Rant

[Happy Lady]

I think we all like what we are accustomed to eating. I don't really like the Argentine pizza as often the bottom crust is not cooked. Pizza Piola - thin crust is good, I think.
Usually, I make my own crust . 3 parts of white flour, 1 part of whole wheat, salt, yeast, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and water. a bit of kneading and there it is. As for toppings, I just use a homemade fresh tomato sauce and , mushrooms,etc and cheese, the best that I can find. sometimes asparagus, grilled chicken, zucchine, etc. It's fairly easy to make pizza crust. I always make extra and freeze some of it. I know that lots of people work long hours so this probably is not an option for some.

 

[scotttswan]

Really? They pilosophy is to be the cheapest in town. There was a Uggi's on Coronel Diaz where they offered, for a tip, fugazzetta and some other options. They were fired for that.

Fugazetta is on the menu in ugi's now, it's one of their wide choice of 4 pizza's. Muzza, Muzza con hierbas, Fugazetta, Fugazetta con hierbas.

 

[nlaruccia]

Fugazetta is on the menu in ugi's now, it's one of their wide choice of 4 pizza's. Muzza, Muzza con hierbas, Fugazetta, Fugazetta con hierbas.

So are band aids, that came with my friend's son's pizza.

 

[Girino]

I lost track of this thread a few days ago, so forgive me if I don't properly quote each post I'd like to reply to.

1) Pizza dough with semolín - I asked this to chef Donato de Santis on his blog but he hasn't yet replied. I know he suggests to add semolín to flour when making fresh pasta (20% semolín, 80% haring 0000) and it has been working well for me, so far. What's the percentage of semolín you would recommend in pizza dough? And how long do you recommend to "machine work" the dough so that it develops its strength?

2) Pizza dough with whole flour - I will try the 20% whole flour, 80% 0000 flour mix. I did mix them once but it was 50-50% and I had a hard time to digest it. I also let it raise for more than 12 hours in the fridge because of poor planning on my side. I am interested in the freeze your dough part: how do you freeze it? After making the dough or do you mean you make pizza bases and then freeze them?

3) Flours and pizza - The other night I finally visited pizzeria La Partenope in La Lucila and had a chat with the owner (he is a Neapolitan descendent). He told me he couldn't find the right flour and has manitoba flour imported from EEUU. Specifically, he imports Farina Caputo, a brand I already knew from US blogs about pizza. I believe it's also sold on Amazon in family-sized packs. He told me that the local flour absorbed too much water.

4) Mozzarella and pizza - Always at La Partenope, we chatted also about mozzarella and dairy products, and the owner also reported that they add water to milk sold in supermarkets, and that the best brand available to the greater public is La Serenissima (I wrote about that when posting about making ricotta cheese at home, too). Bottom line: he had to locate a mozzarella producer and buy from him the raw product before he goes to the industrial processing, where they add water and other stuff.

5) UGI's - It is know for being the cheapest pizza in town, I went to the one in San Isidro and I am glad I just bought a portion to try it, because it is just a stomach-filling stuff. Poor topping, poor dough. Very popular among local hippies and youngster folks because of the price.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

Fugazetta is on the menu in ugi's now, it's one of their wide choice of 4 pizza's. Muzza, Muzza con hierbas, Fugazetta, Fugazetta con hierbas.

The story is from 15/20 years ago.

 

[scotttswan]

The story is from 15/20 years ago.

I look forwards to someone getting sacked for putting ham on the pizza and then in 20 years getting another 2 pizzas on the menu then.

 

[PhilipDT]

I lost track of this thread a few days ago, so forgive me if I don't properly quote each post I'd like to reply to.

1) Pizza dough with semolín - I asked this to chef Donato de Santis on his blog but he hasn't yet replied. I know he suggests to add semolín to flour when making fresh pasta (20% semolín, 80% haring 0000) and it has been working well for me, so far. What's the percentage of semolín you would recommend in pizza dough? And how long do you recommend to "machine work" the dough so that it develops its strength?

2) Pizza dough with whole flour - I will try the 20% whole flour, 80% 0000 flour mix. I did mix them once but it was 50-50% and I had a hard time to digest it. I also let it raise for more than 12 hours in the fridge because of poor planning on my side. I am interested in the freeze your dough part: how do you freeze it? After making the dough or do you mean you make pizza bases and then freeze them?

3) Flours and pizza - The other night I finally visited pizzeria La Partenope in La Lucila and had a chat with the owner (he is a Neapolitan descendent). He told me he couldn't find the right flour and has manitoba flour imported from EEUU. Specifically, he imports Farina Caputo, a brand I already knew from US blogs about pizza. I believe it's also sold on Amazon in family-sized packs. He told me that the local flour absorbed too much water.

4) Mozzarella and pizza - Always at La Partenope, we chatted also about mozzarella and dairy products, and the owner also reported that they add water to milk sold in supermarkets, and that the best brand available to the greater public is La Serenissima (I wrote about that when posting about making ricotta cheese at home, too). Bottom line: he had to locate a mozzarella producer and buy from him the raw product before he goes to the industrial processing, where they add water and other stuff.

I know not all of them were responses to my posts but I'll through in my 2cents.

1) Semolina in its traditional form is just a coarse grind of a specific type of wheat. "Trigo Candeal" I use this on my peel when making pizza instead of cornmeal which is the traditional choice. This coarse semolina is great in pizza dough, as is. There is another "semola" here though, which is a much finer grind of "trigo candeal". This is flour, you can use it as such. Not sure of the exact numbers because mine is in a jar and the packaging is long gone, but it's usually 12-13% protein. If you're using coarse semolina try in a 1:2 ratio with 000. If you're using the fine ground, 1:1 or 2:1. I usually go half and half just because it's more expensive than the precio cuidado alternative and harder to find.

As for working the dough. Impossible to tell you an amount of time; way too many variables. In your case the answer is most likely to be "more time than you're currently doing". Baking is 50% science 40% percent technique 10% hippy love and 75% bullshit. I know that my love of eating is real, but I have know idea which of the 100s of "Rules" I subscribe to are real science/beneficial techniques vs complete bullshit.

2) Pizza dough with 100% whole wheat flour is very unappealing. In a lower proportion I think that it's just going to be slightly less unappealing I wouldn't look this way for your holy grail.

3) Caputo is a great flour, I used it all the time when I lived in the US. That said I think the idea of importing flour sounds incredibly absurd, even if you own a pizzeria.

4) I like the fior di latte mozzarella from La Salamandra http://www.lasalamandra.com.ar as far as widely available grocery store options go. If I'm really trying to impress, I'll make it myself; mozzarella is not difficult.

edit: re:freezing pizza. You can freeze the dough un shaped or shaped. I've never had much luck with working with the thawed dough but know people who make it work. I'm definitely in the parbake and freeze camp when it comes to pre-made crusts, it's not the same as fresh but it's great for a quick meal.

 

[nlaruccia]

I lost track of this thread a few days ago, so forgive me if I don't properly quote each post I'd like to reply to.

1) Pizza dough with semolín - I asked this to chef Donato de Santis on his blog but he hasn't yet replied. I know he suggests to add semolín to flour when making fresh pasta (20% semolín, 80% haring 0000) and it has been working well for me, so far. What's the percentage of semolín you would recommend in pizza dough? And how long do you recommend to "machine work" the dough so that it develops its strength?

2) Pizza dough with whole flour - I will try the 20% whole flour, 80% 0000 flour mix. I did mix them once but it was 50-50% and I had a hard time to digest it. I also let it raise for more than 12 hours in the fridge because of poor planning on my side. I am interested in the freeze your dough part: how do you freeze it? After making the dough or do you mean you make pizza bases and then freeze them?

3) Flours and pizza - The other night I finally visited pizzeria La Partenope in La Lucila and had a chat with the owner (he is a Neapolitan descendent). He told me he couldn't find the right flour and has manitoba flour imported from EEUU. Specifically, he imports Farina Caputo, a brand I already knew from US blogs about pizza. I believe it's also sold on Amazon in family-sized packs. He told me that the local flour absorbed too much water.

4) Mozzarella and pizza - Always at La Partenope, we chatted also about mozzarella and dairy products, and the owner also reported that they add water to milk sold in supermarkets, and that the best brand available to the greater public is La Serenissima (I wrote about that when posting about making ricotta cheese at home, too). Bottom line: he had to locate a mozzarella producer and buy from him the raw product before he goes to the industrial processing, where they add water and other stuff.

5) UGI's - It is know for being the cheapest pizza in town, I went to the one in San Isidro and I am glad I just bought a portion to try it, because it is just a stomach-filling stuff. Poor topping, poor dough. Very popular among local hippies and youngster folks because of the price.

Semolina Pizza Dough

Apr 16, 2012 by Brigit Binns | photo by David Matheson | | 11

Pizza: And Other Savory Pies | Touchstone, 2008​

Semolina is a protein-rich flour that makes this dough resilient and gives the baked crust a hearty chew and tooth-sinking texture.–Brigit Binns
LC Astoundingly Accurate Adjective Note

It’s not every day that we hear of a pizza crust being described as having a “tooth-sinking” texture, as author Brigit Binns describes it. But you know what? That odd little turn of the phrase is an astoundingly accurate adjective. You may wish to consider adding it to your lexicon, just as you may wish to add this pizza crust–and the accompanying mammoth meatball monstrosity of a topping–to your repertoire.
Semolina Pizza Dough Recipe

• Quick Glance
• 20 M
• 2 H, 15 M
• Makes 2 crusts

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup warm water [120°F (49°C)]
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1 cup room-temperature water, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the bowl
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons fine semolina flour
• 1 cup plus 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
• 1 tablespoon salt

Directions

• 1. In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the warm water and the sugar. Sprinkle with the yeast and let stand until it starts to foam, about 5 minutes.
• 2. Add the room-temperature water and the olive oil to the foaming yeast concoction. Set aside for a moment.
• 3. In a food processor, combine the semolina and all-purpose flours and the salt. With the motor running, add the yeast mixture in a steady stream and then pulse until the dough comes together in a rough mass, about 12 seconds. (If the dough does not form a ball, sprinkle with 1 to 2 teaspoons of cold water and pulse again until a rough mass forms.) Let the dough rest in the processor bowl for 5 to 10 minutes.
• 4. Process the dough again for 25 to 30 seconds, steadying the top of the food processor with one hand. The dough should be tacky to the touch but not sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form it into a smooth ball. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, turn the dough to coat with oil, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size and spongy, about 1 1⁄2 hours.
• 5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, gently punch it down, and shape it into a smooth cylinder. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball, dusting with flour only if the dough becomes sticky. Cover both balls of dough with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes before proceeding with your pizza recipe. (You can freeze the balls of dough in gallon-size zipper-lock bag, being sure to squeeze as much of the air as possible out of the bag, for up to 2 months. Thaw the frozen dough for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature.)

Read more at http://leitesculinaria.com/79749/recipes-semolina-pizza-dough.html#efkZrPjhY1BwVSMg.99

 

[Kika]

I've been trying to find a decent flour to make a decent pizza. Please share your brand so that I can finally break the "flour code" to get my pizza how I like it!
Flours here are too poor in proteins and that's not good to get the crispy crust-spongy inside in the border, plus it makes the dough so frail, it breaks before I can stretch it to the correct thinness.

For tomato sauce, I have been using Inca (I remove some water with a strain to use more pulp) and Jumbo, but I prefer Inca.
For mozzarella, I tried the "polpetta" they have here but it is not as good as Italian mozzarella, and it is expensive, so I just use the Argentinian mozzarella.

So you complain about the pizzerias in BA & decide to make your own pizza; only to attempt making dough from scratch, but not the sauce? I find this baffling as a homemade sauce is much easier to make than a homemade dough and way better than anything that plops out of a can or jar.

 

[estebandepraga]

I have been all over the world and while I realize that sometimes the tyoical Argentine menu is often the same, I personally love the food most of the time.I have had horrible meals including pizza in Italy. Here in Prague it used to be made with ketchup and many pople still put ketchup on their pizza! While I agree, sad to say, that the quality of products has fallen greatly in the past, there are still many delicious meals to be had!