Pizza as we know them today appear to have originated in Naples, Italy around the end of the 18th century.
Is there a difference? Pizza is a flatbread but not all flatbreads are pizza! Flatbread topped with ingredients mimicking pizzas of today have existed as far back as the stone ages and ancient history suggest, virtually created everywhere.
Pizza and flatbread can be made with the same ingredients. Differences start with their sizes and shapes. Traditional pizzas are round while flatbread are usually oval or rectangular. Each of my pizza is usually made with a pound of dough, flatbread 2 per pound. Pizza are cut in wedges and are forbidden to be eaten anyway other than folded in hand. Flatbread are usually cut into squares or rectangles.
Flatbread made very thin are often served as appetizers or starters and more appropriate for unique and sophisticated ingredients not normally associated with pizza. A gourmet restaurant I often frequented in Minnesota served Duck Confit and Wild Mushrooms.
Any of my recipes can be made as pizza or flatbread. Forming and edging flatbread is easy by hand. Toppings are limited only by imagination.
Throughout the pizza and flatbread sections of my website, I usually don't distinguish between pizza and flatbreads. In fact, I mostly prefer making flatbreads even with pizza toppings. Half their size, I can make a larger selection of flatbreads with different toppings, their size makes dough easier to form by hand and a little more convenient. Some like Eggplant Parmigiana Flatbread can be piled high and served with utensils. Of course, same toppings as pizza, same great taste.
When entertaining, guests love slipping on surgical gloves assist me and assemble their own. It's acceptable for flatbreads to have irregular shapes and guests realize how easy and delicious great flatbreads are to make at home. Most important, we all have fun.
“Dough Basics” below focuses on the incredibly easy and full proof techniques to prepare and work with pizza dough. It also covers the best way to cook flatbread to ensure they are crispy on their tops and bottoms.
I've always had a passion for baking artisan breads. I was inspired by two legendary chefs and their definitive bread books; Bernard Clayton's "New Complete Book of Breads" and James Beard's "Beard on Bread". This may surprise you. Although competent at making quality pizza dough, I've found store-bought traditional white pizza dough to be very reliable but only if specific techniques that alter from traditional are used. I also haven't found any significant difference in frozen 16-ounce dough balls purchased from any of my local grocery stores including Wal-Mart with lowest prices ($1.00 refrigerated or frozen balls). Some chains also offer whole wheat and multigrain pizza dough balls.
Why are changes in technique needed? I believe it’s analogous to the dough used in artisan breads often sold from behind counters in mass grocery chains verses the dough used in those breads sometimes sold in baskets at half their prices. You know the ones I'm talking about. The "baguettes" you can literally fold in half and not crack their crusts. The ones that are much lighter in weight and have the density of an old dry sponge inside!Growing up, dough bought at our Italian bakeries was the same as they used in their prized breads. The dough was dense and heavy and needed to rise and be punched down to relax it so they could be formed. My technique developed over time simply results in crusts that have great texture and brown well with inexpensive store-bought dough. Dough is formed before rising while at its densest helping eliminate excess air that results in "spongy" pizza and flat breads. Dough is removed from refrigerator, formed and topped when oven temperature is reached and ready.
What characteristics make pizza or flatbread really great? Of course, you need the right quality ingredients for toppings. However, what immediately distinguishes great flatbread or pizza from unacceptable is their crust. I don't care how great your toppings are, if your finished pie or flatbread is spongy, under cooked, or limp, even the best toppings will not compensate!
These are tips for working with pizza dough along with the best ways to cook pizzas and flatbread. If you're uncomfortable working with pizza dough, don't be. Here are the basics.
I prefer buying only frozen 16-ounce pizza balls. Their plastic bags are never removed until I'm ready to shape them. Frozen balls are best defrosted in the refrigerator overnight but can be done on a counter in about 2 hours. Once defrosted, keep them refrigerated until just before forming. Contrary to conventional wisdom, I don't prepare dough by having them rise covered in a warm bowl then punched down.
Toppings are prepared ahead of time, even the day before.
When ready, preheat the oven to 530º direct heat, NOT convection (optimal temperature may vary with yours). If using a pizza stone, place it in a middle shelf during pre-heating.
Remove dough balls and let them relax in their plastic bag for about 15 minutes. Place on a well-floured counter. Shape by hand or roller. If shaping flatbread, make them into ovals about 5 or 6 inches wide, 11 or 12 inches long.
If cooking on a sheet, brush with olive oil and place formed dough on. If using a stone, transfer formed dough on a wooden (not metal) paddle that's generously topped with course corn meal.
Note: pizza dough is sometimes prone to bubbling and cracking from steam forming while baking. Before topping, you can prick formed dough with a folk or uniformly with a “Roller Docker”, a small drum with needles mounted in a holder.
Add toppings of choice being careful liquids don't drip past dough edges. Also patch any holes in the dough. Cook immediately after assembly.
If using a pan, place it in the middle level of the pre-heated oven. Flatbread will be ready in as little as 8 to 12 minutes. Just prior, check to see if their tops and bottoms are cooking equally. If the bottom is cooking quicker, raise the pan to a higher shelf. If the top is cooking quicker, lower. Also rotate pan(s). If cooking on multiple trays, swap tray positioning.
If cooking on a stone, spread with additional course corn meal before sliding flatbread onto them.
Flat breads and pizza are ready when they are toasty top and bottom. Let them rest for a few minutes before cutting. Cooking scissors works well.
If concerned about making the flat breads too close to company arriving, you can cook the flat breads a little ahead and warm when company arrives. A drizzle of olive oil helps keep the flatbread moist. Avoid assembling with toppings too fat ahead and waiting to cook them.
As discussed above, with the techniques shown, you can make a great pizza with purchased grocery store frozen dough. However, if you have access to a quality mixer with a dough hook capable of kneading without straining, making your own dough is actually quick and simple. Please see my recipe for my "Basic Everyday Bread Loaf, French Style" in the "Bread" tab.
Follow my recipe. After the dough rises, pound it down and kneed into a large ball. With a pastry or bread scraper, divide the dough roughly in quarters. Each piece is sufficient to form into a medium-large pizza. Cut each in half again for flatbread. Any unused dough, form into loafs or rounds and bake according to instructions for baking bread.