World Pizza Day 2024: Get to 4th base with the slice of life

Singer Charlie Puth asked his love to marry him over a pizza. Wedding tables serve it with pizzazz and it’s probably part of your quick-fix weeknight dinner. We’re talking of good ol’ pizzas, the circular, layered savoury dish with cheese, tomato sauce and a mix of veggies or meat, that makes your mouth water, any day, any time.

Stretchy physics for flavour chemistry

The sheer possibilities mean new flavours and innovation have entered the fray. Beena Noronha, executive chef, Gigi Mumbai, who’s dished up a flatbread blueberry version, says, “Chocolate pizzas are trending and we’re already doing a Japanese-style one with teriyaki chicken and togarashi. The possibilities are endless — last Christmas, we did a pizza with figs and ricotta cheese and one with peach and balsamic onions. Due to the neutral flavour of cheese, anything will go with it; we even used a lavender cheese on it.”

Hot honey is a new concept taking flight in the pizza world, and Aman Jaiswal, executive chef Essex Farms, Delhi, says, “Pepperoni and hot honey make for a great sweet and savoury combination.”

The creation of intriguing flavour profiles stems from the demand for unique dining experiences and Ayush Jatia, founder of Si Nonna’s sourdough pizza chain in Mumbai and Pune, explains, “When eating out people want to see culinary experimentation and pizza is a canvas for that.”

Improved accessibility meets curation

“Technological advancements in cooking and transportation have made pizzas more accessible and diverse, so it’s no surprise to see cutting-edge flavours such as teriyaki sauce, balsamic glaze, ranch dressing and gluten-free options taking up demand,” explains Rohit Hari, chef, Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa, Goa.

Adding how curation is big, chef Tushar Malkani of The Yellow House, Anjuna IHCL SeleQtions, Goa, reveals, “On one guest’s request, we curated a buffalo cauliflower pizza with creamy blue cheese crumbs. So, the idea is to let your imagination run free!”

Healthy? pizza? yes!

Who says you can’t have a pizza if you are watching the scales? Nutritionist Sheela Tanna whips up three healthy pizza ideas for your next party:

• Spinach pizza with feta: Mix spinach purée with whole wheat flour, add yeast, salt and make pizza dough. Make coin size rolls and seasoning. Top it off with feta cheese, sprinkle Italian seasoning and enjoy.
• Pesto delight: Add curd, fresh yeast and salt to corn flour to make pizza base. Spread home-made pesto sauce, onions, garlic cloves and capsicum. Dust off cheese and put it in oven.
• Thin crust broccoli pizza: Mix grated broccoli with any atta and make a thin roti. Spread tomato basil sauce on it. Use baby corn and pepper (red, yellow and green), sweet corn and tomato as toppings and garnish with low-fat paneer.

Try a bhakri pizza!
Home chef Falguni Chheda from Santacruz, Mumbai, shares an idea: “One can easily make a pizza-bhakri using roasted jowar and layer it with sauce, sweetcorn, raw bell pepper, avocado and with crumbled paneer on top. This makes for a healthy snack for any age.”

Go mini with donut pizzas, bruschetta and pizzettes

Another popular bite at parties are mini pizzas. They’re great for those watching their weight who want the indulgence without going the whole way.

From little bruschetta smothered in a tomato base and dressed with cheese to roundels of pizza and even ones in a donut shape, pizzas don’t have to be big and scary on the calorie scale.

Dough not make a mistake

“It’s all about the dough. Make sure you are using a fermented dough recipe and none of those quick fix bases.”

- Aman Jaiswal, Executive chef, Essex Farms, Delhi

Indian flavours with ghee roast and paneer tikka

Back home, what adds to its popularity is how pizza is tweaked to suit the local palate. While Sous Chef Aashutosh Shende of Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa, Goa shares how there is a surge of curry chicken pizzas, Noronha also agrees: “If you look at pizza brands today, you will always find a butter chicken pizza, paneer tikka or tandoori chicken pizza and a few restaurants like Hundo Pizza are also doing a chicken ghee roast version for some South Indian flavour,” she says. In addition to the surge in curry chicken pizzas — assimilation of regional flavours in menus, such as butter chicken, paneer tikka, tandoori chicken and even chicken ghee roast is leading the wave of experimentation in India, says Beena Noronha.

Chef Devasish Paul of O’Lar Plate & Pour in Goa adds, “Pizzas have come along way from just the basic Margherita (which still holds out as an essential even today) because of the location and the ingredients which are local to that region. For instance, in Goa we use the local Goan chorizo sausage as a component in one of our pizzas. Paired with cream cheese and some pickled onions. It comes together in a familiar yet new sort of pizza.”

10 Tips to make a pizza @ home

Smriti Agarwal, Bengaluru-based home chef and founder of Bakezilla shares what to do:
1. The flour should be sieved before use.
2. Use dry active yeast for better rising of the dough.
3. Ensure water for yeast is NOT hot, otherwise the yeast will not activate.
4. Do not over mix the dough and keep in a warm place to rise.
5. Use blanched tomatoes for the tomato sauce base.
6. Use mozzarella cheese for an enhanced taste.
7. Some toppings like capsicum, red bell pepper can be roasted and cut in strips for a more earthy flavour.
8. Dust the baking tray generously with corn flour (makki atta) to make the pizza base crisp and brown. If using a non-stick tray, line it with parchment paper and then dust with cornflour to prevent the pizza from sticking to the tray.
9. Place the rolled-out dough on the tray before putting the sauce and topping as it makes handling much easier.
10. The oven should be used in bake mode for first 15 minutes and then in grill mode for the final one to two minutes.