Pizza Marko

Mark Gray of the blog Pizza Marko is a Columbus, Ohio-based entrepreneur whose day job has nothing to do with pizza, or food really; he makes movies about space exploration and aviation. Some six years ago he started experimenting making pizza at home. The blog naturally emerged a few months ago as a way for Gray to document his work.

He is serious about his pizza -- so much so that he built a wood-fired oven at home. For Gray, crust is key: “Without the proper crust texture and flavor, you cannot have a truly great pizza. When you have a flavorful crust, with the proper snap, and fresh, quality ingredients that complement one another, the result is spectacular. Who knew a basic and ancient food like a flatbread could be so delicious?”

He updates the blog about once a week, detailing how he makes each pizza (and sometimes focaccia) with helpful step-by-step photos. He is full of tips (shake the pizza peel before lifting pizza into the oven; use rice flour on the peel to prevent sticking) and will often make the same pizza more than once -- in pursuit of a better end product or because his family clamors for more of his prosciutto and arugula, potato and four cheese pizzas. He examines his pizzas in minute detail, taking pictures of the char on the bottom of the crust and the bubbles in the dough.

For the record, Gray's favorite is sauceless, made with “00” flour (with only water, salt and yeast added), fresh mozzarella, real Parmigiano-Reggiano, Fontina and gorgonzola. He calls it the Quattro.