"00" flour
Double-zero flour, or "00 flour," is a finely-ground wheat flour with a high-gluten content that's commonly used for making traditional Neapolitan pizza doughs.
Unlike in North America, where wheat flour is categorized by its protein content, in Europe flour is categorized by how finely it is milled. The scale is numbered from 2 to 00, where 2 is the coarsest grind and 00 the finest, with a consistency almost like baby powder. The finer the flour, the smoother and more silky the resulting dough will be, which in turn produces a softer baked product.
There are various strengths of 00 flour, ranging from a minimum of 7 percent gluten, all the way up to 14 percent. When baked at high temperatures in wood-fired ovens, it yields a crispy, crackly pizza crust with moderate chewiness.
Bread Flour
A high-gluten flour that produces better-quality results when used in yeasted breads and crusts.
Buffalo Mozzarella
A fresh mozzarella produced from the milk of water buffalo, usually in Italy. It’s considered the ultimate cheese for pizza because of its creaminess and subtle flavor. Also known as mozzarella di bufala. The mozzarella more commonly found today is typically made from cow’s milk and is technically fior di latte, not mozzarella.
California-Style Pizza
A very thin-crust pizza topped with unusual or gourmet toppings. Popularized by Wolfgang Puck.
Calzone
Pizza dough that has been folded over to encase sauce, cheese, and toppings to create a half-moon-shaped turnover that is then baked in an oven. Some variations on the calzone include stromboli, panzarotti, and “pizza turnover.”
Char
Blackened spots on the crust of a thin crust pizza which occur when an extremely high-temperature oven is used. This is often a trademark of coal-oven New York-style pizza and Neapolitan brick-oven pizza.
Chicago-Style Pizza or Deep-Dish Pizza
A deep-dish pizza made in a high-sided pan. The crust is coated with oil and ingredients are sometimes layered inside. Sometimes called “pan pizza” or “deep-dish pizza.” Originated by the original Pizzeria Uno in Chicago.
Cornicione
The edge or lip of a pizza.
Crumb
The structure of the inside of a baked pizza crust or bread.
Deep-Fried or Montanara Pizza
Pizza whose dough is fried in hot oil before being topped with sauce and cheese and then baked in an oven. Called “pizza fritta” in Italy and “Montanara pizza” in New York and other U.S. cities.
Dough Hook
An attachment for a stand mixer that can be used to stir and knead doughs and heavy batters, instead of kneading by hand.
Fermentation
The process by which yeast metabolizes simple sugars to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol. The carbon dioxide resulting from fermentation is trapped within the gluten structure, causing the dough to rise. The alcohol is converted to compounds that provide flavor and aroma to the finished crust
A thin-crust, square pizza, sometimes layering sauce on top of the cheese.
High-Gluten Flour
Flour with very high protein content, in relation to every other type of flour (usually about 13% – 14% gluten). Tipo "00" flour and bread flour have a higher gluten content than all-purpose flour and create a better dough for pizza.
Knead
The mixing or handling process of turning and working the dough to develop elasticity and flexibility.
Neapolitan Pizza
A thin- to medium-crust pie made from hand-stretched dough and topped with a simple sauce of uncooked pureed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil.
Different original versions are from Italy.
Pizza Cossaca is an Italian, Neapolitan pizza consisting of tomato sauce, hard cheese like parmesan or pecorino), basil, and extra virgin olive oil.
Pizza Diavola - is a hot pizza! A Neapolitan pizza diavola typically consists of tomato sauce, mozzarella, hot salami or nduja, and chillies.
Pizza Margherita is an Italian, Neapolitan pizza consisting of tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, and extra virgin olive oil.
Pizza Marinara is an Italian, Neapolitan pizza consisting of tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, and extra virgin olive oil and sometimes anchovies. There is no cheese on a marinara pizza.
New York-Style Pizza
A thin-crust pizza made from hand-stretched dough that is topped with a cooked sauce made from pureed tomatoes, salt, sugar, and oregano, mozzarella cheese, and any variety of meat and vegetable toppings.
Pizza Bianca
Literally, means “white pizza.” It is Roman flatbread pizza without tomato sauce, flavored with salt and olive oil.
Pizza Ovens
Ovens with the sole purpose of cooking pizzas. The best pizza ovens have a pizza stone or steel and utilise a naked flame, powered by either solid fuel (such as wood pellets) or gas.
Home pizza ovens are relatively inexpensive and since they can reach temperatures up to 500 degrees celcius, most of them are capable of cooking Neapolitan style pizza.
Pizza Peel
A large wooden paddle used to lift pizza to and from a hot oven. It is helpful when baking pizza directly on stones, a brick oven, or a grill. Also called a pizza paddle.
Pizza Stone
A hard, heat-safe surface for baking pizzas. Pizza stones can be made from actual polished stones or manmade materials. They imitate the effect of brick or stone ovens and facilitate home cooks in creating crisp-crusted breads and pizzas.
San Marzano Tomatoes
Plum tomatoes that are grown in the volcanic soil of San Marzano, Italy. They are ideal for use in pizza sauce due to their low sugar content and juicy flesh.
Screen
A firm aluminum shallow pan with a mesh structure that can be used for baking or cooling a pizza.
Sicilian Pizza
Thick-crust, often square-shaped pizza topped with sauce, meats, vegetables, and cheeses—in that order.
