For something relatively simple at its core, pizza can simultaneously spark debate and provide comfort like few other foods.

Its range of fans is impressive, from picky kids who sustain on cheese pizza to connoisseurs with impressive wood-fire pizza ovens in their backyards. But no matter where you fall on the pizza spectrum, there’s always room to improve. Enter King Arthur Baking Company’s new “The Book of Pizza: Recipes for Every Pizza Maker,” with more than 250 pages of tips, tricks, recipes and serving suggestions to level up your pie game.

Learn how to make (and the difference between) New York style, Detroit style, Chicago style, Neapolitan and Pizza alla Panna. Perfect a tomato sauce with only two ingredients, and give yourself a cheese education. Wonder what flour to use? No worries — King Arthur is baking royalty for a reason.

Find scratch pizza solutions for lazy weekends or weeknight dinners. Not sure where to turn? The book’s pizza flowchart will tell you what style is best for you at the moment. Have you embraced sourdough? That makes good pizza, too. The options really are limitless, and the in-depth instructions are suitable for both beginner and experienced cooks. No need to already be a dough pro.

While the majority of the book is pizza-centric, it goes a step further by guiding users through dipping sauces (make your own hot honey or ranch), side dishes and more, making it one-stop recipe shopping.

For dessert, we turned to another new cookbook, “Bittersweet: The Five Tastes of Dessert and Beyond“ by Thalia Ho. The book explores those five tastes — bitter, sweet, sour, salt and umami — and offers recipes incorporating them. It’s a luscious and introspective book that’s as much about feeling as it is cooking. And we thought Ho’s Walnut and Honey Semifreddo was the perfect exclamation point on our pizza party.

Butter Lettuce Salad with Herby Buttermilk-Avocado Dressing

Serves 4 to 6.

Here, billowy butter lettuce is speckled with all the soft herbs of early spring. Slivers of radish and cucumber provide crunch, a handful of peas adds pops of sweetness, and the avocado adds creaminess — both in the salad itself and in the tangy dressing. From King Arthur Baking Company’s “ The Book of Pizza: Recipes for Every Pizza Maker” (Simon Element, 2026).

For the dressing:

½ c. buttermilk, well shaken, plus more as needed

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 clove garlic, grated

1 small avocado, halved, pitted and peeled

½ c. fresh soft herbs of your choice, such as cilantro, basil, parsley, dill and/or chervil

1 tsp. honey

¾ tsp. fine salt, plus more to taste

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

For the salad:

2 heads butter lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 10 c.)

8 radishes, sliced paper thin

1 English or 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced ¼ in. thick

1 c. shelled fresh peas

1 small avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced

Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Make the dressing: Combine the buttermilk, lime juice, garlic, avocado, herbs, honey, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until creamy and emulsified. Thin as needed with additional buttermilk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if desired. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. The dressing can be made ahead and stored in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

For the salad: Spoon ½ cup of the dressing into the bottom of a large serving bowl. Top with the lettuce, radishes, cucumber and peas. Toss together until evenly coated. Add the diced avocado and toss gently to combine. Season the salad with salt and pepper and serve right away, with additional dressing on the side.

Popeye

Makes one (11-inch) pizza.

Spinach is the defining feature of a Popeye pizza, of course, but this is sneakily also a three-cheese pie featuring ricotta (for creaminess), feta (big flavor) and mozzarella (for stretch!). If your ricotta is at all wet, place it in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and drain for 15 to 30 minutes before using. The fresh basil leaves seem like they should be optional, but here they really aren’t: They add a vital freshness to the pie, not to mention some pretty greenery. From King Arthur Baking Company’s “ The Book of Pizza: Recipes for Every Pizza Maker” (Simon Element, 2026).

⅓ c. (75 g) whole-milk ricotta

2 cloves Garlic Confit (see below), mashed to a paste, plus more cloves for garnish

¼ tsp. fine salt, plus more to taste

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ c. (42 g) fresh baby spinach

¼ packed c. fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus small leaves for garnish

1 scallion, thinly sliced crosswise

2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 ball Weeknight White Dough (see recipe)

Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting

½ c. (57 g) low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, shredded

¼ c. (43 g) feta, crumbled

1 tsp. Garlic Confit oil, for finishing

Directions

Arrange racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Place a baking steel or stone on the lower rack and preheat the oven to 500 degrees for at least 1 hour.

In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta, mashed garlic confit, salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, chopped basil and scallion. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat.

Shape the pizza: Dust your work surface with flour and place the dough on it. Without distorting the round dough, flip it over so that both sides are coated with flour. Use your fingertips to gently depress the center of the dough, being careful not to touch the outer edge of the crust. This step is important — leaving the circumference untouched at this stage will result in a beautiful bubbly outer crust postbake. Continue using your fingertips to press the center of the dough outward until you have an 8-inch circle. Again, taking care not to touch the outermost edge of the crust, lift the pizza from the work surface and use your knuckles to gently stretch the dough into an 11-inch round. If the dough is at all sticky, use more flour. Use two hands at once to gently move the dough in a circle, allowing gravity to do most of the work for you, rather than pulling on the dough. If the dough resists stretching, return it to your floured work surface and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the gluten to relax, then try again.

Lightly dust a peel or an overturned baking sheet with semolina and transfer the shaped dough to the peel. If the dough retracts when transferring it to the peel, gently re-form it. Shimmy the dough on the peel to ensure it’s not sticking; if it is, lift the edge of the crust and add more semolina.

Spread the ricotta mixture over the dough in an even layer, leaving a ½-inch border. Top with the spinach mixture, piling it more heavily on the outer edge (but avoiding the crust), then distribute the mozzarella and feta over the spinach.

Bake: Use the peel to transfer the pizza onto the steel or stone, then bake for 3 to 4 minutes. Check the bottom of the crust — it should be spotted and charred in places, and the edge crust should have some color. If not, rotate the pizza and bake for another 1 to 2 minutes.

When the bottom has sufficient color, use the peel to transfer the pizza to the top rack, switch the oven to broil, and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until well charred in spots. (Don’t walk away—pizza can go from perfectly charred to burnt quickly.)

Use the peel to remove the pizza from the oven and slide it onto a wire rack. Drizzle with the garlic confit oil and scatter whole basil leaves over. Top with additional whole confit garlic cloves. Slice and serve.

To make garlic confit: Combine 6 ounces of garlic (about 36 cloves) and 1 c. olive oil in a small oven-safe baking dish or loaf pan. The garlic cloves need to be completely covered by the oil; if they aren’t, add additional oil to cover. Bake the garlic in a 300-degree oven until the cloves are very tender, about 90 minutes. Let cool to room temperature in the oil, then use immediately or transfer to a lidded jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Weeknight White Dough

Makes enough for two 11-inch pizzas.

When we say “weeknight pizza,” we’re referring to homemade pizza that you can get on the table for dinner — even if you don’t give a single thought to dinner until 5 p.m. Granted, a little foresight never hurts. Though it can be on the table in as little as two and a half hours (most of it downtime), its real superpower is that it can be kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours. From King Arthur Baking Company’s “ The Book of Pizza: Recipes for Every Pizza Maker” (Simon Element, 2026).

300 g (2 ½ c.) unbleached all-purpose flour or 00 flour, plus more for dusting

6 g (1 tsp.) fine salt

4.5 g (1 ½ tsp.) instant yeast

19 g (1 ½ tbsp.) extra-virgin olive oil

222 g (¾ c. plus 3 tbsp. and 2 tsp.) lukewarm water (85 to 90 degrees)

Directions

Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast, then add the oil and water. Mix to combine, then knead the dough by hand in the bowl until you have a rough but cohesive dough. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Uncover the dough and perform a bowl fold: With a wet hand (which will help keep the dough from sticking to you), grab a section of dough from one side, lift it up, then press it down into the middle. Repeat, turning the bowl 90 degrees (a quarter turn) after each stretch, until the dough won’t elongate easily and forms a smooth, tight round ball, 4 to 6 times total. Turn the dough over, placing it seam side down in the bowl. Cover and let the dough rise at room temperature (70 to 75 degrees) for 1 hour, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in size. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a baking steel or stone placed on a rack in the lower third and an empty oven rack in the upper third.

Divide the dough: On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 2 equal pieces (about 275 grams per piece). Form each piece into a tight ball and place seam side down in a lightly greased container. Cover with a lid and let it rest at room temperature while the oven preheats, 20 to 60 minutes. The dough is now ready to use. Alternatively, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours; remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 hour before shaping and baking your pizzas.

Walnut and Honey Semifreddo

Serves 6 to 8.

From " Bittersweet: The Five Tastes of Dessert and Beyond“ by Thalia Ho, who writes: “For me, few things are as sweet and sentimental as semifreddo. It’s simple but elegant, and it has a power that lasts long after a mouthful has ended. I like mine with praline and honey, in addition to Nocino, an aromatic bittersweet liqueur that’s made from unripe walnuts.” Note that the recipe requires a candy thermometer, and you’ll need to prepare the dessert a day ahead to give it time to freeze. (Harvest, 2026).

For the praline:

¾ c. plus 2 tbsp. (125 g) walnuts

½ c. plus 2 tbsp. (130 g) granulated sugar

For the semifreddo:

2 c. (480 ml) heavy cream

¼ c. (85 g) honey

2 tbsp. Nocino liqueur

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

6 large egg yolks

Directions

Adjust a rack to the middle of the oven, then preheat it to 350 degrees.

Make the praline: Scatter the walnuts into an even layer over a lined baking sheet. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. Cool completely.

Next, combine the sugar with ⅓ cup water in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook, without stirring, until an amber-hued liquid has formed. Remove and pour over the roasted walnuts. Set aside to harden, then chop rough or fine, depending on your preference.

Make the semifreddo: Line an 8- by 4- by 3-inch loaf pan with a few layers of plastic wrap, leaving an overhang over the sides.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, honey, liqueur and vanilla to stable peaks on medium speed. Be careful not to overdo it; you want it supple enough to fold in later without too much resistance. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until needed.

Next, put the sugar and ⅓ cup water into a medium saucepan. Attach a candy thermometer to the side. Heat over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until the granules have dissolved. Raise the heat to high and bring to a rapid boil. Continue to cook until the syrup has reached thread stage, around 230 degrees. Meanwhile, start whisking the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer. Start on low at first, then increase the speed as the syrup nears temperature. Carefully stream the boiling syrup into the yolks, between the whisk and the side of the bowl. Turn the speed to high and continue to whisk until pale, thick, and tripled in volume. All the steam will have escaped, and the bowl will no longer be hot to the touch.

With a large rubber spatula, gently fold thirds of the whipped cream into the yolk mixture, trying to retain as much lightness and air as possible.

Fold in the praline. Scrape into the prepared pan, smoothing out the top with an offset palette knife. Cover with aluminum foil and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Unmold the semifreddo onto a serving plate. Slice with a warm, sharp knife and serve soon after. This will keep, covered, in the coldest part of the freezer for 5 days.

©2026 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.