American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza by Peter Reinhart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As a cookbook this one is fascinating. It will not be a huge surprise to those who have read Reinhart’s other bread books, but the first half of the book is entirely prose. Reinhart takes us on a journey through America to Italy and back as he explores the types of pizzas. This is not just self-indulgence and it doesn’t just help the reader believe that Reinhart knows what he’s talking about. It also serves to educate us on the origins of pizza and to understand that the pizzas we may have grown up eating are not the only way for pizza to be.

That said, unlike The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, Everyday Artisan Breads, or his whole wheat bread book, you can skip this first half if you wish and not have any issues cooking the pizzas. The intro is not about the science of pizza (in the way that those other books use the first chunk to not only talk about Reinhart’s bread journey, but also talk about the science of bread baking), so it’s wholly extra.

I have not yet made the pizzas from this book, but I have made pizzas from Reinhart’s Pan Pizza book and those have been incredibly tasty. I look forward to making these as well.



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