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Memorial Weekend Pizza - 2014

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Memorial Weekend Pizza - 2014

Like everyone else around her, at least those who count, Lucy loves pizza just about more than she loves pumpernickel. It is a closer race than one might think.   We usually start off the weekend with grilled salmon on Friday night.

 

Then Saturday we do something Mexican, this year was grilled pork that was then made carnitas style by sautéing it with bacon fat in a cast iron skillet to really bring out the tastes of old Mexico.

 

Sunday night is reserved for pizza.  This year we made the crust a little bit different with some Desert Semolina from Hayden Mills, mixed with our favorite tortilla AP flour from La Fama with a combo levain of YW and Rye Sour.  Today is smoked ribs and chicken thighs in memory of those who died fighting to protect us and to let us do as we please today.

 

Don't forget breakfast and lunch.

.An added bonus, our daughter is off to Seattle and Vancouver to visit a sorority sister which leaves the cooking and baking field wide open this weekend to try something a new way.   You would think that being young you would be less set in your ways but our daughter likes her food made the traditional way she grew up loving - especially for holidays.

 

For the pizza, Lucy made a levain of 10 g of rye sour, 66 g of LaFama AP and 66 g of YW and let it sit out overnight for 8 hours.  it easily doubled over that time.  Then she mixed up 50 grams of Desert Durum and 350 g of LaFama with 260 g of water, 10 g each of salt and sugar and added them to the levain.   We let the shaggy mass let it sit for 30 minutes.  This gave us a 70% hydration dough.

 

Lucy then added 20 g of olive oil and did 3 sets of slap and folds on 5, 2 and 1 minute on 20 minute intervals and 3 sets of stretch and folds from the compass points only - also on 20 minute intervals.  The dough was then refrigerated for 6 hours.  We warmed it up for 2 hours before forming 3 dough balls – freezing one for later ala Phyllis.

 

Once it warmed up the dough was formed into crusts on parchment easily, ala Ian, since we had planned on not doing a par bake of the crust  - also no rosemary, sun dried tomato or garlic in the dough and no mojo de ajo spread on top of the crust either so we are getting far a field from the taste an method of our regular pizza dough. 

 

The toppings were a little different.  Andouille sausage replaced the hot Italian one.  Store bough pepperoni replaced the home made one.  We caramelized the Andouiille first and then the red onion, crimini and button mushrooms all together, instead of separately, in the fat .  We didn’t caramelize the hot chili and pepper mix of yellow banana, Serrano, Poblano, Hatch green and jalapenos.  The green onion and the red bell pepper were left fresh.

 

We only used the standard 3 cheeses of mozzarella, Pecorino and Parmesan.  There was some fresh basil flowers from the back yard but we forgot to put them on.  We were very hungry and when hunger strikes around here we forget who we are… much less if there was basil to go on top.  I’m not sure Lucy remembers who she is even today.

 

We like our pizza crust very thin, as thin as a cheap paper plate and so crisp it doesn’t bend or fold like NY style pizza.  We want it to crunch when you bite into it even if it is cold.  We also like them loaded up which makes the crunch part tough and why we normally par bake the crust for 3 minutes.

 

In the smoker they go - can't wait for them to get done later today!.

This curst came out perfect even without the par baking but it took 8 minutes at 550 F to get it just right and not burn the crust - top or bottom.  My wife loved this pizza and I thought it was almost as good as Lucy can make it, except for out SD version that has the herbs garlic and sun dried tomato in it – and mojo de ajo on it.

Lucy says not to forget the salad!

Hopefully the ribs and chicken will turn out all right to cap off a fine Memorial Weekend.  Hope yours was just a good as Friday's sunset.

 

Comments

Isand66's picture
Isand66

That's some pizza DA!

Great job and the rest of the spread looks amazing as always.  I didn't really cook anything myself this weekend.  I'm sure your ribs and chicken will be killer as always.

I look forward to your next bake and hope you and the family had a great holiday.

Lexie and Max had a busy couple of days going out to Greenport yesterday and hanging out at Martha Clara's Vineyard which is a dog friendly establishment.  Today they supervised our gardening and later went for a run and swim at the doggie beach.  Max wishes Lucy could come and keep him company when Lexi goes in the water since he won't even get his toes wet :>)

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

We always worry about her around the pool.  She has fallen in a couple of times and, if someone wasn't around to haul her out, she would drown,  Her legs are too short and she is too stupid to know where the steps are anyway :-)   Sounds like the dogs had a great weekend keeping you company.

Glad you liked the pizza Ian - not as good as yours on the pizza grill but we will take them

Happy baking Ian

lepainSamidien's picture
lepainSamidien

Awesome job, as always, dabrownman, baking and documenting. Your pizza looks absolutely perfect, like something pulled straight out of the ovens of Frank Pepe himself ! I, too, insist upon a very thin, shattery crust; none of that deep-dish pour moi.

Did the sour from the rye come through at all ? I have used my white starter in pizza and have only had the sour come through when the dough was refrigerated for a while. I am wondering what kind of punch the sour rye would offer.

Great reportage and looking forward to the next !

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

The sour doesn't come though since the Yeast Water cancels it out and mutes the sour when uses in combination with SD.  The girls don't like sour in pizza so it works out.  If i'm SD pizza than, then like you,  it goes in the fridge for a 24 hour retard to bring out the sour.

Nothing like a thin crust pizza that is crunchy.  This one was just perfect

Happy baking - No slouch, no droop, no fold

Mebake's picture
Mebake

That is just not fair, DA! you make me hungry.

Your jolly nature always makes me smile.

Khalid

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

You reminded me of my Grandmother.  She used to say that 'It is just as easy to be happy as it is to be sad and you are the only one who chooses what to be - I'm choosing happy..... how about you?'.  And she was, with a smile on her face and a quick joke on her tongue.   When I was in college at K-State I used stop by and see her in Topeka on the way home to KCMO.  We would cook breakfast, lunch or dinner together, what ever time it was, and enjoy the time together.  I miss her very much.   She died in the house she was born in 1994 - she was 94 and, as she used to say, just missed the 1800's.  I'd like to be more like her.

Happy baking Khalid! 

CeciC's picture
CeciC

 fantastic bake DA and a very tasty weekend for u n ur family.

reading ur post first thing in the morning is torturing they are wayyyyyyyy too good. I can almost taste ur roast n ribs while I'm having bread n butter. Gosh I must hallusinating .

n extremely good pizza too!!  love all the food u serve

happy baking Cecilia 

 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Glad you liked the post Cecilia.  All the food was very tasty and the pizza is perfect for any non religious holiday - and maybe them too!  Thanks and

Happy baking

CAphyl's picture
CAphyl

dabrownman:  All this food is making me so hungry, and I just had breakfast.  I am going to have to make some pizza really soon.  Will you let me know how the frozen pizza works?  I left frozen pizza dough in the UK, so I hope it is OK until the next visit.  Great photos, too.  Thanks for sharing.  Best,  Phyllis

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

frozen white loaf bread dough in the grocery story, probably 50 years ago and she would plop it in the loaf pan let it rise and bake it off and I remember it being do good warm with butter on it.  She made pizzas and rolls with it too.  Your freezing of your dough reminds me of that.  Usually we only make a loaf at a time but with our daughter out of town for the Holiday I had a pizza crust left over since I forgot she was gone:-)  No worries - right into the freezer it went after retard per Phyllis:-)  I'm sure it will work out fine.

Glad you liked the post.  We loved the food and now need to cut back a little ....Just the thought of having two places a continent apart with frozen dough at both sounds daunting to me - but it has to be fun!

Happy baking Phyllis.

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Just made pizza from some frozen dough balls last night...came out almost as good as fresh dough.  The balls were frozen for about 2 weeks I think.