Stromboli

I haven’t posted for awhile. If no one recalls, I run a small stand making two styles of pizzas at a farmers market one day a week. Wondering if someone would give me some tips on making stromboli’s. I have tried, but either the inside doesn’t get right, or the cheeses bubbles out the top of the slits, or the top and bottom browning aren’t right. I still have a Baker’s Pride GP-60 countertop deck oven and run the bottom deck at about 535-550 degrees F, and the top deck is a little cooler. Would like to use the top deck only. Tried baking on Lloyd’s screens with holes and also on regular screens. Used parchment papers on some of the experiments. Am not sure exactly how to roll when making a stromboli, or should the ingredients be layered and then rolled, or spread around like toppings on a pizza and then rolled. The dough used seems to work okay.

We make over 200,000 strombolis a year in our deck oven. We bake them at 555 degrees F. We do 6 at a time on bun pans. If you are baking one at a time, try using two pans when you bake it. That will keep the bottom from getting done faster than the top.
Here is a video of how I make strombolis (live on our CBS affiliate). http://www.wearecentralpa.com/central-pa-live/food-fest-claysburg-pizza

Hi Norma, we also make a few strombolis ourselves :wink:
I agree with Pizza of the Month about the two pans and we also bake in a deck oven at 550 using pans. We invert the bottom pan so it raises the 'boli off the stone just a bit to keep that bottom from getting done too fast. We also have the benefit of being able to adjust the heat with the push rods, that helps the top and bottom finish at the same rate. Cheers

Hi Pizza of the Month, Thanks so much for the video and how you bake. The video was very helpful. Your strombolis look great! I see you dough is thicker than what I have been trying. Do you brush you tops of your strombolis with anything after the bake? I think when I used vent holes that was what was fouling up my attempts.

Hi Wholly Stromboli, Thanks for telling me that you invert the bottom pan so it raises the stromboli off of the stone to keep the bottoms from getting done too soon. I wish I could adjust the heat in my deck oven, but the temperatures I use are good for the boardwalk style pizzas and the Detroit style pizzas I make. I have very low head space in my decks so I will have to see how that works. This is a photo of two attempts I made yesterday. It can been seen how low the head space is in deck oven. Neither of those attempts worked out.

I really don’t know how to add photos so this is another attempt035.JPG

We don’t brush with anything after the bake. There are a few things you could try:
After you make the Stromboli, let it sit (proof) for some time before you bake it. Maybe try 30 minutes if you can.
Instead of slicing it for vent holes, poke it with a fork about half way through the baking time.
Using two pans is important too!

In the video I posted, I used more dough than normal because I was on live and didn’t want to mess up. We use 7.3oz of dough for a 9"X4.5" Stromboli with 8oz of toppings in it. We use a 44oz dough square (not ball shaped) and make 6 rectangle shaped Stromboli at a time. We bake them for 7 minutes and 45 seconds at 555 F. If we bake one at a time, we bake for 6 minutes and 45 seconds (using two pans).

The thickness of the pan will make a difference too. Keep that in mind as you experiment.

Thanks about not brushing with anything after the bake. I can try letting the Stromboli proof in the proofing cabinet that is use for the Detroit style pies (photo attached). I appreciate you took the time to tell me how much dough to used, how to poke the the top half way through the baking time and the11838525_909135529154785_623234737129225612_o.jpg weight of the toppings. I really like your bake times. I was going about experimenting with making strombolis all wrong. I have some blacker buster and other pans I could invert instead of trying the aluminum sheet pans. Your bread sticks and other things made from your dough look very interesting. Will let you know how the experiments go.

Tried the convection oven at market on Friday to make two Strombolis. Wasn’t quite the results wanted, but will try again on Tuesday.

Tried some more attempts this past Tuesday in the convection oven and in a steel pan in the deck oven. The proofing worked, but guess I am not sealing tightly enough. I have some leakage in some of the Strombolis in the bake. Thanks everyone for your help!

thats good looking stuff!

Thanks tguag, I have to get it right. I will practice more.

Do another experiment on Friday.