Who doesn't love pizza? Who wouldn't want to learn how to make pizza? This was educational, and I can't wait to attempt some of these recipes myself!

Love Pizza? Almost everybody does. Most don’t, however, make their own, either because they don’t know how, or don’t want to take the time. Pizza Camp: Recipes from Pizzeria Beddia by Joe Beddia, can remedy that situation; it’s a great primer on making pizza. The instructions are easy to follow, so anyone, no matter what cooking skill level, will be able to make incredible pizza at home. The pictures of the different pizzas, hoagies (including awesome buns), Stromboli, and other related items are great. To add interest, there are also pictures that are a bit peculiar, i.e., adorable dogs eating slices of pizza, someone’s foot and partial leg, and sites in Philadelphia where the original Pizzeria Beddia is located.

In the forward sections of this excellent cookbook, there are step-by-step instructions for making perfect pizza crust, as well as sauce (both white and red), and information on cheeses. Also included is a section on equipment and how to transform your oven into a pizzeria oven. Beddia starts with a basic cheese pizza with pictured instructions that make it easy, and once the basics are mastered, any of the pizzas can be made with minimum effort.

There is a section on ingredients that is very helpful, and includes most of the ingredients that go on pizzas, as well as some unique items for those with a bit of imagination. Beddia has also included dozens of very unique pizzas with unexpected toppings such as dandelion greens, roasted fennel, and fiddleheads. There are also recipes for more traditional pizzas.

One of the best things about this book is that the author doesn’t talk down to his readers as if they are stupid. The prose is well-written. The recipes actually turn out picture perfect. Beddia makes homemade pizza fun and something everyone will enjoy. Other than pizza, there are recipes for incredible hoagies and, because it’s Philadelphia, an excellent Cheese Steak.

If you love pizza and want to perfect your skills by making it at home, this is the book for you.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Wow .....so many Pizza varities...... Delighted to read about each one of them.......

Joe Beddia is not your average pizza maker. I haven't met the man myself, but what I've read about him makes me think he's not the average anything. With a background in fine dining and brewing beer, he took everything he learned form his culinary jobs and his world travels and put it all into a tiny pizza shop in Philadelphia, where he makes 40 pies a day by hand and then goes home. He could sell a lot more than that, but he doesn't want to. It doesn't matter to him that people stand in line for hours trying to get one of his famous pizzas. He has no phone there, so he can't take orders. He just wants to do it the way he wants to do it, and if you want to eat his pizza, then you have to do things his way. 

The same goes for his cookbook. It's not your average pizza cookbook. There are recipes, of course, and you can take this book and make an amazing pie with it. But you also have to put up with all the Beddia-isms, the articles about art or wine, the random drawings, the bad jokes. And if you have to ask, "Is it really worth all that?" then you don't know the first thing about Joe Beddia or his pizza. 

Joe opened Pizzeria Beddia in March of 2013. It has no delivery or slices. It has no chairs. And Bon Appetit has named it the best pizza in America. Because that's how Joe does things. With the perfectionism of an artist, the experience of a chef, the imagination of a preschooler, and the doggedness of a . . . well, a dog with a favorite bone, Beddia shows what it takes to make the best pizza in the country. 

And now he's sharing his secrets with us all. Pizza Camp is his invitation to share in the fun and discover how making pizza dough is like a meditation when it's done right. He encourages us to try putting cream onto a pizza, to make our own sausage, to explore our neighborhoods in order to find the tastiest local cheeses, the best tomatoes, the most creative toppings that are right in our backyards. You can follow his recipes to make his signature pizzas (Roasted Corn, Heirloom Cherry Tomato, Basil Pizza or Roasted Mushroom Pizza or Bintje Potato, Cream, and Rosemary Pizza or the Breakfast Pizza with Cream, Spinach, Bacon, and Eggs, for example). Or you can use his dough as your own canvas and make some pizza art of your own. 

If you get tired of pizza (is that even possible?), Beddia includes recipes for other things you can do with his basic dough recipe: strombolis, hoagies, and even homemade croutons. Pizza Camp also has Beddia's picks for the best pizza equipment and tips on how to put them to good use, like how to build a pizza on a peel and still be able to slide it into the oven with the grace of an experienced pizza maker. 

Part cookbook, part love letter and thank you to Philly, Joe Beddia's Pizza Camp is a must for anyone wanting to know how to make the best pizza in the country, or really anyone wanting to know what it takes to be the best at anything. 



Galleys for Pizza Camp were provided by the publisher through NetGalley.com.

Pizza Camp was so amazing, I purchased it the minute it hit our shelves! After using some of the recipes, my pizza is now more professional and I regularly have a pizza night with friends. I just love all the different styles and flavours! So so delicious!

Pizza Camp Recipes from Pizzeria Beddia by Joe Beddia published today by ABRAMS offer you the possibility of becoming a real "pizzaiolo" following the step-by-step passages offered by Joe Beddia.
Calabrese origins, but born in the USA, he grew up with the good homemade bread made by his family members once per week and memories of great pizza thanks to the pizzeria of one of his relatives.


When he was 18-19 years old he worked in a Ralph Lauren's outlet and later discovered that there was the possibility of working in a bar. Later again the introduction at the world of pizza.

To Joe, as for many Americans with italian origins the real pizza is the one created with italian ingredients X0

With the time he discovered that he could create a great pizza also with local ingredients.

Instruments, dough, the making of pizza will be revealed without any more secrets, like also many delicious recipes for a wonderful pizza.

You'll understand that substantially what it is crucial is the dough.

All the rest, what you will put/add in the pizza, will be up to you and your fantasy and Joe Beddia describe it very well explaining the role of a multitude of ingredients, from mushrooms to salame, from mortadella, to many herbs and veggies that you can add to your pizza alone or with red sauce.

So, what can I add more? Buon Appetito everyone! with this yummy pizza-book!

I thank NetGalley and ABRAMS for this book.

Pizza Camp was a bust
How am I supposed to review a cookbook without any recipes ? I do not know if they were complicated, easy or way off the mark. This was a picture book in the form I was granted for review. I figured out one recipe from a description of sauce, but that was my recipe I used his ingredient list only. It was delicious, I made a mean version of roasted mushroom cream sauce. What I didn't make was the crusts, the other sauces, the pizzas. I started a pizza trail blog for followers to experience these recipes, except there are none, blank pages are what I got.
So it was a lovely picture book with beautiful pizzas photographs, tempting and drool worthy. The story bits were interesting.

This book contains pretty much everything you ever need to know about pizza and how to make it. It's very detailed - there's some super helpful step-by-step photos, which look nothing like what I make when I'm making pizza and now I'm jealous. There's also a lot of delicious-sounding recipes, including one for Dinosaur Kale, Pickled Red Onion and Spring Cream Pizza, something I never knew existed until just now and now I need it. Also Asparagus, Spring Cream, Onion, and Lemon pizza.

There are also some hogie recipes in this, too, so it's not all pizza...even though it's called "Pizza Camp." I guess at Pizza Camp they have a Hogie Workshop...

Who does love a good authentic pizza? I enjoyed the unique recipes featured in Pizza Camp Dinosaur Kale Pickled Red Onion and Spring Cream to the Breakfast Pizza with Sausage, Eggs, Spinach, and Cream. However, if pizza isn't your thing, Beddia also includes some rustic hoagies that are sure to satisfy.

I loved that Beddia included vegetarian recipes and the ART. WOW. This art could be featured in a book all on it's own.

For the love of pizza! This cookbook would be for those serious about making pizza from scratch. I love the layout and information in the book. I like the unique font; however, I do think the white font can be hard to read at times in the beginning of the book. Overall a great title to add to perhaps a library collection with a culinary program or for those looking to pick up a pizza making hobby. And don't let the pizza overshadow a very delicious looking section on hoagies.

Cannot give an honest review since the only recipe supplied was for the dough. I have no idea if the food in the book is any good because I have no recipes to make. Not even a basic margarita pizza. Nothing.

My apologies - I can't review the book since it's not in Kindle format.