Table of Contents
- My 2024 Plans (and How They Turned Out)
- 2024 Purchased Pizzas Review
- 2024 Homemade Doughs
- 2024 Homemade Pizzas
As mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve decided to provide the rest of a 2024 Review in a separate post. This post is primarily for me so as to have a document to look back on, but if you’re a glutton for punishment, here you go!.
My 2024 Plans (and How They Turned Out)
Plan 1: Accomplished
While it wasn’t officially announced at the end of 2023, I planned to keep sharing stories from my youth and writing pizza reviews. I’m happy to report that I followed through on this one—because some traditions are worth keeping.
Plan 2: Not Accomplished
I had intended to dig deeper into the history of Post Offices and document it here on the blog. Unfortunately, that goal didn’t quite make it off the ground this year. I have opened a separate blog “History in Your Backyard,”, I’ve yet to really do anything here.
Plan 3: Accomplished
I successfully continued the Nebaletan Word of the Day, adding a bit of local flavor to the blog. It’s been a fun way to keep the tradition alive.
2025 Plans – as above!
2024 Purchased Pizzas Review
Just like my blog posts, 2024 saw a “prolific” rise in purchased pizzas—53 total, marking a whopping 30% increase.
| Purchased Pizza | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Other | Grand Total |
| Purchased Pizzas | 52 | 39 | 45 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 173 |
| Great Pizzas | 6 (11%) | 3 (8%) | 8 (18%) | 3 | 2 | 21 (12%) | |
| Good Pizzas | 38 (73%) | 24 (62%) | 23 (51%) | 9 | 13 | 1 | 109 (63%) |
| Meh Pizzas | 9 (17%) | 12 (30%) | 14 (31%) | 1 | 7 | 43 (25%) |
In Rochester, finding a great pizza spot has become tricky. There are fewer unique pizzerias and more local chains, options are limited. Sarasota’s pizza scene is a bit livelier—new spots pop up (and shut down) weekly.
Great – Great pizzas are rare, making up just 11% this year. Neapolitan remains my favorite, but Sicilian and Roman styles sneaked in for variety (spice of life, right?). As always, dough is the key—it’s tough to master but makes all the difference. Trust me, I’ve spent plenty of time perfecting it.
Good – I had more New York-style pizza this year. While it’s usually just “good” for me—often heavy due to same-day dough—many NYC friends love it, probably because it’s what they grew up with.
Meh – Fewer “meh” pizzas in 2024. Guess I’m getting pickier.
2024 Homemade Doughs
Right off the bat, the trend of me making fewer doughs and pizzas over the years continues. But don’t get nervous—I’m still cranking out plenty of both! Here’s how the numbers stack up:
| Doughs | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Grand Total |
| Total Doughs | 39 | 38 | 49 | 9 | 7 | 109 |
| Doughs Made | 23 (70%) | 35 (92%) | 40 (82%) | 9 | 7 | 97 |
| Doughs Purchased | 16 (30%) | 3 (8%) | 9 (18%) | 12 |
Crafting dough and pizza is a cherished hobby, but my dough isn’t the kind of thing you can just toss together as a last-minute dinner plan. It takes patience, planning, and time to nail it. My finest dough demands a full 72-hour fermentation to reach its peak sour flavor, and there’s simply no contest in flavor between my homemade creation and the store-bought stuff.
My homemade dough has hit a level of “consistently great” that even I’m impressed by—it’s flavorful, easy to work with, and bakes up like a dream. Store-bought dough, on the other hand, always puts up a fight when stretching and shaping, and it lacks that distinctive zing and digestibility that only a slow, multi-day fermentation can impart. So, while spontaneous pizza nights are great, a little patience goes a long way toward pizza perfection! 🍕
2024 Homemade Pizzas
Obviously, if I’m making fewer doughs, I’m making fewer pizzas and that proves to be true for 2024.
| Homemade Pizzas | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Grand Total |
| Pizza Making Events | 24 | 39 | 50 | 88 |
| Homemade Pizzas | 144 | 208 | 229 | 435 |
| Ooni Bakes | 18 | 30 | ||
| Oven Bakes | 16 | 13 | ||
| Great Pizzas | 42 (29%) | 18 (9%) | 41 (18%) | |
| Good Pizzas | 98 (68%) | 171 (82%) | 116 (51%) | |
| Meh Pizzas | 4 (3%) | 19 (9%) | 20 (31%) |
Yes, the percentage of GREAT homemade pizzas is higher than purchased ones—that’s mainly because I love making Neapolitan pizzas which are my favorite.
Interestingly, I baked more pizzas in our home ovens than in our Oonis in 2024 due to our changing family schedule. Less planning means more purchased dough and fewer chances to fire up the Ooni.
Still, most of the GREAT pizzas came out of the Ooni, thanks to that long fermented dough. Ooni bakes just have that special touch. Although, I seem to have lost my groove with the home ovens, dealing with gas in one place and electric in another—they each have their own quirks, and I need to re-master both. 🍕
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