Crumb structure: the beauty and science of internal pizza workings

“Topping combos are cool with a crisp and golden booty, but when you undress a pizza, it’s what’s inside that is the secret to success. That light, airy wall of crumb structure is like a spiderweb of well executed science.”
–Rob Cervoni, Owner of Pizza Taglio and winner of 2023 Chopped Pizza

One of the most important aspects of pizza is hidden inside the crust. All the work of selecting cheeses, sauce and toppings that bake perfectly on pizza are second to the rise, cell structure and texture of the interior of the crust. The internal affairs office of any given pizza reflects the relationship between flour, water, time and baking temperature in what will become the base. These factors all bring the specific elements of flavor and texture to the final product and is like a relay race where all the runners deliver a final win for the team. If one of them stumbles, the team suffers, but when everything goes perfectly it’s a glorious day in Pizzaville.

What affects the interior of the pizza?

In a simplified version — When flour and water are mixed, two proteins in the flour form gluten. When salt is added to the gluten and kneading occurs, the gluten scaffolding gets stronger. Added yeast then eats the sugars creating carbon dioxide bubbles. When this fermenting mix is baked, the gluten net holds the now expanding bubbles and the pizza dough rises. The remaining sugars on the outside of the crust burn and turn the crust golden and crisp.

• Expansion and Extensibility. When flour and water are mixed, the structural proteins glutenin and gliadin bind to each other to form gluten. This structure holds the gases that occur in bread and pizza dough. The strength of gluten in flour will determine the strength of the stretch and rise of the dough holding the gases — this is called extensibility. The protein in the flour does not determine the strength and varies from differing flours. Extensibility can be tested and measured on a scale called the “W” factor. Flours measured between W180-250 are considered soft flours with less gluten and flours from W250-300 are considered strong flours.
• Flour types. The type of flour is extremely important in obtaining the crust you are seeking. This coupled with hydration, yeast activity and oven temperature will help you expand your pizza dough to obtain the guts you want. The grind of the flour will affect the extensibility factor because the outer shell or bran of each wheat berry can affect the extensibility of the alveoli of each carbon dioxide bubble.
• Hydration. The type of rise with wheat flour is directly linked to the relationship between the amount of water in your dough and the heat of the oven. A high hydrated, high gluten pizza baked at high heat will get a better oven spring than a bake using low heat. In contrast, a low gluten pizza with low hydration will dry out considerably in a high heat oven. This is where the finesse and education of the pizza maker really shines. To get the crust and crumb you want, you must know how to pair your oven parameters to the dough you have designed.
• Direct method pizza with Biga or Poolish. Both pre-ferments, dry and wet respectively, add complexity to the pizza interiors. The biga creates a light, open texture with wide holes and a slightly nutty taste. The batter-like poolish is made from 50-percent water and 50-percent flour produces a less nutty, more buttery taste and a greater crispness but smaller alveoli in a more controlled internal cell structure. Many modern pizza professionals will use a biga and/or a poolish in their Sicilian, Grandma and even Detroit-style pizzas to enhance an already spectacular pizza.

Airy Pizza Doughs Crumb Structure

Roman-style Direct Method Dough

The wonderful array of cloud-like pizzas served in Rome like the Pizza al Taglio (by the slice), Pizza in Teglia (in the Pan), Pizza Bianca (white pizza, topped and untopped) are made with high gluten flour, high hydration at 80 percent, and the oil in the recipes. The combination of a cold water mix and long holding time (and other secrets) make for a crispy crust and large alveoli in a light airy slice topped with everything imaginable.

Laminated

The introduction of butters, oils and lard to pizza and flatbreads goes way back into history. The Tuscans used lard to counter the fact that their dough contained no salt and was made “a la minute,” or right before baking. Many old school pizzerias used the French folding techniques of a butter croissant but by using lard for that wonderful crisp crust. I’ve used extra virgin olive oil in between rolled layers of pizza dough to create a cloud-like pizza crust that is hard to deny.

Lamination Note. The way that fats are introduced to laminated dough is very important. Less water and more fat will make a crisper crust because the oils coat the gluten scaffolding. This ensures that the gluten strands do not absorb as much water, thus creating a crisper crust when baked. Fats can be in chunks like tart dough baked in pans or melted and added during the mixing stage like Chicago deep-dish pizza dough.

Sicilian Style

Despite common American misconception, this pizza can be either thick or medium in stature. It has long been marketed as any pan pizza that has a high rise to it, but lately I’ve seen many different types from Sicilians themselves. Most call for a long maturation, direct method dough, proofed in an oiled pan. The emergence of old strains of durum wheat such as Tumminia, Russello and Perciasacchi has produced Sicilian pizzas bursting with a tight, moist crumb and darker crust than typical “00” flour. Sicilian pizza in the U.S. has long been a par-baked product because of the long proofing process, it can be baked to a high rise, wrapped, and refrigerated for final baking with no discernable bad effect to the final product. The emergence of the traditional Sicilian pizza in a 60 x40 centimeter pan has been a wow factor in pizza competitions. And the traditional cheeseless Sfincione with anchovy, tomato, oregano and chilies is a savory wonder with a nice, moist crust made with and bathed in extra virgin olive oil.

Detroit Style

Tales of lore include this as being attributed to the Sicilian auto workers who toiled away in Detroit and who used the pans from oil changing to make pizza in. This direct method pizza has many single sources who made it popular. The airy interior is made from 60- to up to 75-percent hydration but the crisp crust is enhanced by the “Bark” or “Frico” of Wisconsin brick cheese lining the pan in a crisp fence line. To accommodate business, this deep pan pizza can be par-baked and waiting for a final bake of mozzarella with toppings underneath and the sauce on top.

Pinsa

This is a trademarked product and is made like a roman-style Pizza in Teglia or Pizza alla Pala. Its airiness and digestibility come from both soy and rice flours in the mix. A cold, 72-hour fermentation time and between 80-90 percent hydration create the same effect in this direct method dough as the Pain a l’ Ancienne method of coaxing flavor by slowing down the yeast and converting starches to sugars. Many modern pizza pros use methods like this by just adding black rice flour for a light rise and cool color.

John Gutekanst owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

>> Explore answers to more common pizza dough questions in Troubleshooting your Pizza Dough: What’s wrong with my pizza dough? <<