Should pizza be firm enough to be held by the crust?
I've been to 4 restaurants already (with good reviews) and they all serve similar pizzas - they have to be eaten with fork and knife or else they will bend (because one simply can't hold them with a hand) and their contents will most likely fall off.Even cutting them with a knife completely disintegrates the pizza so in the end it turns into a weird salad of dough, tomato sauce, cheese etc.Is this what pizzas are really supposed to be like?
Best Answer
Speaking as an Italian, both Neapolitan-style pizza (thicker crust on the border) and rest-of-ITaly-style pizza will have a thin center that will normally bend when cut or held; the more so if there are lots of toppings. It shouldn't really disintegrate, that may be an indication of a bad knife, too.
Normally bending dough isn't a problem because you can fold the slice:
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Should a pizza be floppy?
Is Neapolitan pizza unusually floppy? Undeniably. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana [pdf] directs that a pizza should be no thicker than 4mm at its centre and, in its airy, chewy elasticity, the Neapolitan base is famed for its easy digestibility.How firm should pizza dough be?
Too little flour will make a sticky dough that's liable to tear during shaping. The ideal dough is soft, springy, and pliant, but not rubbery.Why does my pizza dough not hold its shape?
If pizza dough doesn't stretch it probably needs more time to ferment. If it's too firm, leave it on a floured table for 15 minutes, then try again. If it's tearing it needs more development, leave it to rise for a few hours or in the fridge overnight. The gluten will strengthen and allow you to stretch the dough.How do you keep a pizza from being floppy?
Using the microwave to reheat pizza usually leads to floppy results, but you can get a crispy base on your reheated pizza by microwaving it on a piece of paper towel. The paper towel will soak up any steam underneath, keeping it crisp. You can also reduce the power level of your microwave to get a better slice.Why is my pizza crust hard? 3 possible reasons
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Answer 2
It's not uncommon for a slice of pizza to "droop" in the front if you try to pick it up with one hand. The amount of droop will vary, depending on the toppings, and type of dough.
Thin, crispy crust pizza will tend to hold itself when picked up. However, longer, thinner, softer dough tends to droop under the weight of itself and the toppings.
There's three main ways to deal with this:
1) Use two hands to hold the slice:
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2) Use your thumb to support the pizza while your index and middle finger hold the crust:
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3) Fold the slice into a "U" shape, which creates an arch, and will provide rigidity for your pizza! It doesn't need to be folded completely in half, just a slight "U" shape will do.
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