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What is a Pizza?

Pizza is a flat, open-faced pie of Italian origin, consisting of a bread-like crust topped with seasoned tomato sauce and cheese, often garnished with savoury meats and vegetables. Traditionally, pizza has been classified by thickness, shape, and assembly platform.

Categorizing Pizzas

A. Crust Thickness Pizza comes in thin, medium, and thick crust versions. The amount of dough is the main factor affecting crust thickness. However, the amount of rise also plays a part. Dough that is either underrisen or over-risen, or else is flattened before baking, tends to produce a thinner crust than one that’s allowed to rise (or proof) to an optimum level after rolling and before baking. B. Shape Pizzas are also classified by shape - namely, round and rectangular. Pizza that’s made in a rectangular sheet pan is sometimes called ＂Italian bakery＂ pizza - the place where it originated. However, round is the most common shape in pizzerias, probably because it’s the easiest to make. There are also specialty shapes, such as heartshaped pizza, which is a perennial valentine’s day favorite. C. Assembly Pizzas are also classified according to the platform on which they’re assembled. Basically, there are three: pan, screen, and peel (or paddle) - known as pan pizza, screen pizza, and hearth-baked pizza, respectively. Pan pizza is also called deep-dish pizza and skillet pizza. Thicker crust pizzas tend to be made in a pan while thinner ones are often assembled on a screen or peel. When made on a peel, a pizza is baked directly on the hearth or oven deck. A variation on hearth-baked pizza involves making and baking the pizza on non-burning silicon-treated paper.