ABX pizza oven testing.
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I have the gas variety and we tend to prefer a thinner crust so I get it up to temperature, slide the pizza in and then turn off the gas and let it cook for 90 secs to 2 mins, including firing it up again for the last 30 seconds to let the flame cook off the toppings.
Its a common mistake to get carried away with very high temperatures and then end up with burnt pizza.
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I just get mine up to temp and then turn it down with the control knob. Helps with those pizzas that have been loaded up with toppings, American style.
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Yes - even the pellet burning oven can get too hot, especially on a warm day. Iâve found the optimum temperature range for perfect results is 350-400c on the surface of the stone. The pizza still has to be turned though, every 25-30 seconds to avoid the edge nearest the burner getting burnt.
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The dough at Lopwell this year wasnât anyoneâs friend but certainly the gas ooni was hell bent on cremations.
I missed all of this while swimming. But the dough I brought (made with strong white bread flour rather than â00â was pretty useless.). Must do better next time.
The shop bouhgt was worse
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Yep unless you make it or buy it from a proper pizza dough supplier, freshly made and chilled/ frozen, then the dough you can get from supermarkets isnât much good and usually only really suitable for putting on a pizza stone in a conventional oven.
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I wonât do it again I thought pizza express would at least be ok but nah
Expectation killed
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A pizza dough masterclass this afternoon from Mark Wogan (owner of Homeslice) and son of Terry. Some really useful tips and advice. Canât wait to get home and try some of it. Really funny & smart guy too.
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Minimal leoparding. Deserves unkind incantations
Gill did think, even for a Margarita, it was a bit light on topping. It tasted fine though & the base really good. I think he was keeping it deliberately minimal for this demo. He also recommended cows milk mozzarella rather than the usual buffalo derived type.
But the dough method was intriguing, no olive oil involved just flour, water, yeast & salt. And a 4 hour prove, shaping, then a 36 hour stint in the fridge to let the flavour develop.
He had a nifty plastic but ventilated proving box to go in the fridge and was using a rather cool electric pizza oven which sold for ÂŁ149, didnât get the makerâs name but it seemed to work very well.
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Can you remember what the water % was?
310g flour, 270 mL water, 1.5 tsp salt, 4g dried yeast.
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Youâve just been promoted to lopwell Saturday afternoon pizza man 
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The above quantity makes 2 x 10" pizza bases. Obviously if you need more then multiply up the quantities.
Other useful tips includedâŚ
Throw all those ingredients in your mixer with dough hook fitted (water should be tepid ie about 40c)
Set the mixer going as slowly as possible. Itâll take a good while for them to combine and become a dough. Then carry on with the mixer for a further 10 minutes. Cover & put in warm place for 4 hours.
After that, take out & divide in two on a floury surface with a dough blade or knife.
These two blobs are then formed into two balls by folding edges underneath while rotating.
These then put in fridge to prove again for 36 hours.
When theyâve had that time they can either be put, cold, straight into the freezer or put out to come back to room temp ready to use. Donât try to make any pizzas with cold dough. Wonât work.
When at room temp throw a pile of flour down on your surface. Drop a ball of dough onto it. Cover the top of the ball with some of the flour.
With both hands rotate and flatten out the ball slightly.
Then set the thick disc aside, move whatâs left of your flour pile away and put the dough back into the centre of your dusty workspace.
With fingertips, press down in the centre pushing outwards slightly and open the disc out to maybe 5" diameter with an inch wide thicker rim round the edge.
At this point you could do the last stretch out to 10 " either over the edge of your work surface (if not a sharp edge) letting gravity do the stretch. Or put the dough over your fists/knuckles rotating and stretching out to size. Or flat on the floured work surface with the palms of your hand using your little fingers to make the stretch as you rotate the disc.
Was surprised to see that he could actually stack the bases one on another making a pile ready to be turned into pizzas if cooking for a number of people.
Then the other stuff about flour on the paddle to get the bases on/off easily and keeping the toppings down to basically 3-4.
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Funnily enough the name of his business Homeslice, rang a bell. I asked if they had a place in Neals Yard as a friend had recommended it but I hadnât had time to visit. Yes, he said. Your friend has very good taste. So, top spotting for that!
Hahaha shot down by myown conniption. That said the home slice pizza Ive seen did have Leoparding and was (could be wrong) wood fired. Perhaps a thick ear rather than full pagan once over required.