 600 - 700.
> 
> ...


 

We do it JUST like that on our Big Green Egg. We don't make our own dough, but the local Hannaford carries whole wheat pizza dough & it's deelish!


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## bfunk13 (Mar 17, 2012)

DAKSY said:


> We do it JUST like that on our Big Green Egg. We don't make our own dough, but the local Hannaford carries whole wheat pizza dough & it's deelish!


I would like to try the BGE. It seems to be the next best thing to a real wood fired brick oven? Does the bottom get done before the top?


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## DAKSY (Mar 18, 2012)

bfunk13 said:


> I would like to try the BGE. It seems to be the next best thing to a real wood fired brick oven? Does the bottom get done before the top?


 
We use the method cited above: Throw the dough on the grate for a coupla minutes, then remove it. Flip it over
& add your topping to the cooked side & put it back on the grate for a coupla more minutes. We try to get the BGE to 450 - 500 degrees & the amount of cooking time varies with the thickness of your pie...ANYTHING we've cooked on the Egg has come out better each successive time we used it. Finally got ribs down to a science & my tri-tips & briskets are pretty good. Still working on the turkey thing, tho...


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## fishingpol (Mar 18, 2012)

I don't think I put this link up on this thread yet.  Here is a good site for outdoor pizza ovens.  They are a little big.  I'd probably make a smaller adobe mud oven and then regret not making the bigger one.  The Weber does ok, but does not hold the heat well like a BGE/Kamado cooker.

http://www.traditionaloven.com/ovens.html


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## bfunk13 (Mar 18, 2012)

fishingpol said:


> I don't think I put this link up on this thread yet. Here is a good site for outdoor pizza ovens. They are a little big. I'd probably make a smaller adobe mud oven and then regret not making the bigger one. The Weber does ok, but does not hold the heat well like a BGE/Kamado cooker.
> 
> http://www.traditionaloven.com/ovens.html


 
I have been researching and drooling over the backyard brick ovens for awhile now. I think there would nothing cooler than to have a summer pizza bbq in one of these. I see fornobravo.com sells some prefabbed ones. Still a pretty penny. Some day i will have one.


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## James02 (Mar 20, 2012)

Ok, I've been thinking bout using my insert for a higher purpose.  What is the method, in terms of keeeping the door, keeping the temp up....I'm thinking these pies aren't being cooked on secondary flames?  Also, what abou a Chicago style pizza in a caste iron skillet...is it even possible?


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