Pizza Today - February 2024 - 50

After you settle on your flour, the next
important decision in dough is whether
you use a Direct Method (mixing flour
directly with yeast, salt, water and any
other ingredients in your dough) or
Indirect Method (A two-stage process to
making dough using either a Biga, Poolish,
Pate-ferment or sourdough starter).
The Sauce
While a lot of thought and experimentation
should go into finding the
right dough, the toppings can be just as
important since they are the first thing
that hits a person's taste buds while
devouring a slice. I'm a big believer that
your sauce will only be as good as the
tomatoes that go into it. That's because it
you use a quality tomato you don't need to
add very much else. The flavor of the fruit
speaks for itself. There are a lot of different
types and brands of tomatoes available,
each bringing a unique flavor and texture
to your final product. Almost everyone
is partial to one or another. This can be
dependent on the style you are making,
where you live or what dominant flavor
you look for in a tomato. For example, if
you make certified VPN Neapolitan pizza,
you definitely want to use DOP San
Marzano tomatoes. This particular variety
is only grown in the fertile soil under
Mount Vesuvius in the Campania region
of Italy. If your pizza style doesn't need
a specific tomato, there are a few really
great options that are grown in the USA
or Italy. Whatever you choose, you want
to make sure they have a bright flavor
and color as well as a good mouthfeel.
A few of the different tomatoes you can
buy are: whole peeled, strips, crushed/
ground with skins on or off, or tomato
purees. Blending a few varieties can create
a balanced sauce without having to add
additional sugar. Almost all pizza sauces
should be uncooked. There are, of course,
exception, such as using a sauce that needs
to be cooked down with other ingredients
like onions or Guanciale. The reason that
it should be uncooked is that it cooks in
the oven and you want to retain the sweet,
bright flavor of the tomatoes.
The Cheese
Cheese. Pizza people stand by their
brand of cheese and will almost never
waiver or change. I've used the same
brand since opening, but every year we
re-try other brands or new ones that have
emerged. My brother and I will do a
blind taste test but every time we land on
the one we have always used. The reason
for revisiting it every year? The price.
Whether you use fresh mozzarella, blocks
or even stretch it yourself, cheese is one of
the most expensive components on your
pie. Yes, tomatoes and flour are expensive
these days too, but the quantity you use
per pizza compared to cheese is much,
much smaller. My brother jokes that
we should have a market price for slices
depending on how much the cheese is.
Aside from the brand of cheese, a few
things to look at for mozzarella cheese
are:
The Hot Slice brings you inspiring stories, strategies and lessons
learned from successful pizzeria professionals and top experts.
This podcast is hosted by the team at Pizza Today, the premier
network for pizzeria professionals.
Ep. 177
Frank Zabski
Ep. 171
New Haven-style Pizza
Scott Rivera
Refocus to Grow
Mya Anitai
Ep. 172
Bringing Her Style to an Established Pizzeria
SPONSORED BY
performancefoodservice.com
50 / PIZZATODAY.COM / FEBRUARY 2024
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Pizza Today - February 2024

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