Rating: 
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.
Rating: 
Summary: "A superb book for the amateur pizza chef"
Review: I enjoyed this little book. There is a lot of good info between the pages. I do wish the author would have gone into more detail. The chapters on toppings and sauces were vague, perhaps even a little rushed. I also would have liked some information on larger quantity (commercial) pizza making. Another complaint: there was not a section in the back of the book for sources (e.g.-product and equipment suppliers). I have been fairly successful in making pizza, even though I haven't tried many of his suggestions. I am looking forward to trying some of his ideas, as it seems the author did his homework.
Rating:
Summary: "A superb book for the amateur pizza chef"
Review: I enjoyed this little book. There is a lot of good info between the pages. I do wish the author would have gone into more detail. The chapters on toppings and sauces were vague, perhaps even a little rushed. I also would have liked some information on larger quantity (commercial) pizza making. Another complaint: there was not a section in the back of the book for sources (e.g.-product and equipment suppliers). I have been fairly successful in making pizza, even though I haven't tried many of his suggestions. I am looking forward to trying some of his ideas, as it seems the author did his homework.
Rating: 
Summary: Best Pizza Book I've read
Review: I have 5 or 6 pizza books, and 2 of them are exceptional. This book (The Art of Pizza Making: Trade Secrets and Recipes) and American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza by Peter Reinhart. They are very different books though. American pie is very polished with chapters about the author's travels for great pizza as well as cooking instruction. It is a great book, but I prefer The Art of Pizza Making a little more. It is just the facts on what pans are best, what flour works best, and best dough recipe I've tried, etc... If you follow the steps in the book, you will make an outstanding pizza.
One thing I didn't realize when I recently bought the book from amazon is that it was updated in 2004. The amazon listing when I purchased indicated the publishing date as 1991 (which is the year of the original printing). I'm not sure how much has changed with the most recent edition, but it has been updated.
Rating:
Summary: Gotta get this book!
Review: I have been making pizza using my Italian grandmother's recipe for years. It was good, but a bit bready and very different from the chewy pizza you get from commercial pizzerias (like Sbarro). I searched for "real" pizzeria recipes for awhile before finding this book...and now I'm finished searching! This is the book you need to get if you want to make commercial-style pizza. My wife and I have had homemade pizza, made using the recipe in this book, for lunch and/or dinner 9 days in a row so far! We can't get enough of it!
Rating:
Summary: The only pizza book for at home cooks
Review: I have been using Dom's for 5 years now and it is great. The key to any good pizza is the crust and only Dom's book describes the flour and technique to make a pizzeria quality crust. Whenever we have friends over for Dinner pizza is the meal! The receipes for making sauce are great as well. I would recommend this book to anyone and even non-cooks like me get great results.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Book
Review: I read it from cover to cover, and the only thing I use all the time is the dough recipe. So, if you need help with the crust (it IS the most important part of the pizza), then I recommend this book. If you have a good crust already, then you probably don't really need a new book, now do you...?
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Book
Review: I read it from cover to cover, and the only thing I use all the time is the dough recipe. So, if you need help with the crust (it IS the most important part of the pizza), then I recommend this book. If you have a good crust already, then you probably don't really need a new book, now do you...?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent -- Best I ever spent on a book!
Review: I've bought many pizza cookbooks, but none have mentioned some of the ingredients, or techniques that this book describes. Following the directions in this book, I made my first home made pizza with a crust I actually enjoyed. If you are interested in pizzaria quality pizza at home, this is the FIRST book you should read. This book has replaced ALL of my pizza cookbooks. (Others are collecting dust while this one is collecting tomato stains!) After all, if you use the proper techniques and suggestions used in this book, you can top it any way you want and achieve execellent results. My sincere thanks to the author!
Rating:
Summary: Easiest and Best Tasting Pizza You'll Create!
Review: My husband and I have been creating pizzas for years using this book. It is easy to follow the recipes and explains how the pizza ingredients affect the taste and quality of the pizza. Our family and friends have also used the book. The pizza is a main staple around our 'group'. We usually have a dough or 2 in the freezer! Everyone we make pizza for raves about it. We have even experimented with our own toppings. The basic dough recipe is a great jumping ground for creative pizza makers but is simple enough for anyone to follow. We highly recommend this book. It makes a great gift too!
| 
