Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart

Hi Everyone, This week we will be posting a new instructional video from Kelly Whitaker of Pizzeria Basta. His previous video, showcasing a wonderful burrata cheese appetizer, was such a hit we’ve decided to bring him back for an encore. This video will post on Thursday (and, if you missed it, you can see his previous video on the Instructionals page in the archives). On Wednesday, I’ll be posting one…Read More…

Note to readers from Peter: This is the the second part of Jenn Burn’s recent adventure in Costa Rica, picking beans on an organic coffee farm as part of a work study project. Jenn is a student at Davidson College, just outside of Charlotte, and has previously had numerous articles published that chronicle her transition from teenager to young adulthood (I hope to run some more of those here in…Read More…

During the webisode segments that we’ve posted during the past weeks we’ve spent a lot of time at Pizzeria Mozza and LaBrea Bakery, but have heard only a little from Nancy Silverton, the creator of these amazing pizzas. We still have a few more segments to share with you from Pizzeria Mozza before we move on to other exciting places but this week, at last, we’ll hear from Nancy herself….Read More…

I’ve been playing with Peter’s Herb Oil recipe for a while – ever since I first read his book American Pie “My Search for the Perfect Pizza”.  I have only focused on using it with Pizza, but he has some very interesting suggestions and ideas I’d like to try some time. I woke up early the other morning, about 5:00 AM, and realized that I while I wanted to sleep,…Read More…

  This past week has seen an historic change in the world. Aside from all the newsworthy drama related to the transfer of power and revolution in Egypt, a country I visited just three months ago, one thought kept coming to my mind about it: this is the first time in, perhaps, 7,000 years that the people of Egypt have not had a “Pharaoh” ruling them. Maybe the word Pharaoh…Read More…

This week we return to Pizzeria Mozza, where we spend some time with founding visionary, Nancy Silverton. After all the videos we’ve already shown, from the LaBrea Bakery where the dough is made, to Executive Pizzaiolo Matt Molina, who oversees daily production, it’s time to hear from Nancy herself, about how she conceived of her unique dough, her topping ideas, and the inspiration that drives her creative process. This webisode…Read More…

We’ve been wanting to show you this video for quite a while. It was filmed in Boulder at the end of The Fire Within Conference, with mobile oven owner Joe D’Astice. Joe is the founder of Wood Fire Brick Oven Pizza, in Rockford, Illinois, where he makes seriously great pizza in his mobile oven. At his catering events, one of the most popular items is this S’Mores Pizza, replete with…Read More…

My guess is that you will use this more than any other specialty topping, and you can make as much as you like because it will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator. Its original use was for focaccia but then I discovered it is also excellent drizzled over many types of pizza, and can also be used to marinate or flavor various ingredients, especially fresh, sliced tomatoes and thinly sliced potatoes…Read More…

I’ve been thinking a lot, lately, about my recent adventure on a coffee farm in Costa Rica. It was, for me, a life changing experience–or at least it forever changed my relationship with that powerful bean — and I don’t even drink coffee. But now I can’t even smell it brewing without thinking about how disconnected most people are to where it comes from and what the real costs are…Read More…

  We’ve received a nice thread of comments on Michael Hanson’s Guest Column, To Be a Sacred Baker, so I think he may have touched a nerve. One thing I realized after reading the article is that we’ve been using the word “artisan” very liberally here at Pizza Quest to help define what our website is all about, which we characterize as, “A celebration of artisans and artisanship.” Frankly, though,…Read More…