Pizza fans from near and far have appreciated their pies in a variety of preparations and presentations. We all have our own favorite and special occasion choice, so when it comes to comparing pizza preparations, to each their own! But what if you’re not in-the-know about the options out there? Here are some of the top favorite pizza preparations…
Deep-Dish Pizza
Nobody knows who invented the Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, but it’s certainly a Chicago creation. Deep-dish pizzas must be made in a special deep-dish pizza pan, because this pizza preparation is the most loaded with toppings, ever. These pizzas are baked in a round, steel pan with a relatively thin crust. Inversely from typical pizzas, the toppings are flipped to handle the loooong baking time: cheese goes on the bottom, topped with meat and veggies and finally, a layer of uncooked tomato sauce. It’s one hefty pie.
Flatbread Pizza
On the opposite end of the spectrum, pizzas can be made light and thin in the form of flatbread pizzas. The crust is very thin, and flatbreads are often topped very lightly. These come from all over the world, and carry different toppings and presentations from their original regions. In Alsace, flatbreads are covered with onions and bacon; in Sri Lanka, they are topped with green chilis and onion; and here in the U.S., we transformed a Native American recipe and top it with all kinds of things including meat, vegetables, cheese and even beans.
Traditional Oven Pizza
Your typical American pizzeria, from grease-laden Domino’s to hole-in-the-wall eateries, is baked the traditional style in an oven. As we know, these are can be topped with just about anything. Favorites like cheese and pepperoni, Canadian bacon and pineapple, sausage and mushroom, supreme (sausage, bell peppers, mushroom, onion, etc.)… the list goes on.
Brick Oven Pizza
Also known as a masonry oven or stone oven, brick ovens and pizza have a long history. The classic Neapolitan pizza has traditionally been made in a brick oven. Pizza baked in a brick oven has some advantages over traditional oven-baked pies. The top perks are consistent cooking temperature, faster cooking time (2-3 minutes), a soft yet crispy crust and unique flavor (caused by the extreme heat). Some brick ovens use wood to heat them, which obviously mixes the preparation methods. You’ll typically find more creative toppings on specialty brick oven pizza, such as sausage and potato or goat cheese and arugula.
Wood Fired Pizza
The Elemental Pizza way. Wood fired pizza is often synonymous with California-style pizza, and features thin crust, Italian-style pizzas that have inventive as well as classic toppings. Although it’s a little bit more tricky (since wood doesn’t produce consistent cooking heat), we love the wood fired way. We think it offers the perfect premise for preparing fantastic pizza: We stick to simple, good quality ingredients and that philosophy of simple has resulted in some hands-down, awesome pies.
At the end of the day, the pizza style you choose has everything to do about what you’re in the mood for and how your palate is peaked. We highly recommend wood fired pizza because it’s simplicity makes it especially flavorful, but of course we are also biased. Come on into Elemental Pizza today for our famous wood fired pizza!
