Meet Jordan Smith - @jordansmith

Meet Jordan Smith. He’s been making pizza for the past decade but dove in deep about two years ago. Although he now lives in Moscow, ID, Jordan is originally from Long Island. The Idaho pizza scene wasn’t enough for Jordan so he started making pizza in his home oven. Check out his work and give him a follow @jordansmith if you’re into it!

How often do you make pizza?
3-4 times a month on average, more when my schedule allows. 

Describe your pizza style. 
I make NY style and GF pies. Having some gluten free eaters in my family drove me towards coming up with a GF pizza recipe since there were virtually no options in our area for a long, long time. 

What’s one piece of gear you can’t live without?
Digital scale. Precise measurements are key for consistency. A pizza steel/stone is a very close 2nd. 

Who/what inspires you to make great pizza?
Being a NY native raising my family in the Inland Northwest I felt strongly that they should know more than pies from pizza chains. Also my grandpa was a baker so I’m sure that working with dough is in my blood. 

What’s your favorite part of the pizza making process?
Eating it with friends and family. I also really enjoy the process of refining dough recipes and playing fermentation times. 

What do you do when you’re not making pizza?
I bake bread and spend time with my wife and 2 kids (6 and 4yo). 

Any advice for new pizza makers out there?
Start with a tested recipe from a reliable source. My starting point for dough was Tom Lehmann’s NY style dough recipe (find it on pizzamaking.com). Once you are comfortable with that, start tweaking. Document your changes and don’t change to multiple components of the recipe at once!

I am a visual learner so these accounts have been super helpful from tips and tricks, shaping and fermentation to different flour types and hydration: @fornosantangelo / @mind_machine @uncle_franks_backyard_pizza @giovanni_chez @felixleader  @millennium_falco. Also u/dopnyc from r/pizza for their feedback.