Like most of ya'll I use a pizza stone and oven preheated to 500 degrees.

quote:

Originally posted by holdem:
Wow, an instance where SigForum may have saved me money. How often does that happen?

Cue the posts on why you need a new and improved unobtanium infused pizza stone in 5... 4... 3...

If I'm involved, it's a pizza stone heated high in the oven or on the Weber gasser. Deep dish, it's in a cast iron skillet in the oven at 400.

If my wife is doing it, it's on a flat pan in the oven usually covered in foil to aid in clean up. She loves cooking but hates clean up. 375 for however long as it takes the cheese to melt and everything to get hot. Maybe 20 or so minutes. All of the toppings are fully cooked (sausage etc.) so as long as they are good and hot it's safe to eat. It's not bad and I've had way worse from carry out pizza places, not to mention frozen ones from the grocery store.

Still, my method is far superior but involves more clean up.

quote:

Originally posted by holdem:
Well all be darned. While I have always cooked them in the oven on a dedicated pizza stone, I have never preheated the stone.

I'll have to try pre-heating the oven and stone to 500-550 and see how I like it.

Wow, an instance where SigForum may have saved me money. How often does that happen?

Super important to preheat. Otherwise the bottom will not be done or crispy by the time the top is burning.

I make about every style of pizza there is, but my favorite is Detroit Style. I cook it in a steel pan on the lowest rack of the oven. 475° for about 17 minutes.

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How do you like to cook your homemade pizza?

1. Let the dough proof
2. Pre-heat Green Mountain pellet grill at 425 for an hour with the pizza stone in it
3. Roll out the dough, spread corn meal on the cookie sheet, transfer the dough
4. Toppings OVER the cheese
5. Pizza on the sheet for 3-5m then slide on to the stone.

Now I’m going to read all the tips and tricks in the thread.

I’m new to this game but my first go around has gone well. I crank up the Yoder, set it to 600 with the pizza stone in it and after about 45 minutes, maybe less, it gets up to 700-750.

Once I open it to slide my thin crust pizza in it drops down and cooks at about 650. I was surprised it takes about 20 minutes to get a good crust and color. I thought it would be faster. What I don’t love is 2 pizzas takes probably 15 lbs of pellets.

It sucks that there is only room for one stone so it’s one pie at a time.

The leftovers heat up great in the toaster oven at 450 in about 3 minutes.

I don’t add hard wood, just use lump coal. High quality. Fogo, BGE, CJ.if not using a stone, I’d cook on the gas grill.
I’ll have to try a deep dish in my lodge frying pan.

quote:

Originally posted by FishOn:

quote:

Originally posted by holdem:
Well all be darned. While I have always cooked them in the oven on a dedicated pizza stone, I have never preheated the stone.

I'll have to try pre-heating the oven and stone to 500-550 and see how I like it.

Wow, an instance where SigForum may have saved me money. How often does that happen?

Super important to preheat. Otherwise the bottom will not be done or crispy by the time the top is burning.

AND, if you're using your oven, just because the "light" goes off doesn't mean your stone is properly preheated. And the thicker the stone, the longer it will take to reach that point. Something to toy around w/.

But now comes the problem of building the pizza that's not on your stone yet and getting it to slide onto it properly. Good times.

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets
But now comes the problem of building the pizza that's not on your stone yet and getting it to slide onto it properly. Good times.

My wife uses corn meal on the pizza peale. The dough slides off much easier than using plain flour.

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Originally posted by dsiets: But now comes the problem of building the pizza that's not on your stone yet and getting it to slide onto it properly. Good times.

I’ve read/heard of several ways to load pies onto the stone, some guys call it “launching”, but the method I use is to use a wooden peel that has been lightly dusted with flour and then rubbed in a bit. Then, liberally sprinkle Semolina flour on the peel. Semolina acts like a lubricant, kinda like miniature ball bearings, and helps with the transfer.

I stretch and shape my dough on the counter before placing it on the peel covered with semolina. Once on the peel, give the peel a shake back and forth a couple of times to make sure the dough is not sticking. The semolina should allow the crust to move. If it’s stuck somewhere, gently lift the crust up by and edge and try to get some more semolina under it and shake it again until it moves freely.

Once this step is completed, quickly sauce it and put on your toppings in the order you prefer. When ready to transfer to your stone, give your peel a couple of shakes to make sure your pie still moves around, open the oven door and slide it onto the stone with 2 or 3 snappy push and pulls. Think of how people pull table cloths out from under dinnerware. A slight forward push and a quick pull back on the peel will move the pizza forward on the peel until it’s started onto the stone, then, just slide out from underneath it.

Again, the trick is to use semolina as a lubricant and to shake the peel a couple times to insure the pie is not stuck to your peel BEFORE attempting to load it on the stone.

As mentioned, corn meal will work in place of Semolina. Semolina is a course ground wheat, versus a corn product, that is similar in texture to corn meal; either will make transfer much easier.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sig Marine,

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Originally posted by Ironbutt:

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets
But now comes the problem of building the pizza that's not on your stone yet and getting it to slide onto it properly. Good times.

My wife uses corn meal on the pizza peale. The dough slides off much easier than using plain flour.

Thats how I do it. Works great.

Always on the pellet grill. Easy and comes out great.

quote:

Originally posted by FishOn:

quote:

Originally posted by Ironbutt:

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets
But now comes the problem of building the pizza that's not on your stone yet and getting it to slide onto it properly. Good times.

My wife uses corn meal on the pizza peale. The dough slides off much easier than using plain flour.

Thats how I do it. Works great.

I was on a kick working w/ low yeasted, long fermented, high hydration dough that if you looked at it for more than than 2 seconds, it stuck to whatever it was on.
Flour, semolina, corn meal, when laid out for dressing, keep that dough moving w/ a quick jerk here and there while building the pie to keep it loose.
I'm here to tell you, football shaped pizza tastes fine.

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets: I was on a kick working w/ low yeasted, long fermented, high hydration dough that if you looked at it for more than than 2 seconds, it stuck to whatever it was on...

I make my pizza dough using a starter so I add no commercial yeast. My dough ferments in the refrigerator for at least 3 days before I use it. When starting out, I quickly found out that the 75%-85% hydration levels used in my breads were not optimum for pizza. I now use a dough for my pies with 63%-65% hydration and it’s much easier to control; to be honest, I do not see or taste any difference in the crumb/crust between the different hydrations.

I make pizza on the BGE, using Royal Oak lump and a pizza stone set above the place setter with a spider so it is up in the dome. Takes 45 minutes to an hour to get up around 700 or so.

We make pizza dough with 00-Caputo flour, other stuff burns. The I don't shape/roll it as thin as others, so it takes about 4-5 minutes to cook.

As for getting them on/off, look into a "super-peel". Basically a pizza peel with a sheet of linen wrapped around it so you can get pies on/off it like a conveyor belt. My wife gave me one years ago and it works great!

Preheat stone 525 good 20 mins on that temp

Take cast iron deep skillet couple hours push out dough and let rise some,

Add toppings while preheating.

Put skillet in oven on top of pizza stone, rotate every 3 to 5 mins till done in about 15-18 mins

Take pizza out of skillet make sure dough is cooked. If not turn on burner on stove and move skillet onto the burner and keep moving it around for about 1 or 2 mi7nutes.

Take pizza out of skillet and move to a cool rack. Cut it and enjoy.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig Marine:

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets: I was on a kick working w/ low yeasted, long fermented, high hydration dough that if you looked at it for more than than 2 seconds, it stuck to whatever it was on...

I make my pizza dough using a starter so I add no commercial yeast. My dough ferments in the refrigerator for at least 3 days before I use it. When starting out, I quickly found out that the 75%-85% hydration levels used in my breads were not optimum for pizza. I now use a dough for my pies with 63%-65% hydration and it’s much easier to control; to be honest, I do not see or taste any difference in the crumb/crust between the different hydrations.

I'll keep that in mind, Sig Marine. I'm actually getting ready to do some sourdough bread baking in the near future. It will be fun to do some pizza w/ it.