Reddit reviews The Elements of Pizza: Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home [A Cookbook]

Best way to get people to come over, in my experience: https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Pizza-Unlocking-Secrets-World-Class/dp/160774838X

I literally googled it:

So you want to start a pizza shop

Hell, maybe you can start by doing it from your own home.

Or start a mobile pizza shop By the way this link is to an actual magazine devoted to the pizza business (the internet never ceases to amaze me.)

or start out at the farmers market (Holy gazebos! Another link to a site devoted to the pizza business. TIL: a lot of people are in the pizza business).


I assume you already know this as a network engineer, but google is your friend.

Ask it lots and lots of questions. Also depending on the state you are in you might have meet-up groups that you can join (small business/entrepreneur). Also look into your local small business/chamber of commerce organizations. They might have seminars or other resources that you can use (especially on taxes).

This guy sounds like he was in your situation, maybe write directly to people like him and ask them. What sources they would recommend you use to get started. It might be that you write 50 people and 2 respond, but hey, they are experts in the field and might have really good advice. Just make the letter sound personal and not copy and pasted.

As far as inspiring you I would recommend you watch the original kitchen nightmares series that was filmed in the UK (US series is horribly over dramatic) you can still find them on youtube (I think). I really believe Gordon drops some really good nuggets of information on how to run and operate a food business, especially from the chef's perspective.


Get the book "The Elements of Pizza". If you are going to make pizza, make it the best possible.

And finally my only real advice is:

1. Location, Location, Location is the most important aspect to opening a shop.
   
   
2. Keep the menu as simple as possible (it cuts down on costs).
   
   
3. Keep the ingredients simple but of good quality (and if you put sugar in your sauce, may you grow up to be the son of a motherless goat).
   
   That is it my friend. Good luck and have fun storming the castle!
   
   e: Couldn't resist two Princess Bride quotes in one post.
   

check out this book

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160774838X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can make pizza that IMO tastes better than what they serve at the locally owned wood fire pizza shop in my town

Ken Forkish revolutionized home bread baking with FWSY, now he's taken on pizza, a man after my own heart

You should get Ken Forkish's (the author of FWSY) book about pizza. Just as good!

The Elements of Pizza: Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home https://www.amazon.com/dp/160774838X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8gqUCbP2BHMRJ

Well it will depend on the recipe and type of crust you’re going for, but the salt and yeast amounts are going to be much smaller, in the single percentiles and even into tenths of a percentage with the yeast sometimes.

As for type of yeast, everything’s gravy — meaning you’ll find people using each and any kind. I think the easiest to start out with are the ones using instant yeast.

I first scratched my pizza itch the same way many around here probably did, with Kenji’s Foolproof Pan Pizza
It’s a great place to start and is still my favorite kind of “home pizza” so far tbh. I also like to start new projects with a book if possible, and while we can debate their techniques up, down, and sideways, I think Forkish’s Elements of Pizza would still be my go-to for just starting out. Beddia’s Pizza Camp is also a strong contender, but personally I think his ideas play in better after you’ve tried a few others first.

And don’t be fooled! I’m by no means any kind of master and would still consider myself “in training,” but I am a good researcher, so I sound like I know what I’m talking about.

Edit: a word

I got the Elements of Pizza by Forkish for Christmas and its taken my pizzas to the next level. He keeps referencing Salt, Water, Flour, Yeast and it might be time to up my bread game.

Recipe was from Ken Forkish’s Elements of Pizza and the “I slept in but I want pizza tonight dough”


Makes 3-5 pizzas
Water 350g at 100f
Salt 10 g
Instant dried yeast 0.5 g
Flour (00 if possible) 500 g

Hydrate yeast in salt water mixture.
Mix in flour and wait 20 mins. Knead and place dough ball in oiled container. Wait 1.5 hrs
Divide and shape, place on floured pan for rise. Wait 4-6 hrs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Pull it out an hour before cooking.

recently bought this book: The Elements of Pizza: Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home
https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Pizza-Unlocking-Secrets-World-Class/dp/160774838X/ref=asc_df_160774838X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=247543540793&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17729693536674990723&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032144&hvtargid=aud-466346205544:pla-433791154243&psc=1

. the author goes over the history of pizza and various recipes. deep dish is in his book

. from Wiki: The bottom of the pizza, called the 'crust', may vary widely according to style; thin as in a typical hand-tossed Neapolitan pizza, or thick as in a deep-dish Chicago-style.

• if you want to get technical then Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana that aims to protect the integrity of “true Neapolitan pizza” that published an 11-page manuscript full of regulations a pizza must fulfill in order to earn their “true Neapolitan pizza” badge of honor. And, in Ward’s words, they’re real tight-asses about it, from defining acceptable dough pH ranges to requiring that your pizza spatula is made from steel, with a wood handle made of either beech or acacia wood. Oak or maple spatula handles simply will not do
  
  
• “The minimum threshold of ‘pizza’ is ‘crust, tomato, salt, and oil,’ and the maximum is ‘that, but with one kind of cheese and some garlic.’ No oven-cooked pizza. No meat pizza. No cow's cheese. Cheese wasn't even an ingredient in pizza until 1889, around 20 years before the first American pizzeria cropped up.
  
  
• based on a strict standard then all American pizza is not pizza
  
  
• We are Americans - so if you put sauce and cheese on it, then its pizza. if you take an english muffin and put pizza sauce and cheese on it, its pizza

I suggest you guys buy the book "The Elements of Pizza" by Ken Forkish, and check out some of his recipes.

He explains the how and why for every recipe, and you get really delicious results. I was amazed at what I was able to make, being generally pretty terrible at baking.

I made my own sauce because I quite like that one. It's essentially a marinara sauce. I just used some good canned tomatoes, but I crushed them in a colander to get rid of some of the liquid, because I wanted a less runny marinara, to help ensure the pizza dough didn't get soggy.

I topped it with whatever I wanted that day. As I recall, I went with black olive, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella slices, grated parmeggiano reggiano, and I seem to recall some shallot sliced in thin rings.

One of the best pizzas I ever had, honestly.

For those reading this, you actually want his second book, The Elements of Pizza. In this one he talks about how he went to talk to the best pizza makers (Naples, etc) and realized he was wrong, because he had been treating pizza dough the same as bread dough.