What a difference! So glad I was finally able to give one a test run
before buying because I was skeptical that it would be much better
than using my cookie sheet. It's funny that there's a $20 difference
between the long and short handles, but luckily I wanted the short
handle - so yippy for me. I wanted the 18" but it only came with a
long handle, which is a good thing because the 16" fits vertically on
one of the under-counter tray shelves so I don't have to hang it.

Anyway, I made pizza last night and invited my son & family over. GS
was sous chef. We started off with pesto pizza, then had sausage,
peppers and onion (on a red sauce) and finished off with a prosciutto
and egg pizza. Yes, egg! I told my son that if he wanted me to try
it, he had to make it - so he did. It wasn't as bad as I thought it
would be, in fact it tasted like a ham and egg breakfast. Not bad if
you're having people over for brunch, but I wouldn't serve it for
dinner.

I also experimented with using just a touch of olive oil in the dough
this time and it was definitely different. Not sure if I like it or
not though. I have leftover dough, so I can make more pizza this
weekend and decide.

Sorry I don't have a picture to post. My computer did something weird
and swallowed them. I put my single picture of the egg pizza going
into the oven (I forgot to take an "after" shot) onto my desktop and
reduced it in size, so I had two of the same picture. I couldn't find
them on my desktop when I looked at it, but they were there when I
looked at the desktop via My Computer. So, I made a folder for them
on the desktop this morning and placed them in it. The whole darned
folder has disappeared. It's nowhere to be found. Using the search
function, I searched the entire computer and recycle. Very odd... I
hope it doesn't happen again.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
>
> What a difference! So glad I was finally able to give one a test run
> before buying because I was skeptical that it would be much better
> than using my cookie sheet. It's funny that there's a $20 difference
> between the long and short handles, but luckily I wanted the short
> handle - so yippy for me. I wanted the 18" but it only came with a
> long handle, which is a good thing because the 16" fits vertically on
> one of the under-counter tray shelves so I don't have to hang it.
>
> Anyway, I made pizza last night and invited my son & family over. GS
> was sous chef. We started off with pesto pizza, then had sausage,
> peppers and onion (on a red sauce) and finished off with a prosciutto
> and egg pizza. Yes, egg! I told my son that if he wanted me to try
> it, he had to make it - so he did. It wasn't as bad as I thought it
> would be, in fact it tasted like a ham and egg breakfast. Not bad if
> you're having people over for brunch, but I wouldn't serve it for
> dinner.
>
> I also experimented with using just a touch of olive oil in the dough
> this time and it was definitely different. Not sure if I like it or
> not though. I have leftover dough, so I can make more pizza this
> weekend and decide.
>
> Sorry I don't have a picture to post. My computer did something weird
> and swallowed them. I put my single picture of the egg pizza going
> into the oven (I forgot to take an "after" shot) onto my desktop and
> reduced it in size, so I had two of the same picture. I couldn't find
> them on my desktop when I looked at it, but they were there when I
> looked at the desktop via My Computer. So, I made a folder for them
> on the desktop this morning and placed them in it. The whole darned
> folder has disappeared. It's nowhere to be found. Using the search
> function, I searched the entire computer and recycle. Very odd... I
> hope it doesn't happen again.
>
> --
Lately I've been following this recipe, which closely follows the pizza
dough recipe in the Breadman Manual. This results in a fairly wet dough. I
like the sugar and the oil in that quantity. I know it's sacreligious; I
like it anyway.

1.5 cups water
4 cups all purpose flour
2 TB sugar
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp salt - I use 2 tsp Kosher
2 tsp dry yeast.

Kent

On Mar 5, 10:30*am, sf > wrote:
> What a difference! *So glad I was finally able to give one a test run
> before buying because I was skeptical that it would be much better
> than using my cookie sheet. *It's funny that there's a $20 difference
> between the long and short handles, but luckily I wanted the short
> handle - so yippy for me. *I wanted the 18" but it only came with a
> long handle, which is a good thing because the 16" fits vertically on
> one of the under-counter tray shelves so I don't have to hang it. *
>
> Anyway, I made pizza last night and invited my son & family over. *GS
> was sous chef. *We started off with pesto pizza, then had sausage,
> peppers and onion (on a red sauce) and finished off with a prosciutto
> and egg pizza. *Yes, egg! *I told my son that if he wanted me to try
> it, he had to make it - so he did. *It wasn't as bad as I thought it
> would be, in fact it tasted like a ham and egg breakfast. *Not bad if
> you're having people over for brunch, but I wouldn't serve it for
> dinner.
>
> I also experimented with using just a touch of olive oil in the dough
> this time and it was definitely different. *Not sure if I like it or
> not though. *I have leftover dough, so I can make more pizza this
> weekend and decide. *
>
> Sorry I don't have a picture to post. *My computer did something weird
> and swallowed them. *I put my single picture of the egg pizza going
> into the oven (I forgot to take an "after" shot) onto my desktop and
> reduced it in size, so I had two of the same picture. *I couldn't find
> them on my desktop when I looked at it, but they were there when I
> looked at the desktop via My Computer. *So, I made a folder for them
> on the desktop this morning and placed them in it. *The whole darned
> folder has disappeared. *It's nowhere to be found. *Using the search
> function, I searched the entire computer and recycle. *Very odd... I
> hope it doesn't happen again.
>
> --
>
> Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

Did you wind up getting the wood or the metal peel?

On Sat, 5 Mar 2011 17:03:30 -0800 (PST), ImStillMags
> wrote:

> Did you wind up getting the wood or the metal peel?

I got the wood one and I don't use it to take my pizza out either.
People say dough can stick to the wood peel and that's true, but all I
need to do is run a cake or pancake spatula under it and everything is
fine.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Sat, 5 Mar 2011 15:31:05 -0800, "Kent" >
wrote:

> Lately I've been following this recipe, which closely follows the pizza
> dough recipe in the Breadman Manual. This results in a fairly wet dough. I
> like the sugar and the oil in that quantity. I know it's sacreligious; I
> like it anyway.
>
> 1.5 cups water
> 4 cups all purpose flour
> 2 TB sugar
> 2 TB olive oil
> 1 tsp salt - I use 2 tsp Kosher
> 2 tsp dry yeast.

Thanks. I don't measure, but that's pretty close to what I do.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

"sf" > wrote in message
news
> On Sat, 5 Mar 2011 17:03:30 -0800 (PST), ImStillMags
> > wrote:
>
>> Did you wind up getting the wood or the metal peel?
>
> I got the wood one and I don't use it to take my pizza out either.
> People say dough can stick to the wood peel and that's true, but all I
> need to do is run a cake or pancake spatula under it and everything is
> fine.
>
>
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.
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.

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.

What kind of a stone did you get?

Kent

*Some people use cornmeal for this. It works fine. The cornmeal adds
something to the final taste of the pizza that I don't like.

On Mar 5, 10:50*pm, sf > wrote:
> On Sat, 5 Mar 2011 17:03:30 -0800 (PST), ImStillMags
>
> > wrote:
> > Did you wind up getting the wood or the metal peel?
>
> I got the wood one and I don't use it to take my pizza out either.
> People say dough can stick to the wood peel and that's true, but all I
> need to do is run a cake or pancake spatula under it and everything is
> fine.

My method:
I put a layer of parchment paper on the peel, then the dough on the
paper. Slide paper and dough onto the hot stone.
After 8 minutes, I remove dough and paper with the peel.
Put on toppings.
Remove paper and slide dough, now with a bit of a crust, back onto the
stone.
Bake ano. 12 minutes til cheese melts etc.

This dispenses with having to find the cornmeal etc. And ya kin use
the paper a number of times.

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&




--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

"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

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 6 Mar 2011 09:35:56 -0800 (PST), Kalmia
> > wrote:
>
>
>>My method:
>>I put a layer of parchment paper on the peel, then the dough on the
>>paper. Slide paper and dough onto the hot stone.
>>After 8 minutes, I remove dough and paper with the peel.
>>Put on toppings.
>>Remove paper and slide dough, now with a bit of a crust, back onto the
>>stone.
>>Bake ano. 12 minutes til cheese melts etc.
>>
>>This dispenses with having to find the cornmeal etc. And ya kin use
>>the paper a number of times.
>
> I use almost the same method, but my cooking time is way shorter. I
> set my oven at 500-550...and after about 3 minutes, I pull the
> parchment paper out. It is done for after that anyway, as the paper
> is starting to get charred. I let the pizza cook for another 8-9
> minutes, and by then the crust and the toppings are the way I like it,
> and starting to develop char marks. I then use the peel to take out
> the pizza.
>
> How high are you setting your oven? I also preheat the oven for a
> longish time: at least an hour. The stone is very hot by the time I
> slide the pizza onto it.
>
> I am going to miss the oven here in this condo, as it produced superb
> pizza. I could set it as high as 550, and the pizza was done in about
> 9-12 minutes.
>
> My last pizza:
> http://i56.tinypic.com/xgml95.jpg
>
> The char on the bottom:
> http://i51.tinypic.com/wkiikn.jpg
>
> Christine
> --
>
That looks great! I'm guessing that's pizza margharita. Do you use tomato
sauce or slices? Recently I've been using sliced roma tomatoes. I blot out
the excess moisture. I set our oven at maximum and the pizza is done in 7-8
minutes.

Kent

On Sun, 6 Mar 2011 15:22:48 -0800, "Kent" >
wrote:

> 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.

I'll try it that way next time. Thanks.

> 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.

Those are thinner, but they hold plenty of heat AFAIC.

> Do you know a good local place to get them? I've thought of the square stone.

Those are my old tiles. I bought some new ones at Import Tile in
Berkeley, but you can call any place that sells tile and ask if they
sell unglazed quarry tile individually. I should have asked if they
would cut a couple of them in half for me because I need half sized
tiles too, but I didn't. They're slightly thicker than my old ones,
so I can't mix and match. Oh well. I'll get it right eventually.

> 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.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 6 Mar 2011 15:27:15 -0800, "Kent" >
> wrote:
>
>
>
>>> My last pizza:
>>> http://i56.tinypic.com/xgml95.jpg
>>>
>>> The char on the bottom:
>>> http://i51.tinypic.com/wkiikn.jpg
>>>
>>> Christine
>>> --
>>>
>>That looks great! I'm guessing that's pizza margharita. Do you use tomato
>>sauce or slices? Recently I've been using sliced roma tomatoes. I blot out
>>the excess moisture. I set our oven at maximum and the pizza is done in
>>7-8
>>minutes.
>>
>>Kent
>
> It was a combo pizza...LOL. I used both mozzarella and parmesan.. And
> oregano...No basil. And the sauce I use is from Peter Reinhart's
> book American Pie: the Crushed Tomato sauce. It is uncooked, and has
> a real "pizza" flavor.
>
> Haven't tried just using tomatoes yet. I might this summer, when there
> are good ripe tomatoes.
>
> Christine
> --
> Sometime I make pizza margherita by placing the cheese on the pizza round
> first. I usually apply a very thin coat of EVOO first, then the cheese.
> The sliced tomatoes then go on top of the cheese, with seasonings of
> choice, and into the oven. This evaporates some of the moisture from the
> tomato while the pizza is baking. It concentrates the tomato flavor a
> bit. I've been using slices of provolone cheese instead of mozzarella,
> from Costco. Although Costco had a nice shredded mozzarella in 5lb bags at
> a very good price the last time I was there.

Kent

"sf" wrote in message ...


snip

Sorry I don't have a picture to post. My computer did something weird
and swallowed them. I put my single picture of the egg pizza going
into the oven (I forgot to take an "after" shot) onto my desktop and
reduced it in size, so I had two of the same picture. I couldn't find
them on my desktop when I looked at it, but they were there when I
looked at the desktop via My Computer. So, I made a folder for them
on the desktop this morning and placed them in it. The whole darned
folder has disappeared. It's nowhere to be found. Using the search
function, I searched the entire computer and recycle. Very odd... I
hope it doesn't happen again.

--
Did you just switch to Windows 7? I had the same issue yesterday and today.
I had to track down the file folder, copy and paste. Save As definitely
didn't work.
Janet

On Sun, 6 Mar 2011 18:03:03 -0800 (PST), Kalmia
> wrote:

> My stone is usually pretty hot, because I try to make bread or muffins
> before the pizza goes in.

I should start doing that too. So you heat it to 350°, bake your
muffins and then crank it up to 550° for pizza?

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Sun, 6 Mar 2011 18:21:42 -0700, "Janet Bostwick"
> wrote:

> Did you just switch to Windows 7? I had the same issue yesterday and today.
> I had to track down the file folder, copy and paste. Save As definitely
> didn't work.
> Janet

Wish I could blame it on Win7, but no. It's the same old system I've
used for the last 6 years. I created a desktop folder this morning
and placed images in that, which I can see. I can't see any images
that I placed on the desktop today, but they are there when I look via
My Computer. I wonder what's going on?

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.