The best books about pizza

14 authors have picked their favorite books about pizza and why they recommend each book.

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Flour Water Salt Yeast

By Ken Forkish,

Book cover of Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza

If you want to delve deep and learn the hows and whys of pizza and bread making, this book has everything you’re looking for. Forkish is one of the great sages of breadmaking, and having this book on your shelf is like having a grand master at the ready.

Flour Water Salt Yeast

By Ken Forkish,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Flour Water Salt Yeast as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Portland's most acclaimed and beloved baker comes this must-have baking guide, featuring recipes for world-class breads and pizzas and a variety of schedules suited for the home baker.

There are few things more satisfying than biting into a freshly made, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-and-supple-on-the-inside slice of perfectly baked bread. For Portland-based baker Ken Forkish, well-made bread is more than just a pleasure—it is a passion that has led him to create some of the best and most critically lauded breads and pizzas in the country.

In Flour Water Salt Yeast, Forkish translates his obsessively honed craft…


Who am I?

I am a cookbook author, editor, local food enthusiast, and the creator of the blog Thursday Night Pizza, where I share weekly recipes and de-snobbify the process of from-scratch pizza for home cooks of all skill levels. When I’m not in the kitchen or behind my computer, I enjoy gardening, working on house projects, tending to my Little Free Library, and roaming my city of Philadelphia with my husband and son.


I wrote...

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook

By Peggy Paul Casella,

Book cover of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook

What is my book about?

Straight out of the sewers and right into the kitchen, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' favorite pizzas are finally yours to create and enjoy! Join Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo on a seriously ooey, gooey, cheesy adventure inspired by the beloved original cartoon series.

This cookbook contains sixty-five righteous recipes, from old-school classics such as the New York Style Pepperoni to newfangled feasts such as the Lean, Mean, and Green and Shredder's Revenge. There's a pizza for every occasion — breakfast pizzas, mini-pizzas, party pizzas, and even dessert pizzas.

My Pizza

By Jim Lahey, Rick Flaste,

Book cover of My Pizza: The Easy No-Knead Way to Make Spectacular Pizza at Home

Lahey is another pizza sage I refer to often. His no-knead pizza dough is a revelation, and his composed pizza recipes are at once simple and mind blowing.

My Pizza

By Jim Lahey, Rick Flaste,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked My Pizza as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Make homemade pizza that exceeds your wildest expectations—yet couldn’t be simpler—with Jim Lahey’s groundbreaking no-knead dough and inventive toppings.
 
Jim Lahey, the baking genius behind New York City’s celebrated Sullivan Street Bakery and Co. pizza restaurant, has developed a brilliant recipe that requires no kneading and produces an irresistible crust in any home oven—gas or electric—in fewer than five minutes. The secret to incredible pizza is a superb crust—one that is crisp yet chewy, and slightly charred around the edges. My Pizza shares this revolutionary technique and the creative pies that put Co. on the map, as well as recipes…


Who am I?

I am a cookbook author, editor, local food enthusiast, and the creator of the blog Thursday Night Pizza, where I share weekly recipes and de-snobbify the process of from-scratch pizza for home cooks of all skill levels. When I’m not in the kitchen or behind my computer, I enjoy gardening, working on house projects, tending to my Little Free Library, and roaming my city of Philadelphia with my husband and son.


I wrote...

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook

By Peggy Paul Casella,

Book cover of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook

What is my book about?

Straight out of the sewers and right into the kitchen, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' favorite pizzas are finally yours to create and enjoy! Join Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo on a seriously ooey, gooey, cheesy adventure inspired by the beloved original cartoon series.

This cookbook contains sixty-five righteous recipes, from old-school classics such as the New York Style Pepperoni to newfangled feasts such as the Lean, Mean, and Green and Shredder's Revenge. There's a pizza for every occasion — breakfast pizzas, mini-pizzas, party pizzas, and even dessert pizzas.

The Flavor Bible

By Andrew Dornenburg, Karen Page,

Book cover of The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs

Once you master a good pizza dough recipe, the next step is experimenting with different combinations of toppings. Whenever I need some pairing inspiration for seasonal produce or meats or a special type of cheese, this is the first book I reach for. 

The Flavor Bible

By Andrew Dornenburg, Karen Page,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Flavor Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Great cooking goes beyond following a recipe--it's knowing how to season ingredients to coax the greatest possible flavor from them. Drawing on dozens of leading chefs' combined experience in top restaurants across the country, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg present the definitive guide to creating "deliciousness" in any dish.

Thousands of ingredient entries, organized alphabetically and cross-referenced, provide a treasure trove of spectacular flavor combinations. Readers will learn to work more intuitively and effectively with ingredients; experiment with temperature and texture; excite the nose and palate with herbs, spices, and other seasonings; and balance the sensual, emotional, and spiritual elements…


Who am I?

I am a cookbook author, editor, local food enthusiast, and the creator of the blog Thursday Night Pizza, where I share weekly recipes and de-snobbify the process of from-scratch pizza for home cooks of all skill levels. When I’m not in the kitchen or behind my computer, I enjoy gardening, working on house projects, tending to my Little Free Library, and roaming my city of Philadelphia with my husband and son.


I wrote...

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook

By Peggy Paul Casella,

Book cover of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook

What is my book about?

Straight out of the sewers and right into the kitchen, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' favorite pizzas are finally yours to create and enjoy! Join Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo on a seriously ooey, gooey, cheesy adventure inspired by the beloved original cartoon series.

This cookbook contains sixty-five righteous recipes, from old-school classics such as the New York Style Pepperoni to newfangled feasts such as the Lean, Mean, and Green and Shredder's Revenge. There's a pizza for every occasion — breakfast pizzas, mini-pizzas, party pizzas, and even dessert pizzas.

Pizza and Taco

By Stephen Shaskan,

Book cover of Pizza and Taco: Best Party Ever!

Best buddies Pizza and Taco start out bored, but this book is anything boring! After several goofy ideas fail, the friends come up with a great one: throw a party! Of course, their plans go awry, including the sign mistakenly announcing a "Farty" instead of a "Party".  After reading this book, kids may not be able to look at a slice or a taco again without laughing.

Pizza and Taco

By Stephen Shaskan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pizza and Taco as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The second in a hilarious young graphic novel series about Pizza and Taco. This time around Pizza and Taco are bored, so they decide to throw an awesome party! What could possibly go wrong?

Pizza and Taco have the oh-so-relatable problem of not knowing what to do when boredom strikes. The answer? Throw a party! They have a location, a guest list, and decorations. Everything is perfect . . . until it isn't. In fact, it's kind of a DISASTER! Ice Cream has a meltdown, and who knew Hamburger was lactose intolerant? (Who invited Cheeseburger anyway?) Well, now they know…


Who am I?

I landed my dream job teaching kindergarten in a Brooklyn public school, but it soon ended thanks to citywide budget cuts.  Wanting to continue connecting with children, I made my way into children's book publishing first as an editor, later as a writer.  I've now written over 100 books including Dinner at the Panda Palace (PBS StoryTime book); May I Pet Your Dog? (Horn Book Fanfare); Dozens of Dachshunds (Scholastic Book Club selection); the Our Principal series (S&S Quix books); and The Adventures of Allie and Amy series, written with Magic School Bus author Joanna Cole. I found my new dream job teaching, entertaining, and encouraging children through books.


I wrote...

Our Principal Is a Frog!

By Stephanie Calmenson, Aaron Blecha (illustrator),

Book cover of Our Principal Is a Frog!

What is my book about?

In this funny, easy-to-read chapter book, bumbling magician Marty Q. Marvel accidentally turns Principal Bundy into a frog and can't undo his spell! Having a slimy, croaking amphibian for a principal becomes challenging for the kids at PS 88. He plays leapfrog in the gym, swims in the sink, and eats a student's homework. (It was a bug collection.) This laugh-out-loud story turns The Frog Prince on its little green head.

Each of the eight books in the "Our Principal," series is based on a folk tale and has short chapters, well-sized type, a word list, questions, and b&w cartoon-style illustrations. The books are part of the QUIX series designed to encourage emerging readers.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

By Samin Nosrat,

Book cover of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

I’ll admit I first picked up this book because it was adorable, with its cartoonish drawings. But after trying out a couple of recipes, I was hooked. The book’s title references the building blocks of any successful dish, and the theme throughout elaborates on these principles so that you’ll become a better cook with every section you read or recipe you prepare. The recipes don’t even begin til halfway through the book: The first part devotes a section each to the titular elements with instruction told through the filter of Nosrat’s life stories and experience—a treat for anyone who loves to sit with a cookbook and read it cover to cover. Then come the recipes, and these have a decidedly exotic twist thanks to Nosrat’s Iranian background and adventurous spirit. I haven’t prepared anything from this book that isn’t a flavor bomb, even something as simple as Persian-ish Rice or…

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

By Samin Nosrat,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now a major Netflix documentary
A Sunday Times Food Book of the Year and a New York Times bestseller
Winner of the Fortnum & Mason Best Debut Food Book 2018

While cooking at Chez Panisse at the start of her career, Samin Nosrat noticed that amid the chaos of the kitchen there were four key principles that her fellow chefs would always fall back on to make their food better: Salt, Fat, Acid and Heat.

By mastering these four variables, Samin found the confidence to trust her instincts in the kitchen and cook delicious meals with any ingredients. And with…


Who am I?

As the author of nine cookbooks, I strive to help readers master new skills and to become more comfortable in the kitchen. I’m constantly reading other cookbooks to keep my fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in the food world, as well as to improve my own culinary prowess. It’s been nearly 20 years since I graduated from culinary school, and I love that I can open a book to refresh a forgotten skill, learn a new one, or delve into the “why” behind cooking’s biggest questions. These books have kept me entertained and intrigued, not to mention well-fed. I hope they do the same for you! 


I wrote...

Homemade Condiments

By Jessica Harlan,

Book cover of Homemade Condiments

What is my book about?

Why reach for store-bought condiments when you can make your own? Learn how to use fresh, natural ingredients to make ketchups, sauces, relishes, jams, and flavored oils and vinegars. Homemade Condiments offers simple, tried-and-true recipes to make a wide range of delicious toppings and condiments that will take your cooking to the next level. Recipes range from quintessential preparations like Peanut Butter, Classic Vinaigrette, and Dill Pickles, to more unusual options, like Southwestern Tomatillo Ketchup, Avocado Goddess Dressing, and Tropical Pineapple-Cashew Compoete. With beautiful hand-drawn illustrations as well as inspiring photographs, this book is a lovely addition to any cookbook collection, or a welcome gift for any cook seeking to expand their culinary horizons. 

Six Seasons

By Martha Holmberg, Joshua McFadden,

Book cover of Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables

Not only is this book a beauty, but it’s also a great way to discover new pairings for your favorite seasonal pizza toppings. Many of my favorite pizza recipes have been adapted from combinations of ingredients found in recipes for salads, casseroles, fancy meals, sandwiches, and more. If you’re a farmers’ market fiend and a homemade pizzamaker, you need more books like this one.

Six Seasons

By Martha Holmberg, Joshua McFadden,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Six Seasons as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Six seasons - each with its own character. The first vegetables of spring are all about tenderness and new growth. We've been eating sturdy winter fare for so long that slender, tender, and delicate is exactly what we need ...a ripe juicy tomato would feel too much, too soon. Early summer steps up that game a bit - the flavours aren't yet intense, but the fresh and green notes are deeper and all is livelier. Midsummer starts the flavour riot - more variety, more colours and textures. Late summer is the lush period - the richest colours, most vibrant flavours,…


Who am I?

I am a cookbook author, editor, local food enthusiast, and the creator of the blog Thursday Night Pizza, where I share weekly recipes and de-snobbify the process of from-scratch pizza for home cooks of all skill levels. When I’m not in the kitchen or behind my computer, I enjoy gardening, working on house projects, tending to my Little Free Library, and roaming my city of Philadelphia with my husband and son.


I wrote...

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook

By Peggy Paul Casella,

Book cover of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook

What is my book about?

Straight out of the sewers and right into the kitchen, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' favorite pizzas are finally yours to create and enjoy! Join Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo on a seriously ooey, gooey, cheesy adventure inspired by the beloved original cartoon series.

This cookbook contains sixty-five righteous recipes, from old-school classics such as the New York Style Pepperoni to newfangled feasts such as the Lean, Mean, and Green and Shredder's Revenge. There's a pizza for every occasion — breakfast pizzas, mini-pizzas, party pizzas, and even dessert pizzas.

The Essential Vegan Travel Guide

By Caitlin Galer-Unti,

Book cover of The Essential Vegan Travel Guide

This guide is full of practical tips for traveling as a vegan, including how to plan and organize your trip, how to get insider help and advice from vegan locals in your destination, and even how to engage in vegan activism or volunteer work while traveling. 

The author is a keen world traveler who became vegan back in 2008, so she draws on lots of personal experience and also shares some funny personal stories so you can learn from her mistakes!

The Essential Vegan Travel Guide

By Caitlin Galer-Unti,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Essential Vegan Travel Guide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

After a day of sightseeing, you are in no mood to pick pepperoni off your pizza or nibble on undressed lettuce leaves. “The Essential Vegan Travel Guide” is here to ensure that your vacation is filled with good times and good food. Stop stressing, because the only thing you should be worrying about on holiday is whether red or white pairs better with your seitan piccata!Ever wondered "where can I find vegan food near me?" Or do you want to know where a vegan, vegetarian or healthy eater can eat, no matter where you travel?This step-by-step travel guide shows you…


Who am I?

I’ve been living a semi-nomadic lifestyle and traveling the globe for all my adult life, and travel has truly shaped who I am. In 2014, when I learned about the many advantages of a vegan lifestyle for my health, the planet, and the animals, I felt compelled to make the change. There was one thing holding me back, though, which was the fear that being vegan would ruin travel. Fortunately, I gave it a trial run anyway during a three-week trip to Greece and discovered that being vegan actually made traveling even more fun! Ever since, I’ve been sharing my global vegan discoveries on my website, the Nomadic Vegan.


I wrote...

Veggie Planet: Uncover the Vegan Treasures Hiding in Your Favorite World Cuisines

By Wendy Werneth,

Book cover of Veggie Planet: Uncover the Vegan Treasures Hiding in Your Favorite World Cuisines

What is my book about?

Discover the many plant-based dishes that are hiding in plain sight in the world’s best-loved cuisines. Intrepid globetrotter and vegan travel expert Wendy Werneth has explored 117 countries on 7 continents, sampling countless local specialties along the way. In Veggie Planet, she highlights the many naturally vegan dishes in 11 of the world's most famous cuisines and shows you just how vegan-friendly they really are. 

But Veggie Planet is more than just an international travel guide for people interested in the vegan lifestyle. Since the cuisines it describes are widely available (think Chinese, Italian, Indian, etc.), Veggie Planet is a godsend not only for when you’re traveling but also for when you want to enjoy a delicious vegan meal while eating out, even in your own hometown.

Thai Home Cooking from Kamolmal's Kitchen

By William Crawford, Kamolmal Pootaraksa,

Book cover of Thai Home Cooking from Kamolmal's Kitchen

Written 35 years ago by a UCLA professor and a Bangkok-born female chef who owned a highly lauded restaurant near LA, this photo-less book explains Thai cuisine well, as well as the culture of food in Thailand, and its recipes never miss the mark and generally are short. This book is in no small part responsible for the success of Veggie Planet, a pizza restaurant I owned in Harvard Square, Cambridge, for 6 years. One of the most popular pizzas was called “Red Curry” pizza and was layered with coconut rice, broccoli, pan-fried tofu, and this book’s Red Curry Peanut Sauce. Never again will you use a curry sauce from a can. It’s been through 9 printings, and you’ll have to buy a used copy.

Thai Home Cooking from Kamolmal's Kitchen

By William Crawford, Kamolmal Pootaraksa,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thai Home Cooking from Kamolmal's Kitchen as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rich, unusual flavors and hot and spicy combinations have made Thai cooking the newest exotic cuisine that is sweeping the country. Now 157 classic dishes from the authentic Thai restaurant Kamolmal have been collected and re-created into easy-to-follow recipes for American cooks.


Who am I?

Thirty-two years ago, I got my start as a chef by cooking in a shoebox cafe in Boston that played with curious Asian ingredients. Ten years later, after using lots of Asian cookbooks, I was incorporating Thai and Vietnamese cooking into my menus at the restaurant I was running. A few years after that, I opened and ran a Vietnamese restaurant in Cambridge (unfortunately, after major success, it burned down after a year). After this, the tourism board of Malaysia sent me on a four-week trip to write about the street food for FoodArts magazine. It is these experiences that greatly influenced my interest in Southeast Asian cooking.


I wrote...

Vegetarian Planet

By Didi Emmons,

Book cover of Vegetarian Planet

What is my book about?

All the best flavors from all the Earth come to life in a soulful celebration of tasty and inventive food. From Didi Emmons, a terrific young cook who combines a passion for culinary adventure with a love for the honest pleasures of home cooking, these 350 recipes - with more than 150 main dishes - spell an end to boring and bland meatless meals. Full of farm-fresh produce ripe for the eating, hearty grains that warm the soul, and a whole world of new spices and flavors, they promise boundless pleasures for the everyday table.

Kid's Guide to Life with Food Allergies

By Kai Rel Brown, Karl Juridico (illustrator),

Book cover of Kid's Guide to Life with Food Allergies

There are times when having food allergies causes you to feel different. Left out. Why wouldn’t it? Your friends are happily eating pizza, cookies, and PB&J sandwiches and you can’t. So when you hear about other kids with food allergies living their best life, it can make you feel less alone. Kai is himself a food-allergic kid, and he wrote this book for children and their families to help them understand their allergies a little better and start the process of taking care of their condition. A good companion to other tools you might give a child with food allergies. 

Kid's Guide to Life with Food Allergies

By Kai Rel Brown, Karl Juridico (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kid's Guide to Life with Food Allergies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Kid's Guide to Life with Food Allergies is for kids and parents alike. It discusses some of the challenges living with food allergies from a kid's perspective. Providing ample educational information on how to navigate life with food allergies, this book helps kids and parents realized they're not alone in their challenges and mistakes. Kids can understand why their bodies are freaking out, and better equip themselves to deal with social situations as well. We truly believe this book will spread awareness and education and hopefully keep people safer that deal with food allergies.


Who am I?

I’m a kidlit author myself. I’ve written two middle-grade novels, one of which is all about having a food allergy, but my interest in food allergies is all due to my first kid. Amelia was born with multiple allergies to common ingredients like eggs and dairy. At first it was hard! Figuring out how to cook for her at home and keep her safe when she was in school or at a friend’s house felt daunting and frightening, so we turned to books for advice, recipes, and education for the entire family. Even if your reader isn’t the one with allergies, they’ve no doubt got a classmate or family member who does. 


I wrote...

My Year of Epic Rock

By Andrea Pyros,

Book cover of My Year of Epic Rock

What is my book about?

A funny, relatable tale about friendship, first crushes, and...anaphylactic shock? When Nina's BFF ditches her on the first day of 7th grade, Nina is banished to the peanut-free table where she forms a band with the other allergic kids called The EpiPens. A rollicking debut from journalist Andrea Pyros, whose spot-on tween voice rings with authenticity.

By a Thread

By Lucy Score,

Book cover of By a Thread

I said I was a sucker for the protective Hero and this is just another shining example except that this time, the protective Hero is also the grumpy boss! This is the classic story of Grumpy guy gets girl fired from her job only to have her start working for his family’s business. The pair hate each other, but they each have internal personal struggles and when those start coming to light, their relationship shifts into an angsty, compassionate, protective, steamy love that I can’t ever stop reading! All the feels with this one!

By a Thread

By Lucy Score,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked By a Thread as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Things We Never Got Over

Dominic was staring at me like he couldn’t decide whether he loathed me or wanted to French kiss me.

Dominic

I got her fired. Okay, so I’d had a bad day and took it out on a bystander in a pizza shop. But there’s nothing demure about Ally Morales. She proves that her first day of her new job…which just happens to be in my office….And I can’t fire her, because it’s my mother the CEO who hired her…technically, Ally doesn’t work for me,…


Who am I?

I like a good steamy emotional romance just like any other romance reader, but there’s nothing I love more than reading a romance that can make me laugh so hard I cry and then turn around and have a storyline with an unexpected twist that stomps on my heart a little before putting it all back together. Romantic comedies can be crazy and convoluted but I appreciate the fun release a good rom-com can deliver. That’s what I strive to provide through my rom coms as well. Relatable characters experiencing crazy life moments while finding their happily-ever-afters. 


I wrote...

Smooch

By Susan Renee,

Book cover of Smooch

What is my book about?

One Night. No Names. No Rules. Just Fun. This was my attempt to escape love, but Chett Hayes, my very talented one-night-stand, has other plans. He makes me a deal my friends won’t let me refuse.

Four blind dates - each one followed by a date with Chett. Choose him in the end and win my happily ever after, or don’t and continue my happy single life, never seeing Chett again. Rules are set. Lines are drawn, but when those lines are crossed, the playing field becomes blurry. Chett is adamant this is a deal he can’t lose. And I’m terrified he might win.

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