Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The first thing that stands out about this book is the helpful way in which the sections have been arranged. There is an absolutely gorgeous introduction chapter called appropriately The Soul of Pizza, and for the first time when reading a cookbook I found myself immersed in a wonderful story of pizza and the regions of Italy that take pizza to levels of yummy perfection. It is a carefully researched and beautifully written story and I actually read it all the way through (something I never do with cookbooks). I guess that is because The Elements of Pizza is actually much more than a cookbook. It embraces all things pizza, not least of all pizza's Italian origins and the wonderful culture it arose from. Ken Forkish does an amazing job of capturing the beauty of the Italian country (amazing amazing photography wow), and the skill and dedication of pizza artisans there who have been perfecting their skill for generations with loving dedication. His descriptions of the consistency of crusts and the various regional tastes is nothing short of miraculous. I mean I could really imagine the taste and texture of the pizza. It is a mouth-watering and very inspiring journey into the world of pizza. Instead of finding a bunch of pizza recipes attached to a couple dough recipes, as in most recipe books, I discovered in this book a whole chapter talking about nothing but dough. And by that I mean to say there are 12 different pizza dough recipes plus one gluten-free pizza dough recipe. They are divided into helpful categories based on time it takes to make the doughs, starting with 5 fairly fast doughs, followed by refrigerated doughs that take 24, 48 or 72 hours respectively, followed by a couple naturally-leavened doughs, and then some more specialty doughs. In other words, this chapter alone has taught me all I need to know about every pizza dough I could ever want to make. Wow. I am absolutely delighted. Big smile on my face. It takes all the confusion and uncertainty out of the process and helps one master the whole world of pizza dough in short order. I am sure it will take lots of practice to actually master the making of the doughs, but at least here there is a clear and solid foundation to build on. I just love it! I also love the subsequent chapter that is divided into sections, to give pizza recipes specific to each region. It starts with recipes that are true to Italian and/or Italian-style pizza. Followed by New York style recipes, and then a section of Ken's own artisan creations, and then specialty recipes, some Trifecta flatbreads, and then vegetable and other recipes. This amazing and comprehensive chapter starts with a bunch of recipes for pizza sauce alone, including 2 ways of making basic tomato sauce, FWSY sauce (Flour Water Salt Yeast), Vodka sauce, and New York pizza sauce. There is a whole chapter dedicated to talking about details for making Great Pizza Crust... an extremely helpful resource... with beautiful photos. I feel like it is an actual pizza-making class, at a height I could only previously dream of attaining. Ken Forkish makes it seem so simple and elementary. It is very well written and an invaluable resource. Again, a beautifully strong foundation with which to begin a pizza making journey... practice will make perfect, I trust. Honestly, even my most scatterbrained attempts at making pizza have been delicious and yummy. One can hardly go wrong with pizza. It is a food of the gods.. hehe... but this book is something else. It will take your pizza skills to new levels and enable great control over the crust consistency and texture and taste. This is something I had not mastered before. And this book gives such a variety of different styles and types of dough that I will never again be stuck making just the one kind of pizza, as I have been. The taste and consistency of the dough is shown to be the real king in pizza, more so than the toppings themselves. The toppings are wonderful in this book and beautifully varied. But the dough is really what I am excited to work with here. And I can't wait to compare side by side the different tastes of Italian vs New York style pizza, both of which I have always loved. In conclusion, this book is really not to be missed by any pizza lover. It is comprehensive, beautifully presented, and the photography is plentiful and stunning. it will teach and inspire anyone, I think, to delve into the exciting world of pizza making. And it gives a passionate and loving history of the art, with a detailed study of pizza making in Italy. Ken Forkish actually went there and worked and talked with some of the greatest pizza artisans in Italy. And it's all in this book, with photos of the pizzaiolos (pizza makers) that he talked to, and photos of their establishments. And some really inspired shots of Naples too. This is the most passionate, authentic, helpful, delicious book on pizza I have ever seen! PS: FYI ...My pizza making, personally, is in a 30" Viking gas oven, and more recently in a Uuni 2 wood-fired (900F) pizza oven (amazing birthday present thank you dear hubby). The Uuni 2 bakes pizza super fast so the times of baking have to be adjusted accordingly... Great for the thinner crust pizzas