Customer Reviews

The Art of Pizza Making: Trade Secrets and Recipes

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I came to this book because I wanted to make pizza in a Dutch oven while camping! All Dutch oven pizza recipes were the same - form some pre-made dough in the oven, cover with sauce, cheese and toppings, and bring oven to baking temperature. This resulted in a pizza which left a lot to be desired.

I needed information on pizza making that said WHY something was done, and not just recipes, so I could adjust to my odd situation. Dr. DeAngelis, like I, is an engineering Ph.D., so I expected some "why." I was not disappointed. Also, like he, I was born in PA where a pizza parlor was on nearly every block with names like Ferregonio's, Costa's and Veltre's, so I figured he knew pizza.

On these counts, I was not disappointed.

However, I quickly discovered why pizzeria-quality pizza is so elusive for the home baker: (1) Proper ingredients are often unavailable to the consumer, (2) proper utensils are expensive and/or not readily available to the consumer, (3) the process is time-consuming, and (4) getting good quality pizza is more a function of adhering to many little details rather than any one big item.

Dr. DeAngelis asserts that the most important item is to use high-gluten flour. You cannot find this at the local supermarket. You have to find a baking supply house, and the flour comes in 25, 50 or 100 lb. bags, and he adds that anything but the 100 lb. may be hard to locate. And he recommends sharp American cheese! So far, I've been unable to find sharp American.

The other important thing is proper kneading with a STRONG preference to using a machine. He recommends a several-hundred-dollar Kitchen Aid mixer, but says that anything with at least 250 W is adequate, meaning that my Sunbeam Mixmaster just meets the requirement (but it gets awfully hot). Just be warned that if you do not have a good mixer, processor or bread machine, you may be frustrated. Like the flour, the recommended pans are only available at restaurant supply houses.

As for time-consuming, getting the best results involves allowing the dough to rise under the right conditions for the right time. People with normal lives may find it difficult to time things just right so you're home to take the dough out of the refrigerator 16 hours after making it.

Nonetheless, if you follow the instructions as best as you can with what you have available, you can achieve a pretty good pizza that will even impress your wife! The reviewer from the neighboring town of Cocoa probably found what I did; the local phone book does not HAVE the listings for baking suppliers that the author gives, so I too, used bread flour, which has a higher gluten content than all-purpose. I otherwise followed the directions, using his dough dressing (dressing is important), but used a canned spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese. Despite the crust looking like it was formed by a two-year-old, when baked, it looked very much like a pizzeria crust, and was amazingly tasty! Perhaps not quite there yet, but certainly a quantum leap above anything I've made before.

The book is neatly divided into chapters such as dough, dough dressing, utensils, procedure and others. Of course, it is "spiral" bound, so lies flat when open. I doubt I will use the additional recipes as I like pretty conventional pizza, but they are there for things like Buffalo chicken pizza. I will eventually use his sauce recipe and try other recommended cheeses. Also, the flour and recommended utensils are available from the author's web site for very reasonable prices and shipping.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in making pizza at home. I have some experimentation yet at home and with the Dutch oven before I feel like I've arrived, but this book has put me on the right path.

I've bought many pizza cookbooks, but none have mentioned some of the ingredients, or techniques that this book describes. Following the directions in this book, I made my first home made pizza with a crust I actually enjoyed.

If you are interested in pizzaria quality pizza at home, this is the FIRST book you should read.

This book has replaced ALL of my pizza cookbooks. (Others are collecting dust while this one is collecting tomato stains!) After all, if you use the proper techniques and suggestions used in this book, you can top it any way you want and achieve execellent results.

My sincere thanks to the author!

I have been using this book for a few years now...and so far all my friends cannot stop telling their friends about my pizza! I am an engineer as well and I do enjoy the scientific references in the book. It is entertaining for us engineer-types...

About finding the high gluten flour...King Arthur Flour sells a 3 lb bag of Sir Lancelot High Gluten flour that has 14% protein. I have been buying this for years and it works excellently with Dominick's recipes.

If you are looking to duplicate the US based chain style pizza, this book is a good way to begin. The recipes are good for that purpose. I do love the garlic, olive oil, sugar dough "conditioner", really improves the dough.

If you are looking for more authentic based, fresh ingridents, Naples standards pizza, this is not for you. However the price of the book is low and good knowledge can still be gained.

I tell everyone looking to make authentic pizza to start at this website. You will understand the difference in chain vs Naples or the orignial NY style thin pizza.

http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm

Key is the dough. Autolyse period is crucial. Took me years to learn that. The flour (75%) and water MUST sit for 20-30 min FIRST before making the dough and adding yeast, etc.. Huge diff in the dough. Knead for 15 min on low speed, etc.. Store overnight to improves flavor and texture.

I was a little disappointed. This book is full of good techniques. I learned about letting the dough rise in the refridgerator and dough dressings but I didn't care for the dough or pizza sauce recipes. I also found that adding muenster and sharp provolone to regular mozzarella made for mighty good eats. This combination is spot on.

I also purchased two other books called Pizza Any Way You Slice It by Charles and Michele Scicolone and American Pie by Peter Reinhardt. These three books plus the purchase of a good quality pizza (baking) stone and I was in business. A pizza stone is an absolute must have for really great pizza. Michele's book gave me the perfect sauce recipe with the addition of a pinch or two of marjoram. Peter's book gave me the perfect dough recipe. I incorporated the techniques previously learned from the Art of Pizza Making plus the sauce and dough recipes from the other two books for what made a great lip smackin' pie.

Once I heard the sizzle of the dough hitting the piping hot stone and watching the big bubbles rise up from the dough, I knew it wouldn't be long before I would be in pizza heaven. The dough was chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. I had FINALLY done it!!!! I made a pizzeria quality pizza with my own hands in my own home.

I have since ended my search for quality pizza made at home. I have thrown away my take out and delivery numbers and freed up a lot of space on my refridgerator. (LOL)

I like this book for making my pizza dough because the author gives you the approximate amount of flour and ingredients to use to make the dough... so many other pizza books or dvd just tell you to ' feel it ' well its a book and I'm new so I dont know what its suppose to ' feel ' like - this book is more specific about the amounts which really helps.

The book does not mention it but use a pizza stone thats been properly heated and buy a pizza screen for that pizza parlor look and feel.

I also like secrets from the pizza parlor dvd but I think this book is a better deal - if you are serious about making your own pizza buy both ( I did ) it really helped! Amazon also sells the dvd so buy both and have fun. The dvd has pdf's and links where to buy pizza supplies and flour.

Also the author is very serious and correct about the high gluten flour. Its a MUST and you will never find it at your local grocery - you will have to order it in but its worth it..

I bought my hi gluten flour from Honeyville in California... (XL High Gluten flour 16-510 PP) they sell it online in 50lb bags with free shipping and it really makes a difference than normal bread flour.

Well worth the thirteen bucks! - if you still are having trouble then get the ' secrets from the pizza parlor ' dvd ... easier yet just get them both - but get the stone, flour,screen they are needed to do it right.

Already jaded about super claims, I half-heartedly gave this book a try.... The key to great-tasting pizza is the dough. I followed the book's dough recipe E-X-A-C-T-L-Y, including using high gluton flour, the instructions on how to let the dough rise, etc. For the dough dressing, I only used 1 tablespoon of light olive oil, before putting on the regular pizza sauce and cheese. I can honestly say that the pizza I made, at home in my regular oven, was equal to or better than the best pizza-parlor pizza I have ever eaten. My wife concurred, which is not exactly an everyday occurance. My kids concurred, and they are certified pizza maniacs. I'm not joking--this... is the best investment you will ever make if great pizza interests you.

There is Pizza the traditional Italian way, and Pizza the American way. Mr. DeAngelis's book is about how to make the Pizza that can be found in the best American Pizza parlors. I'm sorry that a previous reviewer was offended that the book had nothing to do with teaching pizza making the traditional Italian way, but a book published in America will be for American tastes, not Italian. If you desire to make delicious Pizza that can rival the kind we've all had in those little family-owned places that can be found in cities like Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New York, then this book gives you all the needed information. Of course, you'll have to practice, but you'll like the results. As for traditional Italian Pizza, you'll have to do your research, but a book worth looking into would be "Pizza Napoletana" by Pamela Sheldon Johns and, Richard G. Jung.

I tried the recipes in many Pizza books before I bought this one. None of them helped me to make Pizza that was worth the effort. This book changed everything. I am now making Pizza better than anything I could buy and best of all; my family thinks the Pizza I make is the best! You will never find a method for a better crust than the one in this book.

All the secrets to making incredible Pizza are in this book. If you follow the author's recommendations as written, you are guarantied to make delicious, incredible Pizza. Tomato sauce pizzas, breakfast pizza, black bean pizza, Buffalo wing pizza (my favorite) and many, many more!

I was thrilled to find this book (thanks to Amazon reviews) after years of struggling to make satisfying pizza at home. King Arthur Flour's Bakers Catalogue has high gluten flour available in smaller quantities, a purchase worth the effort. I finally have a crust I'm really proud of--kneeding by hand or with mixer--and his tips for sauce and mixing cheese (mozz AND prov together) have also improved our final product. I've adapted the crust recipe and have one I love. Now I just want a pizza oven! Oh well--Dominic helped us make the best possible pizza one can make at home. Highly recommended.