Volumes has quickly become a popular destination, known for its superb coffee and a lunch menu that keeps customers coming back. The atmosphere is vibrant, and the food offerings are diverse, catering to various tastes.
The dough is what really makes a Sodo pizza stand out - the sourdough base is made using flour from heritage grains and is fermented for 72 hours to make it light and digestible. But the toppings are no afterthought, with the team sourcing ingredients from local producers, including mozzarella and burrata made in Acton, pepperoni and nduja cured in Islington, honey from Walthamstow and leaves from a salad farm in Dagenham.
Neapolitan pizza is a masterclass in textural perfection. It strikes the perfect balance between fluffy and crisp, making us yearn for more with each bite. As the toppings are traditionally minimal, usually sticking only to tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil, the quality of the dough is very much at the forefront and definitely requires some finesse. There are many steps to making the perfect Neapolitan pie at home, but the process surprisingly starts with a very specific choice of flour.
The price range for at-home pizza gear is as wide as the topping choices. On the simple, affordable end, there is the humble carbon-steel slab that slides into the oven you already own it's like a basic cheese pie. At the other extreme is pure splurge: a hulking hybrid oven that burns propane or wood and becomes the centerpiece of your outdoor cooking setup. Think of it as a pizza topped with Italian white truffles.
You may have heard "stone" and "steel" used interchangeably, but the two cannot be any more different. Of course, their purpose is the same - to ensure an even cook and concentrated heat on the bottom of the pie - but their makeup and relative conductivity differ. Stones are usually made from cordierite (a heavy-duty mineral), while steels are made from thin, seasoned metal. Stones tend to be much thicker and heavier than steels as well, which can make them more awkward to move.
Budakan's specially developed base uses a high-protein Canadian flour for structure along with a small amount of rye, resulting in a slightly nutty flavour and the perfect NY-style chew. The dough is then fermented for a minimum of 48 hours ensuring a super light, but crisp crust. As for the toppings, Hot Saint will serve classics as well as new takes like the Spicy Hawaiian: San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, guanciale and smoked ham hock, pineapple, smoked chilli and jalapeños;
Since opening Tony's Pizza Napoletana at 1570 Stockton Street in 2009, chef-owner Tony Gemignani deserves a lot of credit for keeping pride in the neighborhood. He has invested in it with this restaurant as well as three surrounding business: Capo's, which is another pizza and pasta-focused restaurant; Toscano Brothers/Dago Bagels, a bakery featuring Italian breads; and Giovanni Italian Specialties, a store selling items such as fresh focaccia sandwiches, flours, condiments, and dough balls that you can pass off as your own at home.
Enter Di Fara Pizza, a legendary Brooklyn pizzeria now bringing its iconic, handcrafted Brooklyn-style pies straight from the supermarket freezer to your home oven. As someone born and raised in northern New Jersey/New York City, I've tried most, if not all, of the iconic and delicious slices around. So when I caught wind of the famous Brooklyn pizzeria's entry into the world of frozen food last year, I knew I had to check it out for myself.