Curiosity

The Ingredients of a Good Pizza

Flour:

Flour is the principal element in pizza dough and is made from the grinding of wheat. There are four types of common wheat In Italy: zero, double zero, one and whole wheat. Double zero (00) wheat is generally used for making pizza in that it is easily kneaded and results in soft and elastic pizza dough.

Water:

Water is one of the main ingredients for pizza dough. It is a strong solvent and depending upon the nature of the terrain through which it flows, is enriched by salts and different substances. Therefore, it has a different chemical composition for different locations.
Water used for making pizza dough must be potable. It must also have a constant temperature of 6-12° C and contain no disagreeable tastes or odors. The temperature is important because it influences the speed of the leavening process of the dough.
Water which is too cold, especially in winter, slows down the leavening process and causes a hardening of the pizza balls, and when cooked, the dough remains flat and rigid. On the contrary, water which is too hot causes the rising process to occur too rapidly and the dough loses its elasticity and ruptures its glutenous coat. It must be remembered that in winter, the ideal temperature is 22°C and in summer 18°C.

Salt:

The salt must be sea salt and rich in iodide.
It is inadvisable to dissolve the yeast in water where the salt has already been dissolved. A high degree of salinity blocks the activation and reproduction of microorganisms in yeast with negative repercussions for the entire process.

Yeast

Yeast is a living microorganism. In the world of bread making, there are three types: natural, industrial and chemical. Pizzerias generally use industrial yeast.
The yeast is kneaded together with the flour and water, transforming the sugars into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide, causing the dough to rise.
Leavening is a biochemical process in which the complex carbohydrates found in wheat are broken down by means of microorganisms, into simple sugars, with the production of gas and small quantities of acids.
A satisfactory rising of the dough guarantees the production of simple sugars, assuring easy digestibility.

Oil:

Oil is added toward the end of the process when the dough is almost ready. With lower quality flour, it is preferable to add it directly to the water in that its emulsion causes protein binding, allowing the formation of more homogenous glutens.
It must be kept in mind however that this slows down the rising process and gives more color to the pasta, so the quantities must be carefully controlled.
A few drops of extra virgin olive oil poured on the pizza as soon as it leaves the oven enhances its goodness.