Mastering Pizza: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pizza, Focaccia, and Calzone

In their fourth collaboration, chef and restaurateur Vetri and food writer Joachim (Mastering Pasta) offer a thorough guide to pizza making. They argue that the key to success is “understanding and cultivating a relationship with your dough” and provide three comprehensive chapters that explain how different flours, hydration levels, and appliances affect how dough comes together and cooks. Vetri and Joachim equip the reader with a dozen dough recipes, ranging from soft, chewy Naples doughs to thin, crispy Roman ones. Photos help guide the home cook through sometimes complex instructions (which also include some swearing and surprising descriptions, such as a dish that “smells like sex”). The recipes for pizza toppings include such classics as margherita, marinara sauce with pepperoni, and quattro formaggi, as well as intriguing combinations like fresh crab with roasted peppers, spicy octopus with smoked mozzarella, and pears with provolone cheese and cured pork. The chapters devoted to calzones, focaccia, and dessert pizzas include such enticing creations as kale and ricotta calzones, focaccia stuffed with taleggio and pancetta, and Nutella-stuffed pizza. This is an excellent one-stop pizza guide. (Aug.)