4 ms·

Bah, living the dream. Have you figured out how to make exceptional neapolitan pies yet? I'm a regular at Paulie Gee's and would love to be able to make pizza l

Bah, living the dream. Have you figured out how to make exceptional neapolitan pies yet? I'm a regular at Paulie Gee's and would love to be able to make pizza like that.

jeffbarr 12y ago
We are doing our best to make exceptional pizzas! So far the most important factors are: * High heat - I aim for a deck temperature above 900 degrees Fahrenheit, but am having trouble keeping it that high during the cooking process. * Great dough - My wife uses double-zero (00) flour and a Jamie Oliver recipe that seems to work well. We are working on extending the proofing time for a better rise. We don't know how to toss the dough yet. * Tasty toppings - Anything fresh is awesome. At 900F, the pizzas cook in about 2 minutes so the toppings retain their essential oils and flavors. I am working to grow many of my own herbs and tomatoes this year. * Fresh cheese - My wife and I are planning to make our own mozzarella cheese sometime soon. * Great guests - We aim for a truly participatory event - everyone gets to help to prepare, cook, and eat!
- e28eta 12y ago
  Honestly, just start tossing it. It was much easier than I expected. Make an extra dough ball, so if you drop it dinner isn't ruined.
  - analog31 12y ago
    A useful rule: "What the eye doesn't see, the chef gets away with." -- from Fawlty Towers
  - jkubicek 12y ago
    It helps if the dough is cold, too. When we make pizza, we've started letting it rise in the fridge for 24 hours or so. The result is a flavorful dough that's super-easy to toss.
- poulsbohemian 12y ago
  The "30-minute" Mozzarella recipe that most people start with really is easy and generally has a good success rate. It might not be completely authentic or "world-class" but it goes great on pizza.
- lostlogin 12y ago
  Yes! The 00 or similar is key. I add a bit of semolina flour too - it's quite yellow and seems to help make the dough extra stretchy. In other regards I follow the Jamie Oliver recipe too. The bases cost about 5x as much to make compared to when I used normal high grade flour, but they are so much better.
lupatus 12y ago
Use sourdough in your crust. I've basically been using these instructions for a few years and have nothing but rave reviews for my pies no matter what toppings I put on it: http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm. See also: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464760 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464760, and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2023280 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2023280.

Bah, living the dream. Have you figured out how to make exceptional neapolitan pies yet? I'm a regular at Paulie Gee's and would love to be able to make pizza like that.

jeffbarr 12y ago

We are doing our best to make exceptional pizzas! So far the most important factors are: * High heat - I aim for a deck temperature above 900 degrees Fahrenheit, but am having trouble keeping it that high during the cooking process. * Great dough - My wife uses double-zero (00) flour and a Jamie Oliver recipe that seems to work well. We are working on extending the proofing time for a better rise. We don't know how to toss the dough yet. * Tasty toppings - Anything fresh is awesome. At 900F, the pizzas cook in about 2 minutes so the toppings retain their essential oils and flavors. I am working to grow many of my own herbs and tomatoes this year. * Fresh cheese - My wife and I are planning to make our own mozzarella cheese sometime soon. * Great guests - We aim for a truly participatory event - everyone gets to help to prepare, cook, and eat!

e28eta 12y ago
Honestly, just start tossing it. It was much easier than I expected. Make an extra dough ball, so if you drop it dinner isn't ruined.
- analog31 12y ago
  A useful rule: "What the eye doesn't see, the chef gets away with." -- from Fawlty Towers
- jkubicek 12y ago
  It helps if the dough is cold, too. When we make pizza, we've started letting it rise in the fridge for 24 hours or so. The result is a flavorful dough that's super-easy to toss.
poulsbohemian 12y ago
The "30-minute" Mozzarella recipe that most people start with really is easy and generally has a good success rate. It might not be completely authentic or "world-class" but it goes great on pizza.
lostlogin 12y ago
Yes! The 00 or similar is key. I add a bit of semolina flour too - it's quite yellow and seems to help make the dough extra stretchy. In other regards I follow the Jamie Oliver recipe too. The bases cost about 5x as much to make compared to when I used normal high grade flour, but they are so much better.

lupatus 12y ago

Use sourdough in your crust. I've basically been using these instructions for a few years and have nothing but rave reviews for my pies no matter what toppings I put on it: http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm. See also: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464760 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464760, and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2023280 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2023280.