While thin-crust is consumers’ favourite¹, other types of pizza crusts are increasingly gaining consumer attention. It comes as no surprise, offering pizza options with trendy ingredients and innovative crust types is a fantastic way to stand out from the crowd.² Chef Vadacchino, expert pizzaiolo, shares his practical advice and some of his original combinations.

1. Thick-Crust Pizza

• Focaccia-style pizza: Resembling a puffed flatbread, the focaccia-style crust is thick, deliciously fluffy and light! In addition to being more economical to produce, it cooks faster than the traditional crust, saving precious time in the kitchen. This Blue cheese and rosemary focaccia is sure to stand out with its rich combination of flavours.
  
  
• Pan-sheet pizza: Characterized by its square shape and its cooking process, the pan-sheet pizza is pre-cooked, garnished and reheated just before serving. Cook the pizza in a cast-iron skillet for a crispier and more flavourful crust.
  
  
• Chicago-style or deep-dish pizza: 4 out of 10 consumers prefer a deep-dish pizza with a crust at least 3 inches thick.³ This Chicago-style pizza can handle more toppings, making it a hearty and comforting option on the menu. Go all in on the current trend by offering a Chicago-style chicken pizza that doubles as a complete meal. In 2021, chicken pizza was among the most popular options on the menu!⁴

 

Cooking Chicago-style or deep-dish pizza can be complex. To reduce bottom heat and cook the base to perfection, double your baking dish. For a perfect filling, add the toppings in a specific order: for example, mushrooms should be placed under the cheese to prevent them from burning.

2. Stuffed Pizza Crust

A stuffed crust may be quicker to cook than you think! Our 20% Pizza Mozzarella sticks help simplify preparation. Everyday cheeses such as Cheddar and Provolone are also an interesting option for your stuffed crusts since they melt easily and offer a smooth, stretchy texture.

 

 

To stand out from the competition, you can use original cheeses in your stuffed crusts such as Brie, Camembert or goat cheese.

3. Seasoned Pizza Crust

Seasoned pizza crusts enhance presentation and flavour without overcomplicating preparation in the kitchen. Simply dust the crust with grated cheese before baking. Asiago, Caciocavallo, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Cheddar cheeses are great options, either on their own or combined.

Spices can be blended with traditional pizza dough ingredients to create a unique flavour. As fusion cuisine is particularly high in demand, pizzerias can seize the opportunity and boost flavours by creating bold crusts inspired by Greek, Mexican, Italian, Portuguese or any other international cuisine.

4. Pizza with Original Shapes

Pizza dough was designed to be shaped! Playing with its form makes it easy to innovate pizza: rolls, strombolis, trapizzini and calzones offer a different presentation to the ancient art form. Offer consumers original options on the menu by reusing the ingredients you already have in the kitchen. Tantalize diners with an eye-catching, Instagrammable pizza! Try these tricks to get creative with your calzones.

5. Vegetable-Based Pizza Crust

8% of Canadians surveyed in 2021 said they follow a gluten-free diet.⁵ Meet the demand of these consumers by offering a vegetable-based pizza using cauliflower, broccoli, squash or sweet potato. Get inspired by this cauliflower pizza dough.

 

Consider the wide range of options of pre-made, plant-based pizza crusts to reduce your costs, save time and ensure the consistency of both presentation and taste.

Looking for delicious cheeses, ideal toppings, perfect flour, and ready-to-use traditional dough ball or vegetable-based dough? Contact your Saputo Foodservice representative for more information on our products. Subscribe to our À LA CARTE newsletter for more expert advice! 

¹ Technomic, Canadian Pizza Consumer Trend Report, 2020
² Technomic, Ignite menu data, 2021
³ Technomic, Ignite menu data, 2021
⁴ Technomic, Ignite menu data, Q3 2020 to Q3 2021
⁵ Technomic, Omnibus consumer survey data, November 2020