baking lessons from fireworking

[[e-mail]]

6 mos. ago I moved into a better location (I think) for fireworking, but it came w other benefits too. Places I'd lived previously had ovens that were hard to light. Even the house where I grew up had a stove whose oven was so tricky to light, even Uncle Danny, a professional cook at Fort Dix, had trouble doing so. Mother knew how, so the last experience I had with baking was as a young child helping her -- say 55 years ago. But here the stove is electric -- not as easy or good as gas for cooking pots on the "burners", but the oven is easy to work -- although even there the digital controls took some figuring out. So when I started making cider, I wondered what to do with the leftover half a packet of dry yeast. Baking has been the answer.

I really didn't do a lot to help Mother with dough that I could recall, but now my experience making stars is telling. It helps to have a feel for how wet dough has to be. Had I not had experience with stars, I would think, this isn't enough water to wet the dry ingredients. But now I know you just have to work the dough enough, and that where you initially might have thought more solvent would be required, it helps to have more of the dry compo -- or flour in this case.

But of course I'd never want to see star dough rise like this! Evolution of gas would be a bad sign in working star comp.

I was surprised to learn that pizza is much easier than people make it out to be, but I had to see for myself that letting the dough age at least overnight in the refrigerator was as good as they say for making the dough stretchable. I can now make pizza for myself better than I'd get at the pizzeria, and much for the same reason making one's own fireworks or soap tends to be more satisfying: the ability to tailor the product to one's preferences. Of course there's also the fun of making one's own.

Robert

[Thomas Prufer]

Post by ***@bestweb.net
I was surprised to learn that pizza is much easier than people make it out to
be, but I had to see for myself that letting the dough age at least overnight
in the refrigerator was as good as they say for making the dough stretchable.
I can now make pizza for myself better than I'd get at the pizzeria, and much
for the same reason making one's own fireworks or soap tends to be more
satisfying: the ability to tailor the product to one's preferences. Of course
there's also the fun of making one's own.

As this group is pretty quiet (it's not dead -- just resting), I'll add
something. What you need to make it more like fireworks is a bit of danger and
several conflicting One True Ways, several The Only Real Recipes.

So go here: http://www.pizzanapoletana.org/index_eng.php

and look at the "International Regulations". That contains recipes, and the one
true path, and some lyric descriptions of pizza as well. (The flour/water ratio
given will not work as given with flour other than Italian tipo 00...) And there
are other slightly differnet recipes on th site.

Oh, the danger? There are consequences threatened for those association members
that stray from the true path...


Thomas Prufer

[[e-mail]]

Post by Thomas Prufer

Post by ***@bestweb.net
I was surprised to learn that pizza is much easier than people make it out to
be, but I had to see for myself that letting the dough age at least overnight
in the refrigerator was as good as they say for making the dough stretchable.
I can now make pizza for myself better than I'd get at the pizzeria, and much
for the same reason making one's own fireworks or soap tends to be more
satisfying: the ability to tailor the product to one's preferences. Of course
there's also the fun of making one's own.

As this group is pretty quiet (it's not dead -- just resting),

Of course much of it is part of the decline in Usenet in general, as the WWW has expanded into all modes Internet. But some of it is just the state of the hobby; people don't need the info we can exchange here as much as they did some years ago, they already know it (or blew themselves up). If not, they can easily look most of it up without asking.

For example, an acquaintance recently gave me two Butokukai Inc. books: "The Firecracker Cookbook" and "Advanced Homemade Fireworks". I'm sure they were useful to some people in their time, like maybe me 30 yrs. ago when they were published, but now they're just sort of cute books to have on the shelf and to peruse just to see what they said, not as actual instructional material for me.

Right now I'm trying to take care of other priorities (that I'm behind on) before setting up in the garage for pyro-makings, let alone my ambition to get shoots going at the nearby small airport like the CMPA used to. Hard to think seriously about such stuff when I don't even have a car yet. So it's fun to look thru these books for now.

Post by Thomas Prufer
I'll add
something. What you need to make it more like fireworks is a bit of danger and
several conflicting One True Ways, several The Only Real Recipes.
So go here: http://www.pizzanapoletana.org/index_eng.php
and look at the "International Regulations". That contains recipes, and the one
true path, and some lyric descriptions of pizza as well. (The flour/water ratio
given will not work as given with flour other than Italian tipo 00...) And there
are other slightly differnet recipes on th site.
Oh, the danger? There are consequences threatened for those association members
that stray from the true path...

I'm sure I'd be on their hit list for poo-pooing the need for a pizza stone, a pizzeria-temperature oven, tossing dough to stretch it, etc. -- or pre-toasting the dough as one heretic showed me 35 yrs. ago. But you can be sure I'm not going to attempt cucumber as a topping to be cooked; whoever wrote that on "Seinfeld" knew what he was talking about, cooked cucumber does indeed taste terrible. (I don't know if the taste is just disguised in gazpacho soup, or it's added cold after other ingredients are cooked.)

My first attempt at dough-raised (yeast) cake, however, was not as successful as bread, pizza, or brownies. I salvaged the product somewhat satisfactorily by cutting it into biscotti & baking them some more, but I know some of what I did wrong. My cider's really good now, though; I've made batches that were more dry-wine and more sweet-fizzy, and the great thing is that due to either the age of my liver or its being burdened with multiple drugs for heart disease, it takes less alcohol to affect me than it used to!

Robert in NJ

[Thomas Prufer]

Post by ***@bestweb.net
Of course much of it is part of the decline in Usenet in general, as the WWW has expanded into all modes Internet. But some of it is just the state of the hobby; people don't need the info we can exchange here as much as they did some years ago, they already know it (or blew themselves up). If not, they can easily look most of it up without asking.

OTOH, I find the expansion makes it harder to find a "good" source. With a
dozen forums -- which one should I g and register on to ask something...

Post by ***@bestweb.net
I'm sure I'd be on their hit list for poo-pooing the need for a pizza stone, a pizzeria-temperature oven, tossing dough to stretch it, etc. -- or pre-toasting the dough as one heretic showed me 35 yrs. ago. But you can be sure I'm not going to attempt cucumber as a topping to be cooked; whoever wrote that on "Seinfeld" knew what he was talking about, cooked cucumber does indeed taste terrible. (I don't know if the taste is just disguised in gazpacho soup, or it's added cold after other ingredients are cooked.)

I think it's bunch of folk that said, hey, *we* invented pizza. And if you all
go and call a 2" slab of undercooked dough topped with chicken barbecue,
maccaroni&cheese plus pineapple a pizza, hey: we disagree. Not saying its not
edible, and it may possibly even be tasty, but don't go calling it *pizza*.

I can relate to that. Tried to make a neapolitan pizza according to the recipe
given, using a griddle on a gas grill. Topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella,
freah basil. Came out the shape of Italy, and was far from perfect by restaurant
standards. Had a frozen pizza for comparison, off the same griddle, and hey,
frozen sucks.

Post by ***@bestweb.net
My first attempt at dough-raised (yeast) cake, however, was not as successful as bread, pizza, or brownies. I salvaged the product somewhat satisfactorily by cutting it into biscotti & baking them some more, but I know some of what I did wrong. My cider's really good now, though; I've made batches that were more dry-wine and more sweet-fizzy, and the great thing is that due to either the age of my liver or its being burdened with multiple drugs for heart disease, it takes less alcohol to affect me than it used to!

Ah, now you're talking. Made some ginger beer...

(Turned out terrible.)


Thomas Prufer

[[e-mail]]

Post by Thomas Prufer
I can relate to that. Tried to make a neapolitan pizza according to the recipe
given, using a griddle on a gas grill. Topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella,
freah basil. Came out the shape of Italy, and was far from perfect by restaurant
standards. Had a frozen pizza for comparison, off the same griddle, and hey,
frozen sucks.

I didn't even follow a pizza recipe. I just did like I do sometimes researching star formulas: searched & took a "consensus" of a few recipes for bread, mixing some herbs into the dough and using olive oil instead of other fat. Then I took the consensus that existed that mozzarella was the best cheese for pizza generally, but finding mozzarella too bland for my taste, added some other additional cheeses. Cheapo no-salt-added tomato-based sauce. I was afraid the amount of toppings I added would make it unwieldy, but that was not the case. Because I was making it just for myself, and of such size that there'd be no need to make foldable slices, I was able to bake it stiff enough that slices held together very easily even with a thin crust. And since I wanted to emphasize the toppings, for me the product was better than from a pizzeria. Another bonus: Red & green peppers that've gone somewhat soft still are fine on the pie, & don't require pre-cooking; broccoli does, though.

The only exception so far came when I tried to make hamburger pizza. I was afraid the meat might not cook enough, but that was not the problem. Rather, the meat released too much liquid -- fat and juice -- as it cooked. Next time I'll use meatballs I've already cooked, rather than spreading raw meat on top. I might slice the balls into hemispheres so they won't roll off, and get sauce over them so they don't dry out.

Robert

[Lloyd E. Sponenburgh]

Post by Thomas Prufer

Post by Thomas Prufer
I can relate to that. Tried to make a neapolitan pizza according to
the r

ecipe

Post by Thomas Prufer
given, using a griddle on a gas grill. Topped with tomato sauce,
mozzarel

la,

Post by Thomas Prufer
freah basil. Came out the shape of Italy, and was far from perfect by
res

taurant

Post by Thomas Prufer
standards. Had a frozen pizza for comparison, off the same griddle,
and h

ey,

Post by Thomas Prufer
frozen sucks.

I didn't even follow a pizza recipe. I just did like I do sometimes
researching star formulas: searched & took a "consensus" of a few
recipes for bread, mixing some herbs into the dough and using olive
oil instead of other fat. Then I took the consensus that existed that
mozzarella was the best cheese for pizza generally, but finding
mozzarella too bland for my taste, added some other additional
cheeses. Cheapo no-salt-added tomato-based sauce. I was afraid the
amount of toppings I added would make it unwieldy, but that was not
the case. Because I was making it just for myself, and of such size
that there'd be no need to make foldable slices, I was able to bake it
stiff enough that slices held together very easily even with a thin
crust. And since I wanted to emphasize the toppings, for me the
product was better than from a pizzeria. Another bonus: Red & green
peppers that've gone somewhat soft still are fine on the pie, & don't
require pre-cooking; broccoli does, though.
The only exception so far came when I tried to make hamburger pizza.
I was afraid the meat might not cook enough, but that was not the
problem. Rather, the meat released too much liquid -- fat and juice
-- as it cooked. Next time I'll use meatballs I've already cooked,
rather than spreading raw meat on top. I might slice the balls into
hemispheres so they won't roll off, and get sauce over them so they
don't dry out.
Robert

Boy, Robert!
Two things. ONE...PLEASE put line breaks in your posts! It's very
unpleasant to have to scroll right for 400 characters to read a single
line of unbroken text!

TWO... try pre-cooking the hamburger JUST enough to release the fats,
then cover it with cheese, so it doesn't over-cook when baking the pizza.
BTDT!

Fun stuff! I LOVE pizza!

Lloyd

[d***@gmail.com]

Post by Lloyd E. Sponenburgh
ONE...PLEASE put line breaks in your posts! It's very
unpleasant to have to scroll right for 400 characters to read a single
line of unbroken text!

I'm just using Google's editor. I could put in manual line breaks, typewriter style, but couldn't that break funny-looking in somebody's reader?

[Thomas Prufer]

Post by ***@bestweb.net
Cheapo no-salt-added tomato-based sauce.

I found a simple sauce recipe, from several sources, so possibly authentic:
canned tomatoes (San Marzano if being fancy), enough liquid drained to give the
thickness you like, fresh basil, salt. Puree to taste (either just mash them up
coarsely, or use a blender).

Post by ***@bestweb.net
Next time I'll use meatballs I've already cooked, rather than spreading raw meat on top. I might slice the balls into hemispheres so they won't roll off, and get sauce over them so they don't dry out.

I got a pizza stone, under $20 shipped. I really like it, as the heat from
underneath helps the pizza cook so fast that drying out on top isn't ever a
problem. Appaerntly a thick (1/4") slab of steel or a cast iron griddle is at
least a substitute, if not better...


Thomas Prufer

[[e-mail]]

Post by ***@bestweb.net
For example, an acquaintance recently gave me two Butokukai Inc. books: "The Firecracker Cookbook" and "Advanced Homemade Fireworks". I'm sure they were useful to some people in their time, like maybe me 30 yrs. ago when they were published, but now they're just sort of cute books to have on the shelf and to peruse just to see what they said, not as actual instructional material for me.

And now that I've read them, I don't know whether to laugh or shudder. Of them, "The Firecracker Cookbook" by Edwin Lough is at least somewhat useful. The Hand Saver made by the author (or whomever the piece might've been Xeroxed from) for mixing explosive comps unfortunately looks like a Head Loser as "the one shown was made from a coffee can", but he does add, "It would be an even better idea to make a non-metallic one".

However, its successor (although its catalog # is B-103, while the other's is B-107) , "Advanced Homemade Fireworks" by Blaze C. Barrymore looks like it was written to bury more. It looks cobbled together mostly from sources known to readers here, with some tables in fonts looking like mechanical paste-up from them, even an uncredited portion of a Nitro cartoon. Presented in an order and with a selection that doesn't seem very useful instructionally, and mostly with formulas that were obsolete at the time of publication, it would be bad enough if it were just useless.

However, it also contains ridiculous safety instructions ranging from the hysterical to the suicidal. What good is illustrating the danger of letting the setup of effects on a movie outdoor shooting set sit overnight by a hypothetic occurrence which did not happen in the case chosen? You can't use its NOT having gone off by the electrical storm that passed thru as evidence of danger; that's more like evidence of its safety.

Meanwhile his instruction for mixing a chlorate-aluminum-sulfur flash cracker comp calls for rotating it very, very slowly in a glass bottle for 10 minutes.

Lloyd seems to be reading posts with a program that makes the width of its window the length of the longest line, and that doesn't autowrap into a narrower user-chosen or designed window. If I wrote typewriter style with manual carriage returns, or an editor that inserted hard returns to its own choice of window width, then when quoting to reply, other readers would have the problem I frequently experience of alternating long and short lines with extra ">" that I then wind up having to manually edit out.

Robert

[[e-mail]]

And now I get what people mean about pizza cutters vs. knives for cutting loaves of star comp. While there might seem to be an advantage for the pizza cutter in that application, it would exist only if damp star comp were covered with something like melted cheese.

I don't have much trouble cutting my pizzas with a knife, because the pizza occupies a rectangular pan. Although there is some skewing of cheese, the crust is stiff enough that I can get by by dragging the knife point towards an edge, where the pizza meets resistance. But if the pizza were a round one, especially on a surface with no rim, a pizza cutter would be advantageous.

Not so with star comp. The coating on damp star comp is like either hard icing (a layer of wet priming comp) or very fine crumbs (powdered prime laid on top & bottom if you cast the loaf that way), and is not in danger of being redistributed like cheese by knife slicing, even if you use just the point of the knife. For some types of star, burrs raised by such action, and/or the distribution of top prime to the cut sides, is even an advantage in ignition. And if you use the knife like a cleaver, you have an advantage keeping the cut lines straight to achieve uniformity, and don't need a frame edge to provide resistance vs. the sideways motion of the knife point. Star comp loaves are more like moist brownies than pizza.

Robert