Anselmo is building two bakeries in Red Hook Brooklyn,New York. Anselmo will be a full-line bakery Restaurant in Pizza, pasta ,pastries and breads. The first bakery will be located on 354 Van Brunt Street in Red Hook Brooklyn, New York . The second will be on 204 Van Dyke Street Brooklyn,New York. @ pier 41. The first bakery will be done by July 4th and the second will be done by December 2008. Anselmo has baked for over 25 years and has worked at very well known places like Water Edge Restaurant in Long Island,NY, Encore Bakery in Manhattan,NY, Stuars Restaurant in Manhattan,NY ,Cousin Johns Bakery in Brooklyn,NY ,Cousin Johns Bakery in Brooklyn,NY ,Tennis Club in Long Island City,NY, Trattoria Sole in Miami,Florida,Don Goavani's in Manhattan,NY and SoNo Baking Company & Cafe' in Norwalk,Connecticut. Anselmo has worked for John Barricelli,co-host of "Everyday Foods," a lifestyle program produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
COAL BRICK OVEN PIZZA AND BREAD!
That last all-caps shouting match was Anselmo, on his website, not me. Though I must say again, just for good measure: ANOTHER NEW COAL-OVEN PLACE! Sweet! [via NewYorkology.com]
Anselmo's Bakery Restaurant
354 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (at Sullivan Street, Red Hook; map)
718-775-5386 anselmosbakery.com
I've asked this question in another thread with no response... What's the big deal about coal ovens? What qualities does it impart that you don't get with other ovens?
@Deeoh1: It's pretty much the heat. Coal ovens burn at—and are designed to withstand—much higher heat than gas ovens. The high heat gives the crust "oven spring," the puffiness that comes from steam and such helping puff up the dough. And the high heat allows the pizza's crust and toppings to cook and finish in the same amount of time.
With a lower-firing gas oven, you have to cook the crust longer to get it crisp. Often, by the time you do get the crispness you want, the toppings are ruined. With the coal oven, the high heat of the baking stone cooks the pizza perfectly and quickly, before the cheese and toppings have time to burn.
Of course, you can get this effect with a wood-oven, too. A lot of the coal-oven madness has to do with the romance of a rare oven and the history behind a lot of the places that still have them, at least here in NYC.
I'd also say that for me, the coal oven thing has to do with the style of pizza -- generally the places using them make a "New York–Neapolitan" style pizza, which is to say light on the sauce and cheese, balancing the crust, sauce, and cheese perfectly, instead of weighing it down in favor of one element.
That's not to say that every coal oven place makes a great pizza or that places that don't have coal ovens can't make great pizza. Just that they often are places that take more care with their pies.
It's interesting to note, too, that wood-oven places, even though the ovens are similar and reach the same high temps, that wood-oven places almost always make a different kind of pie than the coal-oven places. The people who make it a point to open or emphasize wood-oven places, at least in NYC, tend to make the Neapolitan style pizzas. I prefer the larger New York–neapolitan style, so that's why I go nuts when I hear about a coal-oven place opening.
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6 Comments:
O wow... that Slice "under construction" graphic is just too adorable...
missginsu at 11:36AM on 06/13/08
@missginsu: It's a coal-miner's helmet! But thanks. Robyn Lee helped make it. Coaly Slice shows up when coal ovens are being talked about.
Adam Kuban at 11:45AM on 06/13/08
I've asked this question in another thread with no response... What's the big deal about coal ovens? What qualities does it impart that you don't get with other ovens?
deeoh1 at 1:04PM on 06/13/08
@Deeoh1: It's pretty much the heat. Coal ovens burn at—and are designed to withstand—much higher heat than gas ovens. The high heat gives the crust "oven spring," the puffiness that comes from steam and such helping puff up the dough. And the high heat allows the pizza's crust and toppings to cook and finish in the same amount of time.
With a lower-firing gas oven, you have to cook the crust longer to get it crisp. Often, by the time you do get the crispness you want, the toppings are ruined. With the coal oven, the high heat of the baking stone cooks the pizza perfectly and quickly, before the cheese and toppings have time to burn.
Of course, you can get this effect with a wood-oven, too. A lot of the coal-oven madness has to do with the romance of a rare oven and the history behind a lot of the places that still have them, at least here in NYC.
I'd also say that for me, the coal oven thing has to do with the style of pizza -- generally the places using them make a "New York–Neapolitan" style pizza, which is to say light on the sauce and cheese, balancing the crust, sauce, and cheese perfectly, instead of weighing it down in favor of one element.
That's not to say that every coal oven place makes a great pizza or that places that don't have coal ovens can't make great pizza. Just that they often are places that take more care with their pies.
It's interesting to note, too, that wood-oven places, even though the ovens are similar and reach the same high temps, that wood-oven places almost always make a different kind of pie than the coal-oven places. The people who make it a point to open or emphasize wood-oven places, at least in NYC, tend to make the Neapolitan style pizzas. I prefer the larger New York–neapolitan style, so that's why I go nuts when I hear about a coal-oven place opening.
Does that help?
Adam Kuban at 2:14PM on 06/13/08
we are really getting spoiled these days in brooklyn. i wonder how many other old coal ovens are sitting around waiting to be grandfathered in.
i can't wait for this place to open.
sloppy at 3:11PM on 06/13/08
@Adam: Yes, that was a great help. Interesting breakdown of how the oven type seems to go hand-in-hand with the style of pizza as well.
I guess I'll have to seek out one of the coal oven places on my next visit to NYC since I'm pretty sure there are none here in Indy.
deeoh1 at 8:30AM on 06/16/08