Different Types Of Pizza Crust
Pizza is a very great type of food and it is considered as one of the most popular foods on the planet. It has varieties in the sauce, cheese, and the toppings but there are also different types of Pizza Crust.
You see, the pizza crust is literally the foundation and the base of the pizza. You need it to be firm so that it can handle a lot of toppings and you also need it to be chewy to blend with flavors.
While there are different variations on the toppings, you also can tell the type of pizza that is being served by the way the crust has been made or how it has been cooked.
You might think that pizza is all about the flavor and that is what the advertisements try to tell us. They put up stringy cheese with loaded toppings and merely highlight the crust.
But the truth is, the crust is the most essential part of the pizza. You can only make a pizza by starting with the crust and make it the way that it should be in relation to the cheese and toppings.
The crust is actually one of the best parts of the pizza if done right. It does not have to be just a plain, bland piece of bread when you put the time, the right ingredients, and the right technique.
A well-made crust can give more taste to the pizza and it adds texture. The texture is also important in determining the type of pizza that you want.
The texture of the crust is noticeably different in every kind of pizza that there is. It tells you whether the dough was cooked longer or shorter, or how much moisture there is, and many more.
So if you are trying to find the best pizza crust that you need for cooking, then we suggest that you read on and see these different types of pizza crusts.
1. Thin Crusts
Perhaps the most popular kind of pizza crust, thin crusts are the root of all pizza crusts. It also means that there are different types of thin crusts that we are going to talk about.
Thin crusts are often considered by many pizzaiolos as the standard for making crusts. It is the one that started it all so if you want to stick to the traditional way, thin crusts are a must.
This type of pizza crust has variations with different textures and flavors. It is beloved by everybody because every person has a choice and everyone can enjoy it.
2. Neapolitan Pizza Crust
Since this is the pioneer of making pizza known in the whole world, it is only right that it goes first on our list of thin crusts or all crusts for that matter.
Neapolitan-style pizza crust got its name from the place that it was originally found, Naples. This is a common type of pizza and most pizzerias aim to attain this pizza crust for many flavors.
This style of pizza crust is considered as the base of all pizza crusts. It is a very thin pizza crust but is firm and floppy enough to hold up light toppings such as vegetables.
This pizza crust is the one that is also commonly used in Margheritas. In fact, you cannot make Margherita pizza without using Neapolitan-style pizza crust as it is part of the recipe to make the crust thin.
It is the simplest kind of pizza crust when it comes to flavor and texture. It is also the simplest in terms of the ingredients that were used.
Neapolitan-style pizza crust only uses flour, salt, yeast, and water. The secret to making it is really not about the ingredients that you put in it rather it is the temperature that you cook it in.
The Neapolitan-style pizza crust is cooked in temperatures ranging from 800 to over 900 degrees Fahrenheit. That is where it gets its nice charred bottom and crispy texture.
It should also be cooked quickly and in ovens that are fueled with wood or charcoal. The pizza crust of the Neapolitan pizza does not need to puff up too much so cooking it quickly is a must.
The cooking time of a Neapolitan-style pizza is just under 90 seconds. This makes the crust harden immediately from the high temperature but it does not rise too much in the center.
That is why you need light toppings on a Neapolitan-style pizza crust. It requires full attention to details and techniques when cooking in order to create this beautiful pizza crust.
3. New York Style Crust
This is perhaps the most famous type of pizza crust. It is the one often advertised and seen in televisions with its floppy texture and a nice, folding crust that is being pulled by strings of cheese.
New York Pizza Crusts are also considered thin crusts. It is a massive pizza that is usually sold in slices instead of the full, round pizza-in-a-box that we are all used to.
This pizza crust is thin, yes, but it is not as thin as the Neapolitan-style pizza crust. This is because New Yorkers love to put a lot on their plate so they needed the crust to be a bit thicker.
However, the New York Pizza Crust is still thin enough that it can be folded. This was made on purpose since the slices are very big and you will need to make them smaller in a way.
That is why New York pizza is folded, so it can be eaten easily. It is also cooked with a longer time frame than that of a Neapolitan-style pizza crust.
The New York crust is a little bit thicker so you need to cook it longer. Roughly 15 to 20 minutes under lower temperatures at around 450 degrees Fahrenheit should be enough for it to cook.
It also has additional ingredients compared to the Neapolitan-style pizza crust. The recipe is added with sugar and some olive oil to create an advantage and for more flavors.
The sugar and the oil combine together to create a nice browning on the crust. This browning is also sometimes the determining factor of whether or not the pizza is cooked.
So yes, you can tell if a New York-style pizza is cooked just by looking at the crust. The process of making this crust can also involve machines instead of just kneading the dough by hand.
4. St. Louis Style
This type of pizza crust is perhaps the thinnest of them all. It is sometimes dubbed as the cracker pizza because the crust is really thin that it snaps when it is bitten into.
The St. Louis Style of pizza crust does not require yeast to rise. This means that the crust stays the same when you mix it and it hardly gets bigger because of the lack of a leavening agent.
That is the reason why it is so crunchy and thin. It does not rise so it keeps cooking when it is baked and produces a somewhat hard yet fragile crust that is perfect for cheese pizza.
The common toppings for this pizza crust are vegetables and cheese. You can also make pesto pizza with this pizza crust or just create a topping with a combination of different cheeses.
The St. Louis Pizza is also distinctive because it is served in a different type of cut. Unlike the common triangular slices, the St. Louis Pizza is sliced in rectangular shapes when served.
5. Thick Crusts
Thick crusts have become more and more common especially in Western culture. People have tried different kinds of crusts and some places are more popular because of their thick pizza crusts.
Oftentimes, thick crusts are made with rectangular pans. There are still the circular, thick crusts but they are often cooked in a deep pan or cast-iron skillet.
There were a lot of talks when the thick crust was introduced since some other people do not consider it as an authentic pizza and is more of like a pie.
However, it has been slowly accepted by more and more people and thick crusts are now more than accepted in society. There is a reason for creating a thick crust that is beloved by most people.
Thick crusts were invented because of people wanting more toppings. This means that you need a thicker crust to hold up the large number of toppings that you put in the pizza.
6. Chicago Deep-dish Crust
This type of crust is one of the most popular and one of the most controversial pizzas of all time. It is made in a bowl with a whole lot of toppings put over another layer of toppings.
Perhaps the most noticeable component of a Chicago deep-dish is the different arrangement of the toppings. You get to put the sauce last so it covers the other toppings and cheese.
This is to prevent burning the toppings. However, the often unappreciated part of this pizza is the crust which is made with the right ingredients and techniques to protect it as well.
The deep-dish pizza is cooked for almost an hour so you need to keep the pizza crust, which comes closest to the heat, protected. This is to make sure that it can hold the toppings together.
One way of making sure that the pizza crust is safe is to spray or brush some oil in the cast-iron pan before placing the dough in it. You can also use butter for more browning and more flavor.
The reason why it is packed with a lot of toppings and placing the tomato sauce at the top is that the crust absorbs the fats from the meat toppings and uses it as protection.
This will also ensure that the crust does not burn. Instead, it comes out with a nice golden color that is almost irresistible and is actually perfect for the massive toppings above it.
7. Sicilian Pizza Crust
This pizza crust is also one of the most popular deep-dish or thick crusts in the world. The procedure does not have to be as authentic as the Neapolitan-style pizza crust.
This means that you can also use machines in making the crust. Actually, it is recommended that you use a stand mixer so the dough does not stick to your hands.
This pizza crust comes out thick and fluffy. However, it varies in the area that you are in, so if you are in New York, their Sicilian-crust is garlicky while other areas differentiate in the cooking method.
The Sicilian dough needs to be prepared quickly and it uses a stand mixer and some kneading so that the rising time is faster. This makes the crust fluffy and chewy when it is baked.
The water and oil content of the crust is also high. It is a weird combination but when the baking is done, the crust turns out to be one of the most flavorful and light pizza crusts.
Shaping and stretching a Sicilian dough does not require hands. You just let the wet ball sit on a baking sheet, cover it, and let it rise and spread by itself so it follows the shape of the sheet.
This pizza crust is also commonly cooked in a pan. This way, you can also spread oil on the pan so that the crust rises faster and the airy texture is attained.
8. Custom Crusts
Custom Crusts are basically the same crusts that we have mentioned but are varied in terms of the content and the additional ingredients that are put in them.
One common crust that is customized is the Sicilian and the New York style. Some restaurants stuff the edges of the pizza crust so that it is still eaten by people.
The most common type of stuffed crust is the cheese and sausage. You see, when the dough is being shaped, bakers roll the edges instead of letting them rise and then insert the sausage or cheese in it.
You also get variations from other pizzerias of the Neapolitan pizza by using vegan options and ingredients that are accommodating people that have food sensitivities.
Conclusion
There are a lot of pizza crusts that you can make at home. We still recommend that if you want pizza, make it at home so you get more control over the ingredients that you want.
It will also help you become better at making the pizza crust that you want. Some restaurants might produce nice pizza crusts but you might not like the texture or flavor.
That is why making it at home will let you add and remove the ingredients that you want. The pizza crust is a very essential part of the pizza and it should be made with the right technique.
Depending on the pizza that you are aiming to make, you need to use the freshest ingredients and the right cooking technique to attain it.
With repetition, you can perfect all the pizza crusts that are mentioned in the list. So go ahead and start picking your favorite pizza crust and cook it whenever you want!
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