Welcome and Introduction:
Peter Reinhart welcomes viewers to the virtual Johnson & Wales International Symposium on Bread, presented by Puratos. He thanks sponsors and invites attendees to visit their booths in the Exhibitor Hall for bonus content and appointments.

Overview of the Symposium:
The symposium features thought leaders discussing bread and pizza. Sponsors include Puratos, Ardent Mills, Lindley Mills, Central Milling, WP Bakery Group, ProBiotein, Fire Within, Big Green Egg, Mock Mill, Cook’s Country, The Local Palate, the James Beard Foundation, and the Bread Bakers Guild of America.

Nathan Myhrvold’s Appearance:
Nathan Myhrvold joins Reinhart from a remote town in Nevada to discuss the Modernist Pizza book and his presentation. He mentions an upcoming meteor shower and his excitement about photographing it.

Presentation Introduction:
Myhrvold introduces the Modernist Pizza book, which consists of four volumes and a spiral-bound kitchen manual for easy use in the kitchen. He explains that the book contains 1016 recipes and provides a deeper understanding of why things work in pizza making.

Book Details:
The book is the result of extensive research, including traveling over 100,000 miles and visiting almost 300 pizzerias worldwide. It features 1,708 pages, 3,700 photographs, and comes in a Ferrari red stainless steel case. The book will be available in English, Italian, French, German, and Spanish.

Table of Contents and Book Organization:
The book starts with a history section, followed by sections on fundamentals, techniques, ingredients, and recipes. The history section covers the origins of pizza, its evolution, and regional variations.

Early History of Pizza:
Pizza originated in Naples, Italy, but it was initially a local cuisine confined to the city, particularly in its poorer districts. Documentation of pizza as we know it today only started appearing in Italian sources in the 1930s. It was considered a food for the poor and not worth recording in writing.

The Story of the Neapolitan Margarita Pizza:
The famous tale of the first Margarita pizza being made for Queen Margarita in 1880 is largely fabricated. Evidence suggests that Queen Margarita had enjoyed pizza before this supposed event. A play from the 1860s in Neapolitan dialect mentions a pizza with tomato, mozzarella, and basil, predating the purported invention of the Margarita pizza.

Evolving Ingredients and Authenticity:
The pizza eaten in Naples during the 19th century differed significantly from modern pizza, particularly due to the quality of flour available. Better flour, known as Farin de Manitoba, became available after World War II, enabling the creation of the characteristic Neapolitan pizza. Historical footage from the 1930s shows pizza with a flat, hard crust, unlike the puffy rim and soft texture associated with authentic Neapolitan pizza today.

Pizza’s Historical Roots:
Pizza’s origins can be traced back to Naples, Italy, but it has undergone significant evolution and diversification as it spread to different regions and cultures. The term “pizza” is derived from the same root word as “pita,” indicating a shared ancestry with flatbreads found throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Historical recipes for pizza can be found in French and English texts long before they appeared in Italian cookbooks, suggesting a broader culinary context for its development.

Pizza’s Arrival in the United States:
Shakey’s Pizza, established in 1953, holds the distinction of being the first franchised fast food restaurant in the United States, predating hamburger and fried chicken chains. Pizza’s popularity in the US is attributed to the creativity and innovation of countless individuals, rather than a single, static recipe. Italian immigrants brought their pizza-making traditions to South America, resulting in distinctive pizza cultures in countries like Argentina and Brazil.

Regional Variations of Pizza:
Argentina’s pizza is characterized by an abundance of cheese and is often served with a knife and fork. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, pizza is more of a fine-dining experience, served in white tablecloth restaurants. Sunday night is the peak time for pizza in Sao Paulo, with families gathering for a traditional meal.

Shakey’s Pizza Parlor:
Shakey’s Pizza was a popular pizza chain in the United States, known for its visible kitchens and unique atmosphere. The chain’s parlor-style pizza, with its distinct labels and visible kitchen, is experiencing a resurgence in popularity today.

Pizza’s Global Influences:
Regions throughout the eastern Mediterranean have their own versions of flatbreads with similar names, such as pita and pida. In Italy, the term “pizza” was initially used generically for various types of tarts, reflecting a broader culinary heritage. The first Italian cookbook to include pizza recipes, published in 1532, featured pizza as a dessert tart.

Origins of Flammkuchen:
Flammkuchen, a dish from the Alsace region of Germany and France, closely resembles modern-day pizza in its appearance and composition.

Traveling to Study Pizza:
Nathan Myhrvold emphasizes that pizza knowledge can’t be fully acquired just by reading cookbooks. To truly understand global pizza, they embarked on a journey to famous pizza cities and pizzerias.

Openness of Pizza Makers:
The team encountered a surprising level of openness among pizza makers. Most were willing to share their recipes and techniques, providing valuable insights into the craft.

Alsace’s Flamkuchen:
The significance of Flamkuchen in Alsace is not comparable to pizza’s widespread popularity. Flamkuchen was traditionally made by bakers waiting for their ovens to heat up for bread-making.

French Appropriation of Flamkuchen:
There were attempts by the French to claim Flamkuchen as their own, calling it “tart flambe.” However, the origins of the dish are rooted in Alsace, a region with a complex culinary history influenced by multiple cultures.

Overview of Global Pizza Styles:
The book scoured the world to explore various pizza styles, not just Neapolitan pizza. Different regions and cultures have created their own variations, resulting in a wide range of pizza styles. The book covers major pizza styles, recognizing that toppings alone do not define a style.

Breaking the Rules and Innovations:
Pizza styles that break from traditional rules often become popular and successful. The book highlights pizzolos who have defied conventions and created unique pizzas.

The Unforgivable List:
The book identifies certain practices as unforgivable in pizza-making, indicating severe flaws. Uncooked and gooey crust, a thick gum line, super dry dough, burned pizzas, and lack of salt are considered unacceptable. A bizarre practice seen in some Seattle pizzerias is blowing air under the uncooked pizza as it goes into the oven, which is considered unsanitary.

Pizza Legends:
Nathan Myhrvold humorously warns against spitting on pizza and emphasizes proper pizza-eating techniques.

Old Forge, Pennsylvania:
Old Forge claims to be the “pizza capital of the world,” despite its unusual pizza style, featuring white bread dough, parbaked crust, tomato sauce, and American cheese or Velveeta.

New Haven’s Paradoxical Pizza:
New Haven’s pizza is notorious for its burnt cardboard-like crust and low hydration levels, yet the clam pizza remains a popular delicacy.

Dough Secrets:
The amount of salt and hydration in the dough significantly impacts the taste and texture of the crust. Most New Haven pizzerias use minimal salt, resulting in bland dough.

Defying Gravity Photos:
Modernist Cuisine’s signature style involves “defying gravity” photos, showcasing suspended ingredients and intricate pizza constructions using fine thread or fishing line.

Italia and Roman-Style Pizza:
Italia, often associated with Roman-style pizza, is actually a contemporary style dating back to the 1990s. True Roman pizza has no traditional roots and is typically sold cold as focaccia.

Detroit Pizza:
Detroit pizza is best enjoyed outside of Detroit, as pizzerias in the city often rely on outdated methods and lack innovation.

Pizza Gourmet:
A new movement in Northern Italy, centered in Verona, introduces “pizza gourmet” or “pizza degustazione,” characterized by unique flavor combinations and innovative ingredients.

Cross-Crusting Experimentation:
Cross-crusting involves using the wrong dough for a particular pizza style, yielding surprising and often successful results. Deep dish pizza, with its abundance of toppings, is less affected by the choice of dough.

Small Pizzerias and Dough Versatility:
Small pizzerias can benefit from using the same dough for multiple pizza styles, but要注意, certain styles like New York Square or Sicilian may not be suitable due to insufficient cooking time.

Flour:
Tony Gemignani uses a different dough for every pizza on his menu. You can make pizza out of almost any decent bread flour, even pastry flour. Caputo double zero flour, the most famous pizza flour, was started by Italian-American immigrants in Naples.

Cheese:
Mozzarella di bufala in Italy has a different flavor and texture than in the United States due to its freshness. Mozzarella de bufala we get in the U.S. often has a tang due to aging. Fresh mozzarella di bufala changes texture after about 10 days. Some pizzerias make their own mozzarella by heating and stretching curd instead of hand-balling it. Mozzarella di bufala is made from buffalo milk, which has twice the fat of cow’s milk, resulting in its rich flavor. Cow’s milk has a yellowishness due to carotene from grass, while buffalo and goat milk are white because they digest carotene. You can make cow’s milk with extra fat to achieve a similar flavor to buffalo milk. Herbs and other ingredients can be infused into mozzarella for unique flavors.

Tomato Sauce:
Italy was one of the last parts of Europe to accept tomatoes, with Tuscany being the last. San Marzano tomatoes are associated with a specific region near Vesuvius. There are other excellent tomatoes besides San Marzano. Using fresh tomatoes doesn’t mean they’re uncooked; canned tomatoes are also cooked.

Inspiration for Pizza:
Sauces like pasta sauces or soups can be adapted to create new pizza flavors. You can start with a soup or sauce you love and develop a pizza around it.

Modernist Cheese:
You can make cheeses that don’t typically melt creamy, like Wisconsin brick cheese, melt smoothly by using an emulsifying salt to prevent separation.

Toppings and Combinations:
The book covers a wide range of pizza toppings, including traditional and non-traditional combinations. Some interesting topping combinations mentioned are slices of pineapple with green olives and cupping pepperoni.

Cupping Pepperoni:
Cupping pepperoni is a popular trend in the United States. The book explains how cupping works and why it occurs. An old advertisement from Hormel in 1988 shows how their pepperoni does not cup, while other brands do. Today, cupping pepperoni is sold at a premium, and Hormel is one of the companies selling it.

Non-Traditional Toppings:
The book includes many non-traditional topping combinations that the authors came up with or were inspired by their travels.

Ovens:
For professional bakers, the oven makes a significant difference in baking pizza. Different ovens have unique challenges, with wood-fired ovens requiring expert skill due to their changing heat source. For home bakers, gas or electric ovens can produce reliable and high-quality pizza.

Strategies for Large Gatherings:
Making pizza for a crowd requires efficient methods. Planning ahead and using multiple ovens or tools can help speed up the process.

Serving and Storage:
Clever pizza cutting tools have been developed to make slicing easier. Deep dish pizza can be cut using an electric knife, similar to cutting Thanksgiving turkey. Frico, melted grated cheese, can enhance the flavor of reheated pizza. Leftover pizza can be transformed into a delicious pizzadilla by folding it in half and cooking it in a panini press or pan.

Pizza Steels:
Pizza steels, made of thick metal, are recommended for achieving the proper bottom crust. Unlike pizza stones, which absorb and release heat slowly, pizza steels provide more precise heat control.

New Projects:
The author and his team are exploring pastry as their next topic of interest. The podcast related to the pizza book will be released soon.

Pizza’s Global Popularity:
Pizza is the world’s most popular single dish, with pizzerias found in almost every country. Even in countries where pizzerias may not be common, embassies often confirm the presence of at least one pizzeria.

Peter Reinhart’s Gratitude:
Peter Reinhart expresses his gratitude to Nathan Myhrvold for his captivating presentation on pizza. He apologizes for running over the allotted time due to the engaging discussion.

Upcoming Events:
Reinhart invites everyone to join the “after party” to continue the discussion on pizza’s popularity and its impact worldwide. He promises to spin the wheel on Wednesday to determine the winner of the knife giveaway, regardless of their presence. Peter Yuen, a renowned pastry chef, will demonstrate his lamination technique, the Yuen numbering system, on Wednesday. Jonathan Deutsch and Rebecca Eder will present on utilizing leftover bread next week. Richard Coppedge will discuss modern adaptations of gluten-free products in the coming weeks.

Appreciation for the Team:
Peter Reinhart acknowledges and thanks the team behind the scenes, including Ganoid Communications, Gumbo Marketing, and Johnson & Wales University. He specifically mentions individuals who contributed to the event’s success.

Nathan Myhrvold’s Response:
Nathan Myhrvold’s response is not included in the provided text.

Closing Statement:
Peter Reinhart concludes the presentation by thanking everyone for attending and invites them to join the after party for further discussion.