four minute 'za
Played with the mud oven again today, and we got it good and hot! We even succeeded with the apocryphal "four minute pizza" of lore.
Ever since we built the oven we've heard that the ultimate woodfired pizza ovens cook in four minutes. BTW, I did bake them straight on the hearth (on parchment), they're just waiting on the sheet pan for the last pie to come out of the oven. The parchment pretty much turned black on the edges but did not combust, so I think I can safely vouch for 600 degrees + for parchment use!
Anyway, nothing like homemade tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella from the farmer's market, with chopped basil, zucchini, peppers, and onions from the backyard (plus mushrooms and pepperoni).
Besides that, the usual batches of bread for some good summer eating for the next few weeks: sourdough, ciabatta, and a jalapeno cheddar loaf I've been playing with. I overproofed this batch but it still looks pretty tasty.
Also roasted some beets and garlic, and just pulled a couple of zucchini quick breads out as well. I'm pretty pooped but may still stick some tomatoes in to dry overnight, but then again, maybe I'll save it for next time!
Comments
those pizza are making me jealous. I can't wait to own some property and build myself an earthen oven of my own. right now i have a half-size oven so old it lacks proper safety features. with it preheated to 'broil' it reaches a good 575-600. crappy oven, but it works for me. Making a half dozen margherita's tomorrow night! they usually take ~ 6-7 minutes, but i like them pretty dark. What's your dough formula look like?
I used the recipe from BBA, though with half-ish whole wheat flour. I do have a note in the recipe to either add more flour or less water as it comes out really wet for me. Anyway, I usually make batch, make 6 balls of dough and bake off 2-3 pies and then freeze the rest of the dough balls. Easty to pull out of the freezer for an easy dinner.
I like mine pretty dark (and crispy!) too. This time was funny, the oven was so hot I actually baked them with the door open for 3 minutes, and I could watch them cook, that was fun!