The Elements of Pizza - Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home [A Cookbook]

The James Beard and IACP Award-winning author of Flour Water Salt Yeast and one of the most trusted baking authorities in the country proves that amazing pizza is within reach of any home cook. 

“If there were ever to be a bible for all things pizza—and I mean all things—Ken Forkish has just written it.”—Marc Vetri, author of Mastering Pasta and owner of Vetri

The Elements of Pizza breaks down each step of the pizza-making process, from choosing a dough to shaping your pie to selecting cheeses and toppings that will work for your home kitchen setup. Forkish offers more than a dozen different dough recipes—same-day “Saturday doughs” that you can make in the morning to bake pizza that night, levain doughs made from a naturally fermented yeast starter, and even gluten-free dough—each of which results in the best, most texturally sublime crust you’ve ever made at home.

His clear, expert instructions will have you shaping pies and loading a pizza peel with the confidence of a professional pizzaiolo. And his innovative, seasonal topping ideas will surprise and delight any pizza lover—and inspire you to create your own signature pies, just the way you like them.

CONTENTS

1 Introduction 

11 CHAPTER 1 THE SOUL OF PIZZA 

39 CHAPTER 2 PIZZA STYLES 

51 CHAPTER 3 EIGHT DETAILS FOR GREAT PIZZA CRUST 

61 CHAPTER 4 INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT 

83 CHAPTER 5 METHODS 

103 CHAPTER 6 PIZZA DOUGH RECIPES 

SATURDAY DOUGHS 
108 Saturday Pizza Dough 
110 “I Slept in but I Want Pizza Tonight” Dough 
112 Single Dough Ball 
114 Enzo’s Pizza Dough 
116 Saturday Pan Pizza Dough 

REFRIGERATED LONG DOUGHS 
118 24- to 48-Hour Pizza Dough 
120 48- to 72-Hour Biga Pizza Dough 
124 48- to 72-Hour New York Pizza Dough 

NATURALLY LEAVENED DOUGHS 
127 Wild Yeast (Levain) Culture 
130 Overnight Levain Pizza Dough 

SPECIALTY DOUGHS 
134 Al Taglio Pizza Dough 
136 Bar Pizza Dough 
138 Gluten-Free Pizza Dough 

141 CHAPTER 7 PIZZA RECIPES 

SAUCES 
145 Basic Tomato Sauce, Two Ways 
146 FWSY Sauce 
147 Vodka Sauce 
148 New York Pizza Sauce 

ITALIAN & ITALIAN-INSPIRED 
150 Pizza Marinara 
153 Pizza Margherita 
156 The Ferdinando 
158 Pomodoro Royale (with Cheese) 
161 Prosciutto and Bufala 
163 Mortadella and Pistachio Pizza 
166 Zucchini Blossom Pizza 
168 River Po Pizza 
171 Carbonara Pizza 
173 Pizza Bianca and Pizza Rossa 

NEW YORK & NEW YORK–INSPIRED 
175 New York Cheese Pizza 
177 Simple Tomato Pie 
181 Meatball Pizza 
183 A.J.’s Pie 
184 Vodka Sauce and Sausage Pizza 
187 Brooklyn Hot Honey Pie 
189 Pepperoni, Mushroom, and Onion Pizza 
192 Grandma Pie 
195 Adam Kuban’s “Love Supreme” Bar Pizza 

KEN’S ARTISAN PIZZA CLASSICS 
197 Margherita and Arugula, Two Ways 
200 Arrabiata Pizza 
202 Prosciutto Pizza 
204 Fennel Sausage and Onion Pizza 
206 Spring Onion Pizza 

TRIFECTA FLATBREADS 
209 Oregon Basil Pesto and Burrata Flatbread 
211 Tarte Flambée 
214 Nettle Pesto Flatbread With Morel Mushrooms 

VEGETABLES & JUST BECAUSE 
217 The White Owl 
221 Escarole Pizza 
223 Delicata Squash Pizza 
225 Butternut Squash Pizza 
227 Artichoke and Bacon Pizza 
230 Chanterelle and Garlic Pizza 
233 The Tommy Habetz Pizza 
235 The Pie Hole Skillet Pizza 
237 Hawaiian Pizza 
240 Raclette Pizza 

242 Measurement Conversion Charts