[Mrs Bee]

Ran out of mozzarella yesterday but it still passed muster.  (yes I know I need to clean the chopping board!) 

I've used white bread flour in the machine, with a goodly amount of oregano. Dough made last night and left over night in the fridge, stretched and flung. Im getting a good crispy bottom and decent airy crust now. I need to sort out the topping though - it's a little too tomato if you know what I mean  .

You can get cream for a crispy bottom you know.

[rowan57]

Last nights attempt, bread maker dough (50:50 White & Spelt), 3 portions from 1lb dough (note to self, 4 portions next time), oven on 240 (note to self: correct temp but thinner dough needed, see note 1). Homemade pizza topping (awesome). Now a pizza stone you say….

That looks awesome! Yeah until I have the time to build a brick oven in my backyard, I think I'll settle for a pizza stone . (They're super cheap and easy to store)
I bottled lots of pizza sauce this year so somehow I'll use that in my argument for getting the hubs to help me build that oven next summer

Thanks! I did have a look, and I think a decent size 15" pizza stone may not fit on my oven racks as they are, I reckon theres a way around it though. I have also looked at building a pizza oven outside, BUT I face 2 main challenges - I'm DIY retarded and it would only be useable for 3-4 months a year. A pizza stone is easier and requires less DIY.

[Lardman]

You can get cream for a crispy bottom you know.

  Picking the low hanging fruit again Mrs Bee.    You know I take my pizza dough very seriously, there will be no chortling about soggy or crispy bottoms or stuffed crusts it's a very serious subject 

[Mrs Bee]

 

[Growster...]

But if the base is laid on a rack, this allows the bottom to cook doesn't it?

It seems to in a fan oven, but it really is Mrs Growster's business to build a pizza, and I tend to stand on one leg and consider the eating thereof...

But Surbie, that machine would look great in our kitchen - marvellous! I mustn't hijack or try to better your idea - or this post, Ma'am, but this is the best parmesan grater we've ever had...

[rowan57]

You can get cream for a crispy bottom you know.

  Picking the low hanging fruit again Mrs Bee.   

Now what are you saying about Mrs. Bee's picking of low hanging fruit? That is how rumours get started

[Mrs Bee]

You can get cream for a crispy bottom you know.

  Picking the low hanging fruit again Mrs Bee.   

Now what are you saying about Mrs. Bee's picking of low hanging fruit? That is how rumours get started

Well, being a very short Mrs Bee, I certainly couldn't reach any other fruit than the low hanging stuff.
I have to use the steps to get to the back of the kitchen cupboards!!

[Madame Cholet]

No worries Growster I'm enjoying the banter

[Mrs Bee]

The main issue with it is I am not sure kids could/should use it unsupervised. It gets amazingly hot and an oven glove is a good idea if you're making loads.

Mine doesn't have noticeable hotspots, nor a turntable. We've had it 2-3 years. It successfully does both deepish pan and thin bases - I don't like thick bases so I haven't tried really deep ones. If you overload the pizza or put the filling too near the edges it will run off and burn on the stone. If you have a smoke alarm, at that point you might want to take the batteries out.

Do you hold chapatis down in the pan when you toast the dough? Our piadinas go a bit bubbly in the pizza oven so I still do them in a flat pan.

I have been talking about your gadget with my son,  Surbie. He put up a couples of questions, as we are both interested in getting one of these.

How big a pizza does it make, and how long does it take to cook.

We are thinking that 1 pizza between 4 peoples is not enough pizza. How do you go about cooking pizza for several people?


Edit to clarify quote

[grendel]

we make up a batch of dough in the bread machine (50 minute pizza dough setting), then use swiss roll silicon trays, roll out the base on a pastry board, put into the silicon trays and spread to the corners, silicons onto metal trays, we can just fit 4 in the oven if one sits on the bottom and one on each of 3 shelves (the shelf from the grill/top oven gets moved to the bottom oven for this), rotate half way through the cooking to cook the bottom one properly.
Grendel

[surbie100]

I have been talking about your gadget with my son,  Surbie. He put up a couples of questions, as we are both interested in getting one of these.

How big a pizza does it make, and how long does it take to cook.

We are thinking that 1 pizza between 4 peoples is not enough pizza. How do you go about cooking pizza for several people?

Edit to clarify quote

The stone is 31cm in diameter - so pizzas are about a foot across. I make a batch of dough, make pizzas till people are full from it and freeze any left over till next time.

The pizzas take about 5 minutes, depending on toppings - and I usually add mozzarella half-way through so the heat doesn't make it disappear. It comes with 2 paddles which you put the base on before sliding onto the stone - I'd get someone handy to make a couple more of them so that you can back up the pizzas and not be tied to the oven if you have lots of people to feed. Otherwise get them to put their own together. 

[Mrs Bee]

Thanks. Surbie.

 5 mins is do able. And 12" is the size of my pizza pans so that gives me an idea of the size.

[chrissie B]

talking about pizzas I make my own and they never look cooked on the bottom they are cooked ut are allways pale , ive used tin trays , ive used th echip thingthat has holes in it and hubby got me a pizza stone you can put on the bbq and oven ive had them in all positions in my oven and still pasty and yet if I make a caltzoni its brown on the bottom .
chrissie b