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I am not satisfied with experiments with the Buddy’s knock-off recipe so I am trying this one.

Idiot Wind

Someone’s got it in for me, they’re planting stories in the press
Whoever it is I wish they’d cut it out but when they will I can only guess
They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy
She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me
I can’t help it if I’m lucky

People see me all the time and they just can’t remember how to act
Their minds are filled with big ideas, images and distorted facts
Even you, yesterday you had to ask me where it was at
I couldn’t believe after all these years, you didn’t know me better than that
Sweet lady

Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your mouth
Blowing down the backroads headin’ south
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth
You’re an idiot, babe
It’s a wonder that you still know how to breathe

I ran into the fortune-teller, who said beware of lightning that might strike
I haven’t known peace and quiet for so long I can’t remember what it’s like
There’s a lone soldier on the cross, smoke pourin’ out of a boxcar door
You didn’t know it, you didn’t think it could be done, in the final end he won the wars
After losin’ every battle

I woke up on the roadside, daydreamin’ ’bout the way things sometimes are
Visions of your chestnut mare shoot through my head and are makin’ me see stars
You hurt the ones that I love best and cover up the truth with lies
One day you’ll be in the ditch, flies buzzin’ around your eyes
Blood on your saddle

Idiot wind, blowing through the flowers on your tomb
Blowing through the curtains in your room
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth
You’re an idiot, babe
It’s a wonder that you still know how to breathe

It was gravity which pulled us down and destiny which broke us apart
You tamed the lion in my cage but it just wasn’t enough to change my heart
Now everything’s a little upside down, as a matter of fact the wheels have stopped
What’s good is bad, what’s bad is good, you’ll find out when you reach the top
You’re on the bottom

I noticed at the ceremony, your corrupt ways had finally made you blind
I can’t remember your face anymore, your mouth has changed, your eyes
don’t look into mine
The priest wore black on the seventh day and sat stone-faced while the
building burned
I waited for you on the running boards, near the cypress trees, while the
springtime turned
Slowly into Autumn

Idiot wind, blowing like a circle around my skull
From the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth
You’re an idiot, babe
It’s a wonder that you still know how to breathe

I can’t feel you anymore, I can’t even touch the books you’ve read
Every time I crawl past your door, I been wishin’ I was somebody else instead
Down the highway, down the tracks, down the road to ecstasy
I followed you beneath the stars, hounded by your memory
And all your ragin’ glory

I been double-crossed now for the very last time and now I’m finally free
I kissed goodbye the howling beast on the borderline which separated you from me
You’ll never know the hurt I suffered nor the pain I rise above
And I’ll never know the same about you, your holiness or your kind of love
And it makes me feel so sorry

Idiot wind, blowing through the buttons of our coats
Blowing through the letters that we wrote
Idiot wind, blowing through the dust upon our shelves
We’re idiots, babe
It’s a wonder we can even feed ourselves

Blood on the Tracks

Hi Benji,

My third attempt–I’ve never had success with blogspot logins.  Anyway, so sorry to see you go.  Darn, I wish it wasn’t so final–maybe let others handle the day-to-day and maybe on occasion you’ll have a change of heart?

I began following these sorts of things under the (failed) RR optimism.  I’ve always liked your positive, enthusiastic approach.  And no doubt you’ve become knowledgeable and a real expert; that has been fun to watch.

Yes I suppose there is a ridiculous side to following recruiting so closely.  As a reader and not a participant I’d say this is fun to watch.  Personally the Diamond thing was an eye-opener:  these kids who string it along and pretty blatantly want something.  I mean, you’d think a few visits should tell you about the place, coaches, team, etc.  Successful coaches kissing the rears of POTENTIAL 17 year-old players is pretty absurd.  But again, as entertainment…

Thanks for all of it, and I hope you’re not gone for good!

http://mgorecruit.blogspot.com/

Buddy's Pizza

3/4 Cup + 1 Tblsp + 2 tsp water (95 degrees)
1 3/4 Cups flour (KAAP Organic, measured textbook method)
1/2 tsp IDY (Fleischmans)
1 tsp salt

Dissolved salt & water in KA bowl with dough hook attached, added IDY and all but 1/4 cup flour, mixed on stir speed 2 min to combine, covered for 20 minute rest, added last 1/4 C flour, wet kneaded on 1st speed for 8 minutes.  “poured” into greased 10 x 14 in black steel pan and spread, covered, proofed for 2 1/2 hours (prob around 80 degrees), prebaked on lowest rack of 500 degree preheated oven for 9 minutes, topped, then back on same rack for 7 minutes.  As soon as it stopped bubbling and sizzling, removed to cooling rack.
At the rest period I noticed this dough, if you can call it that, resembled the minnow bait we made as kids it was so wet, which was my second thought.  My first thought was “this ain’t gonna work”.  I was afraid this batter would just displace and push all the oil out from underneath once it hit the pan and I was expecting failure, so what the heck – I put the pan in the fridge for 5 minutes, then spread Smart Balance margarine all over the bottom.  I hoped was this would keep it under the dough to help achieve a fry, which worked, but it also added a flavor component and left the bottom greasy.  This was the only thing I did not measure, but it was 2 Tablespoons or so, maybe more.  I forgot to take the temp of the finished dough, but all previous experiments were 10 degrees less than the starting water temp.
Spreading this structural adhesive in the pan was a challenge at first.  With oiled and moistened finger tips I found just nudging it ever so lightly about an eighth-quarter inch at a time did the trick and then only took a few minutes.  No spring back with this goop.
We have one tiny room in the house that gets so warm we keep the heat register closed.  I opened it up, bumped the thermostat up 2 degrees and put the pan in to proof and rush, and I would say this room is then quickly a good 10 degrees above the rest of the house.  Surprise!  It actually did rise and at 2 1/2 hours, some largish alveoles were visible at the surface although not actually bubbled up.
The texture of this test was the winner for me, not bready in any way which was one goal, and a nice mix of crisp, chewy, tender and moist.  The flavor of the dough remains a question mark as it was marred by all that margarine and I completely covered it with Casalinga, so couldn’t really find any unflavored dough to taste even though I deconstructed a few slices.  But I would say it was pleasant and am encouraged enough to use this basic recipe to continue experimentation under unrushed and more controlled conditions now that I know it works and was my best pizza to date.
We shall see…
Hog

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,3783.60.html

The view from my lower walkout today…

I made the pizza recipe but I blew it.  I put close to a cup of water too much in the dough.

Finally the basics are all together so here is my recipe for Detroit Style Pie.
I attempted to incorporate as much of the info contained in this thread as possible.  Sort of trying to imagine how one of these pizzerias would pump out the dough and pies every day.  Whenever in doubt I referred to the KISS theory.  I also tried to use easily findable ingredients for everyone’s convenience.  In the end this is a simple and forgiving dough but the devil was in the other details.
No scale, all measurements textbook method.

Flour (100%):    273.04 g  |  9.63 oz | 0.6 lbs               2C + 3 T
Water (75%):    204.78 g  |  7.22 oz | 0.45 lbs            ¾ C + 1 T + 2 ½ t
IDY (0.55%):    1.5 g | 0.05 oz | 0 lbs | 0.5 tsp | 0.17 tbsp      ½ t
Salt (1.5%):    4.1 g | 0.14 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.73 tsp | 0.24 tbsp   ¾ t
Total (177.05%):   483.42 g | 17.05 oz | 1.07 lbs | TF = 0.1218

KAAP, table salt, tap water, KA mixer with “C” dough hook, 10×14 black steel pan.
Dissolve salt in water, add flour, sprinkle IDY on top.  Mix on lowest speed until incorporated then continue on this speed for a 8 min knead.  20 mins rest to relax then scrape into greased pan, spread, cover, rise, dress and bake on bottom oven rack for 15 min at 475.

Yeast.  I have varied between 0.33 and 1.1% and the only noticeable effect was rise time so adjust away.  The above formula is usable in 3-4 hours at room temp for me.

This is a wet, soft, sticky, extensible dough.  Not much handling possible or needed.  With fingers oiled from the tips to 2nd joint it smooshes out fairly easy.  The “double knead” process does make it easier to spread as described in Peter’s helpful summary http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,3783.msg81436.html#msg81436.

The magic cheese here is indeed white cheddar.  If these pizzarias are not/were not using this, then it must be white cheddar’s twin sister.  I have used Boar’s Head Vermont white cheddar and Cabot Extra Sharp white cheddar from Walmart, sold in 2 lb blocks and half the price of Boar’s Head.  The Cabot is the sharper, saltier, and more intense of the two, but they both caramelize up golden to brown (not black) and have the unmistakable flavor profile of the Detroit style.  Blending these with a mozz that goes creamy and goey adds an interesting effect and can soften the sharp cheddar if desired, but ONLY pure white cheddar should be used on the perimeter of the pan to create the all important caramelized cheese crust.  Shredded or cubed both work.  Pile the cheese up around the perimeter of the pan then fill in the center.  15 oz is what Buddy’s indicate they use.

Pan prep.  Every pan lube I have tried works.  OO appears to be most authentic and is what I am using now.  Getting this right results in a good crisp fry without the pie ending up greasy.  In the 10×14 pan, 1 1/2 tsp spread with a pastry brush is about perfect since the brush does soak up and remove some of the oil.  The cheese crust always welds itself to the pan for me.  To prevent this, I paint a thin strip of shortening just above the risen dough with a brush around the sides of the pan before piling on the cheese.  It still does not pop out, but can at least be released with just a little effort.

Sauce.  All the Detroit pizzerias have quite diff sauces and 6 fluid ounces seems about right for a 10×14.  I have not yet succeeded in coming up with any of the individual sauces of the big 3, I think.

The crumb and texture here is better than passable but I believe bromated flour would be necessary to close the gap.  Even so, this pie could be mistaken for one of the real things, past or present.  That is due to these pizzas being a moving target.  Since starting this quest I have used 4 diff Buddy’s locations for “controls” and over that year have experienced 3 diff versions of the same pie!  The last was just this week and after I thought I had the sauce figured, they either changed it dramatically or the particular location I visited (for the first time) is just diff or something.  Plus the cheese was not right.  It was one of their carry out only’s so maybe that is the reason?

PJ, I pull the pie out of the pan immediately and onto a cooling rack to preserve the bottom crisp until served.  I found this helped with the way over hydrated 90% version of Sicilian dough and also with some NY styles.  To be honest, I never tested if this matters with this particular formula but am just in the habit.

That’s all I can think of for now.
Hog

I used to really follow it, in large part because I enjoyed the voices and commentary of Phil Liggett and Paul what’s-his-name.

It never stops.  Interesting take by someone intimately familiar:  A cheat is a cheat.  Excuses and other bullsh**t don’t matter.  It makes sense.  When tribunals and others spend months and months investigating and thousands of dollars and who knows how many people are involved…  If you are found guilty you very, very likely are.  And, and perhaps more to the point, if the substance is there it did or may have helped your performance.  Fact–it is there.  Stop the cover-ups.  You are a cheat.

Unlawful Conduct on Public Property

It is unlawful for any person to enter or remain in any public building or on any public property or to conduct himself or herself in or on the same in violation of any order, rule, or regulation concerning any matter prescribed in this subsection (1), limiting or prohibiting the use or activities or conduct in such public building or on such public property, issued by any officer or agency having the power of control, management, or supervision of the building or property.

Class 3 Misdemeanor:

MIN Fifty dollar fine

MAX 6 months / 750 dollar fine or both

Regarding the business of writing “Jesus” habitually and repeatedly in huge letters in the snow the applicable statutes are here (Definitions), here (Defacing Property), and here (Bias-Motivated Crimes).  Of course it is illegal.