Enriched white flour vs. unbleached flour vs 100% Whole Wheat vs Whole Grain
Many pizza crust recipes are made with enriched white flour, which on the surface sounds like a good thing, but the fact is that it’s not. When your digestive system breaks down enriched white flour it because sugar, which gives you some energy, however doesn’t provide you with many nutrients, and also leaves you still feeling hungry. Try to avoid simple carbohydrates like enriched white flours and refined grains. North American diets are severely lacking in fiber. Fiber comes from whole wheat and whole grain breads. Fiber takes longer for your digestive system to break down and as a result leaves you feeling fuller longer. Also a source of complex carbohydrates (starches) and a major source of B vitamins, magnesium and many other minerals. Most flours are also bleached, which leaches nutrients from the flour. Why do they do this? Good question—apparently at some point in time in North America, someone decided that natural coloured flour wasn’t ‘white enough’ and added the bleaching process. I don’t know about you guys, but I usually try not to bleach any of my food before I eat it.
At Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria, we use a high protein, unbleached white flour for our White and Moosehead beer dough recipes. It’s an industry specific product, you won’t find it on the shelves of your local grocery store. The higher protein content ensures the crust will have a crispier bottom and be able to support layers of sauce, cheese and toppings that North American pizzas are known for. This flour is more expensive than the standard all purpose enriched white flour, but it’s key to a better North American style pizza.
Who knew there was so much to know about great pizza? Twenty-one years in the industry has taught me a lot, and I’ve also taken pizza baking courses at the Italian Scuola Pizza and the American Institute of Baking to advance my knowledge and skills. You could say I love pizza.
Next post I'll discuss the quality of meats that are used in the most popular toppings found on pizza.
Showing posts with label award winning pizza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label award winning pizza. Show all posts
Friday, July 20, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
All Pizzas are Not Created Equal Part II
Tomato bases
We start our award winning marinara recipe with grade ‘A’ premium quality crushed tomatoes that are bright red in the can, naturally sweet and full of lycopene which studies have shown prevents prostate cancer. We use fresh packed tomatoes, not from concentrate. There are grade ‘B’ through ‘D’ quality tomatoes available, which many pizza places use as a base for their sauce. Lower quality tomatoes are orange & sometimes even brown in the can. The increased acid makes them bitter to the taste, especially compared to the premium grade ‘A’ tomatoes. Many of these lower grades of canned tomatoes have plastic liners inside the tin cans because the acid from the tomatoes is so strong it will eat the tin and leach tin flavor into the tomatoes. Pizza places that use low quality tomatoes try to overcome the bitterness and orange colour by loading the sauce with sugar and red dyes to mimic a better quality tomato. I’ve tasted some pretty bad sauces, some that seem more like cheap ketchup than a pizza sauce.
Real cheese vs. fake cheese
A lot of places that sell pizza mix their real cheese with fake cheese. Non dairy products called ‘pizza mozza’ and ‘pizzarella’ are being used at many chains and low quality independents. Some of these fake cheeses are made from soy, others from oils. While I don’t have any issues with soy cheeses, in fact I’ve tried to source good quality ones for a segment of my customers, I do take issue with pizza places using these ingredients but not disclosing it to the public in an effort to keep their prices unrealistically low. Since the 1980’s two large pizzas with two toppings are often advertised for $19.99 (or less) and come with a free 2L? Everything and I do mean everything; minimum wages, dairy prices, wheat prices, fresh vegetables, top quality meats, real estate, and especially gas prices has gone up since then. But the math for mainstream pizza has stayed the same. More and more savvy consumers are questioning how that’s possible. Some people have found that they have allergic like reactions to these kinds of food like substances. Again, know what you're eating, know what it's made of.
I often hear from people in their 50's that they don't like pizza, to which my next question is, "Is it real-deal pizza, made with the best ingredients that you don't like, or cheap pizza made with stuff you normally don't eat or enjoy in the first place?". Taste the difference from an award winning, gourmet pizzeria.
Full fat cheese vs. low fat cheese
A lot of pizza places will use a full fat mozzarella, sometimes mixing it with low-fat or soy cheese. They do this because the full fat mozzarella adds a lot of flavour, (fat=flavour) and many people find it palatable, but then don’t feel well afterwards. Typically, pizza places that use full fat are trying to add flavor to a cardboard tasting crust and low quality meats and vegetables. Personally, I can’t eat pizza made this way. Rather, I can eat it, but my body doesn’t digest it well unless I chase it down with a big bottle of the pink stuff. And that’s no way to eat, much less a way to live.
Next post I'll talk about different flours used in making pizza.
We start our award winning marinara recipe with grade ‘A’ premium quality crushed tomatoes that are bright red in the can, naturally sweet and full of lycopene which studies have shown prevents prostate cancer. We use fresh packed tomatoes, not from concentrate. There are grade ‘B’ through ‘D’ quality tomatoes available, which many pizza places use as a base for their sauce. Lower quality tomatoes are orange & sometimes even brown in the can. The increased acid makes them bitter to the taste, especially compared to the premium grade ‘A’ tomatoes. Many of these lower grades of canned tomatoes have plastic liners inside the tin cans because the acid from the tomatoes is so strong it will eat the tin and leach tin flavor into the tomatoes. Pizza places that use low quality tomatoes try to overcome the bitterness and orange colour by loading the sauce with sugar and red dyes to mimic a better quality tomato. I’ve tasted some pretty bad sauces, some that seem more like cheap ketchup than a pizza sauce.
Real cheese vs. fake cheese
A lot of places that sell pizza mix their real cheese with fake cheese. Non dairy products called ‘pizza mozza’ and ‘pizzarella’ are being used at many chains and low quality independents. Some of these fake cheeses are made from soy, others from oils. While I don’t have any issues with soy cheeses, in fact I’ve tried to source good quality ones for a segment of my customers, I do take issue with pizza places using these ingredients but not disclosing it to the public in an effort to keep their prices unrealistically low. Since the 1980’s two large pizzas with two toppings are often advertised for $19.99 (or less) and come with a free 2L? Everything and I do mean everything; minimum wages, dairy prices, wheat prices, fresh vegetables, top quality meats, real estate, and especially gas prices has gone up since then. But the math for mainstream pizza has stayed the same. More and more savvy consumers are questioning how that’s possible. Some people have found that they have allergic like reactions to these kinds of food like substances. Again, know what you're eating, know what it's made of.
I often hear from people in their 50's that they don't like pizza, to which my next question is, "Is it real-deal pizza, made with the best ingredients that you don't like, or cheap pizza made with stuff you normally don't eat or enjoy in the first place?". Taste the difference from an award winning, gourmet pizzeria.
Full fat cheese vs. low fat cheese
A lot of pizza places will use a full fat mozzarella, sometimes mixing it with low-fat or soy cheese. They do this because the full fat mozzarella adds a lot of flavour, (fat=flavour) and many people find it palatable, but then don’t feel well afterwards. Typically, pizza places that use full fat are trying to add flavor to a cardboard tasting crust and low quality meats and vegetables. Personally, I can’t eat pizza made this way. Rather, I can eat it, but my body doesn’t digest it well unless I chase it down with a big bottle of the pink stuff. And that’s no way to eat, much less a way to live.
Next post I'll talk about different flours used in making pizza.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
2009 Top Ten Gourmet Pizzas at Diana's Gourmet Pizzeria
Our customers have voted! Ladies and gentlemen, the top ten favourite, award winning gourmet pizzas from our menu for 2009 are….(drum roll please)
10. Bacon Double Cheese features our signature marinara, 100% lean cooked ground beef, maple smoked crumbled bacon, red onions, extra mozzarella & medium sharp cheddar cheeses.
9. Gourmet Veggie with our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, chopped baby spinach, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and red onions.
8. Classic Veggie features our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, fresh mushrooms, green peppers, Roma tomatoes and red onions.
7. BBQ chicken with BBQ sauce, grilled BBQ chicken breast, maple smoked crumbled bacon & red onions with mozzarella and medium sharp cheddar cheese blend.
6. Havarti Heaven a.k.a. “Finalist for 2007 Gourmet Pizza of the Year” featuring olive oil & herb sauce, roasted red peppers, red onions, strip bacon & grilled Cajun chicken breast with a blend of garlic‘n’chive Havarti and low fat mozzarella cheeses.
5. Hawaiian featuring our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, smoked ham, pineapple and maple smoked crumbled bacon.
4. Diana Supreme featuring our signature marinara, green peppers, dry cured pepperoni, smoked ham, 100% lean cooked ground beef, Italian sausage, fresh mushrooms, pineapple, maple smoked crumbled bacon & red onions smothered with double mozzarella (low –fat).
3. Ultimate Pepperoni - a.k.a. “Canada’s Best Pizza 2007” – World Pizza Championship games features our signature marinara, two layers of dry cured pepperoni on a bed of garlic’n’chive Havarti & low fat mozzarella on a Moosehead beer crust.
2. Canadian featuring our signature marinara, dry cured pepperoni, fresh mushrooms & maple smoked crumbled bacon.
1. Diana's Deluxe featuring our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, green peppers, dry cured pepperoni, fresh mushrooms, maple smoked crumbled bacon & red onions.
10. Bacon Double Cheese features our signature marinara, 100% lean cooked ground beef, maple smoked crumbled bacon, red onions, extra mozzarella & medium sharp cheddar cheeses.
9. Gourmet Veggie with our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, chopped baby spinach, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and red onions.
8. Classic Veggie features our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, fresh mushrooms, green peppers, Roma tomatoes and red onions.
7. BBQ chicken with BBQ sauce, grilled BBQ chicken breast, maple smoked crumbled bacon & red onions with mozzarella and medium sharp cheddar cheese blend.
6. Havarti Heaven a.k.a. “Finalist for 2007 Gourmet Pizza of the Year” featuring olive oil & herb sauce, roasted red peppers, red onions, strip bacon & grilled Cajun chicken breast with a blend of garlic‘n’chive Havarti and low fat mozzarella cheeses.
5. Hawaiian featuring our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, smoked ham, pineapple and maple smoked crumbled bacon.
4. Diana Supreme featuring our signature marinara, green peppers, dry cured pepperoni, smoked ham, 100% lean cooked ground beef, Italian sausage, fresh mushrooms, pineapple, maple smoked crumbled bacon & red onions smothered with double mozzarella (low –fat).
3. Ultimate Pepperoni - a.k.a. “Canada’s Best Pizza 2007” – World Pizza Championship games features our signature marinara, two layers of dry cured pepperoni on a bed of garlic’n’chive Havarti & low fat mozzarella on a Moosehead beer crust.
2. Canadian featuring our signature marinara, dry cured pepperoni, fresh mushrooms & maple smoked crumbled bacon.
1. Diana's Deluxe featuring our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, green peppers, dry cured pepperoni, fresh mushrooms, maple smoked crumbled bacon & red onions.
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