7 Best Pizza Cookbook To Level Up Your Pizza Game (2023)
Making pizzas at home can be a stressful and painful adventure. You have to plan everything from the dough to the pizza sauce to the toppings and create a balanced pie.
That’s even before you fire up your oven and face the inevitable, never-ending clean-up!
You’ll want to make perfect pizzas every time and have amazing pizza parties with your friends without the stress.
To reach that goal, I’ve compiled my top 7 picks for the best pizza cookbook that will help you learn everything there is to know about making pizzas like a pro!
What Is The Best Pizza Cookbook?
Here are 7 best pizza cookbooks you can consider buying this year:
- The Pizza Bible
- Mastering Pizza: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pizza, Focaccia, and Calzone
- The Joy of Pizza
- My Pizza: The Easy No-Knead Way to Make Spectacular Pizza at Home
- The Elements of Pizza: Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home
- American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza
- Pizza on the Grill: 100 Feisty Fire-Roasted Recipes For Pizza & More
1. The Pizza Bible
Best OVERall
Overview
This book is a classic in the field of pizza making; it’s an excellent book to start if you’re learning about making pizzas.
The author, Tony Gemignani, is the chef and owner of eight restaurants and has been making pizza for more than two decades. He is knowledgeable about all aspects of pizza making, from the ingredients and equipment to the techniques.
The Pizza Bible’s friendly writing style makes it a pleasure to read, but its wealth of information is what will really make you grateful.
I love how Gemignani covers more than just the “how” of what he does; it also explains why and how those methods came to be. This provides you with better insight into his thought process, which will help give you the confidence to try your own variations or shortcuts.
This book is also about the details. Unlike the typical pizza recipe found on the Internet, which often involves a packet of yeast and punching down a ball of dough after it’s doubled in sizeâThe Pizza Bible offers step-by-step instructions for each style of pizza.
Most pizza dough recipes contain the same essential ingredientsâflour, water, salt, yeastâ yet the way the ingredients are combined will affect how it is made. Therefore, attention to detail matters here; luckily, he has not overlooked this point.
Not only that, the Pizza Bible covers many notable world’s favorite pizza styles. Dozens of styles exist, and the book nails each of its coverageâmy favorites being Detroit-style pizza and fluffy Sicilian pan pizza.
All in all, The Pizza Bible is a must-have for anyone who loves pizza. It’s chock full of exciting facts, techniques, and recipes. The book is beneficial not only for novices looking to make their first pizza but also for the most seasoned pizzaiolos in the kitchen.
2. Mastering Pizza: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pizza, Focaccia, and Calzone
Best OVERall
Overview
More than just recipes, Mastering Pizza is filled with history and gives a broad understanding of ingredients, teaching what, why, and how to use them.
Homemade pizza does not have to be made with expensive ingredients but can also be more flavorful if you use the right ones.
And this book will surely help you make gourmet pizzas at home with the simplest ingredients.
When it comes to a cookbook, the visual is really important because you need to know what you’re looking for, and this book has lots of great drool-inducing pictures of the finished products, as well as photos showing how the steps look at various stages.
The book also includes a chart of flours, with their protein content and gluten strength, while the hydration section explains how to determine the amount of water or other liquids needed in baking recipes.
The recipes in this book are diverse, well laid out, and categorized by dough; the first pizza dough is Naples, followed by Roman, Al Taglio, and Whole grain sourdough.
In short, this book is an excellent addition to any baker’s library. It’s well-written, easy to understand, and full of delicious recipes and knowledge that can be used in making delicious pizza pies at home!
3. The Joy of Pizza
Best OVERall
Overview
Pizza making can be easy if you want to throw on some cheese and pepperoni and call it a day.
But if you want to take your pizza-making skills to the next level, and understand how all the ingredients connect with each other, then a book like The Joy of Pizza is what you need.
The author will explain why different dough recipes have certain steps. He’ll also describe how and when certain ingredients work best in saucesâand what characteristics they should have.
In this book, you will find easy directions with helpful hints for making great pizza either in a wood-fired oven or a regular oven.
There are many good recipes for replacing Neapolitan pizza that are well-structured and clearly written.
It also includes ingredient lists and info on how to pick the best food items, such as tomatoes and cheeses.
However, if you are looking for a book that teaches techniques for making all different types of pizza from scratch using other doughs, this is not the book for you.
The book only covers the styles of pizza the author makes in his restaurant, so there will be no sections on New York or Detroit style.
4. My Pizza: The Easy No-Knead Way to Make Spectacular Pizza at Home
Best OVERall
Overview
If you have been making pizzas for years but the crusts are always too thick, too thin, or not what you want, this book will definitely change your pizza-making game.
In My Pizza, Jim Lahey describes his no-knead approach to pizza doughâa technique practically identical to the one he used to make bread when it made him famous in 2006.
This book breaks many of the rules of pizza making and gives you the power to make your own dough in just 5 minutes.
Although you must let the dough rise at room temperature for at least 18 hours, it takes minimal effort and produces wonderful results.
Also, his suggestions for pizza toppings are spot-on and very easy to implement.
For each pizza recipe, he also provides commentary about the development processâwhat inspired him to create it and how he came up with certain ingredients.
In addition to the recipes for pizzas, there are also excellent recipes for soups, salads, and desserts and a whole section on “toasts” and spreads that can be createdâa unique touch!
The photos in My Pizza are gorgeous and mouth-watering. Each page will make me want to cook or eat right away.
In summary, whether you’re trying to perfect your pizza-making skills or are just looking for a new pizza recipe book, My Pizza by Jim Lahey is sure not to disappoint.
The pizza recipes are a delightful departure from traditional pizza fare, and the bonus recipes for salads, soups, and other courses add variety to your meal planning.
5. The Elements of Pizza: Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home
Best OVERall
Overview
This is a book for those who don’t just want to make a decent pizza at home but want to understand the ins and outs of pizza dough and all the different things you can adjust to achieve the results you want.
It walks you through step-by-step of the pizza-making process using precise measurements, and tells you what kind of tools and type of ingredients to make a perfect pizza.
By reading the book cover-by-cover, you can learn much more about flour, different types of cheese, and tomatoes.
The book offers far more than a collection of recipesâit’s like an encyclopedia with the first five chapters on the history of pizza, stories about Italian pizzamakers, and explanations of various styles and ingredients.
It’s a valuable resource for anyone trying to figure out how much protein is in their flour. All this information is presented in a clear, well-organized, beginner-friendly way.
In the second half of this class, you will have an opportunity to practice what you’ve learned and decide which pizzas appeal to you with a variety of dough and sauce recipes.
The first dough recipe, Saturday Pizza Dough, is a great base to work from. However, you can also use any other recipes as starting points for your creations.
After the dough and sauce recipes are specific pizza recipes, you will be able to create your own pizza creations out of the most appealing ingredients.
The recipes in this class are simple and delicious, and they will help you create a perfect pizza every time.
6. American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza
Best OVERall
Overview
Peter Reinhart, a baking instructor, had a longstanding interest in traveling around the world and studying the art and types of pizza.
Ultimately, he condensed his findings into American Pie; this book takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of pizza culture in cities across America, from Philadelphia to Texas, to NYC, to New Haven, to Italy, to California, to Chicago, etc.
In American Pie, he provides the reader with a basic dough recipe covering each of the major types of pizza: Roman, Napoletana, New York-Style, Pizza Americana, Neo-Neapolitan, San Francisco Sourdough Style, Grilled Pizza dough, as well as Chicago Deep-Dish and Sardinian,…
He also covers some basic tips for sauce, cheese, and toppings, as well as philosophical guidelines to help achieve balance in a given recipe.
The main focus of this book is on making and handling dough, followed by baking methods.
The book also offers a primer to home pizza making for those who want to learn the fundamentals of creating pizzas, whether they are made in a pan or on top of a stone.
In short, American Pie is a great introductory book for those who want to learn different styles of pizza making, as well as the basic techniques involved in creating a perfectly baked pizza.
It’s also a good reference book for those who are already familiar with the basics of home pizza making and want to learn more about different styles of pizza (deep dish, thin crust, etc.)
7. Pizza on the Grill: 100 Feisty Fire-Roasted Recipes For Pizza & More
Best OVERall
Overview
If you are bored with making your pizza in a regular oven and want something new and exciting, then you should definitely do so on your grill, as this will give you a nice smoky flavor to your pizza and make it much more enjoyable.
But cooking pizza over a grill is tricky and requires advanced techniques to avoid moisture between the dough and the ingredients.
You have to figure out whether you should cook the dough before putting toppings on or how to get the dough cooked through without burning everything else.
But with Pizza On The Grill, you will have all the tips and tricks you need to make pizza on your grill perfect every time.
The book is written by Bob Blumer, who is the creator and host of the television series Surreal Gourmet and Glutton for Punishment; he has also written extensively about what works and what doesn’t in food writing.
The book offers excellent guidance and suggestions for different recipes to try. Each recipe comes with drink pairings, cool substitutionsâand even side notes.
The recipes also have very clear and well-explained illustrations and instructions, so you can be sure you’re doing it right. You won’t have trouble following this book, even if you are a beginner.
In addition to offering fantastic recipes, this book gives you a lot of help with making the dough and basic baking techniques.
There are additional suggestions for grilled side dishes and various grilled items in salads, which is fun.
Overall, Pizza on the Grill is an excellent book for anyone who loves pizza, grilling, or both. It’s perfect for summertime and makes the perfect barbecue companion!
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a beginning cook looking to impress the family or a pizza fanatic hungry for more adventurous recipes, these books have a little bit of something for everyone.
They are all skillfully written with great appeal for home cooks, and I hope you find them both helpful and delicious.
I hope you enjoy these pizza books and find them helpful in your quest for better pizza.