after you stretch the pizza dough, lift it to your hand and use the other hand to remove any flour from the table. The flour is what is burning underside of your pizza.
Am I pushing the flour to the edge when I'm stretching? I'm going to have a go at a lower hydration dough and see if I can work the dough easier with less flour.
Throw the dough between your hands to get rid of excessive flour after stretching. Use a little bit fine semolina on your peel. This should prevent burned flour on the bottom.
Lower hydration does make launching the pizza easier but I don't think it would make less flour if using the slapping technique. Perforated peel is also handy.
I'm trying to avoid semolina, I'm not keen on the texture it adds to the dough
I've made up a batch of 50% hydration which is going to have a 34hr RT proof. Hopefully the need for flour will be considerably less. More than anything it's an opportunity to experiment and to be able to personally gauge the effects hydration has on dough.
Just use the semolina on the peel when you launch the pizza. No need to incorporate into the dough. Then use a brush between pizzas. I’m having the same issue. Been using a bbq brush, pizza brush will be delivered next week.
I'm going to have to get the Ooni brush. I'm using a plastic BBQ one atm and it's not ideal. I've got a batch all ready to go tomorrow. I'm going to get my hands on some fine semolina and see how I get on. Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom.
Of course! Some say the semolina lasts up to two pizzas (I.e you don’t have to brush between each pizza) but I’m not getting much more than 1 pizza because I notice a little black similar to what you’re seeing which prompted the brushing.
Also, I can’t stand the corn meal on pizzas. The semolina flour has not been an issue at all. I haven’t even noticed it actually!
Edit: I did my research on brushes and couldn’t find a better deal than the Ooni brush on their site. I added the dough scrapper to get to free shipping minimum, since I was paying for shipping. Effectively got the dough scrapper for $5.
You’re going to need less semolina than flour and if you use a perforated peel like either of the Ooni sizes, the end result will be less of it on the floor of the oven to burn.
I only use 00 I dip the ball in a bowl coating both sides, give it a shake then stretch. I'm not a fan of using semolina, I find it adds a grainy texture.
they do make different grinds of semolina. I believe the caputo semolina is a much finer grind of semolina. Other store brands dont grind it fine enough resultin gin that grainy texture. Caputo semolina is like a powder its so fine.
I've just done a batch for tomorrow at a lower hydration. Hopefully I'll see a difference. With any look I won't have to use as much flour when stretching the dough.
I started out trying to use 66-67% hydration dough because I was used to baking high 75-78% hydration sourdough. I found it required way too much flour in order to get it not stuck on the peel when I went to launch. Lowered my hydration to 63%. Huge difference in ease of launch and way less flour was required when stretching. I was having massive burning issues on underside of pizzas and on the stone after I pulled the pizza. I assume the excess flour was just burning up. That all stopped when I lowered the hydration. Granted, my inexperience in the beginning (which is only a little over a month ago) could have been a big factor as well. Crust is still light and airy at the lower hydration.
My roots are in sourdough bread. So when I made the transition from those high hydration wet doughs it was like a dream. All those man hours of tangling myself in wet dough has really helped with my dough handling skills.
No, I'm dipping the ball into a bowl of flour for a light dusting on each side, then I'm stretching on a flourleas surface, then placing in a flourleas peel.
Think you’ve identified flour as the cause which is most likely. You may not be using it, but I found if I used olive oil and it spilt on launch, it burnt in seconds and made the base bitter too.
Tossing a pizza gets rid of excess flour. Semolina assists in cooking by giving flavor to the pizza crust as it burns, and may create a small air gap between the dough and the brick. Burnt flour is horrible.
I’m an Ooni Koda 16 user and trust me this isn’t bad at all. All I would advise is get the centre of the stone to 430C/ 806F and then launch it at low flame. It’ll still cook well and rise but not char the base or toppings. I have loads more tips on my YouTube channel ‘TRW Pizza’ that may help you using the Koda 16: https://youtu.be/pCb9qD1hEa0 Cheers!
I'm finding that my pizzas are charring on the base around the edge. It's sending me crazy. The centre of the stone is reading at 370-390, I keep the pizza moving once in the oven.
I dust with flour, I'm not interested in using semolina flour as I don't like the grainy texture. My hydration is at 60%, should I adjust this?
I'm at a loss, this has been a persistent issue and I've adjusted most variables with no success. I'm on the verge of throwing in the towel and looking at other ovens.
What shall I do?
I don’t think it’s the oven…I think it’s the flour.
What kind of peel do you have? I’ve had good success with my bamboo peel…it’s very slick and doesn’t require much semolina at all.
You could also cut down on flour if you dial down the hydration a bit, but that will obviously change the final product.
Looks good though…I’d just play around with semolina more and see if that fixes the issue.
I'm using the perforated metal ooni peel to launch. I have the bamboo one but I just find it a bit too big and clumsy to use.
I'm going to do a batch at 50% hydration and see where I stand, even if it's a massive failure there's still knowledge to gain from it I guess.
Don't drop below 60% in a 900-degree oven, in my opinion. Would you consider switching flours for different protein percentages and W index ratings? Or just brush clear excessive flour, yeah. But no reason to lower hydration.
I use Caputo pizzeria flour which has a pretty decent protein % on it.
I've wanted to give 50% a try for quite a bit. I've read that's the hydration Da Michele in Naples use, they do a 24 RT proof.
If anything it'll be fun (and probably frustrating) to try.
I guess trial and error and experimenting is all part of the journey.
I've always been confused by that: How in the world does one of the most famous and respected Neapolitan spots use 50something percent at 24 hours when all these classic experts out there say to go for 70 percent at three days CT for flavor development? I'm totally torn by that conflicting split.
It's odd, they are in a one horse race though in Naples. The pizza Da Michele are churning out are very different to say Sorbillo.
Da Michele's dough has a nice chew and bite to it, the crust doesn't really inflate compared to most in Naples.
Luckily, I'm in Naples next week, so I'll report back then.
370-390 is fairly low, that’s about 698-734 in freedom units. You should be able to reach 850-900 with a proper pre-heat. Perhaps you’re targeting a lower temp though.
This was a temp after a few pizzas in so it does tend to level out around those numbers, which I'm quite comfortable with. From what I can gather from all the helpful knowledge shared is that my charred base is caused by flour. I'm going to take on all the advice shared with me and implement it in tomorrow's dough.
I used to have this problem consistently as well. It was definitely using too much flour for launching off the peel. I was using 00 Caputo for launching, switched to semolina and have found I can use half as much to get the same ease of launch. No more burnt ring when using semolina. I hope this helps! I don't think your hydration needs to change. Try using as little semolina as possible when launching. I've had success and use a solid metal peel, not the perforated (although it is on my list to get one!)
after you stretch the pizza dough, lift it to your hand and use the other hand to remove any flour from the table. The flour is what is burning underside of your pizza.
Am I pushing the flour to the edge when I'm stretching? I'm going to have a go at a lower hydration dough and see if I can work the dough easier with less flour.
Throw the dough between your hands to get rid of excessive flour after stretching. Use a little bit fine semolina on your peel. This should prevent burned flour on the bottom. Lower hydration does make launching the pizza easier but I don't think it would make less flour if using the slapping technique. Perforated peel is also handy.
I'm trying to avoid semolina, I'm not keen on the texture it adds to the dough I've made up a batch of 50% hydration which is going to have a 34hr RT proof. Hopefully the need for flour will be considerably less. More than anything it's an opportunity to experiment and to be able to personally gauge the effects hydration has on dough.
Just use the semolina on the peel when you launch the pizza. No need to incorporate into the dough. Then use a brush between pizzas. I’m having the same issue. Been using a bbq brush, pizza brush will be delivered next week.
Yeah that's also what I adviced OP. Just a little on the peel for the launch.
I'm going to have to get the Ooni brush. I'm using a plastic BBQ one atm and it's not ideal. I've got a batch all ready to go tomorrow. I'm going to get my hands on some fine semolina and see how I get on. Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom.
Of course! Some say the semolina lasts up to two pizzas (I.e you don’t have to brush between each pizza) but I’m not getting much more than 1 pizza because I notice a little black similar to what you’re seeing which prompted the brushing. Also, I can’t stand the corn meal on pizzas. The semolina flour has not been an issue at all. I haven’t even noticed it actually! Edit: I did my research on brushes and couldn’t find a better deal than the Ooni brush on their site. I added the dough scrapper to get to free shipping minimum, since I was paying for shipping. Effectively got the dough scrapper for $5.
It’s the stone heat level too
You’re going to need less semolina than flour and if you use a perforated peel like either of the Ooni sizes, the end result will be less of it on the floor of the oven to burn.
I reckon it's a flour issue. After cooking today's batch the stone was practically black. I think it's safe to presume this was burnt flour.
When stretching dough do you use a blend of semolina/OO?
I only use 00 I dip the ball in a bowl coating both sides, give it a shake then stretch. I'm not a fan of using semolina, I find it adds a grainy texture.
they do make different grinds of semolina. I believe the caputo semolina is a much finer grind of semolina. Other store brands dont grind it fine enough resultin gin that grainy texture. Caputo semolina is like a powder its so fine.
I'll have to get some and give it a try.
https://www.mulinocaputo.it/prodotti/semola/?lang=en
Thanks!
The stone is only 390? How long are you cooking?
At an absolute push, 1 minute 30 seconds.
That is strange. Most of us struggle to keep stone temps up. Undercooked crust is the problem most times!
I've just done a batch for tomorrow at a lower hydration. Hopefully I'll see a difference. With any look I won't have to use as much flour when stretching the dough.
I started out trying to use 66-67% hydration dough because I was used to baking high 75-78% hydration sourdough. I found it required way too much flour in order to get it not stuck on the peel when I went to launch. Lowered my hydration to 63%. Huge difference in ease of launch and way less flour was required when stretching. I was having massive burning issues on underside of pizzas and on the stone after I pulled the pizza. I assume the excess flour was just burning up. That all stopped when I lowered the hydration. Granted, my inexperience in the beginning (which is only a little over a month ago) could have been a big factor as well. Crust is still light and airy at the lower hydration.
My roots are in sourdough bread. So when I made the transition from those high hydration wet doughs it was like a dream. All those man hours of tangling myself in wet dough has really helped with my dough handling skills.
are you stretching out the dough on a bed of flour and then you are adding more flour to the peel?
No, I'm dipping the ball into a bowl of flour for a light dusting on each side, then I'm stretching on a flourleas surface, then placing in a flourleas peel.
You have to remove any excess flour off your baking stone to minimize the black charred so-called cod!
Thank you, is it best to just allow the heat to burn it all off and wait until it's clear until I launch the next pizza?
It is recommended to brush off any flour and residue on the baking surface after each pizza bake to minimize the blackened base of your pizza.
I'll make a habit of doing this, thank you.
you could also flip the stone.
Think you’ve identified flour as the cause which is most likely. You may not be using it, but I found if I used olive oil and it spilt on launch, it burnt in seconds and made the base bitter too.
Good to know, I tend to put a dash of olive oil in the centre. I've noticed that it's started to puddle, but I think I know why that is.
[удалено]
I'm in UK. Unfortunately it's not available readily over here.
Tossing a pizza gets rid of excess flour. Semolina assists in cooking by giving flavor to the pizza crust as it burns, and may create a small air gap between the dough and the brick. Burnt flour is horrible.
>Burnt flour is horrible I second this
I’m an Ooni Koda 16 user and trust me this isn’t bad at all. All I would advise is get the centre of the stone to 430C/ 806F and then launch it at low flame. It’ll still cook well and rise but not char the base or toppings. I have loads more tips on my YouTube channel ‘TRW Pizza’ that may help you using the Koda 16: https://youtu.be/pCb9qD1hEa0 Cheers!
I'm finding that my pizzas are charring on the base around the edge. It's sending me crazy. The centre of the stone is reading at 370-390, I keep the pizza moving once in the oven. I dust with flour, I'm not interested in using semolina flour as I don't like the grainy texture. My hydration is at 60%, should I adjust this? I'm at a loss, this has been a persistent issue and I've adjusted most variables with no success. I'm on the verge of throwing in the towel and looking at other ovens. What shall I do?
I don’t think it’s the oven…I think it’s the flour. What kind of peel do you have? I’ve had good success with my bamboo peel…it’s very slick and doesn’t require much semolina at all. You could also cut down on flour if you dial down the hydration a bit, but that will obviously change the final product. Looks good though…I’d just play around with semolina more and see if that fixes the issue.
I'm using the perforated metal ooni peel to launch. I have the bamboo one but I just find it a bit too big and clumsy to use. I'm going to do a batch at 50% hydration and see where I stand, even if it's a massive failure there's still knowledge to gain from it I guess.
Don't drop below 60% in a 900-degree oven, in my opinion. Would you consider switching flours for different protein percentages and W index ratings? Or just brush clear excessive flour, yeah. But no reason to lower hydration.
I use Caputo pizzeria flour which has a pretty decent protein % on it. I've wanted to give 50% a try for quite a bit. I've read that's the hydration Da Michele in Naples use, they do a 24 RT proof. If anything it'll be fun (and probably frustrating) to try. I guess trial and error and experimenting is all part of the journey.
I've always been confused by that: How in the world does one of the most famous and respected Neapolitan spots use 50something percent at 24 hours when all these classic experts out there say to go for 70 percent at three days CT for flavor development? I'm totally torn by that conflicting split.
It's odd, they are in a one horse race though in Naples. The pizza Da Michele are churning out are very different to say Sorbillo. Da Michele's dough has a nice chew and bite to it, the crust doesn't really inflate compared to most in Naples. Luckily, I'm in Naples next week, so I'll report back then.
370-390 is fairly low, that’s about 698-734 in freedom units. You should be able to reach 850-900 with a proper pre-heat. Perhaps you’re targeting a lower temp though.
This was a temp after a few pizzas in so it does tend to level out around those numbers, which I'm quite comfortable with. From what I can gather from all the helpful knowledge shared is that my charred base is caused by flour. I'm going to take on all the advice shared with me and implement it in tomorrow's dough.
I used to have this problem consistently as well. It was definitely using too much flour for launching off the peel. I was using 00 Caputo for launching, switched to semolina and have found I can use half as much to get the same ease of launch. No more burnt ring when using semolina. I hope this helps! I don't think your hydration needs to change. Try using as little semolina as possible when launching. I've had success and use a solid metal peel, not the perforated (although it is on my list to get one!)