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Since the beginning of the pandemic (and occasionally before that) every single Wednesday has been homemade sourdough pizza night. I'm happy with my dough recipe, could make it in my sleep probably. I've only got a conventional oven whacked up as high as it will go, with a baking stone in it - to which I realise some people will say "you're doing it all wrong, you might as well buy a Chicago Town from Iceland" - but pretty happy with the results.
I would like an Uuni or similar, mainly so I do more pizzas quickly for bigger groups, and outside, but it's not going to happen at the moment.
Thought I'd have a crack at doing them on the barbecue though since a) getting the kitchen done soon and we'll likely be without an oven for a bit, and b) Aldi had "barbecue proof" pizza stones for £7 (one of my reservations about doing pizza on the barbecue is that heating the stone from one side seems likely to crack it). My main concern with doing it on the barbecue has been heating it too much from below, burning the crust without cooking the top.
I've got a little Weber kettle, so I got a decent wood fire going in the bottom, with a few logs on it, and when it had burnt down a bit and had a nice base, put the pizza stone on. I put the lid on with tube to create a gap so as not to choke the fire. It got to about 300degC with my stove thermometer on the top of the pizza stone (might have been a bit hotter given the poor thermal interface).
I chucked a pizza on, and put the lid on. After a couple of minutes, the burning smell told me my concerns had been realised - the top was almost done, but definitely need a bit more, but the crust was black underneath (nicely risen though). Where did I go wrong? People do this, right?
I always did it with coals, not wood, and had the coals snaked around the outside, or off to one side and the stone off to the other side. Direct heat/flame below just cremates the base.
Sounds more sensible. My barbecue's not much bigger than the pizza stone, so not much of a gap, which may not be helping.
You use the lid I assume?
I've got one of those BBQ-top pizza ovens - heats from below same as yours will but the roof is much lower meaning you'll get a more even heat I guess. Works well and less than half the price of a UUNI.
Can you put something inside your lid to effectively lower the top?
@40mpg I was just thinking I could maybe raise the grill up on something which would create more of a gap round the edge, and also effectively lower the "ceiling", so that might improve things.
I keep wanting to get a Ooni pizza oven, or similar. But the times we make pizza are when we get back from the pub on Friday nights, so bunging one from Tesco (after sticking a few extra bits on) in the oven seems easier than going outside in winter and lighting it then making dough.
We still crave the proper wood fired taste though, and my solution is excellent and saves loads of money.
Step 1: Don't by a Pizza Oven
Step 2: Whenever you go to a restaurant that has a wood fired pizza oven - order a Margarita Pizza
Not only does it taste fantastic, and satisfy your craving, it's also by far the cheapest thing on the menu!
stick a cheap pizza stone under the one you like.. space them apart using some nuts..... the airgap is usually enough to stop the conductive burning you're getting.
You want it indirect, so either side really and like others have said a decent charcoal that'll burn hot. A decent cast iron pan can be used too. Just like the pizza stone, preheat that on the BBQ. Retains the heat really well. We use one for deep pan pizzas in the WFO.
Aye, use a lid tnw
How about this as an alternative method to bbq?
We had a couple of their home delivery kits as they’re 50m from us and followed their instructions for some lovely tasting pizzas.
@Nobeerinthefridge cheers
@scrumfled ooh, I like that idea. I guess any sort of baffle would probably work too - e.g. a steel plate. Might go see if Aldi have any stones left though. Or if I have any old (car) brake discs lying around!
@BigJohn Well I've done step 1. Otherwise, err thanks? 😅
If you don't have a 57cm, then you might struggle to get enough fuel around the outside to get it all hot enough without directly heating the stone. i.e. burnt edges, raw in the middle.
I couldn't get the oven hot enough when I tried on the BBQ, after a few attempts I bought an Ooni (start of lockdown, used it Saturday and will use it next Saturday too so yes expensive, but I'm a big fan). The ooni roles flames over the top while heating from the stone underneath, so it cooks nice and evenly. With the BBQ it's much cooler over the top of the pizza.
@squealer Also interesting. I've done something very similar to reheat pizza before. Not sure it would solve either of my problems (cooking time for big batches, or lack of oven) but the results look good and I'm tempted to try it anyway.
Can definitely recommend the frying pan + under the grill method (only put the basil on after cooking, not before). I use the Pizza Pilgrims recipe/guide and they turn out great. For big batches you just use two frying pans or one frying pan on the hob then transfer to a tray under the grill. That way you can have one starting off on the hob whilst the other finishes off under the grill. They only take a few mins to cook too so you wouldn't be much slower than churning out one at a time on the bbq.
I use ours and am pretty happy with it. We have a pretty big BBQ, Kamado style that retains heat. I build the fire on the left, and put the pizza stone on the right.
I use a charcoal base to heat it to c450 then put wood on to lift the temperature to c600+. The flames go up the left hand side and out of the top and stay away from the pizza.
The cooking is slower than the Mk1 Ooni I had/have, but way more manageable. Cooking takes 5/6 mins as opposed to 2, and burns/chars less. Its actually nicer to make one, sit down and have a slice, then get up and make the next. Its a bit less frantic than our old Ooni. You get good crispy bottoms, and for some reason it works better with more topping/cheese/mozzarella than I'd usually use.
I'm not getting the rise I have got in the past- but i think thats my poor/lazy rolling technique
Weber state that you don't want direct heat for oven duties, so pile the coals to the sides. This may be challenging for a smaller BQQ and a big pizza. My solution is to order one from the neapolitan pizzeria who deliver magnificent pizzas at a reasonable price.
we get back from the pub on Friday nights, so bunging one from Tesco (after sticking a few extra bits on) in the oven seems easier than going outside in winter and lighting it then making dough.
Drunk man likes shite pizza shocker 😄
Tbh I'm not averse to a shop bought pizza if time is tight, no probs, but I really enjoy the whole ooni process really!.
Nothing to say about a BBQ but I'm just here to be smug about my latest effort with the Ooni Koda today. Hi.
Sourdough with dallagiovana Napoletana 2.0 flour with an overnight prove in the fridge.
@Nobeerinthefridge TBH given that making a levain and mixing/stretching/bulking/dividing/proving the dough is the labour-intensive bit, and that's already done, I reckon I could get a passable pizza together and in and out of the oven while pretty far gone, in the time it takes to heat the oven up 😄
Have been thinking about this also, as we have a 57cm Weber and a pizza stone, but the main thing that's held us back is having no idea how to get the pizza onto the stone when it's raw. How are folks doing that?
@IHN Peel. Flour your base well underneath (some people use polenta or semolina, I just use flour), slide on, slide off.
I've done pizza a couple of times on our Kamado BBQ -
You need to arrange your charcoal/fuel in a horseshoe shape around the back/sides of the BBQ, not under the pizza stone.
I've had good results with a second pizza stone underneath, with the stones separated using Nuts - this stops the base burning.
You also need a pizza peel, and use semolina flour to stop the pizza sticking to the peel.
Flour your base well underneath (some people use polenta or semolina, I just use flour), slide on, slide off.
Like flour it REALLY well. Or you end up with upside down pizza or pizza flavoured blobs and a pizza stone that looks like the surface of the moon.
Ask me how I know.
Well..If we're showing off our Ooni outcomes...
let's roll!!
Honestly, the koda is one of the best things i've bought!!
Me and my kids LOVE it!
We call it "daddy's pizza day"!!!
DrP
Had another go at this last night. TL;DR not as disastrous as last time, but still not very successful.
I went to Aldi and got another pizza stone, stacked them with nuts in between. Once I had some well burnt wood I pushed it out to the sides and put the stones on. It started to heat up but never got over 100°C on the top stone.
In hindsight it needed more wood, or better still charcoal. Maybe it would have worked well enough with the fire in the middle with the second stone as a baffle. Maybe third time lucky.
Sacked it off and used the oven, which was already hot from baking bread. I'd made a spare pizza just in case so that's lunch sorted 😁
Had another go at this last night. TL;DR not as disastrous as last time, but still not very successful.
I went to Aldi and got another pizza stone, stacked them with nuts in between. Once I had some well burnt wood I pushed it out to the sides and put the stones on. It started to heat up but never got over 100°C on the top stone.
In hindsight it needed more wood, or better still charcoal. Maybe it would have worked well enough with the fire in the middle with the second stone as a baffle. Maybe third time lucky.
Sacked it off and used the oven, which was already hot from baking bread. I'd made a spare pizza just in case so that's lunch sorted 😁
Had another go at this last night. TL;DR not as disastrous as last time, but still not very successful.
I went to Aldi and got another pizza stone, stacked them with nuts in between. Once I had some well burnt wood I pushed it out to the sides and put the stones on. It started to heat up but never got over 100°C on the top stone.
In hindsight it needed more wood, or better still charcoal. Maybe it would have worked well enough with the fire in the middle with the second stone as a baffle. Maybe third time lucky.
Sacked it off and used the oven, which was already hot from baking bread. I'd made a spare pizza just in case so that's lunch sorted 😁
Had another go at this last night. TL;DR not as disastrous as last time, but still not very successful.
I went to Aldi and got another pizza stone, stacked them with nuts in between. Once I had some well burnt wood I pushed it out to the sides and put the stones on. It started to heat up but never got over 100°C on the top stone.
In hindsight it needed more wood, or better still charcoal. Maybe it would have worked well enough with the fire in the middle with the second stone as a baffle. Maybe third time lucky.
Sacked it off and used the oven, which was already hot from baking bread. I'd made a spare pizza just in case so that's lunch sorted 😁
Stupid forum software 😒
How many goes did you have? 😛
@DrP which Ooni do you have? Your pizza's have really tempted me to pick one up!
It's the Koda gas powered one...
The smaller version as the 16" wasn't out when I got it.
It's Brill... I love it... the kids love it...
I've had it about a year and a half, and the pizzas are getting better each time as I get better at mixing and stretching them....
Go for it!
DrP
My OH is vegi, rendering proper bbqs a bit redundent, and on top of that Pizza is by and away her favourite food. Got her an Ooni Karu 12 for her birthday this year. Oh, m G.
Its night and day. Take 15 minutes to heat up, 60 seconds to cook a pizza. uses barely any fuel. (weve been using National Trust beech logs, that my NT friend was chucking out)
its not like a bbq, where it takes hours to get going. You can run it for lunch, and everyone gets to join in making their own toppings.
And they cook so quick that you basically eat together, rather than having to eat in shifts.
Suck it up, buy an Ooni. 😀
Woodfired is best (IMO)
Thanks for the Pizza Pilgrims recomendation, I had a go at that over the weekend and was dead chuffed with the outcome, well worth a go.
Just get an Ooni, part 847290. These were cooked in around 1 min!
Grum, what's yer sourdough process? Finally got round to ordering some Caputo, and need to get using the starter for pizza too.
I've been experimenting but had good success lately with:
60g starter (100% hydration 50/50 white/wholemeal rye flour)
900g pizza flour - I'm using Dalla Giovanna Napoletana 2.0 type 0
100g Caputo Semolina flour
650g water
22g salt
Usually I just mix it all at once but sometimes do it in stages, doesn't seem to make much difference. Initial prove overnight in the fridge, then get it out and do a couple of round of coil folds as it warms up. Ball it up (I normally do around 275g each) when it's ready then back into the fridge for at least a few hours, preferably overnight again.
I've started lightly reshaping/tensioning into balls after they've flattened out a bit in the fridge, then leaving for another 20 mins or so before stretching to make the pizzas, this seems to help with strength.
I find the low starter percentage seems to work well with the extended proving time in the fridge. The above process makes for sensationally good pizza, if I say so myself!
When I first started doing sourdough pizza I used this, which worked pretty well but I've tweaked it a bit.
I sometimes add a little oil to the dough mix, sometimes not - often I just grease the tray I used in the fridge. I don't see much difference either way really.
I have a roccbox and it makes fantastic pizza but have done on a weber plenty of times too with great results. As other have said get coals round the edge of the bbq nit directly under the pizza stone and also when you liftbthe lid particularly to put the pizza on try and lift the straight up and down so the hotvhair remains trapped in the lid, this should help with cooking the top a bit better
I shouldn’t have opened this thread, it’s 4 am I now all I fancy doing is having pizza.
Some mouthwatering pizzas there guys.
I too have a bbq, Kamado and at the start of lockdown I bought an ooni karu 12 when they were on sale, as I’d fancied one for ages.
My Kamado is a superb bit of kit, I’ve had it years and love it. But for pizza the ooni is the way to go and beats it hands down. The flames roll over the top of the pizza, it’s almost idiot proofly easy to use and we haven’t had a duff pizza yet and we use it every week, though I’m still trying to perfect garlic cheese pizza in it.
No-one asked me, but since you've all shared your tips, I'll share my dough recipe too. Not saying it's the best, but it's pretty much what I've done every week for a year
100g levain (100% hydration, built from my sourdough starter)
400g flour (I use half Shipton Mill organic ciabatta and half SM 00)
300g water
(so 450g total flour, 66% hydration - makes the maths easier 🙂 )
~12g salt
Mix, 4 sets of stretch-and-folds at half hour intervals, overnight (or equivalent time) bulk, shape into balls (two in this case), prove in bowls in the fridge for somewhere between 12 and 24 hours.
Like Grum I've tried a bit of olive oil in it, but didn't notice much difference.
Wee experiment on the ooni yesterday, made 4 yeast based, and 4 sourdough, just did a quickish sourdough recipe with 4 folds, bulk fermentation, the both fridged for 24 hours.
Both awesome, no a huge amount in it, but probably just preferred the sourdough.
First time I've used Caputo pizzeria, really impressed with the results, except, theburnt bits tasted really burnt, ie unpleasantly bitter. Not sure if the oil I used in fridge tubs caused it, but I think it's more likely just the really fine Caputo? I'll need to be more careful next time.
My OH is vegi, rendering proper bbqs a bit redundent
Only just noticed this comment, slow roasted butternut squash, peppers, aubergine for baba, asparagus, banans with dark chocolate, charred broccoli.
I know there aren't that many common uses, but you can definitely do loads on a bbq that is veggie, honest.
I had a third go at this on Sunday, since we've not had an oven for 2 weeks now, and eating good pizza out is getting expensive! Used the two pizza stones, and charcoal, but needed more charcoal (even though I'd brimmed my chimney starter) - I only got it to about 220degC, so not even as hot as the oven, but since we don't have that anymore, still a win. Nice crisp base though, so will try using more charcoal next time, and starting to heat the stones sooner, and I think it'll be a winner.
Charcoal to start it off, all the vents open shuold get you to 300ish. Then put a kiln dried log on top. Thats what increases the temperature from the 300ish to 5/600 mark in my experience.
I had a recipe for dough that just used an initial rise. But I let mine prove anyway, and it came out super fluffy but chewy. So I may stick to the recipe next time and just do an initial rise.
Easiest good dough, when I canny be arsed experimenting.
600ml warmish water
350g OO flour
20g salt
7g sachet yeast
Bang it all in the magimix, then in a big bowl prove in a warm place for an hour or 2, till its doubled in size.
Split into 4, ball them up and pop them in lock n lock tubs in fridge for at least 24 hours.
Remove an hour before need em, themfire up the ooni.
Works a treat, and very little effort or time.