What’s your favorite month? If it’s got football, food, and frights — it’s gotta be October! Ramping up the calendar even more, it also happens to be National Pizza Month.
According to industry research, indulgent food, like pizza, tends to make consumers feel happy, content, and connected — and so, diners are more likely to enjoy popular eats with delight and few regrets. To borrow from the Ghostbusters and Ray Parker, Jr., “Pizza makes me feel good!”
As for pizza restaurants, having the ability to offer different styles, along with a myriad of interesting topping combinations, from classic to boundary-breaking, opens up a world of possibilities that’ll last well past Pizza-tober. The key is in the flour power.
Start at the Source
We can trace the origins of Neapolitan pizza back to ancient flatbreads celebrated by the Romans. After the arrival of the tomato, this age-old snack evolved into a working-class meal favored by the residents of Naples around the 18th century. These days, any pizza place can bring authentic Italian craftsmanship to the menu.
The Naples delicacy was first made with a 00-flour — finely milled featuring a powdery texture — which resulted in tender dough traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven at 900° F for 90 seconds. The process created a soft crust with artisanal, signature charred spots, known as cornicione, which bubbled up along the border.
An option like Roma® Neapolitan-Style Premio ‘00’ Fine Ground Flour provides the same qualities as traditional Italian 00 flours, yet it’s milled with domestically grown wheat — meaning artisanal doesn’t have to break the budget. This flour is milled specifically for high-heat ovens and formulates the soft, supple doughs that Neapolitan fans expect.
We Love NY
Folded up, served on a paper plate, or hot and fresh out of a delivery box — boy, do we love a classic New York slice, from anywhere in the country! Offer neighborhood guests your very own bite of the Big Apple with the help of Assoluti!® Premium High Gluten Unbleached and Unbromated Flour.
A best-in-class flour with consistency and dependability that keeps regulars coming back for more, this is a 14% protein product ideal for long fermentation doughs. Assoluti! Premium High Gluten features a high absorption quality and is able to tolerate mixing and handling, so you can serve up hand-tossed pies that are crisp on the edges and famously chewy on the inside, like this traditional Garlic Pesto Pizza or an adventurous Asian Pride® Teriyaki Mushroom Pie.
Windy City Specials
Maybe you’d like to try your hand at showcasing Chicago Deep Dish as part of a National Pizza Month LTO? This signature Chi-town fave is usually made with a dense, relatively low-gluten, low-hydration dough.
Versatility, volume, and fermentation tolerance are all hallmarks of an item like Roma H&R All Purpose Flour Unbleached Enriched. With an even crumb coloring and silky texture, Roma H&R is able to balance out a range of toppings and sauces. And the applications even go beyond deep dish — try using the flour to craft decadent, fried, panko-crusted burrata for a shareable!
Motor City Mouthful
Call it a culinary comeback, Detroit-style. New York and Chicago get the bulk of the attention, but these thick, buttery, airy, rectangular slices inspired by Mo-town have been recently driving fans to both major chains and local hot spots.
Typically, the dough is gently, uniformly poked or indented, topped with brick cheese, and then finished with two strips of tomato sauce in homage to the two rivers of Detroit. An extra layer of cheese is sprinkled around the edge to create a crispy, golden-brown border when the pizza is baked.
Delivering both premier performance and critical consistency, an ingredient like Luigi® Premium Flour contains strong characteristics, including exceptional carrying power, absorption, tolerance, and machinability — all important when building a Detroit-style masterpiece. Consider how this crispy, fluffy Potato Pie, with Bacio® Cheese, bacon, and a tangy horseradish crema, could crush the area tailgate party.
This fall might be the perfect time to look at diversifying your pizza menu. Celebrate National Pizza Month and win the big-game watch party, the birthday shindig, or the Halloween haunt with styles representing some of pizza’s most popular regions. Happy Pizza-tober!