500 Pizzas & Flatbreads: The Only Pizza & Flatbread Compendium You'll Ever Need (500 Series Cookbooks) Hardcover – October 6, 2008

While I believe the number of "raw" recipes is far less than 500 (maybe I'm wrong), after each section they offer 4-6 "variations" on each of the recipes previously given. Between all the variations on the primary recipes, there's probably about the 500 number.For anyone expecting a large book, well, large it's not. It's probably about 6" square but a tiny bit over an inch thick. For being so small, it packs a lot of recipes and a fair amount of other info into its tiny shelf footprint.I think it's a very worthy supplement to Flatbreads & Flavors (a good survey of flatbread culture the world over) and Vegetarian Pizza Cookbook (I mention it mainly for its good variety of crusts and a few nifty dessert pizza recipes).This seems like a pretty decent little compendium and certainly could be used to spur some creative pizza & flatbread dishes... Though, I might have liked to see a wider variety of crusts & sauces introduced. Or, as with Flatbreads & Flavors, some other recipes thaVegetarian Pizzat would act as accompaniments to the pizzas & flatbreads listed. Such as some curries or other things that typically go with the mentioned breads. But, I guess that's why I think this book and Flatbreads and Flavors complement one another relatively well.

As always, an excellent book by Rebecca Baugniet.Lots of recipes with interesting ingredients combinations, and better, with a lot of variations of every one.I thinks it teachs the way of developing an combine amazing pizzas.

This little book is worth its weight in gold just for the dough and sauce recipes! I bake fresh breads daily, host frequent pizza parties, and consider myself a pretty good judge of doughs. The dough recipes in this book are easy to follow and even easier to work! Novices will have no problem rolling these doughs. Here's a couple of tips: During the hand stretching or rolling process allow the dough to rest for few minutes between stretches or rolls. This will allow the gluten to loosen a bit and make it easier to create a larger shape and form a thinner crust. Use a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal to transfer your pizza or calzone to the oven, preferably onto a preheated baking stone. (Note: Extra dough and sauce can be refrigerated and used throughout the week. Pizza every night! YUM!)

When I first got this book I was disappointed, it was small and I am used to big cookbooks with gorgeous pictures. Well, this is a little book with gorgeous pictures and tons and tons of recipes!!! If it is a bread or pizza, it is in this book! Not just pizzas but flat breads of every kind and ethnicity. I was stunned! Don't let a little book fool you, it packs a lot of information in a small footprint. Yum!Happy, Happy, Happy!

Husband ordered book for more pizza ideas. Looked good. Book 1 - the binding was separating right out of the box. Amazon kindly refunded after return. Book 2 - binding fine. The recipes looked good. The pictures are nice.Though I am not sure it the recipes were tested before they went into the book. The focaccia - 1st recipe tried, called for 1/3 cup of water. It needed at least 1 cup of water. Referred to other recipes in other books, and more water was definitely needed. Then it tasted ok - though not as bready as I have had in the past. Recipe 2 - the Moroccan spicy flatbread - followed recipe exactly and it is a cracker, not a flatbread. The flavor was ok. So far I think I will use for the flavor variations, and refer to other cook books to make sure the recipes are valid.

I ordered this Compendium at the request of my husband, who is always searching for the perfect pizza crust. He's on the verge of buying a new smoker/grill and is researching new pizza crusts that can go on the grill. While I leave the pizza-making expertise to him, I did scan through the pages and found that quite a few of the flatbread recipes sound absolutely delicious. The instructions are very thorough and easy to understand, and I especially liked that variations to the traditional recipes were also offered if you want to "change things up." While not a standard book size, I don't anticipate that will be a problem for me, since the pages do open up fully and will stay on the right page for easy review while preparing the recipe.

Ok, ok, ... the 500 number includes the "variations." But for $2.00 used, plus s/h, this was a great buy.I especially like the Middle Eastern, African, and South Asian (India) flatbreads, actually WORLD WIDE: naan, chapati, papadum, roti, parathi, dosa, injera, pita, lavash, tortillas, bannock, pan fry bread, AREPAS, pupusas. Some are 1/3rd and more whole wheat.These may not be all that authentic, as all of those types of bread have regional variations.Lots of great photos that look like they actually came from the recipe. These are all "final product" photos, not in-process, or "how to."It's a small book in terms of width/height, but it is thick at 288 pages.This is not artisanal level or professional pizzeria level stuff. But it covers the basics. And it's great for home use and for sending kids off to college.

One of the best pizza books I have bought. Lots of useful recipes for families with kids who like "regular" stuff on their pizzas! I have a number of more "trendy" pizza cookbooks, but though they're nice to look through, I wouldn't make most of the suggested pizzas and if I did, my husband and children probably wouldn't eat them :)Follow up: I wanted to comment on the fact that some other reviewers experienced trouble with some of the doughs in the book. I wanted to say that I have only used the pizza recipes in the book and the dough is fine for all of the pizzas. I can't speak to the success anyone might have with the naan and similar, but the pizza doughs are pretty standard and work fine. :)