Neapolitan pizza is a fav of Mrs.50 and I. Sadly, Hawaii has choke rainbows but it's a pizza desert. Savoy is Tokyo is, IMHO, the best, and we'd plan trips there for pizza. Now, no need leave. We got a propane-powered pizza oven that I think can generate near-comparable results. It's going to take a lot of trials to get the dough dialed, but it's a project worth the effort. If you have the space for an outdoor oven, and love pizza, I can recommend without reservation the Ooni Koda. No affiliation, natch. Just stoked on a simple product that does what it claims to do. Pic is from their website. No food pr0n shots yet but we cooked up a good 16 pies this weekend to increasingly rave reviews. (NB the booze may have influenced the reviews) https://ooni.com/products/ooni-koda-16 Image Unavailable, Please Login
Very cool, I've always thought of pizza oven's as (i) expensive, and (ii) a bit of work/maint. This seems to eliminate both of those issues... How does one get a pizza dough to slide off of the peel like they do in their video? I have only tried it a couple of times, but total disaster each time (yes, we put flour on the peel). Come on now...you gotta get us some pics!
If you love pizza, I think the 500 bucks is money well spent. Of course, you need some accessories. IMO, at a minimum: peel for deployment, turning/removal peel, wire brush. For consistency, I think having an adequate IR thermometer will be helpful. Mine only goes to 500F. I've got a 1000F from Thermopen in the mail. We already had an "epicurean" brand cutting board in the shape of a peel. Our technique is to build the pizza quickly (and not overloaded), confirm the dough slides readily on the board (add a little flour if it's sticking), and deploy with a 'pull the tablecloth without upsetting the stemware' motion. Of course, you can buy a dedicated peel for deployment. Mrs.50 folded one early on. That one went in the bucket but turning the gas on high for a couple minutes carbonized everything and the stone was ready for another round rapidly. A wire grill brush to sweep away flour/carbon between pies is handy. Maintenance thus far is minimal. Compared to dealing with cast iron under the broiler, this pizza oven is a dream. We've got a stainless steel turning peel en route. Gi Metal appears to be a popular make, but I can't vouch for them. I think the turning peel is going to be a game-changer (hence the lack of photos; I want to present some quality glam shots): The heated stone cooks the base while the gas cooks the edges and top. Rotation to avoid burning the crust and placement relative to the gas flames to assure parallel/even/symmetric cooking of the entire pie is key to outstanding results. We got away with using metal tongs and oven mitts. Not recommended but we weren't going to miss a pizza party just bc we were missing some tools. The proper dough recipe is of course it's own project. We've been enjoying a recipe from NYT that is easy and produces good results. http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016230-robertas-pizza-dough However, we've got some "diastatic malt powder" coming and I'm interested to see how using that ingredient in a more complex recipe will compare. https://ooni.com/blogs/recipes/100-biga I've enjoyed baking bread for decades, but I've never tried that stuff. pic credit: Ooni Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for the detailed reply. This is in my future...I wonder how one chooses between the various models... Those pizza's look absolutely professional grade. lol, at first I thought they were your pies, but then noticed them on the weblink
You might try a little stone ground cornmeal or even grits between dough and peel and it creates a roller bearing surface that makes it slide off easier . we also roll dough on a separate plastic sheet and transfer to peel after so it doesn’t have a lot of time to bond ..
I saw a video of one of these fired with wood pellets the other day. I didn't think it'd get near hot enough but they say they do.
we toyed with the idea of constructing a proper wood-fired pizza oven but the realities of making a fire and regulating the temperature (takes time and effort) dissuaded us. Firing up the propane is just so easy, we figured we'd be more inclined to eat more pizza (which is the goal). Plus, locating the pizza oven on the lanai just off the kitchen is a lot easier for us than where the wood burning oven would have been located.
I have a roccbox and love it... for me the perfect oven. Cornmeal works like ball bearing.... roccbox is wood and gas fired so can choose how big of a production you want to have, turning peel essential as is ir thermometer
I use a metal, perforated peel and a turner as well. Some blue imported one, forgot which. Just don't let it sit too long and it won't stick. But don't build the pizza on the peel. If you do, make sure it is well floured. I just toss some flour (never saw the need for corn meal) on a wooden cutting board, transfer dough, make the pie, then quickly and deliberatively slip the peel underneath. It'll easily jiggle off when you place it in the oven. It's only on the peel for a few seconds. I've never had issues even with high hydration doughs (67%) with high humidity. Thermal thermometers are a must I can typically get the floor of my oven to 700* F in 4 hrs, puts the roof 900* F, gotten the floor to not register- 1000*+. You'd be surprised how much a heat sink a pizza is. By the sixth pizza, the floor drops to 450* and that's with 2" fire bricks. ps The turner is not really necessary as I don't us it how it's designed. I do what I've seen growing up - pull it out, rotate it by hand and slide it back <- which doesn't need a dedicated turner. Good luck.
roccbox on gas deck at 950 dome like 1250+ insanely hot... minimal toppings unless you want to be putting out a fire
honestly 45 to 60 seconds with turns every 15 to 20 seconds when hot.. amazing oven.. great blooper clip on you tube
I have an attachment for my Green Mountain Grill that will get north of 800 degrees using pellets. Wood fired pizzas in 2-3 minutes. I use salmonella flour on the peel to keep it from sticking. Anything else seems to burn as soon as it hits the stone.
A friend installed a "real" pizza dome oven in his yard....within 6 months he had put on 35lb's...no more pizza at his house.
Had some friends up for a pizza party. Great time. Turning peel made life easier, especially if the base is cooked enough and the crust/top needs a little extra heat. Pic is the only one I snapped. Not bad. Neapolitan w a little ham and dash of habanero. I’ve got a lot to learn but it’ll be a fun ride. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sorry was at COTA over the weekend. Yes 60 second pizzas when it’s too hot. But it is so cool to watch the dough puff up real time. Random ramblings: 1. Crumble or grate your own (whole milk brick) mozzarella - the pre shredded is coated to not stick. (I just prefer to have the sauce bubble into the cheese rather than use slices). 2. For that true Italian flavor don’t cook the sauce I use an imported San Marzano “passato” with just S & P. For NY style add olive oil to the dough, cook the sauce (garlic powder, pepper and oregano) and lower temp. 3. Put the basil under the cheese if you have a high temp oven. 4. Toppings don’t cook well with high temp Neapolitan style and cheese doesn’t “finish” how it should so either put them on halfway through your cooking time, or cook it put them on and then flash at the 900*+ for 10 sec at the top of the oven. 5. Pesto & cheese is good. 6. Toss some arugula with S & P and O & V and uncooked prosciutto and put on top is fantastic. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Have seen that oven advertised a few times & have been sorely tempted. If my wife wasn't firmly on "low carb," I'd strongly think about purchasing one!
Definitely use semolina over cornmeal to slide the peel. One good sercret is to use that on the peel, then place the dough, then the toppings, and give it a little shake to make sure it'll slide off before going into the oven, or you'll have a smashed up half open calzone to deal with. Too many topping can cause this if you use very thin crust. I have a Breville Pizza Oven I use indoors, and just bought an Otto Grill for Steaks that has a pizza stone setup. That thing will get up to 1500deg. I wanted to try it out because the Breville is too low to try calzones and stromboli.
