294 - reflections of a pizzaiolo π§βπ³π
i am the pizzaiolo.
Hey there, !
I make pizzas now.
It's become part of my core personality as of, well, about 3 weeks ago.
I was directed to a deal by Dru (my pizza and bargains shifu) for an electric pizza oven during Prime Day and, well, I fell into a perfectly pizza shaped hole.
I think the best part of it has been the learning of a technique - like, there are so many different parts to making a pizza, and each component has its own quirks that you have to learn; for example:
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The dough: making the dough is probably the most overlooked by also most important component of pizza. There are different hydrations (the ratio of water to flour), different types of yeast, different rising times for the yeast to grow, different temperatures to take into account (is it room temperature, or in the fridge?), and differences in the type of flour used. Each element can be controlled for, but since each one has variation, there's tons of room for experimentation! I've tried 60%, 63%, 65% hydrations, same-day ferments, 3-day ferments, cold ferments, freezer -> back out to room temperature type ferments...there's so much more to try. It's exciting!
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The shaping: once you've got your dough balls, there's technique in how you actually make the ball into a pizza. The air that's been building through the yeast needs to be pushed to the edges, and then you can use one of many different techniques to then make it into a disc shape - like what you see in the movies :D I recently found out there's a 'Tokyo'-style Neopolitan pizza which has a specific way of making it that gives it like...points on its crust that give a really nice texture. I'm gonna try that soon I think!
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The toppings: I mean, probably the easiest part, but the pairings and the flavour combinations are so fun to make. I've been making a lot of classic ones (Margherita, Salami, Mushroom) but also trying some more gourmet ones (Prosciutto and Rocket, Pear and Gorgonzola) for fun. I saw a guy on Instagram making like...katsu curry pizzas which look really cool. I'm seeing pizza as more of a toppings delivery system than anything else now as I keep experimenting!
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The launch and the cook: getting the pizza on to the peel, and then launching it into the oven, and THEN making sure that it doesn't burn...HOOEY this is a hard one. It's always at risk of burning and you really gotta watch it as it goes!
So, as with all these kinds of things...some reflections:
Reflection 1: there's a certain kind of romance to learn how to make something with your hands, and yet pizza-making also scratches the science and experimentation itch as well. There are so many techniques to learn in the world re: cooking, and I've enjoyed this because it's been a fun one to learn and bring to friends. I don't really think of this as a money-making hobby or something that needs to necessarily make a return on investment; it's just a fun thing to do!
Reflection 2: ...but I like numbers so here's a high-level breakdown cost of a home pizza:
- 1kg Caputo 00 flour: $4.50 which can make about 6 dough balls - so about 75c per pizza.
- Instant dried yeast (Lowan Whole Foods): $4.80 for 280g, and I use between 4 - 8g per 6 dough balls. So it's about 2c per pizza - but let's make the numbers easier so make it 5c per pizza.
- Salt and water: it's probably negligible for the amount I'm using, but conservatively let's say it's 5c per pizza.
- Leggos Pizza sauce: $4.50 which I could probably make about 6 pizzas, so again, 75c per pizza - I could also pull down this cost by using passata which a lot cheaper but I can bulk buy these from Costco so whatevs.
- Low-moisture mozzarella: $12 from Colonial Fresh near me, which is I think a 500g ball, so that's $3 per pizza.
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So just for a Margherita pizza, I'm looking at a base cost of $4.60 per pizza - let's call it $5. (i'm sure I could bring the cost down somewhere)
- Toppings definitely make the price higher - depending on what you put on, but for example the prosciutto I buy, you can put about 50g on to the pizza and that's plenty, and that would cost like $2 - $5 depending on the quality.
- Now considering the cost of a Neopolitan pizza ranges from $20 - $30 (let's take an average of $25, which, for example, is the price of the margherita pizza at DOC Pizza Carlton) - then I'm saving approximately $20 per pizza (even taking into account other toppings since more toppings would increase the price at a normal pizzeria).
- Please note: labour and time cost not taken into account because I enjoy it and enjoyment / fulfilment is priceless.
Reflection 3: Guys I've made 25 pizzas in the last 3 weeks I've literally saved $500 what the hell let's GO.
Reflection 4: Pizza making is a hobby that I think has one of the highest ratios of outcome to effort that I've seen. It doesn't take that much to be able to make a good looking, nice tasting Neopolitan-style pizza, and though it seems like a lot of stuff up above to perfect in terms of technique, the outcome is impressive for the effort input. Also, as I grow older I become more of a satisficer, so if it's good enough I'm happy!
Reflection 5: OPEN INVITE COME EAT PIZZA WITH ME <3
Chat soon :)
(P.S. If you've got any feedback for the newsletter, just hit the reply button!)
πToday's Question
Honestly, I just didn't have time to write the story this week, so instead:
βοΈReal Life Recommendations
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A Real Pain - 4 stars - one that took me a bit longer to get to, but definitely right up my alley. A story about two cousins who go back to Poland to try and connect with their dead grandma, and how their diverging paths pulled them back together. Seriously, just give Kieran Culkin all the awards for his role here (they did) - he's phenomenal. I also love me a film that has all the tension in the conversation like this. Highly recommended - it's only 90 minutes as well we love that!
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Jiang Ziya - 3.75 stars - done by the same people who did Ne Zha and Ne Zha 2, the animation studio comes out with this much more serious storyline about Jiang Ziya ε§εη, a chinese hero who helped establish the Zhou Dynasty. In this film, he's a fallen hero who made the wrong decision of mercy for a demon, gets cast back down to the mortal realm just as he was to be made into a god, and needs to redeem himself. It's super rich in Chinese mythology and lore, being based on one of the great fantasy books Investiture of the Gods, and deals with some pretty intense philosophical themes (the greater good? or the individual?). The animation is phenomenal, really intense action scenes and magic usage - and its third act just kept building and building. I liked this more than Ne Zha, so I decided to recommend it!
π Adventures on the Information Super-Highway
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Is AI writing any good? - try and work out if these flash fiction (350 word stories) are written by a human or an AI! Super intersted in all your results because I did not do very well.
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I Tried Every Todo App and Ended Up With a .txt File - when I was younger, I thought there were ways to really optimise and find the right tools and install everything that I could to be better and work harder and all I needed was the right system to do it. And then I realised none of that shit matters if you don't have the right mind and habits for it...because once you've got the mental habits right, the tools don't really matter.
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What does One Billion Dollars look like? - another fun visualisation of something we'll never have.