The Mid-Atlantic Foodie and Drank Thread

[nw baltimore wx]

Home made sauce.

Rolling out the dough.

Lining the pizza pan.

Precooking for a crispy crust.and adding the sauce.

First pizza out of the oven!

[MillvilleWx]

Just a heads up guys, it's National Grilled Cheese Day, so get out there and make something gouda 

[Hank Scorpio]

On 4/10/2021 at 5:21 PM, vastateofmind said:

Same here. I've tried pre-packaged pizza dough from Wegmans on numerous occasions, and once tried making my own dough from scratch. Whether it's prepared or from-scratch, I never seem to get the dough stretched evenly across our oven pizza stone, so it gets too thick around the outer edges (sometimes), and/or way too thin and breaking/soaking through in parts of the middle. It's very frustrating...especially because I have numerous pizza topping combos I want to try at home.

Two things that might help next time you try. First, try re-balling the dough 6ish hours before you actually wanna make pizza. Good quick video of what that means here. Should help avoid the dough stretching so thin that you get holes. 

Second, make sure you pull the dough out of the fridge at least a couple of hours before you start stretching it. The number one culprit of dough that doesn't wanna stretch (and ends up too thick around the edges) is being too cold. A close second place culprit is dough that has been handled too much. 

Also, here's the bacon + gorgonzola + apple pizza I made last week

[vastateofmind]

9 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Two things that might help next time you try. First, try re-balling the dough 6ish hours before you actually wanna make pizza. Good quick video of what that means here. Should help avoid the dough stretching so thin that you get holes. 

Second, make sure you pull the dough out of the fridge at least a couple of hours before you start stretching it. The number one culprit of dough that doesn't wanna stretch (and ends up too thick around the edges) is being too cold. A close second place culprit is dough that has been handled too much. 

Also, here's the bacon + gorgonzola + apple pizza I made last week

Thanks VERY much for the pointers -- I need all of the help I can get with pizza dough!! And your pizza looks amazing!

[Hank Scorpio]

13 minutes ago, vastateofmind said:

Thanks VERY much for the pointers -- I need all of the help I can get with pizza dough!! And your pizza looks amazing!

You're very welcome! I make pizza every week and spent a lot of time researching and testing to figure out what I was doing wrong, haha. Always happy to talk technique and answer any questions that pop up. 

[wxdude64]

Grilled  a couple T-bones, home fries and peas for dinner and to take to work next couple nights.

[vastateofmind]

11 hours ago, wxdude64 said:

Grilled  a couple T-bones, home fries and peas for dinner and to take to work next couple nights.

That sounds good, both fresh and as left overs. I just had to pitch the last of the spiral ham yesterday from Easter, having already eaten most of the leftovers warmed up, in ham soup and in some ground-up ham salad. One of the offspring is coming for dinner tonight, so trying to figure out a new and interesting way to marinate chicken for the grill....

[rclab]

On 4/12/2021 at 12:48 PM, Hank Scorpio said:

Two things that might help next time you try. First, try re-balling the dough 6ish hours before you actually wanna make pizza. Good quick video of what that means here. Should help avoid the dough stretching so thin that you get holes. 

Second, make sure you pull the dough out of the fridge at least a couple of hours before you start stretching it. The number one culprit of dough that doesn't wanna stretch (and ends up too thick around the edges) is being too cold. A close second place culprit is dough that has been handled too much. 

Also, here's the bacon + gorgonzola + apple pizza I made last week

 

And to think that I had thought I had, chronologically, run out or reasons to get excited. As always .....

[poolz1]

2 hours ago, vastateofmind said:

That sounds good, both fresh and as left overs. I just had to pitch the last of the spiral ham yesterday from Easter, having already eaten most of the leftovers warmed up, in ham soup and in some ground-up ham salad. One of the offspring is coming for dinner tonight, so trying to figure out a new and interesting way to marinate chicken for the grill....

One of my favorites for summer grilling is lime juice, honey, olive oil, garlic and cilantro.  Marinate for a few for a few hours and baste while grilling.  Its simple but I like the fresh taste and the honey caramelizes a bit for a little sweet kick in some bites. 

I love cilantro...but I know some people are not fans.  Just try not to think of stink bugs while using it! My youngest does not like cilantro just for that reason...

[mattie g]

Some great looking pizzas in this thread!

I've become a bit of a pizza-making aficionado in the last couple years. I used to use the fresh dough from Whole Foods (which is quite good), but a neighbor of mine got me into making my own doughs, as he's also from the Northeast and grew up on real NY-style pizzas. After doing some research, we've found that the most-used flour by NY-style pizzerias is General Mills All Trumps High Gluten Flour, so we tracked it down at Restaurant Depot and have multiple 50-lb bags each.  That flour absolutely makes a difference, as does doing a 72-hour cold prove.

I have a go-to recipe for both NY-style and Neapolitan pizzas (the latter with 00 flour) that I developed by using the Lehmann pizza dough calculator. That was a flash page, so it's no longer available, but if anyone is interested in another really good calculator, try this one: https://pizza-dough-calculator.herokuapp.com/calculator. You'll need to do a little additional research on dough thickness, hydration, yeast amount, etc. but it's all worth it in the end!

[mattie g]

Here's a picture of a couple pizzas I made on my Big Green Egg last summer. I like to use the Egg on hot days so we don't heat up the whole house by running the oven at 500+ for an hour or more!

Shooting to make pizza this weekend, so I'll try to remember to take some before and after pictures...

[MillvilleWx]

Yesterday’s grilled cheese was exquisite. A Hawaiian grilled cheese with center cut bacon, brown sugar glazed pineapples, and challah bread. Mmm mmmm mmmmmm




.

[yoda]

8 minutes ago, MillvilleWx said:

Yesterday’s grilled cheese was exquisite. A Hawaiian grilled cheese with center cut bacon, brown sugar glazed pineapples, and challah bread. Mmm mmmm mmmmmm




.

[nw baltimore wx]

8 hours ago, mattie g said:

Some great looking pizzas in this thread!

I've become a bit of a pizza-making aficionado in the last couple years. I used to use the fresh dough from Whole Foods (which is quite good), but a neighbor of mine got me into making my own doughs, as he's also from the Northeast and grew up on real NY-style pizzas. After doing some research, we've found that the most-used flour by NY-style pizzerias is General Mills All Trumps High Gluten Flour, so we tracked it down at Restaurant Depot and have multiple 50-lb bags each.  That flour absolutely makes a difference, as does doing a 72-hour cold prove.

I have a go-to recipe for both NY-style and Neapolitan pizzas (the latter with 00 flour) that I developed by using the Lehmann pizza dough calculator. That was a flash page, so it's no longer available, but if anyone is interested in another really good calculator, try this one: https://pizza-dough-calculator.herokuapp.com/calculator. You'll need to do a little additional research on dough thickness, hydration, yeast amount, etc. but it's all worth it in the end!

My semolina flour experiment in our pizza was okay, but we like ny style the best so I’ll try to find some of that GM stuff.Thanks!

[mattie g]

9 minutes ago, nw baltimore wx said:

My semolina flour experiment in our pizza was okay, but we like ny style the best so I’ll try to find some of that GM stuff.Thanks!

It’s worth the search. The 50-lb bags from RD are like $20, so if you have access or know someone with access to RD, give it a shot! It also makes good bread.

Another suggestion is to use a pizza screen. Not absolutely necessary, but I’ve found it makes a real difference in the evenness of my cook.

[fourseasons]

Speaking of pizza:  I've made this recipe before using delivery pizza, made sure there were crust pieces along the edges of the baking dish, sauteed the onion in only 1 tbsp of butter before throwing it into the mix, got the garlic on the pizza itself, and didn't bother with the red pepper flakes since I'm not a huge fan.  It's even better the next day. 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/229489/leftover-pizza-breakfast-casserole/

 

[Mrs.J]

I tried my first ever GF pizza dough over the weekend. This recipe is a more thick dough, going to try a thin crust recipe next time. Everyone actually ate it and said it was good. I used King Arthur 1:1 GF AP flour with Xantum Gum. And the recipe did call for yeast so I still got that yummy flavor. Going to add garlic and Rosemary to the dough for more flavor next time. 

[vastateofmind]

11 minutes ago, Mrs.J said:

I tried my first ever GF pizza dough over the weekend. This recipe is a more thick dough, going to try a thin crust recipe next time. Everyone actually ate it and said it was good. I used King Arthur 1:1 GF AP flour with Xantum Gum. And the recipe did call for yeast so I still got that yummy flavor. Going to add garlic and Rosemary to the dough for more flavor next time. 

You're one of the few folks who can make GF looks SO good/tasty....is that the kind of flour that Trixie recommended? Thx as always for sharing!   

[wxdude64]

47 minutes ago, Mrs.J said:

I tried my first ever GF pizza dough over the weekend. This recipe is a more thick dough, going to try a thin crust recipe next time. Everyone actually ate it and said it was good. I used King Arthur 1:1 GF AP flour with Xantum Gum. And the recipe did call for yeast so I still got that yummy flavor. Going to add garlic and Rosemary to the dough for more flavor next time. 

 

48 minutes ago, Mrs.J said:

I tried my first ever GF pizza dough over the weekend. This recipe is a more thick dough, going to try a thin crust recipe next time. Everyone actually ate it and said it was good. I used King Arthur 1:1 GF AP flour with Xantum Gum. And the recipe did call for yeast so I still got that yummy flavor. Going to add garlic and Rosemary to the dough for more flavor next time. 

That looks super yummy!!

[Mrs.J]

2 hours ago, vastateofmind said:

You're one of the few folks who can make GF looks SO good/tasty....is that the kind of flour that Trixie recommended? Thx as always for sharing!   

I think it is. Mr J found it at our favorite local Co-op we are members at. The Common Market. 

[WxWatcher007]

This thread. This wholesome and happy thread.

[Hank Scorpio]

On 4/13/2021 at 10:13 AM, mattie g said:

 

Those are some fine looking pies, nice work. What temperature are you baking at in the big green egg? 

I've been using a baking steel for a while now and that made a huge improvement in how me pizza turned out. I just got an Ooni pizza oven though and am really excited to see where that can help me take things. 

Also, totally agree on the 72 hour cold ferment. The exact same recipe cold fermented for 24 hours vs 72 hours turns out so much better when given more time. 

[MacChump]

Anyone have one of these? I used it this winter and the pizza was underwhelming. The temp struggled to get above 550 but that may have been due to the sleet storm happening at the time. Will probably try it again this summer but wondering  if anyone has had good luck with this contraption. 
 

[H2O]

I hate this pic because of all that snow on the ground

[poolz1]

22 hours ago, Mrs.J said:

I think it is. Mr J found it at our favorite local Co-op we are members at. The Common Market. 

The best grocery store in a 50 mile radius....maybe ever.  Always have the ingredients you are looking for and their produce section is a home chef's dream.....

[mattie g]

23 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Those are some fine looking pies, nice work. What temperature are you baking at in the big green egg? 

I've been using a baking steel for a while now and that made a huge improvement in how me pizza turned out. I just got an Ooni pizza oven though and am really excited to see where that can help me take things. 

Also, totally agree on the 72 hour cold ferment. The exact same recipe cold fermented for 24 hours vs 72 hours turns out so much better when given more time. 

Thanks!

For NY-style pies, I run it at 500 or so - Neapolitan pies are 750 or thereabouts.

i love having the steel. It makes a big difference when you’re cooking multiple pizzas because they hold heat so well. On the Egg, I stay the cook with the screen on the steel, then slide it into the steel about 5 minutes in. This keeps the bottom from getting too burned while also helping to crisp it up. In the oven, I start with the screen on the top rack, then slide onto the steel on the bottom rack at about 5 minutes.

Yup...72-hour ferment is ideal. Flavor is spot on and it allows for much better/more even browning.

A pizza oven sounds awesome! Would love to see some results!

[Paleocene]

Planning a weekend trip to Luray in two weeks. Haven't been for a long while.

Brewery/distillery/vineyard recommendations, if you got 'em!

[nw baltimore wx]

3 hours ago, Paleocene said:

Planning a weekend trip to Luray in two weeks. Haven't been for a long while.

Brewery/distillery/vineyard recommendations, if you got 'em!

Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville is a must. There’s a brewery in the basement of a B & B called Hopkins that’s decent, and a couple others I haven’t been to (Pen Druid and Hawksbill). There are also some vineyards in the area around Old Rag that are nice if you end up hiking that way.

I’m heading down that way next week so if I check out Pen Druid or Hawksbill, I’ll let you know.

[mattie g]

Meeting my best friend at Aslin Alexandria this afternoon to try the (accidental) 4-year-aged bourbon barrel stout they have on tap. We’ve had a few beers together over the last year (probably hung out 4-5 times outside), but definitely haven’t been to a bar-restaurant. Both of us are fully vaxxed at this point.

Hanging out outside without much worry on a cool spring Friday should be pretty awesome!

[Baltimorewx]

1 minute ago, mattie g said:

Meeting my best friend at Aslin Alexandria this afternoon to try the (accidental) 4-year-aged bourbon barrel stout they have on tap. We’ve had a few beers together over the last year (probably hung out 4-5 times outside), but definitely haven’t been to a bar-restaurant. Both of us are fully vaxxed at this point.

Hanging out outside without much worry on a cool spring Friday should be pretty awesome!

Sounds like a good stout...let us know how it is, and what the ABV is out of curioisity. I will likely stop at Ten Eyck on the way to the beach in about 2 hours here...supposedly they have a chocolate cherry beer on tap