disappointing pizza bake

[Pannabecker]

Just when I thought I had it all down....... It poured cats and dogs here yesterday and I think that must have had something to do with my disappointing fire. I had set up tarps over my pergola yesterday so I could do some priming/mortaring. I was sopping wet by the end of the day so I figured I might as well cook outdoors as well. Besides, the dough had already been made. The fire cooked for more than 2 hours but just never seemed to get hot enough. I was using oak that I took out of our woodshed so it wasn't wet. Anyway, I finally got tired of waiting and cooked the pizzas between 550 and 600 degrees. It seemed to take forever and didn't even look as pretty when they were done. They tasted fine but still.......

Another thing, I usually prepare the pizzas on the countertop right next to the oven but since it was pouring I needed to do all the prep work indoors and carry them outside. This took away much of the enjoyment. I like to spread everything out, have my glass of wine right there, friends and family sitting at the bar helping. It really is a lot about the whole process, isn't it?

Karen

[DrakeRemoray]

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

I finished my oven last fall, so most of my initial pizza parties entailed me running in and out of the house with a loaded pizza peel. Sometimes in very cold weather (even in light snow...).

Have you had other hot bakes so far? You say you had the fire going for two hours, but was it a big scary fire? That is really what is needed. Did the dome go white?

Look on the bright side, one or two dissapointing bakes, make the good ones that much better...

That is what I keep telling myself about the Rockies baseball beating last night...

Drake

[Pannabecker]

I've had lots of hot bakes in the past. This one just didn't want to get big and scary. Ok, maybe I didn't give it my best shot since I was so tired of being wet. Only the top third of my oven was white. There wasn't one place in the oven where it burned off completely clean like I like it. Even the apple pie we baked in it afterwards took long and didn't brown like I like it. It was plenty tasty though. It just took as long as it usually does in my inside oven.

Not that big of a deal really, my mother-in-law was the only guest. Shame on me. Karen

[asudavew]

Originally Posted by Pannabecker

Not that big of a deal really, my mother-in-law was the only guest. Shame on me. Karen

Now that one made me laugh!

I'm sure your next firing will be great!

Can't wait to to fire mine!

[Pannabecker]

For that remark I will probably be cursed with many other wimpy fires.
Karen

[asudavew]

Originally Posted by Pannabecker

For that remark I will probably be cursed with many other wimpy fires.

YiKeS.. the curse of the mother-in-law looms over your WFO.

Poor Karen.

[Acoma]

Have the wimpy fires continued or is the curse of the mother-in-law removed?

[Karen]

Thanks for asking. I was just thinking recently that it's been a long time since I was on this forum. I'm going to have to catch up. I have lots of reading to do. The fires have been great and so has the pizza. My mother-in-law hasn't visited since that sorry fire.

I wondered how much we'd use the oven this winter. We probably had pizza about once a week with a few gaps here and there. I'm looking forward to the warm weather though.

Good to be back. Karen

[Acoma]

Wow, remove the MIL and the pizza rewards you. How funny.