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My Pizza: The Easy No-Knead Way to Make Spectacular Pizza at Home: A Cookbook

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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 for salads, soups, and desserts to make a meal complete.            The pizzas in this book aren’t your usual, run-of-the-mill pies. In fact, Jim’s unique topping pairings—such as Corn and Tomato, Coppa and Fennel, and Potato and Leek—reinvigorate this American favorite. His whimsy is apparent in his Pepperoni Pie, which doesn’t include the cured meat we have all come to expect; instead, riffing on “pepperoni” as the Italian plural for “pepper,” Jim offers a pie with red pepper puree, ground lamb, and pecorino cheese. To round out dinner, My Pizza also has recipes for starters and side salads—such as Cannellini Bean Toast, Pea Soup, and Bibb and Roasted Squash Salad—and sweet finishes, from Milk Chocolate Sundae to Banoffee Pie.            With gorgeous color photographs and helpful tips on equipment and techniques, My Pizza unlocks the secrets of great, easy pizza for home cooks everywhere.

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

214 people are currently reading
431 people want to read

About the author

Jim Lahey

6 books12 followers
Jim Lahey, the owner of Sullivan St Bakery, originally planned to spend his life as a sculptor. His passion for art and natural beauty took him to Italy, where he found a new medium for that sculptor's urge: bread. Inspired by the bakers of Tuscany and Rome, he returned to New York City determined that the "peasant" bread of the Italian countryside could find a home in America.

In 1994, he started Sullivan St Bakery in Soho, with little more than the wild yeast he cultivated by hand in Italy, and a passion for bringing the exquisite, handcrafted breads of Italy to the American table.

In October 2000, the new headquarters for Sullivan St Bakery was opened on West 47th Street in Hell's Kitchen. As its reputation spread, the bakery grew into a destination for not just bread but also savory Roman-style pizzas, rustic Italian pastries and cookies..

Today, over 340 of New York's finest restaurants and markets, such as Jean Georges, The Four Seasons, Gramercy Tavern, Marea, Zabar's and WholeFoods are showcases for the bakery's remarkable bread. Visitors to the bakery's new home in Hell's Kitchen come from everywhere to try Jim Lahey's latest creations, including multigrain breads, seasonal tarts and pastries, and mouthwatering sandwiches.

Jim Lahey's simple, rustic bread has hit on something important: Bread is more than bread. It reaches all the way from the belly to the soul. In November of 2006, Lahey's no-knead method drew the attention of "The Minimalist" columnist Mark Bittman. His articles about it in the New York Times sparked a worldwide home baking revolution.

Several times a year Lahey invites the public to his "Master Classes for the Home Baker." The incredible success of these hands-on courses about pizza, focaccia and the "perfect loaf" soon led to the formation of The University of Bread at Sullivan St Bakery where he mentors apprentice bakers who hope to open their own bakeries around the world.

The past year has been eventful for Jim. His book, MY BREAD - inspired by those Bittman articles- has been published to great reviews, and he has opened up his first restaurant, Co. (230 9th Avenue at 24th Street in Manhattan). The name is short for Company, a word whose Latin roots refer to the phrase "with bread," of course.

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5 stars
162 (37%)
4 stars
164 (37%)
3 stars
81 (18%)
2 stars
21 (4%)
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4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
Profile Image for Jennifer Rinehart.
Author 1 book13 followers
December 17, 2011
I made Jim Lahey's pizza dough and my quest for perfect pizza dough has now ended. Just a little recap of the events that lead up to this quest. The setting, Tuscon, 2004, an ugly kitchen and a pile of pepperoni. I'd finally mastered the art of yeast dough, thanks to a recipe from the Bread Bible and I thought, 'pizza will be so eeeeasy!' and it was.

The basic ingredients were the same (let's be real here, the basic ingredients for most yeast doughs are the same) water, salt, yeast and flour. I mixed them all, set the dough in the hottest place in my apartment (anywhere, it was Tuscon in June) and waited. While I waited I carefully shredded fontina, sliced mushrooms and stirred my homemade marinara sauce (recipe courtesy of Batali).

But the pizza was meh.

Mostly because of the dough. It wasn't right, too crispy, too soft, too hard, too salty, not chewy enough.

So I tried another recipe and then another. Over the years we ate a lot of pizza. I'd become obsessed. I tried spelt flour, rye, organic honey, natural yeast made from organic grapes and wheat bread flour. I added wine, kosher salt, black salt and bought a pizza stone. I dusted the baking stone with cornmeal and flour.

My husband and son became concerned, they begged me to stop, 'think about your health, honey, all this cheese it's not good for you! Let's eat burgers instead, please, mom!'

Sometimes I could stop, weeks would go by and I wouldn't think about pizza, then something, usually a sale on mozzarella at the grocery store would jar me right out of my complacency and then wham! Back in the kitchen, baking again.

But this pizza dough is the perfection I was striving for, the crazy thing is, it's the easiest dough I've ever made. No heating water, no kneading, I didn't even use a pizza stone (mine broke when I threw it out the front door, they are not terribly durable).

There are a lot of interesting recipes in this book, for bechamel sauce pizzas, some really interesting looking meatballs that use mashed potatoes instead of bread crumbs as a binder and the most delicious looking charcuterie pie (I want to make it so that I can say 'charcuterie' over and over again without being annoying.

So, for me, this book is a life changer.
Profile Image for Darren.
1,193 reviews67 followers
May 28, 2012
I did it my way, this is the mantra of author Jim Lahey and he believes that you too can make spectacular pizza at home without any hassles whatsoever.

Unafraid of fighting the accepted convention that pizza must always follow a certain format, Lahey manages to plough his own furrow and show how his range of no-knead pizzas are within the grasp of everyone. Lahey is not an amateur shooting his mouth off on the Internet, but the power behind New York's Sullivan Street Bakery and Co. pizza restaurant.

Doing things differently could be his slogan, as he presents a no-knead pizza dough (!) and many toppings that will have traditionalists turning in their grave. Yet the more innovative person, who realises that food is a living art, will enjoy the challenges of these new innovations. This not a form of fusion for fusion's sake or meddling to make headlines though! It does seem hard to believe - a pizza you can make at home, no kneading, no specialist equipment or dedicated oven and something that can be ready in less than five minutes. Yet in full glorious colour the author shows how to make this a reality.

A fairly lengthy, informative introduction explains a lot about Lahey's background and thought processes, which leads well into his overview about the basic equipment you will need. This must be one of the few books that treats equipment needed almost as an afterthought as really there is not a lot of specialist kit being needed - a pizza stone, pizza peel/paddle and a cutter - and the usual stuff you may find in the kitchen.

Much good advice is given in fairly short, pithy sections looking at things such as typical core ingredients, adjusting recipes for your particular oven type and serving suggestions. Then it is on to the pizza (pies). Once you have mastered the art of Lahey's no-knead pizza dough it is on to the red sauce pizzas, named as they use a basic tomato sauce as their base, and many comprehensive recipes are given to give you a broad range of different pizzas. Of course, students of Lahey's methods will invariably seek, in time, to customise these further or use them as inspiration for their own creations. Showing that, true to form, there need not be any holy cows, just inspiration and a wish to innovate.

What many people might not be as familiar with are pizzas using a white sauce (béchamel) and there are also many interesting pizzas here that you might not have considered before, such as a flambé pie, cauliflower pie or brussels sprouts and chestnut pie. At first glance this looks like innovation for innovation's sake, just trying to shoe horn anything and everything into a pizza, yet when you consider this closer you can begin to see the method behind the madness. The pizza is perhaps taken less in focus than the ingredients and the overall dish, yet it remains an important, desirable binder. A very clever approach and one which shows the diversity and scope for what one might call pizza-based dishes.

And there's more. There are no sauce pizzas too! Impossible? Tasteless? How!? Well there are many... and they sure look good too. Plus, to further pile on the metaphorical plate, there are a number of toasts, soups and salads that can be served either with the pizza dishes or they can sit similarly as a standalone snack or even main course. These look similarly nice yet for some reason lack the ultra wow factor that the pizzas have given. Maybe they should have appeared before the pizzas as not to create a slight anti-climax feeling for the reader.

A few desserts round the book off as well with gelato, sundaes, cookies and a few cakes. A small taste of the author's own style to close the book, without overshadowing the undoubtable main courses. Overall this is one of those books that has managed to carve a little niche in a crowded range of pizza books. If you consider yourself a traditionalist or a purist you may hate it, yet if you welcome innovation and development you may find it a compelling read. Take a look for yourself as it may be one of your best buys this year.

My Pizza, written by Jim Lahey and published by Crown Publishing Group/Clarkson Potter. ISBN 9780307886156, 192 pages. Typical price: USD27. YYYYY.



// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
10 reviews
May 21, 2014
I love this book. It is one of my staples that I use frequently and keep in the kitchen. The no-knead dough recipe is so incredibly simple. I mix it up in about 5 minutes the night before we want pizza (Sunday night is pizza night!) and it's ready to go the next day. We love, love, love the recipes for the toppings, as well. And, the chocolate chip cookie recipe...yes.
Profile Image for sarah.
526 reviews9 followers
May 18, 2023
I think that this book is for someone in a higher tax bracket than me, I will be trying the dough recipe however
Profile Image for Lisa.
111 reviews35 followers
April 15, 2012
I LOVE pizza and have been using Lahey's original pizza dough recipe (ww flour added to the mix) from My Bread since it was published. His crust is charred and bubbly and wonderful. It has the perfect ratio of crisp bite to interior chew. All other pizzas I've tried are inferior, including the one I had at local brick oven pizza place last night. Yes, I know this doesn't jive my normal "needs to be 100% whole grain/wheat" motto... The cat's out of the bag... I'm not perfect. ;) But this dough rocks!!

The photos in this book are wonderful and there are enough new combinations that I'm delighted to try. Is it a pizza bible? No. But it doesn't claim to be. There is only one dough presented with a good note on adding whole wheat flour (w/ doubling the yeast... Had never tried it that way but you can bet I will this week).

Many of the recipes include omnivorous pizzas. I'm cool with that. I'm a good enough cook to add my own veggie combinations and make some veggie pesto riffs to suit my palate and lifestyle. There are still plenty of veggie pizzas presented.

I'm more than happy to add this to my collection on the special bookcase I reserve for only my favorite, in-current-rotation cookbooks.
Profile Image for Ilene.
77 reviews1 follower
May 25, 2012
I have not tried the basic recipe that is provided for pizza dough but oh my does it look good and easy. I've just recently tried baking bread which came out pretty darn tasty so I think that this is perfect for my next baking challenge. Aside from the what looks to be simple recipe for the dough, there are 15 red pizzas, 14 white pizzas, 9 no sauce pizzas, a small assortment of toppings, soups and salads and a handful of desserts. The photos are beautiful but the beauty lies in the recipes. Each recipe has a short note accompanying it with explanatory notes and background. There are pies here for everyone; meat eaters, non meat eaters, sauce eaters, non sauce eaters, cheese lovers and non cheese eaters. I would never have thought to put cauliflower on a pizza, or corn, or scallions, or brussel sprouts and chesnuts. I forsee a lot of pizza at my house this summer.
Profile Image for Christina.
38 reviews
August 18, 2013
This book changed the way we make pizza. You need to plan a day ahead with the dough and use quality ingredients, but it's very little work and the pizza rivals the best pizza places in our town (which are REALLY good). There are some unusual ingredients that might be harder for some to obtain. We live in Germany and good fresh corn is actually the hardest for us. I was happily surprised to find his recipes included some rarities that I just happen to already have in my garden. There's a recipe for lovage pesto, that I will try in the spring. And obtaining baby artichokes will just mean harvesting early.
Profile Image for Kimberly Ann.
1,658 reviews
February 14, 2016
Wow, there is something here for everyone: equipment, ingredients, how to make oven adjustments, serving strategies. Then there are the recipes: Pizza dough foundations; Red Sauces; White Sauces; No sauce; Toppings; Toasts, soups, salads; & Desserts.

Poached artichokes; Broccoli rabe; Charcuterie (kraut & wurst); Leek & sausage; Fennel & sausage; Stracciatella; Margherita (No Tequila or lime in this one); Boscaiola (sausage & mushroom); Popeye (spinach), Birds nest (w/ egg); and Ham & cheese.....

There were some I could live without....but most, I'd be happy to bite into. This is even a book I would purchase.
Profile Image for Deidre.
188 reviews7 followers
March 4, 2012
This is not your average pizza cookbook. The fact that the dough requires an extra day of rising definitely sets it apart. Lahey's recipes are also unusual, some call for red sauce, some for a bechamel sauce and some for no sauce at all. Many of the recipes involve ingredients that may not be found at the local grocery store but this isn't your Tuesday night pizza, this is pizza you make on a weekend when you have the time to appreciate it. Lahey's sides, including an impressive list of soups and salads with unusual dressings are equally tempting.
Profile Image for Mikhaela.
115 reviews24 followers
January 17, 2014
So I made the margherita pizza from this book last night and it was hands down the best pizza I've ever made, and the most popular with my family--the sauce and dough recipes from this book and his suggestions for how to cook and top the pizza took it to the next level.

But giving it four stars instead of five because he is so down on whole wheat and suggests you go no higher that 30%... would have been great to have a recipe that works well when at least 1/2 whole wheat.
Profile Image for Shannan.
817 reviews7 followers
November 30, 2020
I’m conflicted. On one hand, this is a perfect example of bougie elitist home cooking that is frankly not super accessible to the at home cook. Yet, if you buy the correct ingredients, correct baking implements, and follow the recipe perfectly, then you will get crispy (read: charred) fire brick oven quality pizza. I tired the technique three times and three times I was like - damn, all that work for THIS? I bought the book in hopes it would provide me with different pizza topping combinations but I left this book feeling defeated and not really happy with result.
Profile Image for Judith Leipold.
628 reviews6 followers
June 30, 2021
Great variety of recipes, from soups, meats, and desserts. But, I bought the book based on the pizza, which represents the majority of the book. Lots of great recipes...all easy and passed the taste test, but I was looking (yet again) for a pizza made with poolish. I bought the book hoping this would be the case. But, otherwise, plan on packing a few extra pounds...with no guilt!
34 reviews
January 8, 2022
Pizzas - Such Goodness!

An eye opening look at all the wonderful ingredients you can use to make pizza. This cookbook is next generation creative. If you are an adventures cook, don't pass by this book.
1,937 reviews
February 2, 2023
Jim loves pizza and it is a treat to read his book about imparting his love and wisdom of this perennial favorite food. The recipes are awesome. The tips are great, especially how to recreate high temp commercial pizza ovens to the best of our tools available.
Profile Image for Heather.
280 reviews1 follower
December 18, 2019
Hot damn, this method DELIVERS and the recipes are great.
36 reviews
May 18, 2020
Great cookbook utilizing the No-knead Dough technique, popularized by Lahey through MY Times.
Profile Image for Joan54.
300 reviews1 follower
April 28, 2021
I have made this pizza crust and it is the best.
There are plenty of ideas to top a pizza.
Profile Image for Julio R. Ra.
172 reviews2 followers
March 4, 2025
Most important, the pizza dough recipe is good. A good really quick read.
Profile Image for Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads).
1,637 reviews48 followers
May 8, 2022
The crust turned out well, even having to adapt the recipe for not having all my kitchen equipment around right now. (I cooked it on a cookie sheet at a slightly lower temp than recommended for the pizza stone.) A good default pizza crust recipe that doesn't need any special equipment, and I'll use it again when I remember to start it the day before.

The overall tone of the book and recommended toppings were a bit too gourmet for my taste. There are definitely some combinations I'd enjoy trying, but others are I have no interest in, and overall I'd rather stick with my own default/classic combinations.
Profile Image for John.
84 reviews4 followers
July 26, 2012
For the past year every Sunday night in my house is pizza night. In that time I’ve moved on from frozen crusts to making my own, learning all about the process, experimenting with flour-to-water ratios, and playing around with different styles from New York to Sicilian. Judging from my family’s reactions I’ve gotten quite good at it, thanks in large part to constant reading on the art of pizza making.

I first read about Jim Lahey’s pizza this spring. Lahey, the owner of the Sullivan Street Bakery and the restaurant Co. in New York, is renowned for his bread and the no-knead method. While the method of mixing ingredients until they just come together and then letting them set for a long-period of time is not new, Lahey is responsible for making it a trend among home and professional bakers. And why not? It’s an easy - if somewhat messy - method that has consistently remarkable results.

Lahey has taken his bread making method and applied it to pizza, and it’s all chronicled in “My Pizza”, a follow-up to his “My Bread” cookbook.

Read my full review at http://thecelebritycafe.com/reviews/2...
Profile Image for Janice.
13 reviews
October 23, 2011
If you have a desire to make pizza at home this is the book for you. Jim walks you through making your dough and sauce in simple steps and how to get the most from what ever type of oven your home has to create pizza that rivals anything you can find in a restaurant. What really sold me was the recipe for the Ham & Peas Pie - it reminds me of my younger years growing up as an Army brat when SOS was served for dinner (Sh*t on a Shingle), except Jim's recipe elevates that old standard to something I could serve to my family...and they would be thrilled!! This is one of those cookbooks that will be splattered with sauce and have many dogeared pages. Mangia
Profile Image for Leslie.
1,482 reviews5 followers
January 21, 2012
I made pizza dough the weekend before reading this, it was delicious, but next time it will be even better and I won't knead. The recipes are clear, simple, and sound delicious. The emphasis is on using the freshest, best ingredients, which is what we all want to eat, but cannot always find. Attendant recipes like homemade ricotta, salads, and desserts could lead to a wonderful dinner party experience. This book would be a great addition to most public library collections and the home collection of anyone who loves pizza.
Profile Image for Naomi.
4,837 reviews143 followers
October 10, 2011
I have reviewed this book for Netgalley. To be honest with the reader of this review, this isn't my favorite pizza cookbook. Although, I did find a dough recipe I would like to try, I found the greater majority of the recipes unuseful for the "regular" pizza eater or people with families. They were a bit more exotic than what you normally see in pizzas. Def. not a cookbook I would purchase...maybe take out of the library, but def. not purchase.
Profile Image for Deborah.
348 reviews
March 20, 2012
Oh my, oh my, oh my, I want to go to this guy's restaurant. I've used his method for baking bread many times and am looking forward to trying many of these recipes. Many are not your run-of-the-mill pizzas but that's what interests me - trying something different. The soups, salads and desserts look interesting too. Now I just have to figure out who to make it for - husband started a low carb diet. I'll figure out a way.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
465 reviews28 followers
January 6, 2024
Beautiful photos!! So many wonderful ideas.

I want you to see just how unfussy just a handful of familiar ingredients can be, and et how transcendent, [...] I hope you will engage in the adventure with high spirit, optimism, and anticipation. Don't be intimidated; making a pizza is not haute cuisine. It requires surprisingly little effort [Introduction, p.11]

Profile Image for Meghan.
2,508 reviews
November 24, 2014
I knew that there were many ways to make pizza but some of these pizza topping combinations I never thought I would put together. The main part of pizza I always struggled with was the dough and this book really gives good tips and easy step-by-step guidance on nailing the perfect pizza dough. I can honestly say with this book, I finally have another option when pizzerias are closed as per #snowvember in Buffalo, NY. I most definitely recommend to at least take a look.
Profile Image for Eric.
130 reviews
February 22, 2015
I suspect this is a very good cook book for experienced cooks who implicitly understand flavor profiles, the "finish" of an olive oil's "mouth feel," etc. And it contains a few handy ideas and recipes. It's not a good starting point, or a revolutionary theoretical work. It's just an (I suspect) very good cook book. Not what I was looking for, but judged by the standards it seems to have desired for itself, that's the best I can come up with.
485 reviews5 followers
June 6, 2013
As much as I appreciate the ease and convenience of going online for recipes, I still like to trek to the public library and pore through cook books and then transfer through typing the recipes to my hard drive. Recipes I copied from this book? Pizza dough. Fennel and Sausage Pie. Béchamel Sauce. Starter White Pie.
Profile Image for Claire.
Author 1 book4 followers
January 31, 2014
I checked this out from the library, hoping to gain some inspiration for pizza night. I felt intimidated by the toppings and preparations...and the toppings were all a little out there, even for my family's adventurous tastes. Just ok, and glad I didn't buy it. Will have to look for another pizza cookbook.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews