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Summary: Simply Put: The BEST pizza book available!
Review: 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.
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Summary: Disappointing and misleading.
Review: DeAngelis claims his book is a "comprehensive" guide to pizza making yet so many of his suggestions and claims are simply incorrect or misleading. I will provide a sampling of them here:1) He claims "Fundamental Law of Pizza #1: Only high gluten flour can be used for making pizza dough." This is not true. Napoletana, Italian DOC and Roman pizzas all use lower gluten "all purpose" type flours. Even those people who grill pizzas (as made popular at Al Forno in Providence, RI) claim "all purpose" (lower gluten flour) are preferrable. This oversimplification of the "correct" flour misleads the reader to think that the chewier style of crust that DeAngelis prefers is the ONLY correct crust. 2) His "Fundamental Law of Pizza #3" states "Only dough kneaded by a mixing machine will yield a crust of proper texture.". This is also incorrect. Take, for example, the pizzeria that many claim may be the best in the US: Pizzaria Bianco. Chris Bianco won the 2003 James Beard Foundation award for "Best Chef" (only pizza chef to have ever done so) and he mixes 50 pounds of flour with a big bowl and his hands. In fact, true DOC pizza from Italy must be kneaded by hand or by a process that does not heat the dough. (as most mixers will) 3) Throughout the book, DeAngelis recommends ingredients that would offend many pizza connoisseurs. Garlic powder, shortening, "cheeseburger pizza", "Good Seasonings Italian Dressing", MSG, etc. It seems DeAngelis is more concerned with imitating Round Table or Pizza Hut than uncovering the true "art" of pizza making. Needless to say, I will be returning my copy of this book. If you think pizza excellence can be found at the local "fast food" style pizzeria, then this book might help you recreate the experience found there. If you are looking to recreate the pizza experience of Italy and you dream of wood fired pizza ovens then you might prefer Reinhart's book "American Pie" or Glezer's book "Artisan Baking Across America".
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Summary: Thanks Dominick
Review: Dominick, I just wanted to thank you for writing "The Art of Pizza Making" and revealing the serets of making great pizza. I too have read countless so called pizza recipe books that never mention the importance of the correct flour which is the basis for making really great pizza. These books are touted by a variety of pizza industy trade journals as the definitive source for making superb pizza. Nothing could be further from the truth. So much for the credibility of these authors and suspect information contained in the journals.
After spending years experimenting with these bogus recipes and turning out mediocre pies I have finally realized success.
By following the directions in your book I have been able to produce some really great tasting pizzas at home far exceeding the quality of the franchise pizza fare. I will continue to test the variety of recipes offered in your book, a small but concise book with a wealth of information that puts the other high profile books on the market to shame.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks Dominick
Review: Dominick, I just wanted to thank you for writing "The Art of Pizza Making" and revealing the serets of making great pizza. I too have read countless so called pizza recipe books that never mention the importance of the correct flour which is the basis for making really great pizza. These books are touted by a variety of pizza industy trade journals as the definitive source for making superb pizza. Nothing could be further from the truth. So much for the credibility of these authors and suspect information contained in the journals.
After spending years experimenting with these bogus recipes and turning out mediocre pies I have finally realized success.
By following the directions in your book I have been able to produce some really great tasting pizzas at home far exceeding the quality of the franchise pizza fare. I will continue to test the variety of recipes offered in your book, a small but concise book with a wealth of information that puts the other high profile books on the market to shame.
Rating: 
Summary: just right
Review: Easy --- understandable and quick to get you going... not something for someone who isnt a beginner, but then again I was :)
Rating:
Summary: If you make pizza this book should be in your collection.
Review: Even though I believe that the author should have went into more detail and covered more areas. I still recommend this pizza making book to anyone that wants to make a great pizza. Just follow the basic dough procedure (use a good mixer unless you are an athlete) and you will turnout a great crust. One mistake many beginner (and seasoned) pizza makers make is putting on a excessive amount of a watery sauce on the dough which will affect the outcome of the pizza. Please experiment and you will begin to turn out a pizza that will compete with the best and cost many times less.
Rating:
Summary: If you make pizza this book should be in your collection.
Review: Even though I believe that the author should have went into more detail and covered more areas. I still recommend this pizza making book to anyone that wants to make a great pizza. Just follow the basic dough procedure (use a good mixer unless you are an athlete) and you will turnout a great crust. One mistake many beginner (and seasoned) pizza makers make is putting on a excessive amount of a watery sauce on the dough which will affect the outcome of the pizza. Please experiment and you will begin to turn out a pizza that will compete with the best and cost many times less.
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Summary: Dough worked perfect first time!
Review: Hi, I've owned the book for a while but just refound it. I made the recipe from the book except for the sauce (from a spag. jar). Anyway the pizza came out the best I've ever made from home. We were very surprised how well it came out. This is the first time I used the book. Here is my run down of what I used etc.
Kitchen aid mixer, peel, stone, corn meal as the non stick, used an unbleached flour from grocery store that said it was good for bread machines. I figured this flour was as close to hi-glut I could get my hands on here at home. I am not the best at getting it laid out thin so the crust was a little silician style but not that thick. I think its worth the money for the book since working with the dough it actually felt like pizza dough unlike alot of other dough recipes I've used. Also there are a few hints in the book that I really valued so I am very glad that I got mine when I did. I gave 4 stars since the book does not have any pictures or illustrations. All the best to your pizza making, I am off to my neverending battle to not eat as much homemade pizza and bread as I really desire to! PS:
To the review about the dough not working it was probably that your yeast was bad or old.
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Summary: The author's way to make pizza
Review: I am from Italy and I was looking for a cookbook to make traditional,Italian style pizza. In spite of his Italian descent, the author gives recipes which have nothing to do with the pizza you eat in Italy. Using sugar for the dough, shortening to grease the pizza pan or even suggesting mixing American cheese with mozzarella for a topping is pure heresy, if your objective is italian pizzeria style pizza. So, if you want to make pizza the Domenick way this is the book to buy, but if you want to learn how to make it the traditional, italian way, stay away from this book. It would have been nice for the author to add a disclaimer about this pizza of his not being the real Italianthing. This is the worst pizza cookbook I have ever read.
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Summary: There's a reason pizzeria-like pizza is elusive.
Review: 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.
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