Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart

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…

During the week of February 7th, look for the following new posts:–A new Instructional Video, filmed at The Fire Within Conference in Boulder. This one features a change of pace: a S’mores Pizza (yes, you read that correctly); a whimsical take on everyone’s favorite camp fire treat. You’ll love this one, which will post on Thursday! –A new Peter’s Blog, as always, posting on Tuesday. –An herb oil recipe from…Read More…

Fresh Mozzarella from Curd While we filmed recently in Boulder, Colorado, one of the pizzaiolos who attended the pizza making conference did a recipe demo using Mozzarella Curd provided by Bel Gioioso.  It is one of the pizzas he makes and people seem to really like it.  The pizza was amazing.  (Note: You’ll see more about that when we post the video in a few weeks.) I couldn’t get this…Read More…

  Hi Again, On Friday of this week we will be posting a new Guest Column by Michael Hanson, a wood-fired baker, living and working in the UK. In his column, he tells of his transition from a career as a serious, professional, third generation baker to becoming an artisan, committed to cooking with fire as a way of reconnecting with the sacredness of it all. It’s a fascinating piece….Read More…

Recently I have been thinking about artisanship, integrity, and the pizzaiolo. I am an Englishman with no Italian heritage and, as such, do not feel well qualified to make pronouncements about what constitutes an authentic pizza, if in fact there is such a thing. But I am a professional pizza maker, and have been wondering what shortcuts can be made without sacrificing authenticity. I perfected my pizza making skills with…Read More…

The Difference Between Good and Great This webisode segment brings us back to Pizzeria Mozza, as we follow the dough from the La Brea Bakery, as shown in the previous two segments, to the waiting hands of Executive Chef Matt Molina and his team of pizzaiolos. So here’s the thing: there really is a difference between good pizza and great pizza and in this segment you’ll get few glimpses into…Read More…

Last week we saw how La Brea Bakery makes hundreds of pounds of pizza dough every day for Pizzeria Mozza. Led by Production Manager Jon Davis, we watched how the overnight sponge is added to the final ingredients and how the ingredients, some of them proprietary and still a secret even to us,  transform themselves into silky, supple, beautiful dough. This week we’ll follow the dough on its journey as…Read More…