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Truly Madly Pizza: One Incredibly Easy Crust, Countless Inspired Combinations & Other Tidbits to Make Pizza a Nightly Affair: A Cookbook

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Make pizza night every night with a basic dough recipe, unexpected topping combinations, and complementary side dishes.

No matter what the first day of a new week throws at you, no matter how looming the rest of the days before the weekend seem, a truly, madly delicious pizza promises something familiar, something reliable, something known. It's confirmation that all the heaviness of the world will be held at bay—if only for a little while—by a combination of bubbling mozzarella, sweet fennel sausage, and balsamic-glazed radicchio.

Beginning with the "Mother Crust" recipe, Lenzer argues that pizza dough is a tabula rasa for whatever healthy fresh ingredients you have on hand. To make pizza a nightly affair, she suggests preparing the dough on Sunday—in less than 30 minutes—freezing it, and simply transferring it to the fridge to thaw on the morning you plan to cook. Lenzer gives the timestrapped home cook countless combinations for a healthy, delicious (and quick!) weeknight meal.

Balancing lighter healthy alternatives like Summer Squash with Lemon Zest and Ricotta with indulgent options such as Spicy Shredded Pork with Sweet Onion Jam and Burrata, in addition to bonus recipes including "Salad thoughts," "Small bites," and even a few ideas about wine, this book covers all the bases. Lenzer's comforting voice adds a homey touch to her artisanal recipes and immaculately styled photos.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2015

30 people are currently reading
503 people want to read

About the author

Suzanne Lenzer

14 books7 followers

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5 stars
32 (31%)
4 stars
34 (33%)
3 stars
22 (21%)
2 stars
8 (7%)
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5 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Perri.
1,527 reviews64 followers
August 30, 2016
And who doesn't truly, madly love pizza?!? We've been making our own for several years now and it's SO worth it. Not hard to do, but goodness gracious the flavor! I have to admit I have my go-to toppings and this book is just what I needed to encourage me to be a bit more adventurous. Plus, I love Lenzer's writing: a smear of sauce, dollop of oil, a tangle of vegetables.. so evocative. I also like how when describing the dish, she transports herself (and her reader) to far-away locales. I guess I'll need to shell out bucks for my own copy.
Profile Image for Jessica.
1,979 reviews38 followers
April 25, 2015
I love pizza - especially homemade pizza, so I was really excited to check out this cookbook! I like that the author first gives a basic pizza dough recipe with a whole wheat variation included. Then she talks about a few sauce recipes and then gets into "whole" pizza recipes. Of course you can put any number of toppings on pizza, but there were a few combinations that I'd like to try. Overall, a good basic pizza cookbook.
Profile Image for Jennie.
686 reviews2 followers
July 10, 2015
Anyone who is close to me knows that pizza for me isn't just sauce and bread; it's a work of art and a treasured treat.

This book is full of mouth watering, original pizza ideas and new twists on old favourites.

Some of my pics are: Preserved Lemons, Leek/Potato/Taleggio/Thyme, Artichokes/Spinach/Feta, Curried Cauliflower/Tomatoes/Cilantro and Onion Jam.

Not to be read on an empty stomach!

Must read.
Profile Image for Krista.
580 reviews21 followers
September 13, 2016
We make homemade pizza once a week around here, so I liked the idea of this cookbook to mix things up a bit. However, most of the recipes required ingredients that are fairly hard to come by at my grocery store, or are expensive. Ingredients like pâte didn't seem practical for us.
Profile Image for Andrea.
67 reviews
January 21, 2018
Pizza combinations aside, this book was enthralling! I felt sucked in by the author's words, everyone's favorite night is pizza night! So why not make it better homemade? Why not try crazy stuff? And, I agree that pizza should be a regular affair.
Profile Image for Laura.
3,871 reviews
December 27, 2018
great reminder about the creativity with pizza and i love the way that leftovers can be incorporated. i feel inspired already.
50 reviews
August 7, 2023
疯狂输出自己没有意思且并不讨喜的人格与人生。因为提到了很多有名的厨子下了很多书,提一星。
Profile Image for Bill.
6 reviews
April 16, 2015
Fantastic cookbook if only for the crust alone, but there's so much more. First off, this is very well written. One doesn't just get the steps of how to make a great dough, but also the why. Lenzer's style is informal and friendly. Right out of the gate, the family raved about the the pizzas, and it was so easy.

There are a ton of recipes using fresh ingredients that will stretch your concept of what can go on a pizza. I made the Leek Jam with Mushrooms and Gruyere... So good. Also made the Broccoli Rabe pesto and Sweet Italian Sausage... Wow!

No fancy stones needed. Did it right on a sheet pan.
Profile Image for Queer.
402 reviews
January 18, 2016
We are taught that homemade pizza is laborious and never quite as good as the stuff made in fancy ovens. This book reveals quickly that is not the case. From a few devoted minutes of work to the openness of using leftovers as toppings, the suggestions here thrill and delight. I can't wait for pizza night. Some of the suggestions here were exciting but most were far too predictable to merit 5 stars. I'm sure they are all good but I want something to challenge me. The memories shared in this book also make it an interesting read.
Profile Image for Natalia.
66 reviews
July 6, 2015
I received this book from the goodreads first reads giveaway, and I'm so happy I did! It's a treasure trove of pizza recipes! Suzanne Lenzer's tone is humorous, and the recipes are easy to follow and exciting, I look forward to trying them. (Sweet potato and sage with pecorino!) There are lots of great tidbits of information about ingredients, some anecdotes, how she came upon her perfect crust, variations, tricks, etc. really enjoyable book, and a great resource.
Profile Image for Kelly Knapp.
948 reviews20 followers
November 24, 2015
If I am not careful I will gain a lot of weight with this book. Everything I have tried has been exceptional. If you like pizza and would like great taste and a few easy short cuts, this is for you!

I have now used several of the recipes. I am using a cauliflower crust and these recipes help maintain a lower carb lifestyle. Truly wonderful food.
Profile Image for Lee.
328 reviews
February 1, 2016
All kinds of yummy stuff to put on pizza crust: leek jam, balsamic-glzed radicchio (love salad stuff on pizza), prosciutto & figs & even parsnip ribbons. The recipe for crème bruleed almonds looks awesome.
Profile Image for Wendy.
1,042 reviews9 followers
July 21, 2015
Did this cookbook make me hungry for pizza? YES. Did it make me want to run to my kitchen to make a pizza. Not so much.
Profile Image for Jbussen.
766 reviews4 followers
May 26, 2018
Easy my ass. I couldn't follow the basic simple recipe as the starter recipe. Tried a couple times.
Profile Image for Sophie.
Author 4 books83 followers
August 15, 2015
I won this book on Goodreads.

It has very good and original pizza recipes.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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