Halo Versa 16 Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven

[Ed P]

This happened to me and we wound up rolling it up into a Stromboli. I now almost always use parchment paper and no problems.

Yeah, that was a thought, too, but I read that max temp for parchment paper is around 450F. Next time we fire up the oven I'll see what happens with a piece of PP as it gets close to the opening...I've read where some people leave the PP under the pizza on the stone and let the crust bake for a couple of minutes before removing it, but with an IR burner this stone gets

 

[DanHoo]

Yeah, that was a thought, too, but I read that max temp for parchment paper is around 450F. Next time we fire up the oven I'll see what happens with a piece of PP as it gets close to the opening...I've read where some people leave the PP under the pizza on the stone and let the crust bake for a couple of minutes before removing it, but with an IR burner this stone gets

I use parchment when I'm cooking pizza inside in the electric hot box, and also on my gas grill. It goes on the stone with the paper underneath and a minute later I pull the parchment and turn the pizza.

Can you turn off the spinner easily? If so you could put a tail on the parchment so it slides on and leaves a piece of parchment sticking out, then pull the tail to remove the parchment and then turn on the turntable.

I'd be a little concerned about that open flame, catching the parchment on fire....

 

[Ed P]

I use parchment when I'm cooking pizza inside in the electric hot box, and also on my gas grill. It goes on the stone with the paper underneath and a minute later I pull the parchment and turn the pizza.

Can you turn off the spinner easily? If so you could put a tail on the parchment so it slides on and leaves a piece of parchment sticking out, then pull the tail to remove the parchment and then turn on the turntable.

I'd be a little concerned about that open flame, catching the parchment on fire....

Yes, there's a switch for the spinner at the front. I'll have to look into the parchment paper aspect the next time we have pizza...

 

[Joe Anshien]

I have used parchment paper up to about 600°. The exposed parts that are not under the pizza has charred but not caught fire. In your pizza oven I would make sure to trim it as close to the crust as possible if used.

 

[Rich G]

@Ed P, I have incinerated parchment paper before, though, was probably exceeding 650°. I have found that dusting my peel with semolina (which tends to be a bit coarse) is my preferred way to make sure that I don't stick at launch. I also happen to use it in my weekly bread baking, so I always have it on hand!

One other trick is to give the peel a little shake a couple of times while you are topping the pie. This will let you know that it is still able to slide (or, if it seems like it is starting to stick and you need to hurry up! Sometimes you can free a stuck pie by lifting up a "corner" of the pie and blowing air between the underside of the pie and the peel. This works about half the time for me.

R

 

[Ed P]

Good suggestions, thanks!! It's nice to have options!

One other bullet point on this oven, one other unique feature...with the lid being hinged, it is possible to launch the pizza with the lid open. It is not ideal or optimum, but it's there if needed. I'll probably try that out to see how it works for me...it sure would make things easier, and with a dual burner setup and a good hot stone the recovery time should be ok.

Our second attempt seemed to suggest that the top finished baking sooner than the bottom, and that's with the control set to HI during warmup and baking. I think a warmup with the control on LO might be better, or switching to LO after the launch...which, BTW, because of the difference between how a gas burner and an IR burner works, the control appears to have more of an influence on the upper gas burner. The IR burner is more of a constant, so that's likely why the stone has an IR burner and not a gas burner, to enable individual "zone" control out of a single gas valve.

 

[Ed P]

Latest effort: a 14-incher, thicker crust (0.11 TF), Camaldoli sourdough starter for preferment (25%), 16" saputo biscotto stone.



Camaldoli sourdough loaf baked in the Weber Genesis Platinum 1200 to keep from heating up the house. Just thought I'd include it to show the versatility of the Camaldoli...it is a mild sourdough that has more of a cheese-like smell and flavor (for me, anyway) when freshly baked and the tang seems to be more predominant the day after baking...although that is hard to say, because there isn't much in the way of leftovers with either pizza or bread. Camaldoli is our go-to now for both...I like it not only because of the flavor, but there is no CF, only an overnight RT ferment and ready to bake the next day.

 

[Joe Anshien]

I may have to try some Camaldoli sourdough. I had done some sourdough in the past but it was too sour for my taste. Do you ever freeze or dehydrate for long term storage? I did not like feeling compelled to keep making it.

 

[Ed P]

I may have to try some Camaldoli sourdough. I had done some sourdough in the past but it was too sour for my taste. Do you ever freeze or dehydrate for long term storage? I did not like feeling compelled to keep making it.

Yes, I just did dehydrate several varieties, just make a thick batch and spread it as thin as you can, between 2 sheets of parchment paper and let it dry.

Putting your sourdough starter on hold

Sourdough baking is endlessly fascinating, isn't it?First-time sourdough bakers, excited by the starter they've created, happily explore the huge realm of possibilities for its use. (And if you're a "newbie," we highly recommend you check out our Complete Guide: Baking with Sourdough.)More...

www.kingarthurbaking.com

I made 2x 500g batches of pizza crust and froze one of them. I'll take it out of the freezer next weekend and see what happens...

 

[EricV.]

Here is a link to website that I recently discovered. Check out the dough calculator, also what is the hottest temp that you have got the unit up to?

Pizza Dough Calculator - Make Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Recipes Easy!

The calculator below is for calculating authentic Neapolitan pizza dough recipes. If you are unsure, you can leave everything and just change the number of pizzas. A dough weight of 250g should produce roughly a 10 inch pizza.

mypizzacorner.com

 

[Ed P]

Here is a link to website that I recently discovered. Check out the dough calculator, also what is the hottest temp that you have got the unit up to?

Pizza Dough Calculator - Make Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Recipes Easy!

The calculator below is for calculating authentic Neapolitan pizza dough recipes. If you are unsure, you can leave everything and just change the number of pizzas. A dough weight of 250g should produce roughly a 10 inch pizza.

mypizzacorner.com

Thanks for the link!

It is really hard (for me, anyway) to say with any certainty how hot it gets, because of the low angle that an IR gun has to operate at...it's difficult to aim, keep at the appropriate angle, and watch for a max readout, and there is so much heat coming out of the front of this oven I don't want to melt my IR gun...but with the 16" saputo biscotto pizza stone, these are the readings I got while breaking in the stone:

15m 640 outer 600 center (in motion, lid closed)
30m 680 outer 650 center (in motion, lid closed)
45m 759 outer 730 center (in motion, lid closed)
60m 786 outer 799 center (in motion, lid closed}

Typically a pizza takes from about 3 to 4 minutes to bake. The 16" cordierite stone that comes with the oven gets even hotter, faster. The trick (for me, anyway) is to get the top and bottom cooked to the same degree of doneness, not necessarily how hot it gets, but adjusting the dough for the stone temp and the upper burner adjusted for the cornichione and the toppings.

 

[Troy S]

Hope y'all don't mind me bumping this thread.

I picked up a Versa 16 in September and I absolutely love it. New York style pizza is my favorite style and this oven is an absolute beast at getting the job done.

 

[Jim C in Denver]

Come on guys. You gotta show us the spotted bottom in the pics!

There’s actually a law on that.

 

[Troy S]

Come on guys. You gotta show us the spotted bottom in the pics!

There’s actually a law on that.

I gotcha, Jim.


Posted the bottom of one of my pies in the most recent cook from this past week in this clip at the end:

(EDIT! -- I hope it's OK to direct to Instagram. I will remove this post promptly if not! I don't have a photo of the bottom of one of my Versa 16-cooked pies, only clips that I've posted on IG.)

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Joe Anshien]

That is a fine looking pizza. I made pizza last weekend. I have problems with stretching the dough. I keep stretching and it keeps contracting back like a rubber band....

 

[Jim C in Denver]

Thanks for the spots shot.

Looks like that oven really cooks the top well. Maybe too well.

The pizza problem most often is bottom cooks faster than top.

 

[Troy S]

That is a fine looking pizza. I made pizza last weekend. I have problems with stretching the dough. I keep stretching and it keeps contracting back like a rubber band....

Hey Joe, curious to know your recipe in percentages, flour type, proof times, etc. Maybe I can help.

Usually cold dough is the issue with it having the rubber band effect. Also, how long is your dough in balls before you open them?

Going by memory here, my dough for NY style:

General Mills all-trumps flour
65% hydration
2.1% salt
0.4% instant yeast
1.5% olive oil
Sometimes I add sugar or honey at 1.5%

I make the dough, bulk proof for an hour at room temp, separate into 425g dough balls into 6-cup Rubbermaid containers and prefer to cold ferment for them in the fridge for three days. I take them out at least two hours before I plan to bake.

I know ‘authentic’ NY style is closer to 56-58% hydration but I love the results of the crust at 65% personally. All-Trumps is a high gluten, thirsty flour and handles it well, I think.

Thanks for the spots shot.

Looks like that oven really cooks the top well. Maybe too well.

The pizza problem most often is bottom cooks faster than top.

I love making 15-16” pies but I’m not skilled enough to launch that size of a pizza onto a 16” round stone.

For that size, I start with a screen for a few minutes before moving directly to the stone. This not only helps the launch of a big pizza but protects the bottom from burning.

The bottom of the pizza in the video I posted is my preference. But my family likes more char on theirs.

 

[Joe Anshien]

Hey Joe, curious to know your recipe in percentages, flour type, proof times, etc. Maybe I can help.

Usually cold dough is the issue with it having the rubber band effect. Also, how long is your dough in balls before you open them?

Going by memory here, my dough for NY style:

General Mills all-trumps flour
65% hydration
2.1% salt
0.4% instant yeast
1.5% olive oil
Sometimes I add sugar or honey at 1.5%

I make the dough, bulk proof for an hour at room temp, separate into 425g dough balls into 6-cup Rubbermaid containers and prefer to cold ferment for them in the fridge for three days. I take them out at least two hours before I plan to bake.

I know ‘authentic’ NY style is closer to 56-58% hydration but I love the results of the crust at 65% personally. All-Trumps is a high gluten, thirsty flour and handles it well, I think.

I love making 15-16” pies but I’m not skilled enough to launch that size of a pizza onto a 16” round stone.

For that size, I start with a screen for a few minutes before moving directly to the stone. This not only helps the launch of a big pizza but protects the bottom from burning.

The bottom of the pizza in the video I posted is my preference. But my family likes more char on theirs.

Thanks - Now that you mention it, I think the dough was still too cold. We had company and I forgot to take it out 3 hours in advance. I don't know %s but I use a recipe I got here and I think I use 5 cups of flour and between 2 and 2 1/2 cups of water.