Joining Gusso...

[Trub Lou]

Alright. Got a 2 day fermented crust going, and about to start some sauce.  Wind is 26mph today. Ugh.

What's your sauce recipe?

This is maybe... approximate, but I almost always do some variation on this:

28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, or coarsely chop a whole can of San Marzanos.
2T kosher salt
1T fennel seed, ground in mortar
1t black pepper
1t crushed red pepper
2t oregano
1/2t rubbed sage
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
1t onion powder
1-4 T brown sugar, depending on how sweet I'm feeling - 4 gives a good St. Louis sauce, 1 leaves it pretty bright

Get all of this at a very low simmer and then heat just barely bubbling for 3-4 hours until it darkens substantially.  Stir regularly.

What's the yield on this meaning approx how many pies? Do your store extra or chunk it? 

Would also be interested in dough recipe.

Sauced generously,  that's probably good for 4 12 inch pies. You could stretch it easily to 6 I think. 

For dough, I almost always just do a simple neopolitan with 48 hour fridge ferment.  I like higher hydration for a bubbly crust,  but it's ESSENTIAL, in my experience,  to dust your peel heavily with coarse semolina. Not corn meal, as the high heat makes that bitter. 

This is for a larger recipe,  maybe 6-8 approx 12 inch pies that I just press out by hand:

1300 g high gluten bread flour
750 g water
7 g yeast
25 g salt

Proof the yeast, then add salt and flour and knead. Sometimes I add a tsp of white sugar or up to 2T of olive oil. This will soften the dough.

Refrigerate the dough in an oiled covered bowl for 2 days or so. A few hours before you need them,  divide it into 6-8 pieces and form them into balls,  putting each into a separate oiled covered bowl, and leaving at room temp until you're ready to cook.   This last step makes it WAY easier to keep the crust roundish as you stretch it. 

Don't roll/ stretch it on the peel. Only put it on the semolina dusted peel right before you top it and the oven is ready to go. Having it stick as you're trying to shoot it onto the oven is the biggest disaster in this process.

[Trub Lou]

I looked at the 12" and 16" gas ovens tonight at Academy. It was important to put hands on. Big difference in size of the two, but I'm thinking the 12 will be optimal for not only storage but travel in my camper. At home it can live on top of the Blackstone for storage, then can sit on the Blackstone cooking surface while in use. Gunna hit Amazon for the accessories as I refuse to drop 50 on a damn over sized spatula.

Get a good long metal brush/ scraper. 

And for the 16 inch oven,  silly as they sound,  pizza turners are a handy gadget for getting an even cook.   Maybe with the 12 they aren't useful.

[Mexas Joe]

So I've watched too many damn video reviews and now understand that there are a TON of ovens on the market besides Ooni even on Amazon.

I can get a 12" for $299 or a 16 for $499 for a Ooni clone. I want the ease of storage and portability (camper) of the 12" but want the cooking area of the 16.

Either way I'll pull the trigger on one this weekend.

[Mexas Joe]

Welp. Looks like Yer Old Pal Mexas is All In. Helps that I have been day 'rinkin so I don't feel so violated.

$550 for a 16" gas pizza oven. Comes with Metal serrated peel, temp laser gun, carry case, cutter. 

For another Hundo and change on Amazon I got the following:

Wood peel for launching

8" pizza turner

Wire scraper

3.5 oz can of Italian yeast

11lb bag of 00 Italian flour

2.2lb of Italian Semolina (per Lou)

Digital gram scale because Fecking Lou gives me a recipe in Gdamn grams and I've gone 47 years in the kitchen without one

A jar of Fenel again Fecking Lou recipe

Anything I'm missing?

One of ya'll better bring your ass down to the Republic and school me on how to use all this shit next weekend. 

Gdamn Lou and Gusso

[Mexas Joe]

Oh, let's add a Stand Mixer with dough hook to the cost now.

JFC ya'll are killing me.

[bdutton]

Mexas be like this for his pizza fix...

[Augie91]

Don't mess with Texas, I mean Mexas!

[Mexas Joe]

UPS driver gunna hate me tomorrow. If my shit all gets delivered then I'll whip up dough for Lou's 2 day ferment and plan to throw down pie Friday Night.

No pressure or anything but I'll be feeding a crowd on my very first attempt. Hope I don't feck the cat too badly.

Errybody says crank the temp to max then at launch turn way down. This how you peckerwoods do it?

[Augie91]

What pizzas you gonna cook for company Mexas????

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We want pics!!!

[Mexas Joe]

Shit's way harder than it looks. Props to ya'll for being pros. 

Bloomed yeast for dough. Did a 4 cup of 00 for what I was told would yield 2 pies 16".

Cheapo lightweight $50 Amazon especial stand mixer was Struggle Bus. I'm sending it back and getting a better mixer. 

Dough ball more than doubled, I smashed re-balled and let her get a second ferment for another hour. 

Here's where I shit the bed. Gdamn forming dough is HARD. I finally got 12" where I intended 16" (tho) and battled thin spots and holes I had to pinch/plug. Perhaps the dough needed more water? I tried like 4 stretching methods via youtube etc. 

Loaded the floured underside on the peel. Topped and managed to launch despite a small stick. MF started to burn at once. I forgot to kill the temp, which I did as soon as the dough caught fire. Pizza turner worked well and was worth the $20. 

Pulled. Crust was scorched as well as the pepperonis. Mozz cheese needed a bit more time. Crust despite tearing and thin came out thicker than I would like. 

Wife said it was great and had 2nds. I think it was sub-optimal and it shows I need a ton of practice in this hobby. Sauce was good, thanks Lou.