Desert Pizza on a Pizza Stone

[Jerald Powell]

I moved from my home in Temecula and away from the wood fired pizza oven I built there. I have purchased a pizza stone and have begun experimenting.
I don't stick to the directions that came with my stone though. I found the temperatures (500-550 degrees) to low to accomplish the results I wanted. I heat the stone 45 minutes to an hour nearly twice as long as the directions recomended.
I also started using the electric broiler to get more direct heat on my pizzas and I am happy with the results. I cook at 500 degrees for the first 3 minutes then turn the broiler on High. To cook the toppings to my liking takes 2-3 minutes. If I still do not get the results I want I use my metal peel, with a long handle to keep my hands away from the heat, and lift the pizza closer( 2-3 inches) from the electric broiler element until I see the desirred browning of the crust and caramelization of the toppings I want. I keep the pizza moving to avoid uneven heat this close to the red hot element. My pizza is on the stone for about 5 minutes.
I made some dessert pizza on my pizza stone. I was webcasting at the time and recorded the episode. I am providing the link here Helloworld.com you can also see some pictures there. Just click on the camera icon and Dessert Pizza album. I hope this helps.
You can read more on the dessert pizza subject in the Pizza section of this forum. (See the links to similar subjects below)
Jerald Powell

[nissanneill]

Hi Jerald,
I have no experiences with cooking on a pizza stone but it looks to me like you are definitely in need of a Pompeii oven.
No fussing around with that relatively inferior electrically heated cooking when compared to the heat and humidity in a wood fired oven.
I can't get over the efficiency and minimal times needed to cook in a 'hot' wood oven. Just watching it rise and brown with the cheese bubbling away is a sight to behold, I can smell it now.
Electric cooking of pizzas (we cook small pizza toppings on plain or wholemeal muffins which are cut in halves for a quick and easy winter lunch or snack) is not the same as those coming out of the Pompeii, You can then cook the breads and my favourite, the hot spicy fruit buns. Usually, the traditional sunday roast lamb goes in and halfway through, turn the meat and the vegies. If it is cold, then a fruit pie or pudding goes in as we take out the roast.
I hope this gets your juices going to jump in and construct a real oven and enjoy, ENJOY!!!


Neill

[Jerald Powell]

Yes, I really do miss my wood fired oven that I left when I sold my home. You can see it in the residential photo gallery. I am finishing a desert pizza cook book and need to adopt my recipies to conventional ovens or my market will be limited to those pizza enthusiasts that have wood fired ovens like yourself and I have my sites set on larger markets. I do plan to build another pompii oven in my next home. It will be the other picture in the gallery from Temecua.

[JoeT62]

Originally Posted by Jerald Powell

I moved from my home in Temecula and away from the wood fired pizza oven I built there.

Tragedy!!! Is that your old oven with the hot air balloons behind it?

As regards dessert pizza, I was a skeptic until I had one with fresh berries and mascarpone. Now I'm a believer.

[Jerald Powell]

Yes, that is the first oven I built. My wife took the picture with the balloons. She is very proud of the whole thing since it was her idea. The fruit on pizza was mine. I don't usually add cheese of any kind, but we have used cream cheese and marscapone. I am into sweet and hot lately. I'm glad you tried it for yourself.
Jerald