Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart

I met Randy Clemens at a baking class Peter was teaching at a Sir La Table here in Los Angeles. We were just getting Pizza Quest going and Peter was out on a teaching tour.  Peter introduced me to Randy, who had come to visit with him, after the class.  Peter had connected Randy with his publisher and Randy told us that he was close to finishing his first book…Read More…

For some time, I have suggested that when our friend Kim Wildermuth’s sister, Loan (pronounced Lahn),  who’s mother is responsible for our favorite “Mom’s Soy Pickled Jalapeños” comes to visit, that we get together and make a Vietnemese inspired pizza.  I have been a lucky guest on many of her visits from Oregon, when she and her husband Randy make the trip down to cook for me.  (Well, maybe they’re…Read More…

  As promised, here’ the spicy oil recipe. This is a staple ingredient n our house; one that I can use for many things.  When I don’t have any, I just sprinkle some chili flakes on my pizza, but the little extra time this takes to put together makes for such a better overall flavor.  The oil is spicy and flavorful without being too hot.  Instead of drizzling a little…Read More…

I have been really busy the past couple of weeks and haven’t been able to post any recipes, though I have some interesting ones to share as soon as I can get them all together and posted.  I decided to post an interesting sauce that I came up with for one of these pizzas that I will share shortly.  I came up with this as I was trying to figure…Read More…

  Can you send me a recipe for pizza dough? I get this question a lot so here are three to get you going. We often refer to the first two recipes, below, in our instructional section and many of you already have them in your repertoire. But for those of you who are new, I’m reprinting them here in one place for easier retrieval. In addition, I’ve added a…Read More…

Most of you have probably read Brad English’s superb coverage of this years Pizza Expo. The Expo is certainly the premier event for pizza pros and is, quite simply, the “must see” event for anyone who is serious about a career in pizza. With that being said, this year I overheard something that at once disturbed me and got me thinking about where pizza is headed. While standing at the…Read More…

I got an email from a Pizza Quest member recently asking about pizza stones and “00” flours.  We chatted back and forth and he has enthusiastically shared one of his family’s favorite pizza recipes.  It’s the pizza he starts every pizza making session with.  From what he says, if he doesn’t get it right “The Family” let’s him know. I’m really excited to try this pizza.  When Andy described his…Read More…

I get asked this one a lot. Or, more accurately, I get lots of e-mails asking some variation of the following question: What do I need to do to make the best pizza dough? Since that’s a loaded question, subject to subjectivity and regional bias, I usually punt and focus on a couple of general tricks that seem to bring best results for nearly any kind of pizza dough.  The…Read More…

Here we are at the end of my “in depth” study of eggs and pizza — a 3 pizza egg-sperimentation.  This will surely not be the last pizza I make with eggs as there are an infinite number of possibilities to explore using this ingredient on pizza.  The immediate connection is breakfast, which pizza fits right into, performing as the toast that accompanies any good breakfast — helping to serve…Read More…

This will be the first of a series of posts that address the most frequently asked questions that I get from our readers.  I will just deal with one at a time, and will headline them FAQ with a number next to it as well as a word identifier, so this one will be FAQ #1, Sourdough Starters. That way, when someone wants to track one down in the Peter’s…Read More…