Customer of the Month: Jeremy Silver

The Maximus Prime Oven is one of our top-selling ovens worldwide and has become a staple for many of our customers' from food truck businesses and commercial settings to their very own backyards.

Meet Jeremy Silver from Toronto, Canada. He has enjoyed the versatility of his Authentic Pizza Oven by experimenting with its endless possibilities and building ever-lasting memories with his family. 

Read more from our interview with Jeremy Silver and how his oven has become a must-have: 

Where are you from and a little background information about you?

My name is Jeremy Silver and I'm a home builder in Toronto, Canada. I have two young daughters, a wife, and a dog. I started cooking back in 2015 and have no formal culinary training. Growing up, my parents owned a bagel shop. I spent my Saturdays assisting wherever needed and helped to make the dough for the bagels. All my friends referred to me as the "bagel boy". When I was 12 years old, my parents had a huge family party, catered by a local company. A pizza booth was set up for the kids and I was hooked with the first pizza toss. Now, 28 years later, I spend a lot of time trying out different recipes in my oven and bonding with my family. I've since taught myself how to make and toss my own dough.

Which oven did you choose and why did you choose an Authentic Pizza Oven?

My family and I have taken winter getaway trips to Scottsdale for ten years. A few years ago while on a trip to Scottsdale, I visited Pomo Pizzeria and had a lesson from the pizzaiolos there. It had been a while since I had made pizzas and I was hooked, so I did some research on authentic style pizza ovens. Since I live in Canada and the climate can be harsh, I wanted an oven that could retain heat and withstand the harsh weather elements.

I came across Authentic Pizza Ovens and spoke with a few of their existing customers via social media for their feedback. After speaking with Penny and learning more about the ovens and how they are made, I arranged a tour to see the ovens in person since she had a storefront in Scottsdale at that time. Of all the ovens, I chose the Maximus Prime Oven for its quality, versatility and portability, and sleek design.

Did you build your setup or have someone else do it?

I chose to build my base with cinderblock, as it was a simple setup that could be customized anytime and would accommodate the oven size, as well as provide space to store my firewood underneath. I also added a marble slab to the base for space to prepare food.

What is your favorite thing to cook in your oven, and have you tried any recipes besides pizza?

My absolute favorite thing to make in the oven is definitely pizza. My family and I enjoy exploring pizza varieties and perfecting our favorite pizza recipes. I also make different types of bread, Montreal-style bagels, fish, chicken, and steaks. I've even tried my hand at trying more authentic foods inspired by the guys I work with, and have made anything from Turkish köfte kabobs to Lahmacun (LAH’-MAH’-juhn)“.

Jeremy's Bagel Recipe

Ingredients:

4 1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast (2 packages) or 12.76g
1 1/2 cups warm (not hot!) water
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup honey (divided)
1/4 cup canola oil or other neutral-flavored oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 cups of bread flour or 600g
1/2 to 1 cup poppy seeds or sesame seeds (optional)

Procedure:

1. Making the dough

Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Whisk in the egg and egg yolk.
Stir in 1/2 cup of honey, the oil, and the salt.
Stir in 1 cup of flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

If using a standing mixer, use a dough hook to knead.
If working by hand, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface to knead, adding more flour, if necessary, to keep the dough from sticking too much.

However you knead it, the dough should become firmly elastic. When a thick piece is pinched, it should have a texture quite similar to your earlobe.

Cover and let sit until doubled in bulk, about an hour.
(Note: You can chill the dough overnight at this point.)


2. Preparing the oven

Preheat an oven to 475 F (250c).
Set one of the oven racks on the bottom rung and move any other cooking racks out of the way. I find just putting them in the top rungs works, but you can also just take them out of the oven if you prefer.

If you have a pizza stone or baking stone, by all means, put it on the bottom rack!

Fill a large pot with about 12 cups of water.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup of honey to the pot and bring to a boil


3. Forming the bagels

While everything heats up, punch down the dough, turn it onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 18 pieces.

Let sit for about 15 minutes.
Roll out each piece to 8 to 10 inches long.
Bring the two ends of a piece together and pinch and twist them, rolling that section of the circle between your hands to be sure it is fully sealed.
Set aside on a clean kitchen towel while making the remaining pieces into circles.


4. Baking the bagels

Set up two lightly oiled baking sheets or, if you're using a pizza stone, two baking sheet-sized pieces of parchment paper that will fit on a pizza peel or on top of upside-down baking sheets (to ease the paper directly onto the pizza stone).

Put poppy seeds and/or sesame seeds in a wide bowl or rimmed plate.

When the water is boiling, drop three bagels in.
After about 10 seconds, use a slotted spoon to gently nudge them and make sure they aren't sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Cook until they float to the surface, let them cook for about 1 more minute before using a slotted spoon to transfer them back to the clean towel.

Dip both sides of each one in the seeds and set them on the baking sheet or parchment paper.

Repeat with remaining bagels. When one baking sheet or parchment paper is full, transfer it to the oven and bake until the bagels are well browned about 15 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack and repeat with the second half.

They are delicious hot, good for the first day out of the oven, and a bit pretzel-like on day two. For longer storage, freeze them!

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING FEATURED AS CUSTOMER OF THE MONTH - please email Amber@authenticpizzaovens.com

← Previous Post Next Post →