I haven't generally bought pizza cookbooks. I did recently receive the Pizza for Everyone cookbook from the Crust Fund Pizza project - John Carruthers' work in Chicago. I LOVE IT! So much great content...and since I lived in the Windy City for a few years in the 80's I have a special spot in my heart for this one. I'll be working my way through it.
I've generally used pizza recipes that are part of other cookbooks. That being said, I'm definitely doing more pizza than ever before and would like to add a book or two to my shelf, so I'll be interested to see what others have to say.
Andrew - did you like Chris Bianco's book? Lived in Phx for more than 30 years and Chris is a character. Interested to hear feedback on that one in particular. Thanks!
I can’t even imagine spending $425 on a book. I read about this over the weekend. Would love to hear why the publisher thought this could work. Will enjoy hearing if you review.
I love Pizza for Everyone. In addition to great information, it is just plain fun. I also like Marc Vetri's Mastering Pizza and Peter Rinehart's Perfect Pan Pizza.
I bought Pizza Camp and Pizza Czar on Kindle. It's not a great format for recipes, but it's nice to be able to quickly pull up on my phone. Still, I miss flipping through a physical book. I also have Jim Lahey's My Pizza, which I like for toppings inspiration. I've had the most luck with the dough recipes from Pizza Camp, but I like reading about process/method in all these books.
I haven't read Bianco yet but it's currently free(!) on Kindle Unlimited so I picked it up.
the first pizza book i delved into with any seriousness was Charles & Michele Scicolone's Pizza--Any Way You Slice It, back in the '90s. prolly the most recent was was Ken Forkish's Elements of Pizza, which i really enjoyed. i've also wondered about Bianco's book---whenever we visit Phoenix, Pizzeria Bianco is our traditional first stop right after we get to town. i'd love to hear more about him and what people think of his book...
The Gabriele Bonci book is one I paid way too much for and have never opened after a first glance through it. I did get the feeling that he omitted some key steps to success with his formula and method. The photography is beautiful and the topping ideas are good, but not $75 good! If I've got this wrong and should really be trying his formula, please comment and let me know!
I'm also a fan of Elements of Pizza by Ken Forkish. There are many delicious dough options complete with flexible timelines. It makes me feel like I'm in control of the schedule instead of the dough. I also like the detailed cooking instructions flipping between bake and broil to get just the pizza I want.
I would love to have a book focusing on Chicago style pizza like the original Pizzeria Uno and Pizzeria Due. I still shudder at the awful pizza put out by the West Coast franchises of Pizzeria Uno.
I like Jim Lahey's books in general and find them informative, practical, and great recipes. "My Pizza" is no exception and probably my go-to. But I've also enjoyed Marco Vetri's "Mastering Pizza." I use a largish wood-fired oven (cob) for my micro-bakery business and use it for making pizza on the weekends. Vetri's book addresses wood-fired recipes and also a nice variety of styles such as Naples, Roman Doughs, Pizza al Taglio, Calzones, etc. I like Vetri's casual approach, too, esp. in his instructions: " ... knead the dough like a cat would, pressing your hands and fingers into it ... observe the beauty of the dough as it comes together in a ragged mass."
Do you have an opinion about "The Pizza Bible: The World's Favorite Pizza Styles, from Neapolitan, Deep-Dish, Wood-Fired, Sicilian, Calzones and Focaccia to New York, New Haven, Detroit, and More" by Tony Gemignani?
I also love "American Pie," but mainly because I love the author's writing style. To me it communicates both technical content and a heartfelt love of the topic.
I haven't generally bought pizza cookbooks. I did recently receive the Pizza for Everyone cookbook from the Crust Fund Pizza project - John Carruthers' work in Chicago. I LOVE IT! So much great content...and since I lived in the Windy City for a few years in the 80's I have a special spot in my heart for this one. I'll be working my way through it.
I've generally used pizza recipes that are part of other cookbooks. That being said, I'm definitely doing more pizza than ever before and would like to add a book or two to my shelf, so I'll be interested to see what others have to say.
Andrew - did you like Chris Bianco's book? Lived in Phx for more than 30 years and Chris is a character. Interested to hear feedback on that one in particular. Thanks!
I can’t even imagine spending $425 on a book. I read about this over the weekend. Would love to hear why the publisher thought this could work. Will enjoy hearing if you review.
Just wanted to pop in to say that the TMNT pizza cookbook from 2017 is shockingly excellent. (Also, thanks Sharon!)
The only book I've really used so far is The Elements of Pizza, which I love. Am looking forward to trying some of these other recommendations though.
Like Amy, I love Elements of Pizza. I found Bianco's book decent, but not good enough to compete with Elements.
I love Pizza for Everyone. In addition to great information, it is just plain fun. I also like Marc Vetri's Mastering Pizza and Peter Rinehart's Perfect Pan Pizza.
I bought Pizza Camp and Pizza Czar on Kindle. It's not a great format for recipes, but it's nice to be able to quickly pull up on my phone. Still, I miss flipping through a physical book. I also have Jim Lahey's My Pizza, which I like for toppings inspiration. I've had the most luck with the dough recipes from Pizza Camp, but I like reading about process/method in all these books.
I haven't read Bianco yet but it's currently free(!) on Kindle Unlimited so I picked it up.
the first pizza book i delved into with any seriousness was Charles & Michele Scicolone's Pizza--Any Way You Slice It, back in the '90s. prolly the most recent was was Ken Forkish's Elements of Pizza, which i really enjoyed. i've also wondered about Bianco's book---whenever we visit Phoenix, Pizzeria Bianco is our traditional first stop right after we get to town. i'd love to hear more about him and what people think of his book...
The Gabriele Bonci book is one I paid way too much for and have never opened after a first glance through it. I did get the feeling that he omitted some key steps to success with his formula and method. The photography is beautiful and the topping ideas are good, but not $75 good! If I've got this wrong and should really be trying his formula, please comment and let me know!
I'm also a fan of Elements of Pizza by Ken Forkish. There are many delicious dough options complete with flexible timelines. It makes me feel like I'm in control of the schedule instead of the dough. I also like the detailed cooking instructions flipping between bake and broil to get just the pizza I want.
I would love to have a book focusing on Chicago style pizza like the original Pizzeria Uno and Pizzeria Due. I still shudder at the awful pizza put out by the West Coast franchises of Pizzeria Uno.
I like Jim Lahey's books in general and find them informative, practical, and great recipes. "My Pizza" is no exception and probably my go-to. But I've also enjoyed Marco Vetri's "Mastering Pizza." I use a largish wood-fired oven (cob) for my micro-bakery business and use it for making pizza on the weekends. Vetri's book addresses wood-fired recipes and also a nice variety of styles such as Naples, Roman Doughs, Pizza al Taglio, Calzones, etc. I like Vetri's casual approach, too, esp. in his instructions: " ... knead the dough like a cat would, pressing your hands and fingers into it ... observe the beauty of the dough as it comes together in a ragged mass."
Do you have an opinion about "The Pizza Bible: The World's Favorite Pizza Styles, from Neapolitan, Deep-Dish, Wood-Fired, Sicilian, Calzones and Focaccia to New York, New Haven, Detroit, and More" by Tony Gemignani?
I also love "American Pie," but mainly because I love the author's writing style. To me it communicates both technical content and a heartfelt love of the topic.