Is It Time to Diversify Your Pizza Dough?

• There are a number of advantages to purchasing premade gluten-free pizza dough balls, together with no want to combine your personal dough.
• Though premade crusts could have been related to decrease high quality prior to now, producers have made loads of progress on their recipes.

By Tracy Morin

Not lengthy after Sean Ferraro, proprietor of Madison Avenue Pizza in Dunedin, Florida, opened his operation, he knew he wished to diversify his crust choices to incorporate choices like cauliflower and gluten-free. The one drawback was that he couldn’t decide to the tools wanted to do it himself from scratch. “We checked out growing our personal recipes for these crusts however, to do it proper, we would want a separate mixer, which wouldn’t be possible for us,” Ferraro says. “Due to the chance of cross-contamination from our mixer, we determined to make use of premade gluten-free and cauliflower crusts as a substitute.” 

Ferraro knew that, in his space, there was an enormous marketplace for gluten-free and cauliflower pizzas, and it turned out that his instincts have been spot-on. “The shopper response has been unimaginable—we promote circumstances of every crust (gluten-free and cauliflower) each week,” he says. “Individuals actually get pleasure from them, they usually love that they will get our signature objects on a crust that matches with their weight loss plan.”

“Our mantra is considerably antithetical to premade crusts—our mission is to provide pizzaioli a gluten-free dough they will make into their pie, versus a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all strategy.”
— Kim Desch, Bravadough!/Wild Flour Bakery

Premade Promise

Kim Desch, CEO, common supervisor and product developer for Bravadough! (by Wild Flour Bakery, its gross sales/distribution arm), based mostly in Spearfish, South Dakota, says there are a number of advantages of shopping for premade gluten-free dough balls, together with—as Ferraro discovered—no want to combine your personal dough. Due to this fact, no separate mixer or prep area is critical to maintain pizzas gluten-free.

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Although premade crusts could have been related to decrease high quality prior to now, producers have made loads of progress on their recipes. “Our mantra is considerably antithetical to premade crusts—our mission is to provide pizzaioli a gluten-free dough they will make into their pie, versus a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all strategy,” Desch explains. “With a full fermentation profile, identical to wheat, and since we’re 100% yeast-raised, with no added cauliflower or pea proteins to alter the flavour because the dough ferments, you get a taste profile that goes from contemporary to full sourdough.”

With so many premade choices out there, Ferraro recommends doing thorough tastings. “We sampled numerous crusts from the entire distributors that we buy from, and all of us agreed on those we thought tasted finest,” he explains. “Clients perceive that they aren’t shopping for a standard yeast and flour leavened crust, they usually perceive that it’ll style completely different, nevertheless it nonetheless must style good. Do your analysis to search out the perfect product, after which keep it up.”

Premade Income

No premade crust goes to be as worthwhile because the dough you make in-house, however you can too notice important income in a wide range of methods. First, Desch notes, a premade dough ball permits cooks to get artistic—going manner past simply pizza. “With a dough ball, the gluten-free menu objects you possibly can add are nearly limitless: calzones, stromboli, rustic flatbreads, knots, sticks, dipping breads, desk breads, cinnamon rolls—the record goes on,” she says. “If you are able to do it with a wheat dough ball, you are able to do it with a gluten-free dough ball. And it permits the operator to create gluten-free pizza their manner, so any model of pizza is feasible: Neapolitan, Sicilian, Detroit, Chicago, Roman, Grandma. You can also make pies which might be rectangular, thick, skinny, with full cornices; any measurement, form and thickness. The purpose is to make a gluten-free pie that represents the operator’s model, not only a dummied-down (and dearer) model.”

As well as, Ferraro has discovered that clients are completely happy to soak up the additional price. Whereas a 14” dough ball made in-house prices him lower than $1 to make, a premade crust can price greater than $3. “We do go the fee alongside to the shoppers, and they’re completely happy to pay it,” he says. “Most individuals who comply with a restricted weight loss plan perceive the prices related to it and are normally in search of locations that accommodate them—not the most affordable value. No person offers us a tough time concerning the value.”

“Our smallest regular-crust pizza is 14”, however we provide a ten” cauliflower and 12” gluten-free, and each crusts are scrumptious sufficient to recommend to clients in search of a smaller pizza.”
— Sean Ferraro, Madison Avenue Pizza

Plus, Ferraro has discovered methods to make these crusts work in different functions, like serving them as private pies on the bar. “We’ve a big bar and a big crowd of bar regulars, so we recommend them to our clients in search of a smaller pizza,” he says. “Our smallest regular-crust pizza is 14”, however we provide a ten” cauliflower and 12” gluten-free, and each crusts are scrumptious sufficient to recommend to clients in search of a smaller pizza.”

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You might also go searching for inexpensive choices on the earth of premade crusts. Bravadough!, for instance, lately began providing its formulation as a dry combine, which permits operators to cut back their prices by about 30%; they merely add water and olive oil to a standard two-stage Neapolitan dough—or water and butter to a Sicilian-style dough—when utilizing the dry combine. This could cut back prices and enhance income, whereas retaining that legendary gluten-free diner loyalty. “Repeat, loyal gluten-free clients are golden, and, in the long term, that far outweighs short-term product revenue margins,” Desch notes.

Ferraro additionally finds that premade crusts maintain waste to a minimal, whereas sensible storage and prep guarantee no cross-contamination. “We maintain every part frozen and pull solely what we want for the evening, and the cauliflower crusts and gluten-free crusts are completely different sufficient to not be mistaken for one another,” he says. “We’ve little to no waste. We additionally use completely different cutters for the gluten-free and cauliflower crusts to cut back cross-contamination.”

To additional cut back the potential for cross-contamination within the pizzeria’s ovens, Ferraro additionally buys crusts which have an aluminum pan liner. “The aluminum pan retains the pizza off the deck and off the flour within the oven,” he explains. “I extremely advocate that operators look into and buy gluten-free and cauliflower crusts in the event that they don’t accomplish that already. They’re very worthwhile and assist accommodate individuals who love your meals however might need dietary restrictions.”  

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor and the editor of PizzaVegan.com.

Gluten-Free, Performed Proper

Kim Desch, CEO, common supervisor and product developer for Bravadough!, affords her high suggestions for including premade gluten-free crusts to your operation:

1. Use a premade product that provides you extra than simply pizza. Your gluten-free clients will completely order gluten-free breadsticks, garlic knots, pan-style pizza, wraps and extra, in the event you provide them! A product that provides you a number of options is extra worthwhile and cost-effective, with much less waste.

2. Be certain the product you select is worthy of your model. Gluten-free diners all the time do a full visible comparability when the pizza involves the desk, so it’s ultimate when the gluten-free model truly appears to be like like yours and tastes like yours—that upcharge they’re paying appears to be like effectively value it for a change!

3. Don’t assume you want a separate area for gluten-free. Diners don’t anticipate your restaurant to ensure zero danger of cross-contamination if it’s a non-gluten-free restaurant. However nonetheless use the perfect strategies (change gloves or use clear palms, use a barrier because the pie goes down the prep line, and so on.) and provides them a eating expertise they’ll wish to return for.

The million-dollar query is: Would you wish to eat that gluten-free pie or menu merchandise, and would you come again once more for it? “Adequate” doesn’t generate repeat clients—nice does!