Modernist Pizza

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Stretch and flatten the dough on a floured work surface by using your fingers to press the middle of the dough flat, and then work the dough outward. Leave a narrow ridge along the perimeter of the dough.

The first Italian recipe for Pizza alla Napoletana came in 1904. There were two variations: one topped with anchovies and oil; the other with Swiss Cheese and oil. In 1911, a later Italian recipe came with more conventional toppings of anchovies, mozzarella and tomatoes. If I could fault it for one thing, I guess I’d say that I wish it showed more “failures” of experiments and intermediate results. For example, they tried varying olive oil in the NY style recipe presumably, show us and tell us about 1 vs 2 vs 5 percent, etc.In 1936 the second American recipe appeared, in an English edition of the Specialita Culinarie Italiane cookbook. It called for raised dough, tomatoes, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and ‘scamozza’ (perhaps a misspelling of scamorza, the southern Italian cow cheese.)

We’ve loved making this book. First and foremost because pizza is undeniably delicious. Pizza was a compelling topic for us for a number of reasons. It’s multicultural, found in virtually every country around the world, and yet wherever pizza goes, it mutates and evolves into something local. Pizza is simultaneously the evolution of a 19th-century dish from Naples and a window into the culinary creativity of the people who modified the original pizzas into the many local styles we enjoy today. Volume 1: History and Fundamentals ("research into pizza’s history and place in the world at large, plus our guide to top pizza destinations. It also covers the science of pizza dough ingredients and pizza ovens.") Whatever the model and yield, the goal is to achieve a good mix and full gluten development. Consider our suggested times as guidelines only. Use the windowpane test to help determine the dough’s stage of gluten development. They still go rather deep into certain rabbit holes, and end up making their own imitated buffalo mozzarella, with cow's milk and cream (or mascarpone) to make an extra-creamy cows milk mozzarella, that they claim is just as luscious as buffalo mozzarella. I'm not sure I'm prepared to go that far, but it's interesting to read about. Gourmet magazine published its pizza recipe in 1945, suggesting cooks line pie palates with pastry or biscuit dough, and fill these with a picture of chopped tomatoes, salami, green olives, grated onions, garlic, parsley, Swiss or Italian cheese, and Cayenne pepper.Here are some very good notes from the Modernist Cuisine Team (they're the "we"), with some added commentary from Michael. I recommend reading these notes, then the recipe in its entirety, and then the notes once more before you set to work. This is a project! And of course we’re going to talk about Italy … but what is there to say that hasn’t been said already? A lot it seems! We’ll hear from modern day masters, a chef in Rome applying modernist techniques to toppings, as well as the making of “mountain pies” in the hills between Venice and the Dolomites. Michael says: I usually use King Arthur Bread Flour because it’s easy for me to get locally. In Paris, I use regular King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, which Dorie brings over for testing her recipes. Volume 3: Recipes ("foundational recipes for every pizza style in the book with both iconic pizzas and pizzas with innovative flavor themes. It wraps up with information on how to serve and store pizza.")

Modernist Pizza is the definitive guide to the world’s most popular food. Created by the team that published the critically acclaimed Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking and Modernist Bread, this groundbreaking set is the culmination of exhaustive research, travel, and experiments to collect and advance the world’s knowledge of pizza.

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Pizza may seem simple, but it’s highly technological and scientific. Making pizza is extremely technique-driven, where even the smallest variations in the method can affect the outcome. A tremendous amount of skill is involved, to the point that pizza making can be daunting to both beginners and professionals. On top of that, pizza has historically been a poorly documented cuisine, which is thanks, in part, to its humble origins on the streets of Naples. In Japan, there’s an emergence of Tokyo-style marinara, a 50/50 ratio of tomato sauce to olive oil, but what seems to be most important there, is the experience, or as they call it: ometanashi. It looked to me like it was going to be pretty low on sauce (and it is) but the proportion actually worked great on the finished pizza, so I guess one point to MP. The dough can be shaped a number of ways, I rolled mine: We distilled our findings into three volumes. In the first volume, we share the history of pizza, the world of pizza at large, plus fundamentals to making pizza such as the ingredients that go into the dough and the role of heat in the pizza-making process. The chapters in volume 2 provide a comprehensive look at all the components of pizza—dough, sauce, cheese, and toppings—and present foundational recipes upon which the majority of our pizzas are built. The third and final volume is dedicated to both classic and innovative recipes for every pizza style we cover, including al taglio, Argentinean, bar/tavern, Brazilian thin-crust, deep-dish, Detroit, grandma/New York Square/Sicilian, Neapolitan, New York, New Haven, Old Forge, pizza fritta, and pizza gourmet. Volume 3 is also where you’ll find inventive flavor and topping combinations to help inspire your own pizza exploration. Guides to Top Pizza Destinations Season the pie with fresh basil, chili flakes, salt, and olive oil. Don’t forget to season the very edge of the crust, and give it a little drizzle of oil, too. Serve the pizza immediately.