Franco Manca, Artisan Pizza to Make Perfectly at Home - Tapa dura

Every critic, blogger and Londoner has sung the praises of Franco Manca, whose pizzas are "the best in Britain," according to The Observer. Co-owner, Giuseppe Mascoli, knows that the best pizza in Italy comes from Naples and therefore, as an expat Neopolitan himself, he has gone back to its roots, where making pizza is all about simple things (bread, tomato, cheese) and simple steps (make the dough, let it rise, flatten it, add topping, bake in the oven), all using the best artisanal ingredients to produce pizza of exceptional quality. Aimed at the home cook who doesn't have a traditional wood-burning oven, Artisan Pizza includes tailored recipes so you can use a pizza stone or a heavy baking tray and still get great results. Giuseppe's famous, slow-rising sourdough recipe produces a soft and easily digestible crust. There are 46 pizza recipes from your basic Margherita to a Zucchini, Gruyere & Goat's Curd pizza, from a Puttanesca to a Smoked Mozzarella, Baked Potato & Pig Cheek pizza, and a dozen extras like salads, pestos and salamis.Includingingredient notes, techniques like making your own flavored oils andpreserving your tomatoes, and a seasonal index, this beautiful book is, without a doubt, the closest you'll come to the real deal in your home kitchen, and in your personal quest for perfect pizza."

Giuseppe Mascoli is the co-owner of the thriving pizza chain Franco Manca in the UK. He also runs a successful wine supply company and owns Blacks, a private members' club popular with journalists and artists in London. Bridget Hugo, his restaurateur partner, is a singer, artist, activist, and winner of the Young British Foodies 2012's "New Best Alchemist of the Oven" for her Bread bakery, which supplies many notable restaurants in London.