OT: Another Food Thread Beer Bread and Pizza

[pittbb80]

First off if you've never made beer bread you should try it. Its incredibly easy to make (just mix the dry ingredient's, add beer and butter and pop it in the oven). The basic beer bread uses honey which and is incredibly tasty but we've made apple cinnamon and cheese beer bread. Just make sure you use a high alcohol beer which helps to raise the bread in the oven.

PIzza here in the Charlotte area sucks. Marco's is the closest thing to Pizza in the bugh/NE. Never did the homeade pizza till the other day because it does take a bit if you want to start from scratch making the dough and sauce. (when tomato season comes back I'll probably make a large batch of homemade sauce). If you have a local grocery that offers fresh pizza dough its worth a try

At any rate discovered the local Publics has fresh pizza dough daily. So we tried making our own pizza. Again piece of cake. Just let the dough rise, roll it, put the sauce and fresh cheese on and any other topics and pop it in the oven. Its almost as good as any Pizza I've had in the NE/burgh and is less expensive than Marcos.

Fresh home made food and veggies are much better than anything you can buy out. Have fresh brocolli ready for harvest and cant wait to harvest the fresh cabbage I have growing. The spinach and romaine has been fantastic and far better than anything you can buy in the store Getting excited to start seeds for the spring/summer garden.

 

[USN_Panther]

First off if you've never made beer bread you should try it. Its incredibly easy to make (just mix the dry ingredient's, add beer and butter and pop it in the oven). The basic beer bread uses honey which and is incredibly tasty but we've made apple cinnamon and cheese beer bread. Just make sure you use a high alcohol beer which helps to raise the bread in the oven.

PIzza here in the Charlotte area sucks. Marco's is the closest thing to Pizza in the bugh/NE. Never did the homeade pizza till the other day because it does take a bit if you want to start from scratch making the dough and sauce. (when tomato season comes back I'll probably make a large batch of homemade sauce). If you have a local grocery that offers fresh pizza dough its worth a try

At any rate discovered the local Publics has fresh pizza dough daily. So we tried making our own pizza. Again piece of cake. Just let the dough rise, roll it, put the sauce and fresh cheese on and any other topics and pop it in the oven. Its almost as good as any Pizza I've had in the NE/burgh and is less expensive than Marcos.

Fresh home made food and veggies are much better than anything you can buy out. Have fresh brocolli ready for harvest and cant wait to harvest the fresh cabbage I have growing. The spinach and romaine has been fantastic and far better than anything you can buy in the store Getting excited to start seeds for the spring/summer garden.

I have never had beer bread. But just now pulled some recipes for the breadmaker. My wife has agreed to making this.
NZ is pizza wasteland. I have found two reasonable pies that are sort of American style. One is a local shop in Dunedin that is more of a nightclub, and one started out as an Auckland local but has spread across the country as a chain. Anytime back in the states, I always get pizza. That is something I really miss.

We are mid-summer here, so the garden is kicking. Not a lot to harvest just yet. Getting about 300 grams of strawberries a day now that I have bird-proofed them. Wife is making a strawberry pavlova this weekend, and planning some jam. I want to brew a strawberry wheat beer, but need to wait until after the jam session.

The zucchini are starting to roll in now. Soon will have more than we can consume. I have hundreds of green tomatoes on the plants. Working hard to keep ahead of the wilt so have been pruning big time. I planted heirloom varieties that aren't very disease resistant unfortunately. My chili plants are doing amazing. A good set of peppers on them. Going to have heaps to dry and to turn into sauces. I have 11 plants going--jalapeno, birdseye and cayenne. Have various pumpkins going too. And I have 4 varieties of hops going, so going to need to brew a lot of beer come April.

I have planned the winter garden for the tunnel house. Just started some plants from seed last week. Going to do cabbage, cavolo nero, cauliflower, broccoli, salad greens (corn salad, drunken lady lettuce, rocket and spinach), and giving celery a try.

What are you planting for the coming summer?

 

[Upg bobcat]

At any rate discovered the local Publics has fresh pizza dough daily. So we tried making our own pizza. Again piece of cake. Just let the dough rise, roll it, put the sauce and fresh cheese on and any other topics and pop it in the oven. Its almost as good as any Pizza I've had in the NE/burgh and is less expensive than Marcos.

My grandmother would go down to McKees Rocks and get pizza dough from Mancini's and make her own pizza. It was fabulous.

 

[Mikefln]

I have been making pizza at home for years. Many different styles (grandma style, Detroit, Sicilian, American) just bought an ooni and now do NY style. If you do your own Neopolitan/NY style learn to do a poolish starter. YouTube will help with that.

With that said I do like some takeout places. South Hills Centric- Floris and Dantes are the best. Pizza Al's is good if you have to feed a lot of people cheap. Ardilinos is better than average.

there are good places all over the burgh. I did not realize how good it was until I had to work in Columbus/Dayton/Cincinnati. It was a wasteland there.

As far as freshly grown vegetables, I love them but im giving up my garden this year. My dad is older and it is his one hobby. It is too rough helping him with his and having mine. So I'm giving up mine to spend more time in his.

Fresh food is the best.

 

[RoguePanther]

I have never had beer bread. But just now pulled some recipes for the breadmaker. My wife has agreed to making this.
NZ is pizza wasteland. I have found two reasonable pies that are sort of American style. One is a local shop in Dunedin that is more of a nightclub, and one started out as an Auckland local but has spread across the country as a chain. Anytime back in the states, I always get pizza. That is something I really miss.

We are mid-summer here, so the garden is kicking. Not a lot to harvest just yet. Getting about 300 grams of strawberries a day now that I have bird-proofed them. Wife is making a strawberry pavlova this weekend, and planning some jam. I want to brew a strawberry wheat beer, but need to wait until after the jam session.

The zucchini are starting to roll in now. Soon will have more than we can consume. I have hundreds of green tomatoes on the plants. Working hard to keep ahead of the wilt so have been pruning big time. I planted heirloom varieties that aren't very disease resistant unfortunately. My chili plants are doing amazing. A good set of peppers on them. Going to have heaps to dry and to turn into sauces. I have 11 plants going--jalapeno, birdseye and cayenne. Have various pumpkins going too. And I have 4 varieties of hops going, so going to need to brew a lot of beer come April.

I have planned the winter garden for the tunnel house. Just started some plants from seed last week. Going to do cabbage, cavolo nero, cauliflower, broccoli, salad greens (corn salad, drunken lady lettuce, rocket and spinach), and giving celery a try.

What are you planting for the coming summer?

Sounds like you need to build a pizza oven on premises. Once you find a good dough recipe, you are all set!

 

[USN_Panther]

Sounds like you need to build a pizza oven on premises. Once you find a good dough recipe, you are all set!

Beth makes a good pizza dough. We're going to make pizza sauce out of my way too many tomatoes from the garden. Have the oregano and basil growing for it too.
But a pizza oven comes after the home brew keg system. Have a wine chiller fridge that I plan to house them. I was looking to buy kegs just yesterday. But the price of the used ones was as high as new. I do miss the system I built while in Morgantown. Dorf inherited that from me when we left.

 

[pittbb80]

I have never had beer bread. But just now pulled some recipes for the breadmaker. My wife has agreed to making this.
NZ is pizza wasteland. I have found two reasonable pies that are sort of American style. One is a local shop in Dunedin that is more of a nightclub, and one started out as an Auckland local but has spread across the country as a chain. Anytime back in the states, I always get pizza. That is something I really miss.

We are mid-summer here, so the garden is kicking. Not a lot to harvest just yet. Getting about 300 grams of strawberries a day now that I have bird-proofed them. Wife is making a strawberry pavlova this weekend, and planning some jam. I want to brew a strawberry wheat beer, but need to wait until after the jam session.

The zucchini are starting to roll in now. Soon will have more than we can consume. I have hundreds of green tomatoes on the plants. Working hard to keep ahead of the wilt so have been pruning big time. I planted heirloom varieties that aren't very disease resistant unfortunately. My chili plants are doing amazing. A good set of peppers on them. Going to have heaps to dry and to turn into sauces. I have 11 plants going--jalapeno, birdseye and cayenne. Have various pumpkins going too. And I have 4 varieties of hops going, so going to need to brew a lot of beer come April.

I have planned the winter garden for the tunnel house. Just started some plants from seed last week. Going to do cabbage, cavolo nero, cauliflower, broccoli, salad greens (corn salad, drunken lady lettuce, rocket and spinach), and giving celery a try.

What are you planting for the coming summer?

Three varieties of tomatoes , cherry and grape tomatoes for salads. Doing another spring planting of cabbage spinach and romaine and spinach I have carrots and onions that should mature shortly

Red and yellow bell peppers egg plant snd jalapeno peppers

That’s all seed that I’ll start in about a week indoors.

Gonna try seeet potatoes and russet potato’s (chittimg store bought).

Then of course once we get to April I’ll start zucchini’s (we use zucchini instead of noodles for pasta ) spaghetti squash cantelope and water Mellon. Just a hill of each. One hill produces more than we can eat

in the edge of the property I’ll plant sunflowers for birds.

Use raised beds for stuff like tomatoes peppers carrots lettuce spinach and onions as I’m able to keep the deer snd rabbits away. The rest of the stuff is on a hillside

I get mushroom manure to add to the soil. Don’t use any fertilizer or insecticide

This winter we really enjoyed the spinach and romaine. Far superior to what you can’t get in the store

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

I buy King Arthur bread flour at Costco, and it makes a nice pizza crust.

My wife was on a sour dough kick a while back and was obsessed with getting the starter right. She was never quite happy with it, and I think there's still a jar in the fridge. LOL

I found the quality of pizza goes way downhill once you get south of DC, and good Italian bread is very hard to find.

 

[pittbb80]

I buy King Arthur bread flour at Costco, and it makes a nice pizza crust.

My wife was on a sour dough kick a while back and was obsessed with getting the starter right. She was never quite happy with it, and I think there's still a jar in the fridge. LOL

I found the quality of pizza goes way downhill once you get south of DC, and good Italian bread is very hard to find.

Sour dough seems like a lot of work. My son’s wife makes it and it’s Awsome. Beer bread isn’t the same obviously but is so easy to make. Pizza dough isn’t that hard to make either but it’s just easier to buy fresh dough ready to rise from Publix They make it in the store everyday so it’s not like mass produced stuff with preservatives in it

 

[Mikefln]

I buy King Arthur bread flour at Costco, and it makes a nice pizza crust.

My wife was on a sour dough kick a while back and was obsessed with getting the starter right. She was never quite happy with it, and I think there's still a jar in the fridge. LOL

I found the quality of pizza goes way downhill once you get south of DC, and good Italian bread is very hard to find.

KA is good for Sicilian and Grandma style, but I like Anna OO flour or Caputo OO Flour for NY/Neapolitan pizza.

 

[USN_Panther]

Three varieties of tomatoes , cherry and grape tomatoes for salads. Doing another spring planting of cabbage spinach and romaine and spinach I have carrots and onions that should mature shortly

Red and yellow bell peppers egg plant snd jalapeno peppers

That’s all seed that I’ll start in about a week indoors.

Gonna try seeet potatoes and russet potato’s (chittimg store bought).

Then of course once we get to April I’ll start zucchini’s (we use zucchini instead of noodles for pasta ) spaghetti squash cantelope and water Mellon. Just a hill of each. One hill produces more than we can eat

in the edge of the property I’ll plant sunflowers for birds.

Use raised beds for stuff like tomatoes peppers carrots lettuce spinach and onions as I’m able to keep the deer snd rabbits away. The rest of the stuff is on a hillside

I get mushroom manure to add to the soil. Don’t use any fertilizer or insecticide

This winter we really enjoyed the spinach and romaine. Far superior to what you can’t get in the store

The f'ing birds whacked my cabbage seedlings today. They were a hybrid variety that only come 10 seeds in a pack. Those birds ruined them all. They owe me $6!

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

KA is good for Sicilian and Grandma style, but I like Anna OO flour or Caputo OO Flour for NY/Neapolitan pizza.

I've read about the double zero, but have never tried it. I know that's all they use in Italy.

 

[Mikefln]

I've read about the double zero, but have never tried it. I know that's all they use in Italy.

Not going to lie, as far as taste goes, not much difference imo. The texture when cooking a high-temperature pizza like NY or Neapolitan style, there are tons of differences between the flours. I mostly use Anna as it is cheaper and more readily available than Caputo. Most Pizzaria's use Caputo.

 

[Mikefln]

The f'ing birds whacked my cabbage seedlings today. They were a hybrid variety that only come 10 seeds in a pack. Those birds ruined them all. They owe me $6!

It happens. I mostly have rabbit and chipmunk problems, but birds are another issue to deal with for a gardener. We have all been there.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

Nice thread. Haven't had anything containing a gluten chain in 5 days and you guys want to discuss pizza dough and beer. Thanks fellas!!!

 

[pittbb80]

The f'ing birds whacked my cabbage seedlings today. They were a hybrid variety that only come 10 seeds in a pack. Those birds ruined them all. They owe me $6!

lol. Aren’t cabbage seeds relatively small? Hard to believe they’d be able to find them

 

[pittbb80]

It happens. I mostly have rabbit and chipmunk problems, but birds are another issue to deal with for a gardener. We have all been there.

Raised beds take care of the rabbits for sure. I use three 2x8s.

I have bird feeders to attract birds as they eat insects so for the most part they are good unless you have berries

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Not going to lie, as far as taste goes, not much difference imo. The texture when cooking a high-temperature pizza like NY or Neapolitan style, there are tons of differences between the flours. I mostly use Anna as it is cheaper and more readily available than Caputo. Most Pizzaria's use Caputo.

It's funny you mentioned grandma pizza, because I'd love to be able to replicate it. No matter how hard I try, my kids still say nonna's is better. The closest I've gotten is the KA flour, and she uses regular old AP.

 

[cruzer]

Nice bread thread. I've never tried beer bread but my wife makes an incredible sour dough bread that's as good as anything I've ever had from a bakery. It is a bit of work getting the starter right, but once you get the system down it's not too hard. It's particularly easy for me as my only job is to eat the results (and I'm pretty good at that job).

As for pizza, you've hit a sore spot for me. I grew up just outside of NYC (and moved to Pittsburgh) so I got spoiled on real pizza. Pittsburgh had a few places that we pretty good but nothing like NYC pizza. Of course, the best pizza is found in Italy. More specifically Naples and the surrounding area IMO makes the best pizza on the planet. Not even close. The dough is crispy on the bottom but has great chew. Sauce needs to be made with San Marzano tomatoes and real buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil. My acid test for good pizza is always a Margherita. Plain, simple. You can't hide behind a bunch of toppings. Either you have the goods or you don't.

Sadly, I live in California now and these people don't know shi$ about pizza. If I hear one more of my neighbors tell me how good Round Table pizza is I'm going to hurt someone.

Cruzer

Footnote: I have found exactly one pizza joint in CA that is seriously legit. Pizzeria Bianco in LA. Chris Bianco is from NYC and moved to Phoenix for the weather. Opened a pizzeria there that is fabulous. Almost as good as Italy. Opened a second place in LA that is so popular you really have a hard time getting in. If you're in LA, check it out but go early.

 

[pittdan77]

NZ is pizza wasteland.

Ever heard of "Altoona Style Pizza"?

 

[USN_Panther]

lol. Aren’t cabbage seeds relatively small? Hard to believe they’d be able to find them

They whacked the seedlings that had just sprouted. Likely looking for bugs under the peat pots. They got some spring onions too, although that happened from dusk till dawn sometime so could have been hedgehogs. And spring onion seeds are 500 seeds per pack and I have 50+ seedlings so no big loss. But I really wanted that kiloton cabbage variety.

 

[pittbb80]

They whacked the seedlings that had just sprouted. Likely looking for bugs under the peat pots. They got some spring onions too, although that happened from dusk till dawn sometime so could have been hedgehogs. And spring onion seeds are 500 seeds per pack and I have 50+ seedlings so no big loss. But I really wanted that kiloton cabbage variety.

Oh I see...........Bummer

 

[Dointhatrag]

taste of Buffalo is my go to pizza in the Charlotte/Huntersville area

 

[Millerton24]

My grandmother would go down to McKees Rocks and get pizza dough from Mancini's and make her own pizza. It was fabulous.

Still do that about once a month. Yep,very good.

 

[Millerton24]

Nice bread thread. I've never tried beer bread but my wife makes an incredible sour dough bread that's as good as anything I've ever had from a bakery. It is a bit of work getting the starter right, but once you get the system down it's not too hard. It's particularly easy for me as my only job is to eat the results (and I'm pretty good at that job).

As for pizza, you've hit a sore spot for me. I grew up just outside of NYC (and moved to Pittsburgh) so I got spoiled on real pizza. Pittsburgh had a few places that we pretty good but nothing like NYC pizza. Of course, the best pizza is found in Italy. More specifically Naples and the surrounding area IMO makes the best pizza on the planet. Not even close. The dough is crispy on the bottom but has great chew. Sauce needs to be made with San Marzano tomatoes and real buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil. My acid test for good pizza is always a Margherita. Plain, simple. You can't hide behind a bunch of toppings. Either you have the goods or you don't.

Sadly, I live in California now and these people don't know shi$ about pizza. If I hear one more of my neighbors tell me how good Round Table pizza is I'm going to hurt someone.

Cruzer

Footnote: I have found exactly one pizza joint in CA that is seriously legit. Pizzeria Bianco in LA. Chris Bianco is from NYC and moved to Phoenix for the weather. Opened a pizzeria there that is fabulous. Almost as good as Italy. Opened a second place in LA that is so popular you really have a hard time getting in. If you're in LA, check it out but go early.

I've only been to NY city once but did have pizza when I was there. Obviously need more samples but burgh pizza is better.

 

[Jim Z]

My grandmother would go down to McKees Rocks and get pizza dough from Mancini's and make her own pizza. It was fabulous.

I still do that.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

Oh I see...........Bummer

I have raised bed gardens. But housing plan my property was built on and the soil is not just horrible, it is laden with pests especially ants. I try not to put too much poison because well it is not good for you and I have dogs too. I try to be as "organic" as possible. I found one thing that gets rid of ants. It is food grade diatomaceous earth, which is this white powder but what you do is put in your soil where ants or ants nest are, and the ants literally dehydrate themselves and carry it back to their queen and kill them off. But I have all kinds of crap. My tomatoes were just decimated by all things stink bugs last year. The previous 5 years they didn't bother. Yet, the pepper crop I had the past year was just unbelievable, more than I could handle from green to hot. The one year I planted cabbage and broccoli the ants decimated them. Bugs suck. As I told someone else, those who say God is perfect, well I am afraid I got some bad news for them. Stink bugs, ticks, some of these other bugs have no real usefulness.

 

[Patches_OHoulihan]

taste of Buffalo is my go to pizza in the Charlotte/Huntersville area

Bird pizza in Noda and Pizza baby in Wesley Heights are the best I’ve come across so far.