There is no hard and fast rule to making the perfect pizza, Chefs keep on experimenting with ingredients, and techniques and often come up with new kind, that eventually earns the name of the place after it gets popular. But with the growing number of pizza chains and fondness that travels beyond Europe, its place of origin to South-East Asian countries, scientists have started researching its recipe.
According to a new study by the University of Naples Federico II, one can bake the perfect yeast-free pizza by blowing bubbles into the dough. Interestingly, Naples is also the place Pizza was born.
The team consisting of professional pizza-maker/graduate students prepared dough by mixing flour, salt, and water and placed it in a hot autoclave, an industrial device. Designed to raise pressure and temperature. Then the gas is dissolved into the dough and as pressure is released during baking, bubbles form in the dough like in yeast dough after proofing. The process is very similar to producing carbonation in soda.
The findings are published in the journal ‘Physics of Fluids’ by AIP Publishing.
Yeast in dough produces bubbles via the biochemical process let the dough rise and become light and airy. But yeast intolerance often keeps food enthusiasts away from pizza. With this new finding, bakers can prepare yeast-free crust that is as light and airy as the former.
At home, the pressure required can be obtained by. Atypical coffee maker, according to the researchers. But one has to be careful about the pressure release. Compared to carbonated drinks, pizza dough doesn’t respond to abrupt pressure changes as fast. The dough expands gently and one should know the exact pressure release rate without stressing the dough.
“This new technology can drive the development of new products, new dough formulations, and specific recipes for food intolerance, hopefully helping people enjoy healthy and tasty food,” author Ernesto Di Maio said.
