# WFO - I went out of my zone and into the 'zone.



## fishingpol (Aug 11, 2013)

Nice evening here.  Fired the oven with sugar maple for an hour while the dough rose.






I raked the coals out a little earlier to soak the floor of the oven for a nicer bottom crust.





Cheese was the first up. Hot bubbly action.







Second one was pepperoni.  It did not go well.  Don't try to brush the cornmeal out of the oven while holding the loaded peel.  





Third was the pepperoni redo.




Last was a sausage and cheese calzone.  







Hot cheese lava flow.  Supersize pic for maximum viewing enjoyment.


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## fossil (Aug 11, 2013)

Calzone and a Negra Modelo, por favor.


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## ScotO (Aug 11, 2013)

O.....M......G.....
Does that stuff ever look delish.....wow....
I'd even eat the one that fell on the ground.....no joke....


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## flyingcow (Aug 11, 2013)

impressive.....next time give me a few hours heads up before you fire up the oven...i tend to fly low and fast for a good pizza. never had a wood fired one.


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## Hearth Mistress (Aug 11, 2013)

You are fueling my fire (pun intended) to build one of these. I have the drive to do it but think I lack the skill...and a handy hubby to help (other than a leatherman, he has no tools, he's good at holding the light). 

I LOVE this oven, and the others posted on here. i'm jealous as pretty much from September til June or until its too hot to turn on the oven, I make bread from scratch everyday, so it would actually get used! Not to mention all the pizza and other recipes I have for 15-17th century cooking!


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## ScotO (Aug 11, 2013)

Hearth Mistress said:


> You are fueling my fire (pun intended) to build one of these. I have the drive to do it but think I lack the skill...and a handy hubby to help (other than a leatherman, he has no tools, he's good at holding the light).
> 
> I LOVE this oven, and the others posted on here. i'm jealous as pretty much from September til June or until its too hot to turn on the oven, I make bread from scratch everyday, so it would actually get used! Not to mention all the pizza and other recipes I have for 15-17th century cooking!


Who's building a stone pizza oven next year?? THIS guy, that's who!
(FWIW, I said that last summer, too!)


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## Hearth Mistress (Aug 11, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Who's building a stone pizza oven next year?? THIS guy, that's who!
> (FWIW, I said that last summer, too!)


For me?


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## ScotO (Aug 11, 2013)

Hearth Mistress said:


> For me?


just as soon as I get mine done!!


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## fossil (Aug 11, 2013)

Yours was the the one he did last year.


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## WellSeasoned (Aug 11, 2013)

Hot cheese lava flow? Aren't the pictures enough w/o adding terms that will make my stomach eat my liver. Your pizzas, and now a calzone put the high end authenic italiano restaurants to shame. Even that 2nd pick, I would gladly eat off the floor. Do you make your own sauce? What kind of mozz do you use. If you ever get a chance, if you can find it, Grande mozz cheese is one of the best out there. 

*hearth mistress, when you posted in this thread, it says you posted it on 12/31/1969, weird huh? **now its fixed**


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## Hearth Mistress (Aug 11, 2013)

WellSeasoned said:


> *hearth mistress, when you posted in this thread, it says you posted it on 12/31/1969, weird huh? **now its fixed**


You caught me using my time machine....new years eve into the 70's to see what it was like before I was born  

Really, no idea how that happened, using an iPad maybe it's a wacko Mac glitch.


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## fishingpol (Aug 12, 2013)

Hearth Mistress said:


> You are fueling my fire (pun intended) to build one of these. I have the drive to do it but think I lack the skill...and a handy hubby to help (other than a leatherman, he has no tools, he's good at holding the light).
> 
> I LOVE this oven, and the others posted on here. i'm jealous as pretty much from September til June or until its too hot to turn on the oven, I make bread from scratch everyday, so it would actually get used! Not to mention all the pizza and other recipes I have for 15-17th century cooking!


 
There is so much to that can be cooked in the oven.  I've done cinnamon rolls, french bread, honey wheat loaves, pork pies...  The fall is the best time of year on cool mornings to fire it and make lunch in it.

I still need to practice on making bread to get better oven spring as my loaves seem to be dense.


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## fishingpol (Aug 12, 2013)

WellSeasoned said:


> Hot cheese lava flow? Aren't the pictures enough w/o adding terms that will make my stomach eat my liver. Your pizzas, and now a calzone put the high end authenic italiano restaurants to shame. Even that 2nd pick, I would gladly eat off the floor. Do you make your own sauce? What kind of mozz do you use. If you ever get a chance, if you can find it, Grande mozz cheese is one of the best out there.
> 
> *hearth mistress, when you posted in this thread, it says you posted it on 12/31/1969, weird huh? **now its fixed**


 
The second pic pizza did not make it into the oven, it slid off the peel before I could load it.  Time to build a shelf.

I make my own sauce using part tomato sauce, garlic, petit diced tomatoes, garlic, spices, and then I use garlic.

I just started using fresh mozz on Margherita pizza after Bfunk on here put up a post about it.  I am forever grateful.  I use Sargento shredded mozz for general pies.


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## fishingpol (Aug 12, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Who's building a stone pizza oven next year?? THIS guy, that's who!
> (FWIW, I said that last summer, too!)


 
Get yer arse in gear.  You can't cook a pizza with a wheelbarrow you know.  Priorities my man!


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## Hearth Mistress (Aug 12, 2013)

fishingpol said:


> I still need to practice on making bread to get better oven spring as my loaves seem to be dense.



Bread is science, but experimenting is fun! Your bread may be too dense if your flour to water ration is off or the rise time is too short/too cool.  Wheat and rye flours will always make dense loaves but if you cut it with bread flour, you'll get a better texture.  If you let the dough get a "skin" on it at the first rise, when you punch it down, that "skin" which is your gluten, is already crust and the dough will loose it's elasticity. Keep a damp towel over it to prevent that from happening.  Also, make sure you have fresh active yeast(not rapid rise) and proof it with a sprinkle of sugar and whatever amount of water the recipe calls for. I use a big measuring cup because after 15 minutes or so, your yeast will be a huge cup of foam! Those little packets at the grocery store sit for a long time these days as folks just don't buy it up. 

Also, as I've baked bread in hearths, your dough will "crusts up" too fast if you don't either spray it with water or have water in the hearth, as it restricts your dough within a few minutes and therefore restricts your oven spring. If you don't want to spray it first, just keep a small cast iron pan of water in the hearth as it heats up, the hearth will have higher humidity, keeping the surface of the dough moist so it has time for the oven spring.  It will eventually lead to a crusty loaf too as the water evenly dries out as the dough rises and bakes.

Have fun!


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## fishingpol (Aug 12, 2013)

Cut to the chase.  Excellent.  The wheat flour made the dense loaves.  Otherwise, I use bread flour. I did a double rise on french bread and it was excellent.  I had a hard time getting the loaves off the peel without sticking.  I did spray the bread down every few minutes on the french bread as well as sprayed the brick floor.  I have a wood baking door that I soak in water for a while before baking.

Yeast is active in a jar and I buy a new jar every few months.  I did use the rapid rise once but did not care for it.  Great tip on the cast iron pan with water to add moisture.

One question when adding salt to the dough, can it affect the yeast as in reducing the rise?  I always add it last, a little at a time.


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## Hearth Mistress (Aug 12, 2013)

fishingpol said:


> Cut to the chase.  Excellent.  The wheat flour made the dense loaves.  Otherwise, I use bread flour. I did a double rise on french bread and it was excellent.  I had a hard time getting the loaves off the peel without sticking.  I did spray the bread down every few minutes on the french bread as well as sprayed the brick floor.  I have a wood baking door that I soak in water for a while before baking.
> 
> Yeast is active in a jar and I buy a new jar every few months.  I did use the rapid rise once but did not care for it.  Great tip on the cast iron pan with water to add moisture.
> 
> One question when adding salt to the dough, can it affect the yeast as in reducing the rise?  I always add it last, a little at a time.


Ok. When baking with wheat flour, don't use more than 50%  of the total needed at first then each time you make it, decrease/increase the percent until you get a loaf with a denseness you like. Look around the stores where you live for rice flour (really light texture) or sunflower seed flower (nutty taste) and use those in 1/4 measures of total, multi-flour breads are awesome to try too!

As far as dough sticking, it happens. As fresh dough sits on a cornmeal dusted peel, it soaks up the meal and turns to glue.  Make sure your dough and peel are really covered in cornmeal so you get a thick enough barrier.  I add flour with the cornmeal too which helps. Don't use a metal peel either unless its for removing cooked food out. Be sure to keep your wood peel conditioned with food safe mineral oil or the like, it will help it stay slick.  Hot hearths dry out wood peels in just a few uses.

Double rise, yep. Unless you are making a super light bread, punch it down twice, you'll notice the difference, the gluten likes it 

Salt, the quandary.  Yes, salt slows the yeast fermentation (rise) but adds flavor and crust color.  If you proof your yeast first, all of its energy goes into the fermentation and happens before it even touches your other ingredients.  The less salt the better but if you proof first, it will help with the rise.

Another "artisan" trick I do. Buy Bob Red Mill's multi grain cereals as either a topping or to mix into your dough for a true "grain" bread.  I use the 7 or 10 grain mix but also have used his apple cinnamon oatmeal for a sweeter bread. Even the screw up trial bakes were still tasty, but it does make a denser loaf so add more bread flour to the ratio for these types of recipes.

I may have to make bread tomorrow now, all this talk about bread makes me want it now!


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## PapaDave (Aug 14, 2013)

Come to a wood forum, get a Master's in bread making.
I love it.
Pay attention guys, Jeni knows dough.
I've not had much of a problem with too much salt. I mix it well into the flour before adding the yeast mixture.
I'm still looking for the perfect pizza dough. I should have started doing this at a much younger age. Might know something by now.
Jon, as much as I like your pics, knock it off.....you're killin' me here.
ETA: The calzone looks to die for.


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## Hearth Mistress (Aug 14, 2013)

PapaDave said:


> I'm still looking for the perfect pizza dough


The best pizza dough is simple, the more complicated you make it, the worse it gets. Ask anyone who ever worked in a decent pizza joint and they will tell you those dinner rolls that everyone raves over when they order eggplant parm are nothing more than chunks of pizza dough, just raised twice 

Try this....

1 packet active dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
Pinch of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus a drizzle more for coating bowl
2 1/2 to 3 cups bread or all-purpose flour, plus more if needed

Proof your yeast - Combine yeast, water, and sugar in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Set aside until
foamy, about 5 -10 minutes.

Add salt, olive oil, and 1 1/2 cups flour to yeast mixture, and mix well to thoroughly combine. Add 1 cup flour and mix well with your hands, working to incorporate flour little by little. The dough should be slightly sticky to the touch. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead it for at least 5 and up to 7 minutes, adding more flour as needed to form a smooth and elastic dough that is not sticky.

Lightly oil a 2- or 3-quart bowl, place dough in it, and turn dough to coat it with oil. Cover bowl with a damp towel and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, usually at least 1 hour. Turn out, shape, top and bake to your liking

Makes two 12" - 14" pizzas


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## NortheastAl (Aug 14, 2013)

Ooo-Faa! Dat's da best lookin' pizza I ever seen. Us guys in New Yawk like that kinda chit. Nuttin' betta dan a brick oven pizza!


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## PapaDave (Aug 14, 2013)

Thanks Jeni, that's exactly what I do, yet I end up not being completely happy with the crust/edge.
With the cooler weather, it's time for more experimenting.
Jon just loves teasing everyone.


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## NortheastAl (Aug 14, 2013)

PapaDave said:


> Thanks Jeni, that's exactly what I do, yet I end up not being completely happy with the crust/edge.
> With the cooler weather, it's time for more experimenting.
> Jon just loves teasing everyone.


Dave, that always seems to be the hardest part of making good pizza.


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## Hearth Mistress (Aug 14, 2013)

PapaDave said:


> Thanks Jeni, that's exactly what I do, yet I end up not being completely happy with the crust/edge.
> With the cooler weather, it's time for more experimenting.
> Jon just loves teasing everyone.


What don't you like about the crust? Remember you will get "oven spring" or additional rise in the oven so if your dough is rolled out too thick with dense edges, you are going to get really chewy pizza, it won't crust up. For a crispier crust bake hotter/shorter in a high humidity oven - either spray your dough edges or put boiling water in a pan on the lower rack. If you are using your oven, not a brick hearth, heat up the pizza stone hot, I put it at 500, then bake at 425 for about 8-9 mins depending on the toppings.  if the stone isn't screaming hot you'll trap the moisture from the dough to the stone when you put it in. If you aren't using a stone, go get one.  For really crispy edge you can brush with olive oil too. Experimenting is the BEST part though


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## PapaDave (Aug 14, 2013)

Got a stone as a present last year. Only used a couple times, so I need more time with it.
I'll give your suggestions a shot......soon. Thanks.
The crust has a sort of drab taste.


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## Hearth Mistress (Aug 14, 2013)

Salt, needs salt. The recipe above has quite a lot but in pizza crust, you need it! Let me know how it goes, "bad" home made pizza is usually still better than most ok "bar" pizza so go nuts and have fun!


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## fishingpol (Aug 15, 2013)

Agreed on the salt.  Great advice from Jeni on the stone.  Pre-heat and let it sit for a bit to get to temp.  Olive oil helps with the crunch in the crust.

The recipe she posted looks good.  I may modify mine by adding olive oil to the dough.  One tip I will add for rising.  I set the oven for 200 in the house.  When it reaches temp, I shut it off, let it sit a few minutes and put the dough in oiled bowls with plastic wrap into the oven.  I let the dough rise to about double in size.  If the dough expands too big and the air bubbles pop, it has over risen.  (Don't ask me how I know this.)  The dough will have a yeasty pungent smell and it will be flat when it comes out of the oven.  


Oh, and I post these threads just for the sheer enjoyment of the ever so slight harrasment comments  from PapaDave because I don't get enough of them at work.


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## PapaDave (Aug 15, 2013)

All in good fun Jon.
I love pizza, and your pics.
So, you're a _gluten_ for punishment, eh?
Been making bread for a couple minutes, and I've gotten pretty good at it. The pizza though.........
I've got a nice sourdough starter in the fridge. Sourdough pizza.....hmmm.


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## DevilsBrew (Sep 7, 2013)

Hearth Mistress said:


> The best pizza dough is simple, the more complicated you make it, the worse it gets. Ask anyone who ever worked in a decent pizza joint and they will tell you those dinner rolls that everyone raves over when they order eggplant parm are nothing more than chunks of pizza dough, just raised twice
> 
> Try this....
> 
> ...




Any advice for making non-doughy pizza rolls in a wood oven?


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## DevilsBrew (Sep 7, 2013)

Ok, I suck at this.  I REALLY need to practice on my outdoor baking skills.  Smoking the ribs was a million times easier.  This afternoon I tried to make pizza rolls using the pizza dough recipe on this thread.  I had the worst time overcooking the outsides.  Good News!  I got one!  Ha ha!  I will try more tomorrow.


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## fishingpol (Sep 7, 2013)

Soak the bricks with the coals to get them nice and hot.  Let the oven cool to baking temp before putting them in.  Any pics of the oven?


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## DevilsBrew (Sep 7, 2013)

I don't have any pictures and was changing it up during the baking.  I made a little teeny brick oven.  There was a brick shelf above the fire.  I was also changing it up and playing with fire again.  I am still trying to figure out this rocket stove design.  I have got to think about this some more.   I used less of a rocket stove and tandoor design this time and didn't enclose the opening or top as much.  That is part of the failure.  I am going to try more of a tunnel tomorrow.


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## DevilsBrew (Sep 7, 2013)

I got it up to 500 at one point but the temp would drop drastically.


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## fishingpol (Sep 7, 2013)

Without insulation, it may be a challenge to retain heat.  Can you double up on the bricks to create more mass or use some sort of insulative blanket to keep the heat in the bricks?  What about a channel for a rocket type stove on the ground and a brick chamber above it to get heated without having the actual fire in the cooking area.  It may need some a bit of bricks, but you may have greater control over the temp.  I use a wooden baking door to block the oven opening that I soak in water before baking.



A house up the street has an old outdoor type fireplace that many people made back in the 1950's.  On each side there are brick chambers that I believe was used for cooking bread.  Either the heat from the cooking fire radiated to warm the chambers or coals were placed in the chambers for a while to get the bricks to temp.


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## DevilsBrew (Sep 7, 2013)

fishingpol said:


> Without insulation, it may be a challenge to retain heat.  Can you double up on the bricks to create more mass or use some sort of insulative blanket to keep the heat in the bricks?  What about a channel for a rocket type stove on the ground and a brick chamber above it to get heated without having the actual fire in the cooking area.  It may need some a bit of bricks, but you may have greater control over the temp.  I use a wooden baking door to block the oven opening that I soak in water before baking.



Exactly.  All fantastic suggestions.  There is a video on another thread about using insulating tape.  I have GOT to read up on kilns.  I also need to pick up more bricks and at some point down the road get some firebricks for the interior.  I'm hoping to take a look at a dragonburner here soon so maybe that will help.


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## rottiman (Sep 7, 2013)

As I sat reading this, a revolution was starting in my tummy.  God, that sure looks good.  Then the mention of Cinnamon Buns pushed it completly over the edge.  LOL


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## mattjm1017 (Sep 7, 2013)

Do you have some kind of instructions or a link to instructions for building a brick oven? I have a huge pile of bricks out back and would love to put them to use and I cant think of anything better than a pizza oven.


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## fishingpol (Sep 8, 2013)

mattjm1017 said:


> Do you have some kind of instructions or a link to instructions for building a brick oven? I have a huge pile of bricks out back and would love to put them to use and I cant think of anything better than a pizza oven.


 
Here is a quick and easy one to try.  Firebricks are recommended for the inside of the oven if anything substantial is being built.


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## DevilsBrew (Sep 8, 2013)

For anyone interested in building a brick oven - I picked my angle iron up at Lowes.  The big box stores don't stock firebrick but Home Depot does carry the clay bricks.  Craigslist is a good place to search for free clay bricks.


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## Gary_602z (Sep 8, 2013)

Dang Jon, how is your cholesterol doing?  Mine just went up looking at it!

Gary


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