All about Pizza

Issue 7

Not all pizza is created equal. Nowadays one of the world’s favorite foods is offered in many different styles, shapes, and flavor profiles. Some popular styles — New York, Sicilian, Detroit, Chicago, and Napoli are each known for their own signature recipes. What are the differences between the various styles? Read on.

1. New York Style: Is known for having a thin crust and a crunchy texture. Low-moisture and slightly dried fresh mozzarella along with American tomatoes are preferred. 

2. Sicilian Style: This style is known for a thick crust which can be up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick and is cooked in an oiled pan. Because this pizza has a thicker style, it usually incorporates slightly sweeter tomatoes and low-moisture mozzarella. The Sicilian pizza should be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

3. Detroit Style: This style uses the same dough as the Sicilian styles. What distinguishes it is it’s shape (rectangular), the way in which it is topped as well as its border. When preparing the Detroit-style pizza, Brick cheese from Wisconsin is sprinkled along the sides of the pan between the pan and the crust to make a very crunch, slightly charred crust. The pizza dough is first topped with mozzarella and then baked while the tomato sauce is slow-cooked separately and then used to top the pizza after the cheese has already been melted.

4. Chicago Style: Also known as “Deep Dish,” this dough uses less than 58% hydration making it dryer than the other styles. It is rolled out very thin and placed in a pan. The pan in which it is baked gives the pizza its characteristically high edge. All of the topping ingredients (such as meat and vegetables) are placed inside. A layer of mozzarella is placed on top, followed by a layer of tomatoes or tomato sauce.

And one more (sorry we had to break the 4 nuggets rule!)

5. Naploi Style: Or pizza Napoletana, a type of pizza that originated in Naples, Italy is prepared with simple and fresh ingredients: a basic dough, raw tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and olive oil. No fancy toppings are allowed! One of its defining characteristics is that there is often more sauce than cheese. This leaves the middle of the pie wet or soggy and not conducive to being served by the slice. Because of this, these pizzas are generally closer to the size of a personal pizza.