Recipes
The recipes and the technique behind them, for restaurant kitchens and trucks alike.
Neapolitan pizza dough: the AVPN recipe in ounces and °F
The official AVPN specification in US units, what it means as bakers’ percentages, which flour to buy, and what goes wrong without an 850 °F oven.
October 21, 20268 min readPizza sauce recipe: why the best pizza sauce is not cooked
Canned whole peeled tomatoes, salt, basil. Why cooking it first makes pizza taste of the can, and how many ounces of sauce go on a 12" or 16" pie.
October 21, 20265 min readStraight dough, poolish or biga: which to choose
What each pizza dough method actually buys you, what it costs in planning, and how to choose from the problem you have rather than the trend.
October 21, 20267 min readGluten-free pizza dough for a pizzeria
A working gluten-free crust at 85% hydration, why there is no kneading, and the cross-contact question to answer before you put it on the menu.
October 21, 20267 min readWood-fired vs electric pizza oven: what actually changes
Floor temperature, recovery under load, hood and power, and the honest answer about how much of the flavor really comes from the wood.
October 21, 20267 min readPizza dough for a food truck: hydration, cold ferment, loading
Lower hydration, a 48-hour cold ferment at 38–41 °F and how to load for a day you cannot predict — plus the reach-in problem nobody mentions.
October 21, 20266 min readDough ball weight by pizza size: 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 inch
6.3 oz for a 10", 9 oz for a 12", 16 oz for a 16": dough ball weights by pizza size, the thickness-factor formula and weights for sheet and Detroit pans.
October 21, 20265 min readPizza dough problems: sticky, tearing, spreading, pale crust
Sticky dough, pizza stuck to the peel, dough balls spreading in a 41 °F cooler: 10 symptoms, their causes and the one fix to try first.
October 21, 20266 min readPizza dough hydration: what % for your flour and oven
58–62% beats 70% in a pizzeria: the right hydration for all-purpose, bread or high-gluten flour, your ferment time and a 550–650 °F deck oven.
October 21, 20266 min readNeapolitan vs Roman pizza: dough, oven and bake compared
Neapolitan bakes in 90 seconds at 850 °F, Roman tonda crisps in 3 minutes at 600 °F: dough, oil, oven, delivery, and which style suits your pizzeria.
October 21, 20265 min readPizza al taglio: Roman pan pizza dough, sheet pans and lunch sales
2–2¼ lb of dough per half sheet, 75–85% hydration, a two-step bake at 525–550 °F, and how to sell slices fast at a US lunch counter.
October 21, 20265 min readHow much yeast for pizza dough? Doses for 8 to 72 hours
Instant or cake yeast as a % of flour for 8, 24, 48 and 72-hour ferments, room or cold: one table, teaspoons per 10 lb, conversions and dough temperature.
October 21, 20266 min readBest cheese for pizza: low-moisture mozzarella, provolone or fresh
Which cheese suits your oven: whole-milk vs part-skim low-moisture mozzarella, provolone and cheddar blends, draining fresh mozzarella, and cost per pie.
October 21, 20265 min readStoring pizza dough balls: cooler times, dough boxes and freezing
Lidded dough boxes, 37–39 °F, 24–72 hours depending on yeast, 1.5–4 hours out before stretching, and when freezing is worth it: a dough ball protocol.
October 21, 20267 min readBest flour for pizza: 00, bread flour or high-gluten?
00 vs American bread and high-gluten flour, the protein or W for 24, 48 or 72-hour dough, malted flour for deck ovens and what “enriched” changes.
October 21, 20266 min readPizza topping portions: how much cheese on a 12 inch pizza
Portion control chart from 10" to 18": ounces of sauce, cheese, pepperoni and sausage per size, the scaling rule, and why ¾ oz extra costs $1,900 a year.
October 21, 20266 min read