"Modernist Pizza"

[ElsieD]

I got an e-mail this morning about the Modernist team's next project - pizza! 

 

Modernist Pizza is Underway!

After taking on the world of bread, we’re thrilled to announce the topic of our next book: pizza. Modernist Pizza will explore the science, history, equipment, technology, and people that have made pizza so beloved.

Authors Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya, with the Modernist Cuisine team, are currently at work conducting extensive research and testing long-held pizza-making beliefs; this quest for knowledge has already taken them to cities across the United States, Italy, and beyond. The result of their work will be a multivolume cookbook that includes both traditional and innovative recipes for pizzas found around the globe along with techniques that will help you make pizza the way you like it.

Modernist Pizza is in its early stages, and although we’ve begun to dig in, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Although we can’t guarantee when it will arrive at your door just yet, we can promise that this book will deliver the complete story of pizza as it’s never been told before.

In the meantime, we would love to hear from you as we continue to research pizza from around the world. Contact pizza@modernistcuisine.com to tell us about your favorite pizzerias and their pizza. Connect with us on social media to get all the latest Modernist Pizza updates.

[Raamo]

I just tried to post about this and put it in the wrong forum lol.  This is going to be interesting to be sure.  Their website is active as well.

 

http://modernistcuisine.com/2018/03/modernist-pizza-is-underway/

[Anna N]

 I received the email too and have to say this is the first of their books that didn’t spark any enthusiasm from me.  I am not a huge pizza fan. I have been subjected to some pretty crappy pizzas because the rest of the family was quite happy with any pizza. It’s just not something I think can be done that well at home. I hope they prove me wrong. 

[Raamo]

36 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 It’s just not something I think can be done that well at home. 

 

While it's taken making the dough days in advance, using a pizza stone in an oven that can get to 550f (and preheating it long enough), making the sauce ourselves, etc.  It's become clear we can make make really good pizza at home that rivals the pizza joints with 700-900f ovens (the main thing you can't easily get at home).

 

America's test kitchen spent time working out really good pizza crust, MB expanded upon that but didn't change the recipe that much - both were designed for home ovens - a key.    The pizza sauce in MB is a nice improvement over prior sauces that takes better to freeze/thaw in a home kitchen (it uses canned tomatoes - so pre cooked so you don't have cook it again before you bake).  It seems likely that with more time spent this could all be improved further.

 

But thanks to ATK, MC and MB we don't get pizza outside of our house very often (and never at the main chains like pizza hut, dominoes, papa johns etc), it's just that much better at home.  And we've made it for others who are impressed by it.  While yes pizza is 100% personal preference - making a really good one at home is within reach if you have the right tools.

 

For me this all started because I hate large (or standard) amounts of cheese on a pizza.   And it's a pain getting just the right amount (which is very little, see pictures I post in Dinner).  The quest for better pizza at home has taken a long time - and maybe with MP will get even better.

Edited March 20, 2018 by Raamo
words are hard (log)

[ElsieD]

@Raamo  Maybe I should know this but  who or what is MB?

[Anna N]

26 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

@Raamo  Maybe I should know this but  who or what is MB?

Modernist Bread. 

[Anna N]

43 minutes ago, Raamo said:

While it's taken making the dough days in advance,

And perhaps therein lies the rub!   Pizza to me has always been a spur of the moment, last-minute food choice. It is not something I know I am going to want on Monday and won’t be able to eat until Wednesday.  And as I said it maybe just me. 

[paulraphael]

I can get my oven to about 540°F. But it has no top broiler. Even with a 1/2" thick steel, pizza is not good enough. I live in Brooklyn, 40 minutes or less from a half dozen of the best pizzerias in the known universe. So I'm not going through the trouble. 

I gave up, but in the process learned how to make sourdough bread, and am now addicted. So that's a bit of a consolation prize.

 

I wish they'd just included pizza in Modernist bread. It's hard for me to believe that they'll come up with more than 50 pages of new discoveries on this one topic.

 

And it's delaying Modernist Pastry!

Edited March 21, 2018 by paulraphael (log)

[Anna N]

3 minutes ago, paulraphael said:

And it's delaying Modernist Pastry!

[adey73]

..................posts been up for 5 hours and no arguments about pizza taxonomy, yet.

 

I hope they don't publish for that reason alone! 

[Raamo]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

And perhaps therein lies the rub!   Pizza to me has always been a spur of the moment, last-minute food choice. It is not something I know I am going to want on Monday and won’t be able to eat until Wednesday.  And as I said it maybe just me. 

 

It's the one down side - my wife reminded me we spent years trying different crusts before we found the ATK one.  MB one is good - recipe makes more then the MB version but it is more effort for not a lot of improvement.  The ATK one is a high bar to set.  It's made in a food processor quite quickly and then goes in the fridge.  The time to ferment is key to good tasting crust.  Since you have MB try their crust some time - it does require 24 hours fermenting, it's really good.

 

1 hour ago, paulraphael said:

And it's delaying Modernist Pastry!

I would agree there, I'd rather have MPastry then MPizza.  But I'll take MP in either form.

[Anna N]

3 minutes ago, Raamo said:

Since you have MB try their crust some time - it does require 24 hours fermenting, it's really good.

 Already did.  Sorry but it was a failure and I did detail it in the modernist bread topic. 

[Raamo]

24 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 Already did.  Sorry but it was a failure and I did detail it in the modernist bread topic. 

 

I found it - that's too bad.  We found the position of the pizza makes a difference, I had the rack set to the top for tsukune - and my wife only moved it down one wrack for the last 2 pizza attempts - including today.

The higher the stone and pizza is in the oven the faster the top will cook, we are going to lower the stone one more notch to where it normally is and that makes quite a bit of difference.  Today by time the bottom of the crust was done to our liking the top edge was darker then we like.  But it still tasted good.  I'll post that over in lunch.

 

We're also lucky that our oven will do 550F and has a pizza setting that involves running the fan some.  Hopefully in any MPizza book they spend time looking at ovens that are not what might be considered high end.  Ours being Thermador is quite expensive.

[rotuts]

I have not seen a ref to this

 

and Im hoping this is there right place to

 

 

suggest this id their next book

 

cheers

[FauxPas]

A few more details here:

 

https://www.eater.com/2018/3/19/17140282/modernist-cuisine-pizza-book

 

You can give them some advice or suggestions here:

http://modernistcuisine.com/books/modernist-pizza/

 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2018 by FauxPas (log)

[paulraphael]

On 3/20/2018 at 2:14 PM, adey73 said:

..................posts been up for 5 hours and no arguments about pizza taxonomy, yet.

 

I hope they don't publish for that reason alone! 

 

Speaking of which ... it looks like they're trying to to make the book(s) encyclopedic. They want to cover every known pizza style. Which makes me wonder (as someone who's happy to throw down in an arcane pizza taxonomy fight) who wants this? Anyone who cares enough about pizza to invest in this tome will know, with absolute certainty, that the only true pizza is the one descibed on pp 2783–3299. The rest is a waste of trees!

[Chris Hennes]

I have to admit I'm disappointed in this decision -- it really feels like the Modernist team just can't abide by the criticism leveled their way regarding their previous two forays into the pizza realm, and the only way they know to combat those critiques is to pummel them into oblivion. At some point I think you've just got to agree to disagree, and walk away from the argument. Especially because they just end up being the same arguments, again and again, about taxonomy. Is is Neapolitan? Who should be allowed to say so? Is it even pizza?  Blah, blah, blah. Comments taken out of context. Straw men set up and torn down. I mean, I'll probably buy the thing: after all, I do love pizza. But I just can't imagine this book convincing anyone of anything. Count me in as a vote for Modernist Pastry. And Modernist Confections. I promise my co-workers (the beneficiaries of the usual spoils) will be very appreciative of such efforts!

[Tri2Cook]

8 hours ago, Chris Hennes said:

Count me in as a vote for Modernist Pastry. And Modernist Confections.

Me too... and preferably both rolled into one. Even if it needs to be a couple books and cost more, that'd be better than it being milked out with a couple years or more between each. It would be the only Modernist (whatever subject) I'd be tempted to purchase. 

[Anna N]

I try my best to imagine the world of pastry and or pastry and confections confined between the covers of a book no matter how many volumes. I think such a project would stretch the resources and even the imagination of the Modernist Team. 

 

But having said that I continue to admire and covet the kind of money, time, resources and talent that allows the team to pursue a goal no matter how esoteric the rest of us might consider it.  

[rotuts]

the MCT does indeed have talent , for sure.

 

and MC Pastry would be very nice to drool over.

 

if you were just to call Pizza flat-bread w various toppings 

 

you might move the discussion on to more interesting things.

Edited March 24, 2018 by rotuts (log)

[paulraphael]

30 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I try my best to imagine the world of pastry and or pastry and confections confined between the covers of a book no matter how many volumes. I think such a project would stretch the resources and even the imagination of the Modernist Team. 

 

They seem to be turining this problem into a business model. There's always another set of specialty volumes to create ...

[DanM]

I can see this as a good addition to the series. Modernist Cuisine and Modernist Bread were epic tomes on their subject. I can see smaller, single subject books added to the series.

 

Bonus points if they cover matzoh pizza.

[gibbs]

This could be interesting I cannot see how they could get another multi volume book on pizza. But I could see this being a Modernist Cuisine at home sized piece which would make abit more sense. As I seen to remember them saying that they weren't going to do a modernist bread at home this time round  

[weinoo]

 

This isn't modernist, it's just one of the Neapolitan pies from Anthony Manieri, at the new Una Pizza Napoletana, on Orchard Street.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2018 by weinoo (log)

[KennethT]

6 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

This isn't modernist, it's just one of the Neapolitan pies from Anthony Manieri, at the new Una Pizza Napoletana, on Orchard Street.

 

 

 

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