The Ultimate Pizza Manual: Make Pizza Like the Pros... Used To!
by Francesco Brunaldo
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Book Summary Information
Author: Francesco BrunaldoEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-07-01
ISBN: 0980034655
Number of pages: 44
Publisher: Ultimate Culinary Publications
Book Reviews of The Ultimate Pizza Manual: Make Pizza Like the Pros... Used To!
Book Review: This book should have cost $1200/oz; It's pure gold. *10* stars
Summary: 5 Stars
First, let me say that I almost NEVER do product reviews. But this book led me to finding the best pizza ever right here in my own kitchen, so I really had to take the time to speak my mind here.
How many pages do you need to learn to make the best pizza? The pages in this book make it clear as crystal. If you don't know the abbreviations for TBS and tsp, don't even go there --- into the kitchen, that is. And we all know ounces of flour is measured by weight and liquid is measured by volume.....right??
It's NOT a "recipe book." It's a pizza manual, professionally produced, for home chefs to make real pizza -- NOT cinnamon buns, NOT french baguettes, NOT pasta. Just real pizza.
That said, there are several incredibly wonderful things about this pizza manual that are so different from any other out there.
Until I learned the tricks in this book, it was previously impossible for me to make a pro thin-crust pizza at home. Deep-dish, too. This book made it easy. But you have to know where to get the stuff you need to make the dough and the wonderful sauce. This is the first book I've read that goes into exhaustive detail (even with web addresses) to tell you exactly what you need and where to find it and even how much it costs. (It even tells you where NOT to go for something and for good reasons.)
It has step by step instructions with all color pictures showing you exactly what to do and what all the steps should LOOK LIKE, not just the final result. I wish all "cookbooks" were made this way, but of course, they are not! I work for a magazine and know this: What cook-chef-author has the financial resources to produce such gorgeous artwork on *every page?!* Plain words on white paper are easy, cheap, and fast (like my "no kneading" bread book that has obviously untested and error-filled recipes).
Pro photography and layout like in this book are time-consuming and expensive. And how about the cost of color printing on every page!! How did Francesco Brunaldo do this??
Like I said, this book should have cost $1200 per ounce for the secrets it contains and the perfect pizza that you get from the simple tricks laid-out clearly in all full color photos.
Wish I could give it 10 stars.
Update 1/22/2011 in response to Seawolf's "review":
Seawolf... First of all, I don't get it... You've changed all the methods and recipes to suit yourself, so why are you reviewing this book at all? None of what you are doing applies to this book.
Secondly, you are "building the pizza on the peel"; this is totally CONTRARY to the instructions in THE ULTIMATE PIZZA MANUAL. This is why you are having the problems you are having...
Water temperature and "fragile" dough: There is no problem with 120-degree water. By the time you use the water after stirring and all (especially in cold weather), the water temperature will drop to 100-110, which is perfect, and the dough WILL blow up like a balloon and will not be "fragile" or difficult to handle if you follow the instructions given in The Ultimate Pizza Manual (kneading, dusting, handing, etc.). I have never had this problem with the Ultimate Pizza Manual dough (other books HAVE given me this problem). The dough is SUPPOSED to be delicate to a certain degree (but NOT fragile) so that you get the wonderful results this book and historical Italian New York pizzas are famous for.
You are dressing and topping dough that can be slid off a pizza peel. This means you are wanting a tougher dough that holds its shape. The reason you are feeling Francesco's dough is "fragile" for YOU because you are trying to slide it off the peel all dressed and topped and that is CONTRARY to the instructions in the book. (The dough WILL mess up YOUR way.) It has nothing to do with the yeast or temperature of the water. One of the major points of the book is to make a large, thin-crust pizza with NO handing problems.
I also spoke to Joan @ King Arthur: The SAF Instant Yeast is regular instant-acting yeast and is the most popular yeast used. It is used for pizza just like any other bread recipe: IN THE WATER. (Most dough recipes also tell you to "proof" the yeast, which here you do not have to do.)
If "Joan" is giving you other methods, then SHE IS MAKING A DIFFERENT pizza, NOT THIS ONE, just like OTHER books' recipes and techniques that DON'T work well.
"Mixing the dough"? You DON'T "MIX" the dough, you KNEAD the dough. FOLLOW The Ultimate Pizza Manual. Why follow "Joan" from King Arthur flour using the flat mixing blade? Why use HER method to review The Ultimate Pizza Manual?? You SHOULDN'T use the flat mixing blade, you MUST use the DOUGH kneading hook. She says 20 minutes is too long. IT'S NOT. 20 minutes is the MINIMUM time to knead. It takes that long for the dough to smooth out and get less sticky and combine thoroughly all the imgredients.
You say you tried her recommendations and they worked great, yet you also say "Still working hard to make the 'perfect' pizza." Doesn't make sense! I guess her methods DO NOT work so "great".
I don't understand why you would want HER recipe and method while using THE ULTIMATE PIZZA MANUAL. I especially don't understand why you would want to MIX THE ULTIMATE PIZZA MANUAL recipes and techniques with someone else's. It just doesn't make ANY sense.
Oven temperature: Don't use 600 degrees!! Follow The Ultimate Pizza Manual. Why why why are you changing everything??? Doesn't make sense!
Nothing you are doing matches what the ULTIMATE PIZZA MANUAL tells you to do. Why are you reviewing it??
Still working hard to make the 'perfect' pizza?? WHY? FOLLOW THE ULTIMATE PIZZA MANUAL. That's what it's for: so you don't have to work hard to get a perfect pizza. (I'm making one right now, while I type this. It almost makes itself. :)
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