First Pizza Cook

[tomhooper]

Sarah and I got a Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven this week.
Today was the inaugural cook.


Mixed reviews. First off I’ve never made pizza before.


I had some leftover pulled pork so decided to do a BBQ pork pizza.
Used Sweet Baby Ray’s as the sauce, pork, and mozzarella cheese.


Sarah went with her standard pepperoni.

Mistakes were made. Mine had way to much topping and not enough flour on the bottom which made it difficult to slide into the oven. Kinda bunched up.


We corrected the flour issue on Sarah’s and it slid in much easier.


We didn’t turn enough and some of the edges got a little dark.
We were cooking at around 800° so I should have been turning pretty much non-stop.

Second one turned out much better.
Both actually tasted very good.

It’s a learning curve but we know what we did wrong and the mistakes should be easily correctable.

 

[02ebz06]

There is definitely a learning curve with a new oven. Good first attempt.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

For someone who has never made pizza before those are some damn fine looking pies!

 

[forktender]

They look good, I actually love the charred flavor I bake my pizza dark by choice.
Next time, try cooking them at 650 to 700 until you dial it in.
Everyone over sauces and tops their pizza at first, this is one time when less is better. Try using med milled cornmeal on the peel, it works much better than flour. Until you get it dialed in, turn the pizza every 20 to 30 seconds.
The lower temps will be way more forgiving until you get it dialed in.

You're off to a great start though, making pizza is a rabbit hole I stepped into a couple of years ago, It's fun as hell, enjoy, and take notes on temp and timing.

Have fun.
Dan.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Great start. I started using parchment paper. Makes it much easier and can remove after a couple minutes when crust starts cooking if want.

 

[chopsaw]

I use semolina like I suggested in another thread . Last one I did I used foil and it worked better . Bottom sets , pull the foil out . Non stick .
Parchment works with house oven temps , but it will go up in flames in the pizza oven running 700 plus .

 

[JLeonard]

Little dark maybe on the crust.....But, I'd still tear both of them up!!

Jim

 

[jbruce]

The key to getting pizza to slide off the peel is 1. use flour or semolina or whatever 2. reduce toppings 3. and most importantly, move fast from the time you stretch dough to getting it in the oven. This insures that there's not much time for the ball bearings [flour] to gather moisture and stick to the peel under your pizza. If you're chronically too slow, or don't like flour on the bottom side of your pizza, parchment paper is a good option. At 800 to 900 degrees, you need to be using a low hydration dough of 60 to 65%. It'll cook crazy fast.

 

[tomhooper]

Appreciate all the suggestions.

 

[Jarhead6870]

Congratulations on your first pizzas.

I totally agree with the above suggestions about using Semolina. I stretch and shape on a bench dusted with a mixture of flour and semolina. Once I achieve my shape, I transfer my dough to my peel that is generously dusted with semolina only. Once on the peel, I give the peel a fast shake to insure the dough is not sticking. If it is, lift up the stuck area and sprinkle some more semolina under the dough and retest. Once the dough moves freely, quickly load your toppings and give your loaded pie another shake test. If it sticks, again lift and reapply some semolina until it moves freely. When satisfied it moves freely, launch your pie immediately into the oven.

Achieving proportions is a personal thing. Mrs. Jarhead and I like a balance where we can savor each aspect of the pie; crust, sauce, meat/vegetables and cheese. We find too much of one makes for a substandard pie. It may take a few attempts but you’ll find what you and your family like.