I was recently in the Mill City, Minneapolis, on a gorgeous, unofficial summer evening. As the sunset filtered through the tops of the old mills that flank both sides of the Mississippi River in a kind of industrial faceoff, I thought about how the more things change, the more they stay the same. That’s one way to approach the current state of the flour industry, pizza making, and summer pies.
Summertime is the pizza sweet spot — with consumers gathering for the world’s biggest soccer tournament, soaking in the patio season, and noshing on vacation slices. But it also serves as a sunny prelude to the busy fall sprint, marked by back-to-school, football, and Halloween.
It’s a great time to experiment with flavorful, veggie- and fruit-forward pies, and it may also be a good stretch for working with different kinds of flour — like unbromated, for instance — to dial in that formula that best fits your restaurant’s brand.
Masters of Dough
In Italy, for centuries, they’ve made pizzas without the use of oxidizing agents like potassium bromate, which can provide added lift to a crust. It’s worked out pretty well!
Those pies tend to be lighter and taste a little lighter, with longer fermentation causing the enzymes to break down the starches and proteins, so it’s easier on your body to digest. In fact, if you tell an Italian chef that a pizza was nicely digestible — that’s a serious compliment!
Now in the U.S., states are passing regulations to phase out those agents. And that’s going to create opportunities for pizza craftsmen who like to get their hands floury, even including those that work with family recipes passed down over generations.
Dough Pro
I spoke with Jim Anderson, National Sales Manager for Pizza & Italian at Performance Foodservice and our resident dough pro to find out more about making a potential change to unbromated flour. He told me that unbromated is able to make every style of pizza that a bromated version can do — it’s just a matter of tweaking the science. After all, pizzaiolos are already foodservice scholars.
“Following the steps: weighing out and scaling each ingredient, making sure you’re measuring the water temperature — that will go a long way to putting out a consistent product,” Anderson explained. “So, if you find a formula that works, then you can repeat it.”
One question is how to get that ideal lift in the oven. According to Anderson, “A little more water makes the product more extensible, so you get oven lift by adding a longer fermentation process. It softens the dough to allow for more extensibility, longer maturity if you will. Maybe upping the amount of yeast you use; that’s going to make things rise as well.”
Summer of Slices
Currently in Richmond, Va., where I live, temps are in the mid-90s and feel even hotter. That’s going to impact your summer pizza making!
Because of the more humid air, flour absorbs extra moisture, causing dough to ferment faster. As a result, your dough can become overly sticky and harder to handle. It’s recommended to lower the hydration level by 1-3% to make this seasonal adjustment.
But what about flavors? Consumers are still burning for international fusion, so arranging Allegiance® Pork Belly, a fresh medley of Peak® veggies, Bacio® Cheese, and Asian sauces and spices on a crust made using Roma® Heritage Unbromated Flour brings a clash of “swicy” and “swavory” to a Banh Mi Pizza.
A finalist at this year’s International Pizza Expo competition, the Thanks, Elote piles Contigo® Street Corn Dip, Ridgecrest® Applewood Smoked Bacon, Bacio Whole Milk Shredded Cheese, and zesty spices on a NY-style crust made with Assoluti!® Unbromated Flour.
Or dollop the deeply rich, savory flavors of duck confit on a summery pie with cherry marmalade, radishes, and arugula. Other airy combinations include peach, prosciutto, and burrata; zucchini ribbons and ricotta gremolata; or an heirloom tomato salad pizza on top of unbromated dough treated with olive oil, sea salt, and a touch of Parmesan.
*Pro tip: Summer flourishes like arugula, microgreens, and basil are delicate and should be added to pizza only after being removed from the oven to maintain their vitality.
No matter what style of pizza you perfect this summer, or in the fall, Performance sources a comprehensive array of flour and dough solutions to fit your operation.
“You might use a little more mixing time to develop that gluten or capture the gases,” Anderson said. “Maybe it’s adding a little more water to make it more extensible, speeding up the maturity by adding a pre-ferment or adding a little more leavening agent. One or more of those things might be the secret process that helps you stand out from the competition.”