"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 5 Mar 2011 22:30:44 -0800, "Kent" >
> wrote:
>
>> SF, make sure the peel is dry, and then apply quite of lot of flour*. Put
>> your dough round over the flour and make your pizza on the peel. While
>> you're doing this, shake back and forth now and then to make sure the
>> pizza
>> round doesn't stick anywhere on the peel.
>
> I did that on day one of pizza baking and I've decided I prefer flour
> to cornmeal.
>
>> Slide the pizza onto the hot stone. I always use the peel to take the
>> pizza
>> out. When it's done the peel slides right under the pizza and it comes
>> off
>> the stone almost like it wants to.
>
> So far no sticking unless I get distracted and let it sit on the peel
> too long. Like I said, running something under it loosens it right
> up.
>>
>> When you slide your pizza onto the stone initially, spray fine water mist
>> into the oven, and repeat in 30 seconds. This makes for a crisp crust.
>> You're trying to mimic a commercial bread oven, which mists
>> automatically.
>>
> *That's* what I forgot to do and I had the water sprayer right next to
> the oven too. Well, the crust came out really crispy anyway, so that
> was fine.
>
>> What kind of a stone did you get?
>
> No stone. I use unglazed quarry tiles.
> http://oi52.tinypic.com/2d8fhhd.jpg
> If I ever got a stone, I'd get the rectangular one from Williams
> Sonoma.
> http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produ...?catalogId=59&
>
>
Pesto Pizza! We first had pesto pizza at Pauline's pizza in SF when it was
on Mission St. south of Army St. many years ago. The pizza came out of the
oven, and the original owner chef Salvario topped it with his pesto sauce
and brought it to the table. Cooking the pesto sauce on the pizza was a no
no. He made that very clear to me. When the Pauline's moved to its present
location in the Levi Strauss complex for us it was never quite the same.
Now, of course it has new owners, although their signature dish still is
pesto pizza. http://www.paulinespizza.com/menu/.

I've thought of getting unglazed quarry tiles. I'm concerned about the
horizontal fissures between tiles, and the smoothness of the tiles. When you
buy them, how do you know they haven't been chemically treated? They look
nice and hefty, 3/4" or so in thickness, they'd hold the heat well. Do you
know a good local place to get them? I've thought of the square stone. Most
are 14" by 16". I like to have 16 by 16". My round hefty 16" has done well
for me. I'm not sure where they're available.

Kent