SCS 028.5 | Listener Pizza Questions Answered

In this episode, we follow up last week's pizza podcast with your questions answered.

First up from the Stella Culinary Archives, we answer Nina's audio questions about cooking pizza on a BBQ Grill.

Then Chef Jacob responds in turn to the following questions and comments.

Neapolitan Pizza

Cathy in Arizona asks about Grinding Her Own Wheat for Neapolitan Pizzas

Thanks for all the great info. I know that you recommend refined 00 flour for pizza dough. Do you think Sonoran white wheat whole flour ground extra fine would be at all suitable and work ok in the high temperatures in the 700s or so? I love baking Sonoran white wheat sourdough bread in my kitchen oven and we are going to purchase a Uuni Pro and I'm looking forward to trying breads and pizzas at the higher temps. I have an All Grain Mill and it makes a pretty fine pastry flour.

I plan to purchase some OO flour and do a test against my own home ground Sonoran white wheat flour in pizza crusts. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks much

Michael Carey via YouTube

So I made a pie and the dough did not brown at all on the bottom at 475 f, but toppings and cheese cooked good. over proofing could have been the reason?

DP ie via YouTube

Hi Jacob. This was a truly excellent tutorial - must be one of the best videos about doing pizza on Youtube. Well done! I have three questions.

1: Does it make a big taste difference to use Buffalo Mozzarella compared to basic Mozzarella when cooked? Used raw, I find normal Mozzarella almost unbearable compared to the delicious Buffalo quality.

2. I saw your other great video about how to make the pizza dough. I prefer to use sour-dough as it tends to develop much more complex flavors compared to yeast. Would it be possible to do your recipes with the same proofing time using sour-dough or do you think I should change proofing times in any way?

3. Do you think sour-dough would make a better tasting pizza, (assuming you avoid over-proofing it making it too sour)? Thanks from your Swiss fan.

Luca Baldoni

Good video, some comments. The edge of the Pizza Napoletana (not Neapolitan...not everything need to translate in english) is not called Cornichon. Cornichon is a French pickle, very delicious but nothing to do with the Pizza from Napoli - Italy. The edge of the Pizza Napoletana is called CORNICIONE and here the literal translation is from the base word of Cornice = FRAME, Cornicione = BIG FRAME. But the meaning of CORNICIONE is just creating a big edge to contain all the pizza toppings.

MainAccount via YouTube

I have a question about the oven. Do you think it would be possible to mimic a wood-fired oven with something like a Big Green Egg ceramic BBQ?

Gonzalo Fernandez

Your oven was perfect but when you cook the pizza was a black smoke ... My guessing is you put green wood or a contaminated wood just before cook the pizza I do have a pizza oven club

Sicilian Style Pizzas (aka Pizza Romano)

Sander Van Hove

With all due respect, but sugar? I have been in Italy some 15 times in many kitchens and never have I met an Italian adding sugar or olive oil to the basic dough of a pizza,

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

Papa George Chronicles

COMPLIMENT FROM A NATIVE CHICAGOAN: Your recipe is the most authentic I've yet to find on YouTube thus far. Having been in Chicago's food scene for more than thirty-five years (before I retired), I recognize your 'build technique', crust development, cornmeal use, etc, etc. Have relatives who have worked in just about all of the most popular and successful pizza places in Chicago. They would be proud to acknowledge your style. Thank you for keeping it 100%!

Tba 1

Many mistakes here. never use bread flour--the whole point of Chicago deep dish is its flaky, biscuit-like texture=AP flour. There has never been cornmeal in authentic Chicago deep dish. No need for butter, although it's O.K. To achieve the correct texture for Chicago deep dish you need lots of oil (usually 3 tablespoons per cup of flour) and very short mix/knead time (think biscuits).

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