spiderlashes5000

Do you think if you made it at home, using all fresh ingredients, etc., you could survive solely on pizza?

I love pizza more than any other food and was thinking of buying a pizza cookbook at B&N. The recipes did not all contain cheese. And plenty were vegetable-based.

The instructions involved a cooking stone and there was something called pepper sauce!

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3b (with 3c tendencies) on modified CG

xcptnl

Why, yes, yes I could!!! But I have only loved it at home since I purchased my stone. Makes all the difference in the world. And I found a really easy dough recipe....put it together the night below and let it do it's thing in the frig until the next night.

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Central Massachusetts

One good reason to only maintain a small circle of friends is that three out of four murders are committed by people who know the victim. ~George Carlin~

In regards to Vagazzling: They just want to get into the goods without worrying about getting scratched up by fake crystals. ~spring1onu~

sarah42

I love pizza and make some darn good homemade pizzas. I use a pizza stone, which is key. I like only 1-2 toppings, so I keep it pretty simple.

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spiderlashes5000

Where did you guys buy your stones? Why is cooking w/ a stone better? What is a good stone to get? (Do you have electric ovens?) About how often do you make pizza using it...the stone, not the overn? lol

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3b (with 3c tendencies) on modified CG

Saria

I think if you want to make pizza, go with people who really know dough. A lot of pizza books have what is basically a worthless dough. American Pie by Peter Reinhart is good. CI also has a good recipe. As does Kenji at Serious Eats for Neapolitan, NY style, and other types of dough. What they have in common is advocating dough retardation because it or at least a poolish/biga have more flavor.

I honestly think homemade pizza isn't worth the effort if you're not making grilled or Sicilian/Greek/grandma/Chicago/focaccia style or unless the pizza where you live really sucks.. Other pizza styles require a much hotter oven than what a home oven can do. The pizza isn't bad by any means, but it's nowhere near as good as what I can buy from certain pizzerias. Homemade focaccia or Sicilian style is sublime, though, because it doesn't hinge on ridiculously hot ovens nearly as much.
Yes, you need a pizza stone. And it should be thick, not those flimsy things a lot of places sell.

I definitely couldn't live on just pizza, btw. Too many other things I like more!

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spiderlashes5000

It's a big effort?

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3b (with 3c tendencies) on modified CG

goldy

I could.

I'm not a big breakfast eater so I wouldn't make breakfast pizzas. Well maybe a blueberry cinnamon swirl streusel crumble pizza

But there are plenty of options for lunch & dinner and even dessert pizzas

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Saria

Considering it's not as good as what I can get in a number of pizzerias? Yeah, it is. I don't ever think making dough is too much work or time-consuming, and there is nothing particularly difficult about making pizza, but you do have a fair number of things to do. There's sauce, slicing/grating cheese, pre-heating the oven for an hour, portioning the dough, and that you really can only do one pie at a time. All for a result that's not better than what I can get from pizzerias.
Like I said, focaccia and that style is great, as is grilled pizza, though, and I love making flatbreads of all kinds, but there's still a difference between flatbreads and what I want from a pizza. I also prefer making savory tarts/galettes to homemade pizza.

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goldy

My husband got me a big stone from Williams-Sonoma. I love it. It's way better than any other stone I've owned.

My mother still has her fathers stone. He owned pizzerias when she was young.

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xcptnl

If I could get good pizza locally I would not make it at home.

I have an electric oven and I preheat it at 500 for a good hour. My stone I picked up at kitchen store at one of our outlet centers. I forget which store. Mine is square and about 3/4 inch thick. I leave it in the oven all the time. And, thanks to Saria, I now put my pies on it when I cook them and my crust is better on those as well. I got my peel at BB&B.

I use the CI recipe for pizza dough.

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Central Massachusetts

One good reason to only maintain a small circle of friends is that three out of four murders are committed by people who know the victim. ~George Carlin~

In regards to Vagazzling: They just want to get into the goods without worrying about getting scratched up by fake crystals. ~spring1onu~

RedCatWaves

I can buy lumps of raw pizza dough at my local pizzaria, which makes it so much easier. My homemade pizza isn't better than pizzaria pizza, but it is cheaper.

ETA: And, no, I couldn't live on pizza alone. I would be big as a house from all that bread every day.

Josephine

No not a big pizza fan, I need rice at least every other day. And I only crave pizza once in a while, similar to fried chicken and burgers. I'd also be pretty fat.

I've had homemade pizza before but it's never been better than really good pizza I can buy elsewhere and given the effort it takes, I don't see the point unless you enjoy making it which I can understand.

curlysue21

I made pizza on the grill and it was some of the best pizza I ever had. You gave me and idea for dinner tomorrow night!

That being said I couldn't eat any one food forever.

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2b/c, medium/high porosity, medium/coarse texture
Current HG: Kinky Curly errythang, GVPCB, LALSG

"I will never be the woman with perfect hair, who can wear white and not spill on it."

Saria

Baking stone:

http://www.bakingstone.com/

You need a stone because stones get really hot and retain heat, and the goal with pizza is to cook it as fast as possible so that it reaches the temperature necessary to release the sugars in the dough without drying out and becoming tough.

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Saria

And yes, you do save money, but for me this isn't an issue since I eat pizza maybe once a year on average.
A breakfast pizza with a few runny eggs is a thing of beauty, though, so that's one to make at home if you don't feel like dragging your ass to Motorino early on a weekend morning.

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NetG

I prefer my pizza to the pizza places around here. There's a huge variety I can make, but given my tendency to not have the most stable blood sugar I try to eat better than that....

However, I'm having people over in a couple weeks and I think you just inspired me to make pizza instead of pasta. Maybe...

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The pews never miss a sermon but that doesn't get them one step closer to Heaven.
-Speckla

But at least the pews never attend yoga!

ruralcurls

Will you please share?

The New Black

No, Id need some chocolate somewhere.

I have a pizza recipe using refrigerated dough. It was good. Lemme know if you want it.

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No MAS.

I am the new Black.

"HIV is a complex mother. Trust me I've written multiple papers and even a rap song about it." Murrcat aka Turtles

"Hope the Mail are saving space tomorrow for Samantha Brick's reaction piece on the reactions to her piece about the reactions to her piece." ~ Tweet reposted by Rou.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kimshi4242

sarah42

This guy: Jeff Varasano's NY Pizza Recipe has a pretty elaborate system for making pizza. He jerry-rigged his oven so he could turn it to self-cleaning temperatures for cooking. I haven't gotten that hardcore. The site is interesting to read and is very specific on how to make dough.

I use the dough recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day: sidewalk shoes: Pizza Dough - Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

I use this recipe for quick tomato sauce: Five Minute Tomato Sauce Recipe - 101 Cookbooks

I put whatever toppings I feel like--usually Italian sausage, pepperoni, or sauteed bell peppers--and regular store-bought shredded mozzarella.

I turn the oven as hot as it will go, maybe 500 or something, and bake until the cheese starts to get golden brown.

That's all the secrets I have.

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*Marah*

Well at least it doesn't say something else....

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