# WSM Gourmet Pizza - Because I don't know what else to call it



## noboundaries (Apr 21, 2017)

I usually make pizza about once a month.  I have a pizza stone that I love using in the oven, but it was designed for the Weber Kettle.  Unfortunately, it had a reputation for cracking so I've never used it on the grill.  Today I decided to make pizzas in the WSM and try the stone there.  It worked nicely! 

*Dough*

I love fermented pizza dough.  Not quite sour dough, but not sweet dough either.  I copied a basic recipe off the Internet and adjusted it to my tastes and choices of flour.  It is SO easy to make, and the flavor is fantastic.  I actually use the weights, not the cups and tsp, except for the gluten and additional water.  Here's the recipe and some pictures.

*4 Day Fermented Pizza Dough - Medium Crust*

*Ingredients*
6.25 cups Gold Medal All Purpose Flour (750 grams)
3 tsp fine sea salt (24 grams)
3/4 tsp active dry yeast (3 grams)
2.25 cups room temp water (525 grams)
3.6 Tbs Gluten (adds protein)
4.2 Tbs additional water
Olive oil

*Directions*

1. Combine dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed.

2. Slowly add water and mix thoroughly with a spoon until you get a ragged dough.

3. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap, place on the counter and let it bulk ferment for 24 hours at room temperature.

4. Lightly flour a work surface, remove dough and place on floured work surface.  Flour your hands then add additional flour to the wet dough so it is workable.  Work it as little as possible to form a big round ball.

5. Divide dough into four equal portions.  Next we're going to make dough balls.  Place one dough portion between your hands and fold two sides into center.  Rotate 90 degrees and fold into center and continue this process until a ball is formed. Add more flour to your hands if needed. Pinch the seam closed on the bottom of the ball.  You can be aggressive with the pinch.

6. Place dough into highly oiled plastic container.  Place in a cooler with an ice jug for 72 hours.  Replace the ice jug every 24 hours.  You can use the refrigerator but I found I like the taste best when the cooler temp is around 40-45°F.

7. After 72 hours, remove from the cooler at least 1 hour before use.  I like to let it sit on the counter for four hours.  Dough can be frozen too then counter thawed for later use.

Servings: 32

Source for inspiration: Baking Steel 72 hour pizza dough

Ragged dough













001 - Ragged Dough.JPG



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After 24 hour bulk fermentation













002 - 24 Hr Bulk Fermented Dough.JPG



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Wet dough poured out on floured surface.













003 - Wet Fermented Dough.JPG



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Big dough ball ready to divide.













004 - Floured - Shaped to Divide.JPG



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Four 13-15 ounce pizza portions.













005 - 14 oz Dough Balls.JPG



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Oiled and ready to ferment in the cooler or the fridge for 72 more hours.  You can go longer.  I've let the dough ferment for twice as long and it was still fantastic.  I love the flavor best at 72 hours when the dough has cold fermented between 40-45F.  . 













006 - Shaped Oiled Ready to Cold Ferment.JPG



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Here's what the dough looks like after the additional 72 hour cold fermentation.













008 - 4 Day Fermented Pizza Dough.JPG



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Now, being raised in an Italian household, I believed pizza always included red sauce.  I've never made a pizza without red sauce ......... until today.  Red sauce gives my honey stomach problems.  So today, I decided to try something completely off the wall with pizza to see how it would taste.  On a Calzone, instead of red sauce, I used a commercial Pepper and Onion Relish with grated mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, and smoked chicken thigh meat dusted with a sweet and smoky pork rub.  Now, you might be thinking I was planning on making a Calzone.  Nope.  When the pizza slid off the peel weird and I couldn't get it back on the stone, I turned it into a Calzone.  It was only the second Calzone I've ever made, and the first one was caused by EXACTLY the same mistake! 

Here's the Calzone on the WSM at 435F and when it was finished.  Oh my god it was fantastic. The hot pepper in the relish gave it a bit of a bite.  The sweet and salty balance with the cheese and chicken was perfect.  Honestly, my wife and I were both shocked how good it was. 













010 - WSM Calzone 01.JPG



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011 - WSM Calzone 02.JPG



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When I do pizza in a 500-550F oven, I get bigger "blisters," big bubbles in the dough.  That didn't happen in the 435F WSM, but the flavor of the dough was still delicious. 

The second pizza was in fact a pizza.  I used a commercial Spiced Pear Chutney instead of red sauce, caramelized onions, grated mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, and smoked chicken thigh meat with the pork rub.  It needed a little more of the chutney to balance the pizza, but man oh man it was good.  I didn't get a pic of it on the WSM, but here is the finished product.













012 - WSM Gourmet Pizza.JPG



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On both the Calzone and the pizza, everything worked together beautifully.  You could taste the tang of the fermented crust, the sweetness of the relish, chutney, and caramelized onions, the neutrality of the cheese, and the smoky rubbed chicken.  My Italian grandmother is either very proud, or turning over in her grave because I didn't use a red sauce, but we'll be exploring additional options for no red sauce pizzas. 

Have a GREAT weekend everybody!

Ray


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## SmokinAl (Apr 22, 2017)

Absolutely fantastic looking pizza & calzone Ray.

Thank you for the recipe, we do pizza on the Weber all the time & I'm going to try it.

A point worthy cook for sure!

Congrats on making the carousel too!

Al


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## uncle eddie (Apr 22, 2017)

Wow!  Looks great.  Great pictures and narrative too.  Points!


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## noboundaries (Apr 22, 2017)

SmokinAl said:


> Absolutely fantastic looking pizza & calzone Ray.
> 
> Thank you for the recipe, we do pizza on the Weber all the time & I'm going to try it.
> 
> ...


Thanks Al, for the compliments and the point! 

I've been hinting to my wife for a baking cast iron or pizza steel I can use in the Weber Kettle.  Nothing heavy has arrived yet.  If my special day in May comes and goes without one, I'll order it the next day.  I really like making pizza on the Weber Kettle using a paella pan, but prefer the crust of a pizza made on a hot stone or base heating to high temp over a fire.


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## noboundaries (Apr 22, 2017)

Uncle Eddie said:


> Wow!  Looks great.  Great pictures and narrative too.  Points!


Thanks for the nice words and the point Uncle Eddie!  Glad you enjoyed it.


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## scarps23 (Apr 22, 2017)

That looks really good!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## noboundaries (Apr 22, 2017)

scarps23 said:


> That looks really good!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks scarps23! 

I will confess, in the privacy of my own home, I used to criticize chefs on TV who had the gall to call their pies "pizza" if it didn't have a red sauce.  Then a few weeks ago we visited a daughter and she took us to one of her favorite gastro-pubs.  In addition to salads, there were sandwiches and five pizzas, and none of the pizzas had a red sauce.  The other four pizzas were vegetarian, but one had a béchamel sauce, caramelized onions, pulled pork, roasted garlic, and fresh mozzarella cheese.  It was amazing!  That pizza opened my mind to something more than red sauce on pizzas.


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## myownidaho (Apr 22, 2017)

Definitely point worthy! Have you ever tried Caputo "00" flour? A little spendy but makes for a great texture.


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## noboundaries (Apr 22, 2017)

MyOwnIdaho said:


> Definitely point worthy! Have you ever tried Caputo "00" flour? A little spendy but makes for a great texture.


Thanks for the point MyOwnIdaho! 

Yes, I have used Caputo "00" flour.  In fact, if you remove the gluten and additional water from the above recipe, you have exactly what you need if you use Caputo 00.  The Caputo gives a fantastic texture and elasticity that nothing else can touch.  I can buy it locally at Whole Foods bulk bins for $1.19/lb, about double the price of Gold Medal AP, but not enough to break the bank. 

I have experimented with the dough recipe using Caputo 00, full bread flour, a mix of Caputo/AP, a mix of Bread/AP, all AP, and the AP/Vital Wheat Gluten mix.  Flavor wise, my wife and I both found the AP/VWG mix gave us the flavor we liked the best.  Once fermented, the AP/VWG isn't near as silky a texture as the Caputo, but the elasticity is very close.

Caputo has a protein content of 12.5%.  Gold Medal AP only has a protein content of 10%. Without the additional VWG, AP flour alone makes LOUSY pizza crust due to poor elasticity.  The additional Vital Wheat Gluten in the above recipe brings the GM AP protein level to 12.8%, increasing the elasticity of the dough for working into a pizza crust.  The additional water is necessary to keep the recipe in balance. 

Bread flour gives a great taste too, but the protein content can range from 13.3% to 14% depending on the manufacturer.  It makes for a chewier, tougher biting crust in my opinion.  

With the recipe I showed above, the secret to a firm, yet tender crust, is to work the dough as little as possible.  The gluten develops during the cold fermentation.  If you work it too much after the 24 hour bulk fermentation before dividing the big ball, you'll over-stimulate the gluten and get a tough biting crust.  Just remember, less is better. 

Happy pizza making!


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## myownidaho (Apr 22, 2017)

Love it. A man who definitely knows his way around pizza dough!


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## noboundaries (Apr 22, 2017)

MyOwnIdaho said:


> Love it. A man who definitely knows his way around pizza dough!



It's almost as addicting as smoking meat!


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## b-one (Apr 22, 2017)

Nice,I'm to lazy to name my own crust. Bet it Tate's awesome! I like an Alfredo sauce with grilled chicken,broccoli,shrooms and cheese.


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## noboundaries (Apr 22, 2017)

b-one said:


> Nice,I'm to lazy to name my own crust. Bet it Tate's awesome! I like an Alfredo sauce with grilled chicken,broccoli,shrooms and cheese.



I like the idea of an Alfredo sauce!  I froze two of the crusts I made.  We're big on veggies.  Will definitely have to try your comp b-one!

Thanks for the point!


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## myownidaho (Apr 22, 2017)

Noboundaries said:


> Thanks scarps23!
> 
> I will confess, in the privacy of my own home, I used to criticize chefs on TV who had the gall to call their pies "pizza" if it didn't have a red sauce.  Then a few weeks ago we visited a daughter and she took us to one of her favorite gastro-pubs.  In addition to salads, there were sandwiches and five pizzas, and none of the pizzas had a red sauce.  The other four pizzas were vegetarian, but one had a béchamel sauce, caramelized onions, pulled pork, roasted garlic, and fresh mozzarella cheese.  It was amazing!  That pizza opened my mind to something more than red sauce on pizzas.


I can be somewhat of a heretic. Color me a victim of the California pizza scene! I often use pesto for a sauce and I have one pizza that has no sauce. A paper thin layer of yukon gold potatoes, raclette or gruyere cheese, carmelized onions, some sort of exotic mushroom, thin sliced asparagus, etc., and maybe a little finely diced pancetta.


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## noboundaries (Apr 22, 2017)

MyOwnIdaho said:


> I can be somewhat of a heretic. Color me a victim of the California pizza scene! I often use pesto for a sauce and I have one pizza that has no sauce. A paper thin layer of yukon gold potatoes, raclette or gruyere cheese, carmelized onions, some sort of exotic mushroom, thin sliced asparagus, etc., and maybe a little finely diced pancetta.


Well, after 62 years of resisting the change, I guess I've softened in my outlook.  What you wrote above now sounds delicious. 

BTW, the next time I use the WSM to make pizzas, I'm going to take the empty water pan out of the smoker.  The water pan definitely caused uneven heating of my stone.  When I used an infrared gun on the stone, there was a 100F difference between the flat side and the far side in the Calzone picture above.  Removing the water pan would probably heat the stone more evenly. 

If my wife gets me the 15" case iron pizza stone for my BD, that will help with even heating too.  I CC'd her on a link to this thread I sent to my daughter.  Yeah, I'll probably hear about this sentence later!


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## myownidaho (Apr 22, 2017)

Noboundaries said:


> BTW, the next time I use the WSM to make pizzas, I'm going to take the empty water pan out of the smoker.  The water pan definitely caused uneven heating of my stone.  When I used an infrared gun on the stone, there was a 100F difference between the flat side and the far side in the Calzone picture above.  Removing the water pan would probably heat the stone more evenly.



That would make sense. The amount of time for the preheat could also be contributing. I use my lower oven for baking. It has the stone on one rack and a cast iron skillet below it that I pour water in when baking bread. I leave it in there when I'm doing pizza but because I'm not burning charcoal, I can let it preheat for an hour after it comes to temp. Pulling the bowl should help quite a bit.


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## tropics (Apr 23, 2017)

Ray Pizza looks great!! We have been making pies almost every week.I am getting lazy and buying my dough.

Richie


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## noboundaries (Apr 23, 2017)

tropics said:


> Ray Pizza looks great!! We have been making pies almost every week.I am getting lazy and buying my dough.
> 
> Richie


Thanks Richie! 

The thing I like about this dough is how easy it is because all the work is broken up.  It only takes ten minutes total to weigh the ingredients, put them in a bowl, and stir them to make the ragged dough. 

A day later it only takes another ten minutes to dump the wet dough, make the big ball, divide it and put the dough balls in the containers. 

For the next three days, no time at all is involved if you use your refrigerator, 1 minute a day if you use an ice jug and cooler like I do. If you use a cooler, the hard part is keeping your nose out of the cooler.  The aroma of the fermenting dough is incredible!

We're already thinking about how to use the two dough balls I have in the freezer.  My homemade red sauce is spicy sweet, and that's why we tried the chutney and relish bases I described above.  In the cabinet we also have a commercial Middle Eastern Date, Currant, and Cumin chutney.  I think a homemade fig chutney with a little red pepper would work well too.  My wife is not a capsaicin fan like me, but she loved the slight bite of the pepper and onion relish.  I still can't believe I'm using the words pizza and chutney in the same sentence, but there you have it!


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## browneyesvictim (Apr 23, 2017)

I'm totaly stealing this! I bought this a couple months ago to make pizza dough. Now im glad i waited!
Point! 













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## noboundaries (Apr 23, 2017)

Browneyesvictim said:


> I'm totaly stealing this! I bought this a couple months ago to make pizza dough. Now im glad i waited!
> Point!
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the point Browneyesvictim!  By all means, steal away.  A pound is 454 grams, and it looks like that's a 1 kg package, so you've got enough to make a full recipe.  Use a scale and it will come out perfectly!

Happy stealing!

Ray


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## unclejhim (Apr 23, 2017)

You had me at "spiced pear chutney"!! That dough sounds great also ... will try. Well done and points for great pic's and narrative.


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## noboundaries (Apr 23, 2017)

unclejhim said:


> You had me at "spiced pear chutney"!! That dough sounds great also ... will try. Well done and points for great pic's and narrative.


Unclejhim, thanks for the kind words and the point.  You will love the taste of this dough!


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## Bearcarver (Apr 24, 2017)

Just now found this one----

That is an Outstanding looking Pizza!! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






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I'd be all over that !!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Dang that looks Good!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


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## noboundaries (Apr 24, 2017)

Bearcarver said:


> Just now found this one----
> 
> That is an Outstanding looking Pizza!!
> 
> ...


Thanks Bear, for the points and the emoticons! 

Here's a pizza story you might enjoy.  I played football in HS in TN in the early 70's.  Back then, Pizza Hut had "All You Can Eat" Tuesdays.  As a very active teenager, I could eat through the kitchen like a hungry piranha.  My folks took any inexpensive chance they could to fill me up, so we were regulars at All You Could Eat Tuesdays.

My Junior year I move from nose guard to outside linebacker.  One Tuesday my defensive team coach was at "the Hut" with his family.  He watched me go back again and again for pizza.  He came over before he and his family left, talked to my parents, then looked at me and asked, "How many pieces of pizza did you eat?"  I did a quick calculation in my head and said, "I don't know, maybe 16 to 20."  He cracked up laughing. 

The next day I walk into the field house and all the coaches start laughing soon after I arrive.  As my teammates and I were getting suited up for practice, the defensive coach tells everyone about my pizza gluttony the previous night.  Then on the field, instead of saying my name to do something, he started calling me "Pizza."  

The announcer at our home games on Friday nights was the head coach's son.  When I made a tackle on the field, I hear him say over the PA to a crowd of several hundred on each side of the field, "Tackle by number 50, Pizza."  The name stuck, and that is how I was known for the rest of my time in HS.  

Ahhhhh, memories.

Have a GREAT day!

Ray


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## Bearcarver (Apr 24, 2017)

LOL---Great Story Ray!! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bet the coach remembers it too!!

Bear


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## noboundaries (Apr 25, 2017)

A big, flat box arrived yesterday that is REALLY heavy.  Looks like my plan to get a cast iron pizza stone worked!  BD is less than two weeks away.


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## disco (Apr 27, 2017)

Perfect pizza = Point

Disco


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## noboundaries (Apr 28, 2017)

Disco said:


> Perfect pizza = Point
> 
> Disco


Thanks for the point Disco! 

I still have two dough balls in the freezer.  My wife says I can't use the new cast iron stone (there's gotta be a better name, because it isn't a stone) until my birthday the end of next week.  I'm going to save some of the pulled pork I've got in the smoker right now for the pizzas.  More to follow!


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## browneyesvictim (Apr 28, 2017)

Why don't you just call it a pizza steel? lol! :-)

By the way I have a batch started with that Tippo 00 flour fermenting now. It will be done on my mini while camping.

I have a Pampered Chef baking stone and has made AWSOME pizza in the oven. I am afraid to put in/on by bbq for the same reason- fear of breaking. Im not sure if it will even fit in my mini. I haven't even tried. Is the steel just 1/4" mild steel plate cut in a circle or is it stainless? I know it is supposed to be "food grade", but I have resources...


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## noboundaries (Apr 28, 2017)

Browneyesvictim said:


> Why don't you just call it a pizza steel? lol! :-)
> 
> By the way I have a batch started with that Tippo 00 flour fermenting now. It will be done on my mini while camping.
> 
> I have a Pampered Chef baking stone and has made AWSOME pizza in the oven. I am afraid to put in/on by bbq for the same reason- fear of breaking. Im not sure if it will even fit in my mini. I haven't even tried. Is the steel just 1/4" mild steel plate cut in a circle or is it stainless? I know it is supposed to be "food grade", but I have resources...


Glad you are trying the dough.  I can't answer your steel questions, but you could probably use the steel you build the pizza on parchment paper on a peel then slide the paper and pizza on the steel.  That's what I do with whatever I am using to cook my pizza.   

The reason I haven't used my "ceramic stone" in my Weber Kettle is fear of breaking it.  I love that stone and it is irreplaceable.  The makers have gone out of business. 
 

Pizza "irons" are basically indestructible.  The new "pizza iron" I have is 15" round, flat (no lipped edge), with two handles, adding to the dimensions.  I have used a cast iron griddle in the oven to make pizza, and the crust was fantastic.  No fear of breakage either, but at 9.75"x16" the width of the griddle was too small for my pizza preferences.

If you have a cast iron skillet, you could turn it upside down on your mini and use the bottom as a pizza iron.  You'd need something to level the pan, and the chamber wouldn't be sealed, but with pizza that isn't important.  Heck, you'd get a higher temp that way.

Take pics of the camping pizza!


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## browneyesvictim (Apr 28, 2017)

Wow. I just realized you are actually cooking it on the parchment, and not on the stone directly. I would have thought it would be best with direct contact. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I can see how transferring would certainly be easier with the parchment. I usually brush a thin layer of oil on a peel or pan then light dusting of cornmeal. Then press the dough out and top it.  Slides off onto the hot stone pretty easy that way. Do you not recommend using any oil either with this dough?

I am thinking of using one of my 12" dutch oven lids turned upside down in the mini. I'm pretty sure it will fit propped up or maybe on a pie pan. Heck, I might even use the charcoal basket for that. As a backup there will be a Camp Chef 3-burner stove with a BBQ grill box that my buddy has. I don't know how high of a temp that will hold, but I can throw an Amazen tube in there for some smoke. But I think I would prefer the flavor of doing it on wood- lump and chunks.

Yes. I will get pics of the camping pizza and start my own thread. I am prepping for several gourmet camp cooks actually. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Funny how this pizza has me the most excited!

By the way, my better half prefers the calzones over pizza, and by the looks of how yours came out I am almost certain this will be a win for her too! Thanks a bunch for sharing!


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## myownidaho (Apr 28, 2017)

I second using parchment paper. I do pull it after three minutes.


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## noboundaries (Apr 28, 2017)

Browneyesvictim said:


> Wow. I just realized you are actually cooking it on the parchment, and not on the stone directly. I would have thought it would be best with direct contact.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





MyOwnIdaho said:


> I second using parchment paper. I do pull it after three minutes.


I do leave the parchment paper beneath the crust when it cooks.  Kind of a necessity because I don't have a metal peel, just wood, and the wood peel is too thick to retrieve the pizza.  I can easily grab the parchment and pull it up onto the wood peel. 

I did not use wood chunks when I did my pizzas, just the charcoal.  Definitely looking forward to the camping pizza pics!


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## biaviian (Apr 29, 2017)

The dough looks pretty slack.  Is that the case or is it just the pictures?


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## noboundaries (Apr 29, 2017)

Slack?  Meaning not firm?  It is a pretty slack when fermenting.  Stiffens up nicely when cooked.


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## cheezepizza (Sep 8, 2017)

Ray, this pizza approves of the great work you have done!

I've never done a 4 day ferment, usually 3 at max, but I may try that extra day seeing how your dough looked in the photos. I try to always make my own dough, prepare my own sauce (sometimes from my homegrown tomatoes when the harvest is good), and select great quality ingredients.

Having a pizza stone really helps up your pizza game, but since they do crack I've changed over to *unglazed* quarry tiles. They measure 6x6 inches and I can fit 9 on my oven rack. If I got a proper tile cutter I could shave some and tile out the whole rack! These tiles can also crack but since they come in a box of like 45 tiles I have many extras. 

Anyhow, great work man!


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## cheezepizza (Sep 8, 2017)

Browneyesvictim said:


> Wow. I just realized you are actually cooking it on the parchment, and not on the stone directly. I would have thought it would be best with direct contact.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have built the pizza on pans, and then pull the pan out after the dough has hardened slightly. It then cooks directly on the tiles, and sometimes a short broil to crisp up the top.


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## noboundaries (Sep 8, 2017)

cheezepizza said:


> Ray, this pizza approves of the great work you have done!
> 
> I've never done a 4 day ferment, usually 3 at max, but I may try that extra day seeing how your dough looked in the photos. I try to always make my own dough, prepare my own sauce (sometimes from my homegrown tomatoes when the harvest is good), and select great quality ingredients.
> 
> ...


CP, thanks buddy!  I've actually fermented the dough much longer, but really prefer the 4-7 day taste.  After that it gets kind of funky. 

I still use my ceramic stone.  It was designed for the Weber Kettle but the company went out of business due to cracking and returns.  I've managed to keep mine from cracking, but only use it in the oven and the smoker where the temps ramp up and down more evenly.   

I've been using a carbon steel paella pan in my Weber Kettle for making pizzas.  It works fine, but didn't give me as even a cook as I like across the bottom.  Earlier this Spring I switched to a cast iron stone for the Kettle.  I LOVE that thang!  It can handle any temp with no worries about cracking.  I've got some fermented dough in the freezer.  Just might have to make some pizzas this weekend!


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