One of the most important aspects of baking a pizza is its crust. Without the crust, you are left with just a mixture of cheese, veggies, meat, and other ingredients. You can’t call it pizza, without the crust. Something that pizza lovers would agree with.
So, you probably want to focus a little more time on the base of your pizza. With the many types of pizza crust, you might wonder, “How should I bake my pizza crust?”
Thankfully, there are different options to choose from. Each option gives you advantages and disadvantages. Learning these pizza crusts, what they are, and how they are baked should help you decide how you should prepare your pizza.
With this in mind, check out the following types of pizza crust and learn which one would best meet your needs and preference.
To make things even more interesting, you will find images of pizza crust along with the discussion of their description.
So, let’s begin!
Types of Pizza Crust
Stuffed Crust
Stuffed crust is stuffed with a lot of goodies. It has become most popular in Chicago and various places in the US.
The most identifiable characteristic of the stuffed crust is it has a deeper topping than most other types of pizzas. Because it has a deeper crust, it has more toppings in it. Usually, toppings include cheese, the meat of your choice, and veggies.
Description
It’s quite interesting to know that stuffed crust pizzas were first conceptualized because people don’t eat the edge of the crust.
This problem led bakers to think of a way so that people would eat everything, including the crust’s edge. They came up with a solution to stuffed taste ingredients into the crust, so that people would completely eat their pizza.
Types of stuffed crust
There are different types of stuffed crust. Throughout the years, people have become creative about what ingredients they would stuff their crust with. Here are some of them:
- Hot dog stuffed crust – this should solve the problem when you are trying to choose between pizza or hotdog.
- Whole shrimp cheese stuffed crust – this one’s popular in Pizza Hut Japan.
- Flying fish roe salmon stuffed crust – this is another trademark of Pizza hut Japan.
- Sweet potato mousse and cheese stuffed crust – the mousse gives you a sugary flavor while the cheese maintains the original taste of pizzas.
- Doritos-crusted pizza – if you like to make your pizza extra crunchy, this one’s for you.
Cheese crust pizza
It is no secret that one of the main ingredients of pizza is cheese. Thus, it is not surprising to find pizza crust filled with cheese.
To qualify as a cheese crust pizza, you need to add an extra big amount of cheese, especially on the edge.
To make the pizza more interesting, you can combine regular cheese, mozzarella cheese, and gooey cheddar cheese stuffed into the crust.
Types of cheese crust pizza
Now, there are just so many types of cheese crust pizza. Like what you have read here, cheese crust is among the most popular types of pizza. So, here are some of the examples of cheese crust pizza you’ll probably find on the Internet:
- SBA’s stuffed crust pepperoni pizza – this pizza looks more like a heptagon than a round one. The crust is made of six pieces of stringed cheese that are securely tucked on the edge of the crust.
- One-Pot Chef’s cheesy stuffed crust pizza – made of flour, sugar, yeast, salt, olive oil, pepper, and warm water. The whole pizza is laid with shredded mozzarella around the edges.
- Flourless cheese crust – this pizza is a great option for people who don’t like gluten and are on a low-carb diet. It comes with cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, and cheese.
- Cheese burst pizza – commonly, cheese is tucked inside the pizza crust found around the rim. However, this one’s different because cheese is stuffed inside the crust around the center. The secret is that during the process, there are two sheets of dough. The cheese is then stuffed between them for a cheesier and stickier bite.
- Cheddar crust pizza – use olive oil, yeast, and bread flour to make a dough. Add cheddar and line them in the crust just like what you’ll do with mozzarella sticks.
Cracker Crust pizza
The cracker-crust pizza is a great pizza that you will enjoy while you watch your favorite movies or spend time with your friends and families.
The cracker crust is like a cracker. It is thin and crispy at the same time. It is like you are eating a cracker, but with pizza toppings.
Thin crust pizza
The thin crust pizza is especially different from other types of pizza crust. The main differentiating characteristic of thin-crust pizza is that the edge is made crunchy and crispy while the center of the crust is slimmer.
Description
Because the crust is thin, it only takes 7-10 minutes to bake using an oven. You can also lessen the baking time if you use a specialized pizza oven. Thin crust is simply just about 0.5 cm in thickness.
This crispy crust pizza type has a very thin crust and thus, it can’t accommodate so many toppings. Or else, it will easily break.
To make a thin crust, you would need to stretch out your dough until it forms a thin sheet with a firm edge.
Different pizzas fall into this category. Here are some of them:
Neapolitan
Perhaps, the world can thank Neapolitan food for making pizza popular on a global scale.
According to historians, Queen Margherita of Savoy and King Umberto visited Naples in 1889. Raffaele Esposito, a baker in a Naples pizzeria, served the royalties a pizza inspired by the Italian flag. The pizza has its red color from tomatoes, white color from mozzarella, and green color from basil leaves. It is similar to pizza Margherita.
As a result, the classic Neapolitan pizza has been born.
The Neapolitan pizza is commonly made with a soft and thin crust. This pizza will bubble up during the baking process, leaving a few holes. It is also slightly charred in spots.
St. Louis Style
This type of pizza is a special pizza that originated in and around the Midwestern city of St. Louis, Missouri. As a thin crust pizza, the dough is made without yeast. The pizza uses a special type of cheese called Provel processed cheese.
Description
St. Louis Style pizzas are served in a rectangular or square shape instead of the more popular triangle shape.
If you visit St. Louis, the popular pizza local chains that serve this pizza are Cecil Whittaker’s and Imo’s Pizza. You should also be able to find restaurants that specialize in this pizza.
New York Style
The New York Style pizza is arguably the most popular type of pizza because it is commonly used in movies, shows, and media.
Description
The main characteristic of the New York Style pizza is it’s bigger than the usual size. It also has this unique “flop” factor that forms its recognizable pizza fold.
The New York Style pizza is still considered a thin crust pizza, but it is thicker than the Neapolitan style. As a result, it needs a longer period to bake. On average, you need to wait for 15-20 minutes before it is fully cooked.
Another distinct characteristic of the New York Style pizza is that it has sugar and oil as part of the usual pizza ingredients.
New Haven Style
This pizza originated in New Haven, Connecticut, hence, the name. In New Haven, this pizza is known as the apizza.
Description
What makes New Haven Style pizza different from others is how it is baked. Bakers use coal-fire to prepare New Haven Style pizza. The coal-fired oven is set at 343 °C (650 °F), which is an extremely hot temperature for pizzas.
The New Haven Style pizza includes a thin crust, tomato sauce, oregano, and pecorino romano cheese. Sometimes, the tomato ingredient overpowers the whole pizza. That’s why the “plain” New Haven-style pizza is also called at times the tomato pie.
Thick crust pizza
If you don’t like thin crust pizzas, then you’ll probably love the thick crust. Thin crust and thick crust pizzas are somewhat similar in the way they are baked. However, the thick crust is set to have a thicker depth, particularly around the edge.
The thickness of the crust can be as thick as ¼ inch. That’s a lot of thickness. Because of its thickness, baking takes a longer time. You will also need more flour.
Here are some of the examples of thick crust pizzas:
Double dough and stuffed-crust style
As its name suggests, the double dough pizza uses two layers or sheets of dough, creating a thicker and denser crust. To make the pizza more interesting, the crust can also be stuffed with various ingredients.
Detroit-Style Pizza
Detroit has a unique way of preparing pizza. The thick crust overflows with melted cheese and the pizza is cut into a square size. The bottom of the crust is fried to produce a crunchy texture.
It is worth noting that the Detroit-type pizza is previously called “sfincione,” which means “little sponge.” If you’re familiar with Sicilian pizza, you might think they are the same. Although Detroit-style pizza is a variation of Sicilian pizza, there’s one important difference. The Sicilian pizza is fluffier than Detroit-style pizza.
Chicago deep-dish pizza
Chicago deep-dish pizza is unique in such a way that the pizza uses a lot of ingredients. For example, it is best known for its excessive and generous amount of mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce.
What’s special about Chicago style pizza is it uses the crust like a deep dish, where all the ingredients would be placed. Because of the number of ingredients and the thickness of the crust, you would need to bake the pizza for more than 45 minutes.
During the baking process, the delicious fats and tasty juice of the cheese and meat seep through the crust. This does not only prevent the crust from getting torched, but also it adds more flavor.
Flatbread crust pizza
The flatbread crust pizza is flat because it doesn’t have yeast or if there is, it is just very minimal — enough to give the bread the smallest bit of rise.
Flatbread pizza started as an appetizer. However, it became a more popular choice among people who are health conscious.
If you haven’t made bread before, this one is a great way to start. Since it doesn’t need much yeast or no yeast at all, beginners will find it super manageable to bake.
Custom crusts
Other types of pizza crusts are custom-made. Some don’t readily fall under the categories mentioned above. With creativity and innovation, a lot of chefs have come up with various custom crusts.
Here are some of them:
Vegan-friendly pizza crust
Vegan-friendly crusts are made for vegans and even vegetarians. Since this type of pizza crust doesn’t have meat in it, you would need more ingredients to make the pizza tastier and interesting. For example, you need to add extra flavored oils and herbs.
Use meaty veggies such as cauliflower or even tofu to imitate the taste of real meat. You can also add nutritional yeast as a substitute for parmesan cheese.
Gluten-free pizza crust
Gluten is commonly found in wheat and barley. So, choose ingredients that are not made of these raw materials. Gluten-free products may include garbanzo beans, rice, and tapioca.
Gluten-free pizza doughs use gluten-free flour, yeast, and water. The gluten-free diet isn’t only for people with Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Today, more and more healthy people are following this diet.
Compared to the usual pizza dough, gluten-free pizza dough is denser and firmer. Thus, you will most likely find gluten-free pizzas with a thin crust.
Choose your best pizza crust
As you can see, there are just many types of pizza crust. As a pizza lover, you don’t have to limit yourself to one. You have the freedom to explore what’s possible when you bake pizza. When you do, you’ll see how pizzas can taste so good in different ways.
Thankfully, you can find pizza recipes on the Internet, in magazines, and even in your cookbook. Don’t be afraid to try any of them.
Who knows? You might as well find the best one for you as you explore the different types of pizza crust.