Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart

I had lots of things to blog about this week but something happened a few days ago in Charlotte that knocked all the other news into next week. Emeril Lagasse opened a new restaurant right here in Charlotte, called e2. This city, which is hosting the Democratic National Convention in September and has, for the past fifteen years been carrying out a dynamic strategic plan to turn Charlotte into America’s…Read More…

  We’ve been wanting to share this webisode with you for quite a while, so here it is. Last year, when we were at the Fire Within Oven Owners Conference, we taped a number of demo’s in the beautiful mobile ovens built by Joseph Pergolizzi and his team of masons and metal craftsmen. Among those in attendance was Andres Salazar, who was just on the verge of releasing his first…Read More…

Morphed Pizza Dough with Mushrooms, Blueberries and Spinach   Lately I have been thinking about morphing a sourdough crust dough with a commercially yeasted crust dough and combining the best qualities of both. Using a sourdough levain or starter in your pizza dough can make a significant flavor and texture difference. The sourdough starter adds acidity to the dough which affects strength and flavor. The commercial yeast helps the crust…Read More…

In the past week I received three gifts: the first was a new folding proof box for home bakers made by Brod & Taylor. I tried it out and love it for two reasons: during my baking classes for home cooks I get asked all the time how to proof bread without a professional proof box. I suggest things like using the dishwasher as a steam box, the microwave with…Read More…

How can I use crab on a pizza?  I had crab – if not just out of the ocean fresh it was caught by my friends steamed and brought home to me.  In my mind that’s far better than just caught fresh any day!  As I hope you’ve already read, I had decided to make one pizza with some of the fresh cracked crab placed on top of the warm…Read More…

Just received a call from a friend of mine from Syracuse who said she received her latest copy of Better Homes & Gardens and saw the pizza article about me. I think it hit the news stands today. I don’t know when it will go digital but I just taped a narration voice-over for a short video on how to shape a pizza dough, which should show up on their…Read More…

Somewhere around mid-November every year the Dungeness Crabs of the West Coast begin to make their journey from the sea to our plates.  This fact did not go under-utilized by our friends, the Wildermuth’s, who had invited us to join them on their trip to Oregon for the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Due to family obligations we were unable to attend.  We wanted to; we always do.  We’ve had a standing invitation…Read More…

I’m still having trouble believing it’s already 2012. I still recall back in 1970 how long the run-up seemed to take to the Bi-Centennial in 1976 and I wondered what it was going to be like for me to be, amazingly 26 years old — an adult!– when it happened. Then, all of a sudden, it did happen, and then so many other things happened and the years just kept…Read More…

Didn’t want you to wonder where we were but we’re still on holiday break. Today is Epiphany, the 12th Day of Christmas, and traditionally the day celebrated as the visitation and gifts of the Magi, the three wise men. We’ve kept our tree up and our Christmas lights on and now, in our neighborhood at least, we’re apparently the only ones left still celebrating Christmas. When our tree goes out…Read More…

It’s the final day of 2011 and also the end of our first year of Pizza Quest. So, first, on behalf of the entire team (who I will name at the end), thank you for your loyal following of our journey, and for sharing your own.  As riders on our metaphorical “bus,” you and we went to some great places together this year, including Pizzeria Mozza and La Brea Bakery…Read More…