Posts Tagged ‘pizza goon’

Marching Orders

Here are some pizzas and breads I created this weekend. The first was an elaborate mixing and intriguing bake of the Greek communion bread Prosphoro. I had to bake it starting at 120F first then upward to 160F, 195F, 230F and 300F for approximately four hours so it stayed the same and kept the holy seal that I stamped into it after proofing.

I definitely want to try this again even though my ovens don’t even go to 120F. nyuk

Next is a delightfully large Turkish-style Pide (Pee-Day) with cashew butter, fresh spinach, Yukon gold potato pudding with cilantro and roasted leek, shaved andouille sausage and calabrian chilies.

Despite a case of major tennis (bakers) elbow, I managed to create some ginormous Torpille a baguette, or what I call torpedoes.

After turning up my ovens to 700 degrees (F), I used some bodaciously proofed sourdough to bang out a culatella Fiochetto pizza with baby kale, Parmigiano Reggiano and Primaterra Farms Purple radish. See how the culatella melts on the hot pie right out of the oven? Delish!

One of my best sellers this weekend was the “Everything Snagel”. My absurd creation that melds all the best of an everything bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, hard boiled egg and red onion. The thing is that I put all these inside and bake these bad-boys. Needless to say, they sold out quickly.

Here’s how I filled them.

Here’s a random interior shot. I need some work on centering I guess.

Next, I did a bunch of “Pop-Top” boules. This sourdough is made with a crazy circular and very deep slash with a very sharp lame or blade. I could barely get these out of the oven.

The first ramps are coming up now and I baked alot on a sourdough Coca here with Gruyere, Woodland Ridge pork belly and za’atar coated ramp-labneh balls with sumac and Aleppo peppers. Love these fuzzy balls.

I finally kicked off some really great Parachute Pizza with knotted crust pulled up. This has baby kale, Piave Vecchio, mortadella and a pistachio-basil pesto on top. A beauty in any language.

See you next week.

Toe tap a flea.

JG

When a Fold is Knot Enough

I do alot of tying and folding with all sorts of pizza and breads. Here are a few. These delicious “O Face” pizzas (above) are very popular. They are the spawn of two elements; Very large blobs of sourdough and not enough time to ball, wait and form a disc before cooking. These have my favorite combination of cured baby bok choy and Tokyo Turnips wtih Gochujang, miso and teriyaki with pumpkin seeds atop aged provolone. (Don’t laugh- the flavor is spot on!)

Traditional bakers shutter at this horrendous baking activity. I admit that this may go against forming the perfect alveoli or cell structure, crust… bla, bla, bla, but this is delicious and really cool. I call it “Pane Groviglio,” (tangled bread) and is a prime example of when a bread crosses the line to pasta, then encased like sausage or crepinette. I first flattened and cut strips from an aged sourdough keeping them separate then tossed in a cured local pork belly that I roasted with Baharat spice, pine nuts, Jerusalem artichokes, cilantro and lemon zest. Then I wrapped and tied with caul fat after topping each batard with basil. This is a tricky bake but if you are crazy enough, you can pull it off.

  

Look at that anti-crumb and crisp, porky crust. DEElish.

There are some other breads and pizzas that I twist, tie, slice and stuff like this spelt “Cornetta” with lovely local Vest Farms carrots that I par-roasted and wove into this dough.

Talk about a mega-fold. This is our “Gorilla Bread” which I make in some old Detroit pizza pans. Like Monkey Bread, its a amalgamation of dough, sweetness, spice and nuts. This contains copious amounts of maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, pecan and walnut. I have to skewer these to keep them in line but this works well to stick them in large pumpkins like a pin cushion.

Dr. Seuss is in the house! One of my favorite knotted pizzas is this “Quattro Nodi” or four knot pie with some great summer cherry tomatoes from Cowdery Farms, Green Edge Gardens basil, aged mozzarella and fior di latte mozzarella with Corto extra virgin olive oil.

 

Here is a traditional, non-traditional Stuffed Simit wtih almond, cashew, local Integration Acres Feta, za’atar, fresh spinach, sesame, mint and pomegranate molasses. First it is sliced with a razor blade then folded over and over again, brushed with the molasses and sprinkled with sesame.

These are one of my favorites. The traditional Pain Tordu or twisted baguette or batard is twisted into a new flavor profile with two things I like best on high hydrated ciabatta dough- Chinese five-spice and sesame. The fragrance and taste is incomparable.

“Tangled up in Ramps.” (Pain tresse au poireau sauvage) This is a springtime wonder as a folded and knotted batard with dough impregnated with King Family bacon ends, Harmony Hollow Ham, cracked peppercorn and Integration Acres Caprino Pecorino.

Well, there you have a few of my twisted creations. Now, I’ve gotta remember how to tie my shoes. See ya