Show notes
What happens when a lifelong pizza lover turns his obsession into a craft—and finds his happy place behind the oven?In this episode of What’s Good Dough, Eidref sits down with Matt Lucas, the sourdough pizza mastermind behind Johnny Baguette. From demoing pizzas at Orchard Supply to perfecting naturally leavened doughs at SF Pizza Fest, Matt shares how his curiosity, creativity, and community shaped his pizza-making journey. We talk about learning through failure, finding balance between consistency and creativity, and why pizza pop-ups have become his personal therapy.0:52 – SF Pizza Fest 2024 flashback: trying Matt’s unforgettable sourdough pizza1:05 – Johnny Baguette origins: naming pizzas after favorite songs1:33 – What’s on the “Johnny Baguette” — sausage, Calabrian chilies, and orange zest1:46 – Matt’s 120V oven setup and dialing in his hybrid pizza style2:04 – Early days: making 18-inch New York pies during COVID2:17 – From pizza peel salesman to full-blown pizza maker2:28 – Working at PizzaCraft and testing ovens at Orchard Supply2:55 – The first “parking lot pizza fest” and how it sparked his obsession3:14 – Moving to the Bay and immediately eating at Tony’s3:37 – Discovering The Pizza Bible and diving deep into sourdough4:13 – Learning sourdough through trial and failure4:36 – Staying calm under pressure at Pizza Fest5:02 – “Just make it beautiful”: how Matt motivated his team5:26 – Resisting the urge to constantly tweak recipes6:07 – Balancing creativity and consistency in dough making6:14 – Inspired by Japanese milk bread and hydration experiments6:37 – Keeping pop-up recipes stable for the team’s workflow7:10 – The magic of orange zest and fennel sausage pairing7:24 – Pre-bake oil trick: getting crispy, blistered crusts7:55 – Comparing Pizza Fest 2024 vs. 2025 performances8:27 – Why this year’s operation outshined last year’s dough9:00 – How dough flavor can complement or clash with toppings10:08 – Bulk fermentation: finding the perfect timing and temp10:36 – Consistency over perfection — training the team for any dough10:58 – Finding joy in service: pizza as personal therapy11:54 – “What’s Good Dough?” — Matt’s heartfelt answerCheck them out:https://www.instagram.com/evolutionbake/?hl=enThank you to our show sponsors:Bacio Cheese:https://bit.ly/3FmQ3upCorto:https://bit.ly/457DNIIJoin my Instagram Community Channel: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbWnReTYIlCfO21/DM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: [email protected] By Valentine PhelippeauTopics:how to make sourdough pizza, sourdough pizza recipe, pizza pop-up business tips, artisan pizza dough technique, how to dial in pizza oven, pizza event catering tips, pizza maker story, best pizza toppings sausage Calabrian, pizza fermentation tips, small-scale pizza operation behind the scenes