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Showing posts with the label outdoor pizza

Pepperoni and Giardiniera Pizza - Chicago Thin Experiments - January 2025

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Wintertime is indoor pizza time around our house.  That brings with it a dilemma:  What style of dough do I make that satisfies everyone.  You see...Nat and the kids prefer what we call 'outdoor pizza' - something that is probably described as "Neapolitan-adjacent".  A higher-hydration dough that has a large (or at least 'larger') cornicione that is typically (or ideally) covered in Leopard spots .  Some might say'Dough-forward'.   I prefer something closer to Chicago Tavern Pizza and/or Bar Pies .  Thin, crispy and 'toppings-forward'.  I even like 'stunt pizzas' - like BBQ chicken and more recently....a Buffalo Chicken Dip Pizza (that...in my mind... Nat 'invented'.) Since I'm stuck using the indoor/kitchen oven, I have to either make a choice (make one dough or the other) or....make both.  This past weekend, I picked one:  Chicago Thin.  And....due to travel, I ended up making a same-day dough (not ideal).   The sam...

Pizza Oven - Buildout Tips - Counter Cutout

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I've documented a few pizza operation tips over the years here on the blog.  From what a pizza parlor could/would look like to the signage to the uniforms/tabletops to the *actual name* ( Dorianell's ), I've 'dreamed' a lot about the front-of-house.   But, I've also documented tips and tricks for the back-of-house.  Including how Aurelio's pre-pans their dough to the type of tomatoes and more.   This past Spring, Summer and...Fall...I built out my own wood-fired pizza oven.  (Note:  I REALLY need to finish those posts!).  So, I'm turning my attention to building out the rest of the oven setup; including prep tables.   The latest tip comes via world's best pizza guy - Chef Anthony Mangieri, owner of Una Pizza Napoletana in NYC in this YouTube video from Bon AppĆ©tit . Here, below, is the full video - but further down, I've taken a few screenshot stills from it that I wanted to call-out. First...he talks about setting up his layou...

Pizza Parlance: Leopard Spotting

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I've been trying to get what everyone wants on their neo-Neapolitan pizzas - cooked outdoors, at high heat - leopard spotting.  On a recent bake, I achieved what is pretty close to it (at least for me) with these spotts on the pie below: My stretching game has improved quite a bit this past Summer thanks to an all-day class that I took at the North American Pizza and Culinary Academy in Lisle .   However, I continue to find what I call 'indoor' pizza more interesting; despite Nat and the kids all preferring these 'outdoor' pies each weekend. Full Pizza Parlance archive here .  Frico and Stunt Pizza are included.

Low And Slow In Ooni Oven - Crispy Pizza - January 2023

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Thanks to a tip from the Santa Barbara Baker - who runs a great Ooni pizza oven-centric YouTube channel - I've changed the way that I'm using my Ooni Pro 16 outdoor oven.  Historically, I've used the burner FULL-BLAST, but he turned me on to low-and-slow .  I preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes to get the floor temperature up then, right before I slide the pie off the peel, I turn the temp down to like 1/3rd of the flame power.  This allows for a much longer bake and a crispy, flop-free bottom.  I then turn the burner back up to full power and finish the top off for 30 seconds or so.   I haven't quite figured out or solved the final cheese mix on these low-and-slow Ooni bakes - this one above is about 90% fresh mozz with a few little sprinkles of Fontina.   I've also totally abaondoned the Ooni Pro 16 door because it kept extinsuishing the flame from the burner - due to (I think) - the lack of oxygen.  Maybe...if I modify the door in so...