A Pizzaiolo's Weekend Project
PizzaParty.menu was built by a home cook who got tired of the chaos and decided to do something about it.
The Back Story
It all started the way most obsessions do: with a suspiciously well-chosen gift from friends who knew me too well. For our wedding, a few of them got us an Ooni Karu 12, right when the home pizza oven craze was taking off. I was instantly hooked. What looked like a thoughtful present turned into a full-blown obsession.
Pizza nights became a regular thing. I started experimenting with dough techniques, pre-ferments, hydration levels, and slowly got better. One upgrade led to another, eventually landing on a Gozney Arc XL, although this was before Ooni came out with their larger gas ovens like the Koda 2 max.
Why I Built It
For years I kept recipes, grocery lists, and prep notes in my phone's notes app. When it was time to host, I'd decide which pizzas to offer, write a menu, and paste it into a group chat. Then I'd build the grocery list and work out the prep.
It worked. But I was juggling two separate pizza lists, one with instructions for me and a clean menu for everyone else. I went looking for a menu app built for home cooks, but couldn't find one that fit. So I built one.
PizzaParty started as a weekend project. The idea was simple: build out a library of your pizza recipes, create a party and send its menu to guests, let them pick and the app handles the rest. Soon, a friend started using it too, and I figured there had to be others who'd want something like this.
It's free with no ads. It's a niche app built by a home cook who just wanted pizza nights to run smoother. I'll be stoked if it helps a few other home pizzaiolos do the same.
My Setup
The Oven
I started out with wood in the Ooni Karu 12, but eventually switched over to gas. Cooking 12 pizzas in 1-2 hours, gas just makes more sense practically. And with Neapolitan cook times being what they are, you'd barely taste the difference anyway.
Gozney Arc XL
Current OvenA few years in, I upgraded to a Gozney Arc XL, a larger oven with a bigger deck making pizzas much easier to manage. Having said that, I do really like Ooni ovens and Ooni as a company. They probably have some of the best Customer Support I've experienced. A brick oven is still on the dream board someday.
The Dough
70% hydration, usually with poolish pre-ferment. I've experimented with biga and even combined the two, but poolish is my go-to. No mixer, always kneaded by hand. I do an overnight room-temperature pre-ferment, then 1-2 days cold-ferment in the fridge.
Pro-tip: a dough box or individual dough ball containers make storage easier. With individual containers, you can stagger when you pull them from the fridge so they don't all rise at the same time.
Products I Use and Recommend
Dough Storage
Dough Box
I got myself the DoughMate dough box off Amazon. It is just the right size to fit in a home fridge. Stack both boxes, put them in overnight, and the dough slowly ferments without a thin film forming on the dough. It may not seem like it seals well, but works perfectly. Link on Amazon
Individual Dough Containers
Easier to pull out as many as you need and stagger them out of the fridge. A bit more work to clean, but they take up less space and are versatile. Link on Amazon
Dough Scraper
This spatula is all you need. Cheap and effective. Link on Amazon
Tools
Pizza Peels
Don't buy a random cheap peel off Amazon. Most are poor quality, made from thin sheet metal. For the best quality, I recommend GI Metal (buy directly from their site, not Amazon). The quality is exceptional, though pricey. I suggest their round perforated peel for launching and the small turning peel for turning the pizza in the oven. My first peels were from Ooni, and they served me well. They're more affordable than GI Metal, though perhaps slightly overpriced compared to off-brand options. However, the quality is solid: placement peel, turning peel.
Infrared Thermometer
Any thermometer that goes up to 1000°F (~540°C) works. This one is a solid budget option. For a top-of-the-line thermometer, ThermoWorks makes excellent ones.
Flour
Caputo Pizzeria & Nuvola Super
I've been using Nuvola Super for my pre-ferments and the workhorse flour, Caputo Pizzeria, for the main dough.
Caputo Semola
Used for stretching. Keeps the dough from sticking without making it tough. Link on Amazon
Disclosure: Some links above are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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