Anyone here a Pizza Maker (or have been)?

Just curious to know if anyone around here is a pie tosser?

I've been doing it for about 6 or 7 years now, just took over as the head Pizzaiolo at the place I've been working at for the past, well, almost 3 months now...now that I have their pizza station in check and headed in the right direction...they are giving me some time on the line, which up until now I've never really had much interest in...mostly, I think, because I've always been consumed with pizza (and working in typical pizzerias- i.e, not a lot of real cooking going on in a pizzeria...). Now I work at a restaurant that serves fine Italian food (one of the better fine dining establishments in town) and I can finally see how good food is done and done proper.

My interest in food, cooking, and cooking as a profession has totally been reignited. Through the roof. I've made a huge point to put myself out there to my exec, head sous and head saute cook (even the owner) to let them know how hungry I am to learn and hone my skills. It has been paying off. For the past week, literally every day I come into work there is a new book or some kind of reading material left for me to chew on. Every time someone is doing some prep (breaking down cuts of meat, making sauces and such) that they think may be beneficial for me to learn, they drag me away from what I'm doing to show me. I'm really kinda blown away...just never worked with a crew so happy and willing to teach me how to cook and help steer me and my career on a new path.

****, I really got off on a tangent there. Sorry...I get kind of excited thinking about all of this. Feels like I'm getting paid for a crash culinary course. hah.

But seriously, I wanted to put a call out to see if any of you have ever worked as a pizza maker and have any great ideas to bounce off of me. I always need great pie ideas to put up for the nightly specials. If it makes any difference, I have redirected the restaurant to serve a strictly NY style pie, with 'as honest as possible' true, Italian/Neapolitan style flavors/toppings etc. If that makes any sense. Authentic NY style crust with authentic Italian flavors.

If you have some awesome, off the wall pie recipes ( and don't mind sharing), please hit me up.

Thanks again everyone,

Dave

ianman, I can give you a few excellent dough recipes for you to play around with...which one is best suited to you depends on a few variables. Do you need a big, commercial recipe (like for batches using 50lb bags of flour), or are you looking for something you can use at home? Also if its for work, what type of oven are you using, what temp are you baking pies at, etc...same goes for a home recipe, do you have a stone, or at least some cheap unglazed quarry tile you can throw in the oven, or is it going in a pan? I know it sounds a little frivolous, but temps, cooking mediums, etc, all play a role on how you should formulate a dough recipe (which, I think, is where a lot of 'universal' dough recipes you run into on the net fail/fall short). Some things that work great on an NY style brick cooking at 500-600 degrees don't work at all when you're working a wood fired oven cooking over well over 700. PM me and let me know. Ill get you a recipe to suit your needs.

Chefmohr, Thank you. I've been thinking about doing a stuffed slice type thing and that sounds really good. Thanks again for the kind words. I've caught a little hazing as I've put myself out there as a rookie...but definitely no burning with sheet pans...just a little ****talking, all in good fun. Clearly, no one has any ill intent. I want to go back and read that thread now...makes me feel bad just hearing about it. My crew is taking really good care of me. I've been given books to read (the pro. chef, everyday french cooking, some material by Macella Hazan...), shown fundamentals, totally been taken under their collective wing. Feels great...feels even better knowing how to work every station in the restaurant. Also, please drop by and have a meal next time you're in the port city. PM me and I'll let you know where I'm at. I will make sure you receive the best we have to offer.

Thanks.

Amazing. This is the kind of thing I was looking for all along. Exactly the style pie my place is serving too. Some of the ones I've done lately are like...

-roasted garlic oil, oven roasted and then crushed roma tomato, roasted garlic, oregano, then extra virgin olive oil on after it come outs.
-roasted garlic oil, caramalized onion, a shredded mozz, speck, and topped with fontina
-red sauce with fresh mozz made in house, prosciutto par-baked then an egg is cracked on top and finishes cooking so you get that sunny side up type thing, topped with garlic chive

try some of those for a spin...they were all excellent.

Thanks again for the great suggestions...I really wanna try the sweet potato one now..

Hey thanks, I really appreciate that. I dunno...I guess the past few years I've gotten bored with work being in strictly pizzerias...that serve great pies of course, but **** food. After starting my new job...a few weeks in, once I got comfortable and started to get in the zone...I guess it just hit me. I love my job. I love cooking and it is so great to be mentored and taught how to do things I've been trying in my kitchen at home for years. Being respected and treated like a professional is so refreshing. I'm happy to put in hours for these people (even if i ***** and moan a little when it's time to get out of bed, hah). I've been reading The Professional Chef, Everyday French Cooking, stuff by Macella Hazan...burning this forum up. I totally got my groove back...food is exciting again like it was when I was 17 and started out (even though I was just washing dishes...and sneaking into the kitchen every chance I got to help someone out).

Of course there's a lot to grind on you when you spend 40+...+++ hours in a kitchen every week. It gets to everyone. I happen to be lucky enough to work for a chef, owner, and sous that encourage creativity and playing around with recipes and making things work, or even just work better. I hope this buzz lasts.

But actually, I've been planning a move in the next few months or so...and Portland is exactly where I want to land when I'm done wandering the country and taking my sweet time getting there. If and when I make it out there, I'm down for whatever.

And thanks for the pie idea. That sounds so good...makes me kinda wish today wasn't my day off or I'd be diggin' through the walk-in right now. hah.

Thanks again.

Ill be putting that into my list of notes for the next kitchen meeting. Need to see if one of our purveyors carries them.

Currently I am making my sauce with Stanislaus (7-11 and Full Red) brand products, which I am not very fond of. I've been pressing the chef to see how cost effective it would be to switch brands but I think its one of those things that's fallen to the way side in favor of more pressing matters. They are not nearly as sweet as Escalon products (6-n-1 and Bella Rossa) which are picked and canned right away, at the peak of ripeness, without acetic acid. Less/no acid in the can=sweeter, richer tomato flavor - which is the key to an ***kicking pizza sauce (uncooked, sweet tomato). I currently have to add about a cup and a half of sugar to my 16qt sauce recipe to get it how I want it, which is just way too much. I also just started adding a little pasted anchovy and you'd be surprised how much body and richness it adds to the flavor.

Ok, got off on bit of a tangent. Hah.

You've been very informative and helpful. Thank you so much.

I lurk pizzamaking.com all the time. Don't post too much, have been consumed with these boards lately.

Unfortunately, I live in a small town and most of my customers can't appreciated a proper pizza. People order 'well done' pizzas all the time and then complain that they are burnt. Go figure. If I put a char around the crust my customers would not be very happy. People don't really understand that pizza is less about toppings and how many artery clogging meats you can load on a pie and more about the crust. Much like the pasta to the sauce type thing. But of course, I work in the service industry, and my job, above all others, is to give the customer what they want and try my best to give them what they need. Hah.

Haven't heard of that oven before, but I'll be checking it out soon...I'm very interested now.

Thanks for the info!

-Dave

Oh, BTW, I made one of these for the crew a few days ago, with the addition of some chopped broccoli rabe on top....it was a winner. Chef wants to go to the market and get some goat MEAT (go braised and shredded, like pulled pork kinda) and take it to the next level.

So awesome, thank you.

Working on specials is a great way to get your juices flowing and keep the drag of everyday 'work/crap' in the kitchen at bay. Keeps me on my toes. Some specials have been successes and some have been utter failures (all in terms of sales...I thought they all tasted amazing, haha) but that's how it goes. I've even had one of my specials find a permanent spot on the menu. That's a pretty good feeling.

That duck breast pie sounds amazing. I swear, I've been making pizza for almost ten years now and I'm still not sick of pizza. Always one of my favorite foods.

...but anyway, if you enjoy making pizzas that much (and sounds like you're pretty new to the game) you should just keep on making pizzas. I just had a little epiphany this week. I've been running myself ragged trying to learn everything I can about saute (or really Italian cooking/cuisine) and completely lost my focus on what I do best...making pies. A good pizzaiolo is indispensable, and having that skill can almost certainly ensure you a job at any pizza place you show up at. In seven years now, almost all of my interviews have been almostly exclusively a short talk then I get behind the line and make a pizza and have to really show your chops.

Feels like I'm going on and on about this, but I actually just wrote a blog entry about this. There's a lot about pizza making to be proud of, when you do it well, you have an amazing talent. Sure, I want to expand my skill set as much as possible, and constantly be learning something...but a good pizza maker is what I am and in the midst of trying to learn other stations/jobs in my restaurant, I lost my focus on pizza. I put a LOT of work into getting this place's pizza service done right, I lost my focus for a minute and this entire past week has been a disaster. I belong by the ovens.

Oh yeah, my newest special, 'Care of' leftover beef tenderloin chain:

Pesto Base, Fresh chopped broccoli rabe, light mozz, steak, gorgonzola crumbles.

It's good stuff.


ALSO, if you guys have any more pizza ideas, keep them coming. I always need some inspiration. This has been a great place to get it.

Check my blog out...after having gone back and read through it lately, it all sounds kind of kryptic and weird because I've been writing in the wee hours of the morning, exhausted from work and everything else, but either way, it's there to be read. Leave comments, too. And if anyone else out there keeps a blog about their professional/work life, I would love to exchange links with any of you.