How to Read and Execute Pizza Czar
While Anthony Falco’s cookbook bibliography consists of a single, highly detailed masterwork, Pizza Czar: Recipes and Know-How from a World-Traveling Pizza Chef (2021), the book is structured less like a standard recipe collection and more like an educational curriculum. To get the most out of it, you should not simply flip to a random recipe page. Instead, follow a deliberate reading path to master the foundational mechanics of fermentation, heat transference, and dough handling.
Step 1: The Foundations and Equipment
Before mixing any flour or water, start by reading the introductory chapters on tools and history. Falco explains the science behind using a baking steel versus a traditional pizza stone, and why understanding your home oven's specific hot spots is crucial. This section sets the stage for the temperature control required in later recipes.
Step 2: Mastering the Dough
The core of the book is its extensive dough directory, which features 12 distinct dough types. Begin with the quick, same-day doughs if you are a beginner. Once comfortable, progress to the 48-hour fermented doughs and sourdough-based variations. Reading this section in order helps you understand how fermentation times alter gluten structure and flavor profiles.
Step 3: Sauces and the 'Tomato Flavor Bomb'
Once your dough skills are set, move on to the sauce and topping chapters. Falco teaches how to construct base sauces—such as the robust Spicy Grandma Sauce and his signature Tomato Flavor Bomb—before pairing them with complex toppings. This sequence ensures you understand how to balance acidity, moisture, and fat on a pie.
Key Pizza Styles Covered
Falco uses his experience as the former head pizza chef at Roberta’s in Brooklyn and his travels as an international consultant to present multiple regional and international styles. Key styles you will learn to make include:
- Grandma Pie: A thin, square pan pizza baked in olive-oil-slicked metal pans, featuring layers of cheese covered in stripes of robust tomato sauce.
- Sicilian Pizza: A thick, airy, and pillowy square pie that relies on a high-hydration dough and double-proofing in the pan.
- Pan Pizza: Deep-dish style pizzas that leverage crispy cheese edges and a crunchy, fried crust bottom.
- Thin & Crispy: A style that focuses on low hydration and rolling techniques to achieve a crackly, structural base.
- Global Fusion Pies: Riffs on local ingredients inspired by Falco's consulting trips, including elements of Brazilian pizza and unique flavor pairings.
Critical Errata and Recipe Corrections
When cooking from the first print editions of Pizza Czar, there are some major printing errors that readers must be aware of to avoid ruined dough or confusing steps. The publisher, Abrams, has acknowledged the following corrections:
- Thin & Crispy Dough (Page 57): The ingredient list incorrectly states the quantity for extra-virgin olive oil. The correct measurement is 80 grams (8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup), not 5 3/4 cups. Adding the printed amount will result in an unusable liquid mess.
- Garlic, Caramelized Onion, Anchovy, and Breadcrumb Sicilian Pizza (Page 124): In the ingredient list and steps, there are missing instructions. Step 3 should begin with: "Evenly top the pizza with the anchovies and garlic."
- Missing Step (Page 124): Following Step 4, the baking instructions were omitted. The missing step is: "Bake the pizza in its pan directly on the pizza stone for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has begun to brown."
What to Know Before You Start
Many of Falco's recipes call for a sourdough starter. If you do not have one active, the publisher suggests substituting a commercial yeast pre-ferment (like a poolish or biga) in the exact same weight quantity to achieve similar results. Additionally, investing in a high-quality kitchen scale is non-negotiable; Falco lists ingredients in grams to ensure accuracy, which is vital for maintaining proper hydration percentages in various climates.