11 Different but Equally Tasty Types of Pizza
What do you think of when you think of pizza? Think about the food that you always find yourself craving or always receive compliments for.
This craving is very popular at dinnertime. Very few people actually crave pizza for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Yet, for the evening meal, choosing pizza is an easy way to please everyone at the table.
Taking into account the many choices, styles and topping combinations, it would be impossible to have tried every pizza type.
Yet, what is your idea for the perfect pizza?
Here are the 11 most common pizza variations to satisfy your cravings.
Neapolitan Pizza
It originated in Naples, Italy. Neapolitan pizza is based on the original style developed in Naples. It is the most widespread style of pizza and the one most commonly found in the United States.
The dough is made with flour, water, yeast and salt. The dough is not kneaded and there is no rising time.
It is stretched or tossed by hand, then topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese and baked in a stone oven.
New York-Style Pizza
New York-style pizza has become the most common variety in the US. It is also known colloquially as “New York pizza,” “New York-style pizza,” or simply “New York pie.”
A traditional New York pizza or “Grandma slice” would contain a thin, foldable, and crisp crust, wide-cut pepperoni, and a liberal amount of crushed garlic.
New York-style pizza is typically rectangular-shaped and may range from 14 inches to 22 inches. The first known pizzeria in the US, Lombardi’s opened in 1905 in Manhattan and still offers New York pizza to this day.
Chicago/Deep-Dish Pizza
Let’s start with classic American style pizza, most popular in the midwest, the deep-dish pizza. It is characterized by a deep, thick crust, high density and is usually baked in a black steel pan.
The term deep-dish is said to describe how the pizza was placed in the pan, but most likely it originated from the term Quaker pie, a chocolate pie with a shallow dish. As Italians settled in the midwest, they brought their traditional pizza with them.
To make the pizza more sturdy, the ingredients were layered with cheese in the middle. With this approach, pizza dough and tomato sauce ended up outside. While there are many variations on the dough, sauce, and toppings in the deep-dish pizza, they all have the same thick crust.
Sicilian Pizza
Sicilian pizza is a variation of the original Neapolitan pizza, but it is baked differently. Neapolitan pizzas are baked with a very high temperature in a stone oven and not in a wood fire oven.
Sicilian pizza is rectangular and usually not served with cheese.
It is also baked with a very high temperature of 400F (200C) for about 5 minutes on the bottom and 6 or 7 minutes on the top. This quick cooking time allows the pizza to be served a lot faster.
The crust on the Sicilian pizza has a larger circumference than the Neapolitan pizza (14–16 inches), and can be more than 1 inch thick. It is also thicker and has a chewier texture.
Californian Pizza
A little known fact is that the origins of the Californian Pizza existed before The Californian State was formed. The Californian Pizza is a square pizza with cheese, vegetables and sauce. It is the original way, Southern Italians made their pizza.
Grilled Pizza<br />
The Californian Pizza and this go together like peas and carrots. They are traditionally eaten together and are conceptually identical, except for the grilled pizza has a tomato sauce base and is never eaten with any other topping.
The secret to eating pizzas of any kind is to dip it in the garlic oil.
Detroit Pizza
There’s a legend behind Detroit‒s famous pizza crust.
Papa Grande’s, the place that invented the Detroit Style Pizza, says that the recipe came to this Detroit establishment in a dream about the perfect pizza. That’s one way to figure out the secret ingredient.
The Detroit Style pizza crust is made with yeast, allowing it to rise slowly overnight. The next morning, when the shop opens, the dough is punched down, covered with sauce and cheese, and then baked at 700 degrees in a deck oven.
The result is an unusually thick pizza base that’s crispy on the bottom and tender on the top.
The entire experience is composed of a soft and buttery crust, fresh tomatoes, fresh herbs, gooey mozzarella, and savory cheeses. There’s not one thing that stands out, but certainly something that is complementary, coming together to make a delicious, mouthwatering slice.
Detroit Style pizza has inspired other pizza joints to follow suit, but the true, original Detroit Style pizza is only found at Papa Grande’s.
St. Louis Pizza
St. Louis pizza is a style of pizza with a very thin crust. The crust is so thin, in fact, that it dries out very quickly if not eaten straightaway.
The dough for this type of pizza is spread thinly – a process known as “spinning”. It is also baked for just a few minutes at temperatures above 800 F. This rapid heating gives this pizza its unique texture.
The unique texture, combined with the tomatoes served on almost every type of St. Louis pizza (which are typically very sweet), makes this a pizza that you’d like to hit the gym after eating.
Greek Pizza
Greek pizza is made with feta cheese and dill as a topping. The cheese is placed in thin layers over the dough to make it soft and elastic.
It is then baked and served hot.
The dill topping adds a lemony flavor to the whole dish.
It is also available as a Salad Pizza for those who want the flavor without the carbs.
Breakfast Pizza
The breakfast pizza is more of a savoury pizza. Hence, it is designed to be eaten at breakfast. It is a perfect combination of various flavours of pizza that will get you thinking you are having breakfast in heaven.
The breakfast pizza usually has the following components included in it:
- ⃜Sausages
- ⃜Taco meat
- ⃜Eggs
- ⃜Bacon
- ⃜Ham
- ⃜Mushrooms
Both deep-dish and thin crust varieties of pizza are suitable for the breakfast pizza.
Bagel Pizza
Toppings are all placed inside the dough to resemble a cheese-filled donut. While not as popular as cheese-stuffed crust pizza, the bagel pizza is still widely available at most pizza joints.
Bagel pizza was invented in 1974 by John Imlay Jr. at Imlay Frozen Foods in Vermont after several failed attempts on how to make a common pizza different.
The pizza became successful as it is now ubiquitous and can be found in supermarkets as a frozen product.
Dessert Pizza
Dessert pizzas like the Apple Pie, the Cinnamon/Raisin Pizza, the Chocolate Lava Pizza, the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Pizza, the Pecan Pie, the Peach Frangipanni Pizza, the Tahitian Vanilla Pizza or the Treacherous Truffle Pizza add a tasty twist to your favorite dessert.
What do you need to make your own Pizza?
Pizza, like cooking, is a process not a recipe … you will find endless variations on measurements, ingredients and cooking time.
My first advice is not to try “all” the pizza recipes. I personally like the best pizza with thin, crispy crusts, loads of tomato and a well-balanced mozzarella.
Toppings you should start with:
- Tomatoes sauce
- Mozzarella cheese
- Italian seasoning
- Pepper
Last but not least is the thin, crispy crust. Before I start, I recommend that you practice making the dough and stretching it for a long while. Sometimes, it works and sometimes it doesn’t work, and the difference is the amount of practice.
It is the hardest part, but once the base is ready it’s all set. All you need to do is to top with your favorite pizza ingredients.
It might take you some time to master perfecting your domestic pizza but you’ll soon learn what works for you with your favourite pizza ingredients.
Here is my top 11 list of pizza ingredients.
{1}. Tomatoes sauce.
{2}. Mozzarella cheese.
{3}. Sausages
{4}. Chilli flakes
{5}. Mushrooms
{6}. Carrots
Wrapping it up
5 reasons to buy an electric smoker
An electric smoker is a very useful device. Essentially, it can be understood as a regular type smoker which can be kept indoors and used mainly for smoking meat and fish. They are remarkably similar to usual smokers.
If you’re looking for an electric smoker, there are 5 good reasons why you should make your choice. It’s very helpful to be aware of them before actually buying one.
First of all, electric smokers are relatively inexpensive. It’s easy to find one at discount prices. Also, they are, in general, easy to maintain and easy to clean, making your life easier.
Another good reason to choose an electric smoker is that they are very energy efficient. They don’t require a lot of attention. All you need to do is to plug them in and turn them on. This makes them the perfect devices if you are looking for an eco-friendly option. They are also very versatile since you can pretty much use them most of the year.
You can also count on an electric smoker for the consistent results it produces in meat or fish. It’s not only convenient, but it’s also very practical.