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What makes some pizza more digestible?

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VarunS

New member
Besides the obvious thickness factor of the crust what makes some pizza very easy to eat while another make you feel quite full within a couple slices?

Does it have anything to do with how the dough is fermented?

Can higher fat levels in the dough formulation make a significant difference? A difference of 2% vs 9%
To answer my own question it would be more calorie rich, thus making it heavier but then I think of cake or desserts which are even richer but go down so easily? Maybe our brain does not immediately realize how calorie rich the food is but should this not apply to pizza as well then?

Did you consider this factor in how much it would affect your sale? For example if i had a restaurant & a couple walks in. Hypothetically say we serve only 10" pies. It would be great for me if they both ordered their own pizzas. However they order 1 because they probably feel like they it would be satisfactory & don’t want to waste.

I would love to serve the best pizza but not at the cost of losing business.

Hope this post makes sense to others 😑
 
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I spoke to an Italian flour expert who told me the secret to making a digestible pizza crust is to make sure there are plenty of air bubbles and that all the dough is completely cooked. If you’ve got a gum line between your sauce and your dough on your finished product, part of that dough is not digesting well in your customers’ tummies and this will make it feel very heavy. To get more air bubbles, I would suggest a longer fermentation time (how long do you currently ferment at?) and hand stretching your dough. Using a press or a sheeter just before baking will squeeze the bubbles out, unless it’s one of those which simulate fingers…
 
Thanks for your reply. I agree that higher hydration & no gum line would make a more digestible pizza.

We use a 24 hours cold ferment & hand stretch the dough. Hydration is at about 60% and we get a nice puffy cornicione.

With the additional fat we add to make our crust tender each pizza (11") would have about 100 calories more than a pizza with about 2% fat levels
 
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The added fat will also contribute somewhat to the pizza being filling—but the way you describe your pizzas may be a bigger factor.

If you call it an Individual, Single, Personal, “My Pizza” (or something more creative that tells the customer it’s a single-serving pizza) rather than just describing it by size (10-inch), people will be less likely to order one to share.
 
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