Welcome to the land of Pizza!

The Elements of Pizza contains more information on pizza-making than I thought existed. And who doesn't love pizza? The author certainly has strong ideas about what makes delicious pizza, but he does not disdain other pizza making methods, nor does he skimp on the recipes!

With all the information on how pizza is made in different geographical areas, and the (very respectful) spotlight that he shines on various pizza makers, it is not until chapter six that we find the recipes. I appreciated the tips on how to store extra dough, and how to parbake it so that it loses little in texture and taste and is then ready for quickly making pizza.

In-depth information about dough is included, and I found it very interesting. I could not agree more with Forkish: the most important part of pizza making is the dough, He encourages you to mix with your hands, not only to avoid over mixing, but to learn how the dough feels when coming together, so if anything feels off, it can be remedied.

The recipes are amazing: traditional can't-go-wrong standards are included next to new and unusual takes on pizza. They all sound delicious. The author notes that even if you choose expensive ingredients to top your pizza with, it will most likely cost less making it at home than purchasing a pie out at a restaurant.

This is a love letter to pizza, and I highly recommend it to anyone who regularly makes, or wants to make, delicious pizza at home.


**eARC Netgalley** ( )

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not a bad book by any means, and I really enjoyed the "background" of pizza making. The recipes look pretty good, and while I didn't make any pizzas while reviewing this book, it is one cookbook that I'll probably use next time I get a hankering for homemade pizza. My rating may be changed after I try a few of the recipes.

One issue I do have is with the ARC, which was nearly unreadable. The forced two-page format was a constant struggle of resizing the pages to be able read the text, which had to be reaccomplished with every single page turn. Very frustrating. ( )

The Elements of Pizza: Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home by artisan baker Ken Forkish focuses on mastering the process of pizza making for Italian and New York style pizza. Once you master the process, the variations are only limited by your imagination. I will learn the dough recipes, master the techniques, and then let the actual pizza recipes spur new creations.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2016/05/the-elements-of-pizza.html

Reviewed for the Blogging for Books program ( )