Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[lincslady]

Well done!  Lovely photos too.

[jpalbny]

Fantastic, Ron! Great shot. One could say it's perfect!

[spinnaker2]

WOW dr Ron!!!!!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Dr Ron,

 

Loved your piccies. 

 

Extraordinary pictures which will deservedly be a really precious record of an extraordinary trip. 

 

Memories are precious.  🙂

 

Jeff 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Sometimes the best suppers in life are supremely simple.

 

Ficelle, butter and jam and no noise.

[DavyWavey70]

So pleased for you drron, what beautiful shots!

[drron29]

Today we went to a great Art Museum here in Kawaguchiko. The Itchiku Kubota Art Museum'

And what did we do there?

Well we got high.

 

It's amazing what a coffee will do for you!

But seriously a hidden gem. great grounds and if fine with views of Mt. fuji. But it is about a fellow who was into tye dyeing. He set out to create 80 Kimonos using the technigues from the 14th century. got to 46 before dieing at age 85 in 2003.

No photos allowed of the kimonos but they were phenomenal and put side by side created a continuous pattern showing the change of seasons on Mt. Fuji.

 

But the gardens and buildings also magnificent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[drron29]

Back to the maybe funnies.

 

 

 

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Afternoon Coolers! 🙂

 

It turns out that some years ago I drank some wine and imported a Neapolitan pizza oven and had it couriered  all the way from Italy to Jeff’s Cucina in order to fire it up and wait patiently for around one and a half hours to reach 950f in order to make a Neapolitan pizza in ninety seconds.  

 

Is there anything more pitiful and sadder and dafter and more stupid than a compulsive obsessive doing too much for a just a better pizza?

 

Some will understand I hope. 🙂

 

Last nights pizza and the oven ……. 

 

 

[DavyWavey70]

41 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

Good Afternoon Coolers! 🙂

 

It turns out that some years ago I drank some wine and imported a Neapolitan pizza oven and had it couriered  all the way from Italy to Jeff’s Cucina in order to fire it up and wait patiently for around one and a half hours to reach 950f in order to make a Neapolitan pizza in ninety seconds.  

 

Is there anything more pitiful and sadder and dafter and more stupid than a compulsive obsessive doing too much for a just a better pizza?

 

Some will understand I hope. 🙂

 

Last nights pizza and the oven ……. 

 

 

I Understand completely Jeff 🙂 

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

I, too, drank a glass or four of wine and ended up ordering an Ooni wood fired pizza oven last year; it was a "birthday present" for my DW.  Like when as a young sprout you buy your mom a skateboard as a present and ask her if you can "borrow" it...  One of the better wine-influenced decisions I've made.  I use fir and hardwood scraps & some charcoal, and can get up to 950F in about 20 minutes, although I'm learning that depending on the dough and toppings, there are some arguments for a little lower temp.  But, indeed, a pizza is done in no more than 90 seconds.  There is a LOT to learn, but every time I make another batch, I understand how to cook a pizza a little better.  With the wood fired, it is hotter at rear, near the fire, so you have to rotate the pie to cook evenly.  There is a cast stone bottom, and I use a laser thermometer to monitor the temperature of it, as well as a built in thermometer that tells you ambient (air) heat.  A fun thing for entertaining, we provide our dough and toppings, and let people compose their personal pizza.  

[silkismom]

Now I'm drooling all over my computer!

[lincslady]

We have got another Jeff on here!!  Let's cherish them, they are few and far between.

 

Lola

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

UK Jeff -

In your picture, the crust looks wonderful - airy & nice structure, is this sourdough?  I note the little bit of char on the crust, which pizza aficionados appreciate.  The combination of heat from the stone, and the hot air does a wonderful thing - the stone cooks the dough for a nice crust, and the toppings cooks via the air.  One of humanity's great achievements!  Thanks to the Italian forefathers and foremothers; probably sponsored by mozzarella makers.  My DW & I like one with EVOO, garlic, lotsa anchovies, partly sun-dried tomatoes in oil, pepper flakes & grana or feta.  At a lower heat (like 700F) the anchovies have time to melt into that wonderful umami goodness. Heavens!  Pour me a glass of that Sangiovese Red! 

[UKCruiseJeff]

2 hours ago, Will Work for Tiramisu said:

UK Jeff -

In your picture, the crust looks wonderful - airy & nice structure, is this sourdough?  I note the little bit of char on the crust, which pizza aficionados appreciate. 

 

Hi, thanks for your comments.  The leaoparding ie the spots is from the control I have of the heat and I prefer 800f which I've heard = I think it was the chap from King Arthurs Mill - say is his favorite.

 

The good news is that perhaps counter-intuitively all you need to do is forget about everything and all of the stuff about dough and bread making you've learned and think you know and start again - because it turns out that it is exceptionally simple to make and the less you faff around the better it will be and the smugger and more contented you will become.   There is simply absolutely nothing you can ever do that is more rewarding than eating a piece of the best bread you have ever tasted and that you have made it.  🙂 )

 

You can use any bread flour but for pizza I still use 00 and like pretending I'm a Neapolitan (person not icecream) and use Caputo.  All I do is make a dough with 80% hydration and add a small amount of yeast salt and sugar using a bowl and my little blue scraper.  I haven't used a mixed for as long as I can remember.  I put a shower cap over the bowl (these must be from a 5* hotel otherwise you will not get the same quality of rise) and when it has grown to around double scrape it into an oiled box and put it in the fridge until you want some.  This could be later today or a few weeks.  Just a tip.  If you want to add a bit of olive oil then don't mix the oil and  water together because as we all now know they don't mix and this is one of the reasons why people have problems.  Mix the water and dry stuff together first and wait a minute or so after you've combined it all then add a drizzle of oil.  This bizarrely makes the world of difference.  The longer you leave it the better it will be. 

 

What causes the magic to happen is the high hydration (most so called experts say 67% - but believe me 80%+) - and leaving it for a lot of time to develop slowly in the fridge for a longer time.  If you do this you will get sour-dough light.  No biga, and no poolish - it simply doesn't matter. By doing this it means it follows that when you get the pizza yearnings but you would otherwise be dough-less - you simply reach into the fridge and scrape a portion out from Big Bertha and ball it.  Let it warm a bit and do your flattening and stretching on fine semolina and you have a pizza. When you use the last bit always observes Jeff's law and make some more.  It's take around 30 seconds to weigh the stuff and scrape it in a bowl and a few more to put it in the fridge.  You don't need to knead it or mix it just let it get on with it.

 

I follow this simple approach with all of my breads pretty much except for bagels which must be dryer.

 

I have amassed what I believe is the biggest library of books on bread than anyone else is likely to have and what many have in common is that they want it to look like bread making is difficu;t and that they are clever because they can do it and we can't.  Every time I have simplified my approach my bread has improved.  I cannot remember the last time I used a recipe.  I just blend different flours and let the water and time do the rest.

 

I'm going to revert to my ipad now and look for some dough pictures.  What I'm hoping you can see is that the texture of all my (non-bagel) breads are open looking a bit like sour dough but they also have a glisten/sheen.  I hope you an see that.  It is the time you allow the bread to develop that gives you both the crumb texture and the glisten.

 

The other thing about my journey is that it is so tempting to be American and put far too much topping on a pizza.  My progress has been to put less and less on.  I like the dough and the tomato topping speak for itself and now to be completely honest I'm finding that cheese detracts from my enjoyment although we both like finely grated shake of Parmigiano Reggiano. Sometimes I like some Milano Salami because I don't like chorizo or anything that is leathery or sweaty. 

 

I'll hunt out some piccies and if you want any more suggestions - don't be shy.

 

EDITED: Found some bread and then the pizza cornicione ….. which hopefull demonstrates the effect of high hydration, simplicity and time.

 

Good Luck. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 22 by UKCruiseJeff

[Host Jazzbeau]

Jeff your bread always looks delicious.  As to pizza – you should have imported the oven from NY.  Neapolitan pizza doesn't really cut it once you've had NY thin crust pizza...  😀

[drron29]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

@UKCruiseJeff You are my personal bread and pizza hero. If the house next to you ever comes up for sale , will you let me know? I'd move in just for the smells.

[rojaan19]

At Mt Fuji ....

Some old fella trying to get my attention,  ringing a bell,  blowing me a kiss !!

 

[drron29]

 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

[drron29]

 

 

 

[drron29]

 

 

 

[lincslady]

Anyone noticed what number of posts we are now on here?  I never normally bother to look of course, but something just made me do it.  Best of luck if you are interested.

[lincslady]

What happened there?