PizzaExpress From Italy With Love: 100 Favourite Recipes to Make at Home

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The pizza recipes are split into 3 sections of dough – thin and crispy, “Neapolitan-ish”, and pan pizza. He’s not afraid to break the rules and not follow conventions such as his Neapolitan dough. Great insights from a genuine pizza expert who grew a restaurant and then consulted around the world. The book is based around this one recipe, and Jim’s tips for stretching and loading a pizza. This is then followed by an extensive list of recipes split into tomato sauce based, white sauce based, or with no sauce. Sometimes the instructions can be a bit thin, which tilts it towards a book for serious pizza makers and restaurateurs.

This is a newer book, first published in 2020, but I thought it was a great addition to my collection. Allow the mixture to stand for 10-15 minutes in a warm place (we find a windowsill on a sunny day works best) until froth develops on the surface. This information is absolute gold dust for any beginner pizza maker, and I consider this some of the most useful information I’ve learned in the craft. While many recipes will skip over the finer details, this guide tells you EXACTLY what to do at each step.

It all blends very well together and is an absolute pleasure to read and eyeball all the images and recipe ideas. Pros This book goes down a similar vein to The Elements Of Pizza. It’s super in-depth and well researched on the fundamentals which make great pizza. We all have special memories that took place at PizzaExpress. Whether a children's birthday party, a formative first date or just a hankering for dough balls, PizzaExpress has always been there for us. Now the magic and versatility of the popular restaurants can be recreated at home with PizzaExpress: From Italy with Love. Very minor, but I find his dough balling technique a little unconventional where he folds it in on itself. I prefer the Pizza Bible method.

Overall this book is a complete mastery of pizza. It leaves no stone unturned for making great pizza either at home or in a wood-fired oven. I would recommend it to anyone – it’s definitely one of the best pizza books ever. Pros Pizza popularity has exploded in the last 10 years, and so too have the cookbooks. These 6 books are classic books which I feel all add something different. If I was to buy one pizza cookbook then this would be it. This book really does look into every element of pizza dough and leaves no stone unturned. A bit opinionated and focused on Neapolitan-style pizza. They dismiss the idea of using a pizza stone or steel to cook pizza which I don’t agree with at all!The latest reveal comes just days after the pizza chain dropped the recipe for its Dough Balls, and now pizza purists can try their hand at one of the most classic Italian dishes their is. The book has a strong focus on quality ingredients, mostly of Italian origin, and it’s this route that Jim takes in his recipes for world-class pies. The author, Marc Vetri, trained as a chef in Italy before returning to the States and opening a number of acclaimed restaurants, and writing a number of books. It shows – the book is well laid out and presents a wealth of information from outstanding research. With Jim’s obvious knowledge as a bread baker, I think it would have been better to include some more details on dough and why his method is a winner across the globe. Pros I see the “Jim Lahey no-knead” method pop up all the time across internet forums and comments – I think people just love its simplicity.

After the American styles (half the book), we have the Italian. Wood-fired Napoletana pizza has a detailed section on dough, sauce, and mozzarella before diving into the other Italian styles like from Rome. On the downside, I would say the book is a little on the advanced side for beginners. All the doughs use a wild yeast starter, similar to sourdough, which is an extra hurdle to grow and manage if you are starting out. He then has detailed instructions on how to stretch and cook many different styles, like wood-fired Naples, home oven Naples, cast iron pizza, grilled pizza, wood-fired and home oven Romana, personal pizzas… the list goes on – it’s very thorough.This might be the most comprehensive pizza book out there and one I absolutely love for its recipes and coverage of basically every pizza style known. It’s written by 12-time pizza World Champion and overall pizza legend, Tony Gemignani. What I like about this book is the no-nonsense approach Ken takes. Some other books have certain “secrets” you must follow that the author swears by.

What I like about this book is its unpretentious nature. Marc wants to help you make better pizza with whatever oven and tools you have available.Featuring exclusive recipes for perennial favourites including dough balls, Margherita and Sloppy Giuseppe as well as spicy, seafood, vegan and veggie pizzas, PizzaExpress: From Italy with Love caters to every mood and palette. Alongside 68 pizza recipes, many of which are ready in minutes, there are sumptuous salads, decadent desserts, and delicious dressings and sauces that create a meal for every occasion. You'll also learn how to impress by making artisan pizza base doughs such as Leggera and Calabrese, and there's even a special gluten free option that will have everyone fooled! Sicilian style has a chapter and covers how to cook the dough in a sheet pan instead of stretching. It has some tasty recipe ideas like the Purple Potato and Pancetta and the Grandma Pie. It’s based around 3 doughs – puffy Naples style, thin and crunchy Romana, and pan pizza Al Taglio. Marc focuses on Italian recipes but with an American influence. Jim has obviously spent a decent amount of time experimenting with flavors and coming up with new recipes for his restaurants, which he shares in the book. He has taken his methodical approach to bread dough to research the best dough in pizza making. Sometimes almost scientific-like, but very easily digestible for the reader.