For home made pizza fans

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truck71

Original Poster:

2,328 posts

171 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
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Recently bought a book written by the proprietors of my local Pizza place, Franco Manca. ISBN is 978-085783-217-7 (no connection to me whatsoever, just a punter). Tells you everything you need to know to make the perfect home made pizza. Will be getting started next week having ordered ingredients from here http://www.lupafoods.co.uk/

NordicCrankShaft

1,718 posts

114 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
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I used to live on Chiswick High Road right by the one they opened in Chiswick, went once couldn't understand what the fuss was about, went again to try and really understand and maybe I missed something the first time but felt the same. Aside from their sour dough pizza's I didn't think it was anything more special than the Strada or Zizzi in the vicinity.

truck71

Original Poster:

2,328 posts

171 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
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NordicCrankShaft said:
I used to live on Chiswick High Road right by the one they opened in Chiswick, went once couldn't understand what the fuss was about, went again to try and really understand and maybe I missed something the first time but felt the same. Aside from their sour dough pizza's I didn't think it was anything more special than the Strada or Zizzi in the vicinity.
Each to their own I guess, Zizzi or Strada are not even in the same ballpark IMO. For me they're right there with Pizza Express and I wouldn't order Pizza at any of them (in fact I wouldn't choose to eat at any of them).

The quality of the ingredients, the proper wood fired Pizza oven and as you mention the dough all make for a completely different experience if a little noisy at times.

One of my neighbours originates from the states and shares your view, she thinks pizzas should have hard bases and junk food toppings. A lot of Pizzas are like this, just not Neopolitan ones.

Quarterly

650 posts

117 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
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Funny I should bump in to this post, I've built a Pizza oven at home and we're struggling to get the dough and tomato sauce, just right. I know a couple of directors of FM so I gave one of them a call to pick his brains but he was in a meeting and couldn't talk, so I'll buy the book instead.

truck71

Original Poster:

2,328 posts

171 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
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Quarterly said:
Funny I should bump in to this post, I've built a Pizza oven at home and we're struggling to get the dough and tomato sauce, just right. I know a couple of directors of FM so I gave one of them a call to pick his brains but he was in a meeting and couldn't talk, so I'll buy the book instead.
Er, pics and spec of said oven required I think? Amazon is your friend for the book.

truck71

Original Poster:

2,328 posts

171 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
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Quarterly said:
The dome and flu was bought as preformed concrete from Forna Brava. The oven is 1.2m deep.

Hahaha! That is awesome.

H_Kan

4,942 posts

198 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
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NordicCrankShaft said:
I used to live on Chiswick High Road right by the one they opened in Chiswick, went once couldn't understand what the fuss was about, went again to try and really understand and maybe I missed something the first time but felt the same. Aside from their sour dough pizza's I didn't think it was anything more special than the Strada or Zizzi in the vicinity.
No way are the bigger chains in the same ball park as Franco Manca. They use great ingredients such as wild brocolli, burrata etc which are difficult to source and make pizzas in the traditional style. The sour dough itself is amazing too.

Imo, Francos, along with places like Pizza Pilgrims and Santa Maria have really raised the pizza game in London.

h0b0

7,557 posts

195 months

Thursday 23rd July 2015
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My father in law has a successful pizza restaurant in New York State. He has 8 proper pizza ovens so can make about 24 full size pizzas at once. He makes his own dough and sauce.

We take the dough and sauce and cook pizza directly on a gas grill (bbq). It tastes great. They turn out a bit rustic because I can't throw a pizza but that almost adds to the appeal. My father in law has considered adding them to the menu.

Swervin_Mervin

4,429 posts

237 months

Thursday 23rd July 2015
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h0b0 said:
We take the dough and sauce and cook pizza directly on a gas grill (bbq). It tastes great. They turn out a bit rustic because I can't throw a pizza but that almost adds to the appeal. My father in law has considered adding them to the menu.
I've cooked mine on a proper BBQ before now, on a cast iron griddle smile Certainly adds some flavour, if one is short of a wood fired oven.

As for recipe:

100g semolina flour
400g 00 Flours
c300ml Water
4tbsp olive oil
10g salt
1tsp sugar
4g dried yeast

Mix the flours and salt. In a jug mix the water with the sugar then add the yeast. Once it's got going chuck in the oil and then throw the lot into the flour. mix, knead etc. Put back in a bowl and clingfilm and bang in the fridge preferably overnight if not 24 hours.

It's not a full on sourdough but will give you a reliable dough that you can get very thin (the above does me 3 bases on a 30cm cast iron griddle pan) and with a nice crispness.

ambuletz

10,689 posts

180 months

Sunday 26th July 2015
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truck71

Original Poster:

2,328 posts

171 months

Sunday 26th July 2015
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ambuletz said:
That's the one, takes a few weeks to deliver it as I think they have limited print runs. Don't worry though it's kosher.

giblet

8,824 posts

176 months

Sunday 26th July 2015
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I was given a copy of the book for christmas by a friend. Yet to make a pizza from it though.

I still rank Franco Manca as the best pizza place I have tried in London. Second place goes to Pizza Pilgrims although the pizza I had in the Kingley Court branch last weekend wasn't great.

dapprman

2,309 posts

266 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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truck71 said:
For me they're right there with Pizza Express
That will be because the owner was a senior bod (can't remember if he was a director or not) at Pizza Express. My line manager swears by the one near Earls Court (original one ?) but then he knows the owner/founder being a former senior bod at Pizza Express himself (his wife forced him to give it up as he was suffering from high blood pressure and drinking far too much coffee).

truck71

Original Poster:

2,328 posts

171 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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dapprman said:
truck71 said:
For me they're right there with Pizza Express
That will be because the owner was a senior bod (can't remember if he was a director or not) at Pizza Express. My line manager swears by the one near Earls Court (original one ?) but then he knows the owner/founder being a former senior bod at Pizza Express himself (his wife forced him to give it up as he was suffering from high blood pressure and drinking far too much coffee).
For clarity I was putting the other chains mentioned in the same place as PE, not Francos which is in a different league.

dapprman

2,309 posts

266 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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Sorry about that. BTW my colleague still eats at his local Franco Mancas (as I think I mentioned quite possibly the original one) but won't normally eat at Pizza Express. I don't know if it's past memories or the fact he's an awkward sod who won't forget - we had a team meal at one place - decent food but new staff and a failed credit card machine making paying awkward - he won't go back there as a result ...

truck71

Original Poster:

2,328 posts

171 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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dapprman said:
Sorry about that. BTW my colleague still eats at his local Franco Mancas (as I think I mentioned quite possibly the original one) but won't normally eat at Pizza Express. I don't know if it's past memories or the fact he's an awkward sod who won't forget - we had a team meal at one place - decent food but new staff and a failed credit card machine making paying awkward - he won't go back there as a result ...
He's doing the right thing.

truck71

Original Poster:

2,328 posts

171 months

Thursday 3rd September 2015
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Bit if a thread resurrection, tried the Franco Pizza dough recipe this morning in the form of a basic margherita- superb! The dough was just like in the restaurant although I cooked it too heavily on the base and my passata was too strong.

I'm using an iron pan starting on the hob and then transferring under the grill as my oven won't be hot enough for traditional cooking.

Should have taken a photo but eat it so quickly, totally forgot.

gobuddygo

1,383 posts

184 months

Thursday 3rd September 2015
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I bought one of these from Amazon Italy works perfectly every time.

http://www.amazon.it/dp/B00KR8LZ3Q/ref=pe_386201_4...

Delivered in 4 days just pay as normal don't let Amazon convert it from Euros.

RizzoTheRat

25,082 posts

191 months

Thursday 3rd September 2015
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The recipe from Heston Bluminthals "Perfection" series is honestly the nicest pizza I've tried. He goes for a 2 stage dough, leaving the starter overnight to mature.
http://www.insearchofheston.com/2013/05/how-to-mak...

Swervin_Mervin

4,429 posts

237 months

Thursday 3rd September 2015
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RizzoTheRat said:
The recipe from Heston Bluminthals "Perfection" series is honestly the nicest pizza I've tried. He goes for a 2 stage dough, leaving the starter overnight to mature.
http://www.insearchofheston.com/2013/05/how-to-mak...
Don't bother with a starter imo. Just make the lot up the day before. In a bread recipe I'd normally use 7g yeast per 500g flour - as I leave the dough overnight though I use half as much yeast as it has much longer to do its job.

I've left it 2 days before now and it's been very tasty.