Welcome to Pizza & Baking

[Davo]

If you like making pizzas or baking bread or cakes on the bbq or even making deserts.....this is the place to come and share.

This is a test post...if you can read it...please post reply here.

Cheers

Davo

[CommandoGorilla]

Thanks for starting the thread Davo, ...but hey nobody has put their secret techniques in here yet. What?

Day 3 of Kamado ownership and after steak, smoked sausage and veg on day 1, Roast chook on day 2...and all a success, now pizza.

I should have posted this several hours ago as I am about 30 minutes away from committing myself to the Kamado with 2 home made pizzas.

Once again, I hope someone can give me the low down on Temps and Techniques. I don't need receipes, as I have seen a few of them on this forum.

I have put the heat deflector in the bottom position and have the grilling rack above it and the grill extender rack above that. I'm hoping I can cook 2 pizzas at once on the two grilling racks (not using the deflector).

I'm guessing temp should be around 220 to 250 c. Can anyone confirm this? I have heard that pizzas can be cooked at very high temps.

Any help you guys can offer will be appreciated....just hurry!!

[titch]

Cannot help with the Komado, but we do Pizza at 220c on a heated stone.
Usually home made dough, thin.
Titch

[urbangriller]

Yep 250C is good. Are you using a pizza stone?

Chris

[CommandoGorilla]

Yep, two stones, two pizzas. Just learnt lesson one. Moving pizza dough with toppings onto hot stone, not so easy! Went cheap and didn't buy the paddle. Guess what is on the shopping list for tomorrow. Got temp right, about 220 and might just crank it a tweak as the topping slipped into the centre trying to get the bloody thing onto the stone. There in and here is hoping.....

[Davo]

Yeah I usually go about 220C on the kettle with a pizza sone directly on the grill grates with the fire out to the sides using the baskets

Using Pizza stones are great and I wish I began earlier but they really make the pizzas authentic by absorbing the moisture from the dough.

I usually go for a very thin & crispy base and usually takes 20 minutes in the kettle but I'm never in a Hurry.

Last weekend I had a go at making a gluten free dough and jeez that stuff is gooey at first untill you rest it...but it turned out good...I found that it's best to pat it out larger rather than trying to stretch it because of the lack of gluten..theres little strtch but it will flatten out by pressing the palm of your hand all around plenty of times till the dough is flat and relatively even. Gluten free keeps you fuller for longer but just a bit harder to work with.
No good in a bread maker..best to mix by hand.
My pizzas never look a good shape when ready for the toppings

Cheers

Davo

[Davo]

Yep, two stones, two pizzas. Just learnt lesson one. Moving pizza dough with toppings onto hot stone, not so easy! Went cheap and didn't buy the paddle. Guess what is on the shopping list for tomorrow. Got temp right, about 220 and might just crank it a tweak as the topping slipped into the centre trying to get the bloody thing onto the stone. There in and here is hoping.....

Yeah ....pizza stones also need close to an hour to be ready for the pizza..they have to be very hot.....don't put a cold stone on a very hot grill or it'll crack and never try to move the stone while hot...wait till next morning and take off. Pizza paddles always a great idea....I bought the bbq-chef ones from BBQs gal and the folding SS paddle came with the stone for 39 bucks...good value.

Enjoy!!

Cheers

Davo

[titch]

Gluten free dough,let it sit for as long as you can I here.
Dave.
Never made a proper round pizza in my life,Rectangular fits in cookers usualy better,Except the kettle.
Titch

[urbangriller]

Brother Commando.

Make your pizzas up on baking paper, makes them easy to carry and put on the stone, after a minute the base is firmm enouch to pull the paper out!

If you use a pizza peel cover it with semolina or polenta first, this will help the pizza "roll" off onto the stone.

Cheers
Chris

[CommandoGorilla]

Thanks for the tip UrbanGrilla re the baking paper moving the pizzas onto the stone. . Pitty I didn't ask earlier as this would have been the crucial hint for success. I will post a new thread with some photos giving a blow by blow. Some pretty and some not so. Full as a boot though.

[Mountain Mick]

Hi Davo.

Thanks, MM

[Davo]

Hi Davo.

Thanks, MM

You're welcome Mick......it's looking to become one of the more popular catagories already....I'm looking forward to it...Pizzas & breads are great!!

Cheers

Davo

[olde]

Here's my tip for pizza and dough making. I got talked into using greaseproof paper to keep some dough separate overnight. Against my better judgement. Usually I just leave the balls in an airtight container, but swmbo knew better, and insisted it wouldn't stick. Well bs. Like bs to a blanket. In fact it not only stuck, but also kinda dissolved the paper. End result, silicon paper inpregnated dough in the bin. Don't do it.

[sosman]

Thanks for the tip UrbanGrilla re the baking paper moving the pizzas onto the stone. . Pitty I didn't ask earlier as this would have been the crucial hint for success. I will post a new thread with some photos giving a blow by blow. Some pretty and some not so. Full as a boot though.

I don't cook pizza directly on the stone any more:





The second one was cooked at:



in about 10 minutes. I sometimes slap it on the stone for a few seconds but not if the lid is showing much more than 250 C - it is likely to burn the bottom before the toppings cook (for kamado at least). My take on this is that unlike a pizza oven where the wood fire is sitting on the floor, the kamado heats the stone directly underneath and you have to manage the temperature differential. I have cooked directly on the stone but don't bother any more.

Also placing the base on a tray is handy when making no-knead dough which is a bit sloppier, once you get it on the pizza tray it is a snap to handle. I don't have pictures of the underneath handy but I can assure you they come out crisp and browned.

[Smokey]

Picked up a weber pizza stone and tray yesterday, Made the captains dough this morning.(its in the fridge)
Im not particularly a fan of pizza, prolly because of the awful frozen pizza that the lovely buys
Lets see if I can impress myself tonight
How to cook?
In the summit, stone to one side, burners under it low and two opposite burners on high?
should I use the back burner?