Re: Pizza on Gabriola

Kumquat!
Marginally less satisfying than my usual outburst, a bit more organic and acceptable, but Sharon knew instantly what I really meant! There were sooooo many things I wanted to say.

The dead dough fiasco went on for 2 more batches, all carefully weighed, timed and nursed by an old guy,  calls to the pizza gods were made in incantations  .  . .then, I threw out the remaining flour and the instant yeast and started anew. A success of sorts, dough rose, bubbled and worked. Too bad we had to be away the day it decided to work, I could have controlled the ferment, which by the time we got home was ready to bake, the oldie fatigued by ferries and run arounds put the 70% hydration dough, now hot to trot, in a cooler place and lit the fire in the oven, glass of wine in hand.

Then started the Icelandic Gong show. As I built the first pizza it was obvious the dough was over proofed, inserting my wonderful new peel under the dough deformed it, launching a pizza semi stuck on the peel caused a wee fire in the o…