The Anatomy of a Crust

Just as beer and burgers have exploded into the craft arena, so has pizza. There’s wood fired, coal fired and Neapolitan. However, longtime favorites like pan pizza, New York style and pizza strips aren’t going anywhere. As much as craft pizzas are shiny and new (and delicious), there will always be a place in diners’ hearts (and stomachs) for the neighborhood, landmark pizza joints that we all know and love. Instead of pitting pizza against pie, let’s celebrate the diversity of dough in southern Rhode Island. It may be our most delicious celebration yet.

Wood Fired Pizza
Who we talked to: Al Olerio of Cobblestones Wood Fired Pizza
Oven temperature: 800 degrees and up
Cooking time: 3 minutes

Must-try pie: A basic margherita pizza with some hand crushed tomato sauce, a little olive oil, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. This allows you to experience the crust, the sauce, the cheese and the char without any of them losing their individual identities.

Why use wood: As wood burns it gives off some moisture (steam/water vapor), which helps to keep the crust from becoming dry. This makes a crispy outer crust that stays moist on the inside. The vast majority of hearth ovens in Italy are fueled by wood.

The perfect wood fired crust: Light, airy and moist on the inside. The outside is crispy with a dark amber color and spots of char around the crust. The char is what makes this type of pizza distinct, and what gives it its flavor.

All about the dough: Cobblestones’ dough is made from filtered water, sea salt, a sourdough mother dough that is several years old and is fed daily to keep it growing and active, artisan flour (King Arthur unbleached and unbromated), some bread flour and a tiny bit of instant dry yeast. No oil, sugars or additives are used. From beginning to end, the dough takes 24-48 hours and is at peak flavor after aging for 48 hours. The dough is spread/tossed to order and is a much wetter dough than a traditional pan pizza. The pizza is cooked right on the hearth.

What’s in the sauce: Hand-crushed California plum tomatoes, a little extra virgin olive oil, a bit of Parmesan cheese, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a tiny bit of herbs. It is lightly seasoned so that the flavor of the tomato stands out.

Insider Tip: Originally, Cobblestones used a hand crank to crush the tomatoes. They found that contact with the metal altered the flavor, so every day they hand crush their tomatoes. Cobblestones Wood Fired Pizza, 5641 Post Road, East Greenwich. 398-8880, www.CobblestonesPizzaRI.com

"I always take home a simple pizza, often without sauce, with some fresh vegetables, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and some fresh mozzarella from Narragansett Creamery. I find the white pizzas reveal the flavor of the crust moreso than the red pizzas. The sauce adds quite a bit of moisture to the pie and requires additional cooking time. The white pies cook faster, have fewer ingredients and allow the crust to be the focus, but that’s my taste. I love a good crust." -Al Olerio

Where else to get wood fired pies
Bravo Wood Fired Pizza, 6689 Post Road, North Kingstown. 398-2500, www.BravoWoodFiredPizza.com
Fresco, 301 Main Street, East Greenwich. 398-0027, www.FrescoRI.com
Village Hearth Bakery Cafe, 2 Watson Avenue, Jamestown. 423-9282, www.VillageHearthBakeryCafe.com

Coal Fired Pizza
Who we talked to: David Bertolini and Michael Santos of Providence Coal Fired Pizza
Oven temperature: 900 degrees
Cooking time: 4 minutes

Must-try pie: For them it’s the margherita pizza – it’s the perfect combination of ingredients that allows the crust to shine.

Why use coal: Coal has an old world influence on food and adds a slight smoky flavor to the pizza. It blisters the dough in a unique way, which forces the use of a highly saturated dough to survive the cooking process. Plus, no one else in Rhode Island is using it.

The perfect coal fired crust: Twenty percent char on the top crust and a thirty percent char on the bottom of the pizza. The finished crust should be crisp and airy with a slight chew.

All about the dough: Four different grains make up this dough that is 77% water. It looks more like soup than what most people expect to be dough. It’s a three-day process that begins with a Polish starter dough that’s allowed to ferment for 24 hours. The time allows the dough to mature the flavor slowly.

What’s in the sauce: Raw, crushed California tomatoes so that the quality of tomato speaks for itself.

Insider Tip: Cooking with coal is difficult because of the high temperature. It takes a lot of skill to control the temperature of the oven. Putting coal on the fire too soon can overheat the oven, and if the coal goes on too late the fire will not be hot enough. The proper air temperature hovers around 900 degrees and the deck temperature should be between 600 and 620 degrees. Providence Coal Fired Pizza, 6105 Post Road, North Kingstown. 885-7499, www.ProvidenceCoalFiredPizza.com

"There’s been a surge in gourmet pizza shops because people have become more educated when it comes to food. It is the same as the focus that has been on gourmet burgers instead of the fast food burgers that have been around for years." -David Bertollini

Bakery Pizza
Who we talked to: Jeanne Ramieri of Colvitto’s Pizza and Bakery
Oven temperature: 500 degrees
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Must-try pie: Classic red pizza strip

Why use a gas oven with a stone deck: It cooks the pizza evenly and is smokeless. It’s like a home oven; you come in, turn it on and it’s on.

The perfect bakery pizza crust: Crunchy on the bottom, crunchy on the crust and fat in the middle.

All about the dough: Water, flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Colvitto’s uses the same dough for everything in the bakery except the multigrain dough. It’s made and cooked the same day, but is shaped, rested and allowed to rise three separate times.

What’s in the sauce: Tomatoes, spices, oil and water.

Insider Tip: There are crust lovers in this world, and then there are other people. According to Jeanne, “We need the other people because there are only four crusts per pan.” There are 18 pizza strips in a party pan, and if you want 18 crusts, you can get them, but it’ll cost just a little more. (Note: Jeanne is a crust person.) Colvitto’s Pizza and Bakery, 91 Point Judith Road, Narragansett. 783-8086, www.Colvittos.com

"Pizza strips are a simple thing. The basic pizza strip is like a peanut butter sandwich; it’s never going away." -Jeanne Ramieri

Where else to get bakery pizza
DePetrillo’s Pizza and Bakery, 797 Tiogue Avenue, Coventry. 828-4300; 1729 Warwick Avenue, Warwick. 732-3331, www.DePetrillos.com

Neighborhood Pizza
Who we talked to: Sam Sciabarrasi of Kingston Pizza
Oven temperature: 600 degrees
Cooking time: 8-12 minutes

Must-try pie: Cheese and pepperoni

Why use a gas oven with a stone deck: Even though it takes over an hour to come to temperature, it cooks evenly and maintains the temperature.

The perfect neighborhood pizza crust: Crispy on the bottom, soft in the middle.

All about the dough: It has salt, sugar, olive oil and yeast. Sam makes the dough, lets it rise for four hours, cuts it, balls it, puts it in a dough retarder, kneads it, spreads it, sauces it, cheeses it and throws it in the oven. No tossing required.

What’s in the sauce: California fresh-packed tomatoes and spices.

Insider Tip: To make pizza at home, buy the dough from Kingston Pizza by the pound. Preheat your oven to about 475. Spread the dough out on a cookie sheet, add your sauce, add your cheese, throw it in the oven and cook until it’s all brown and crisp. Kingston Pizza, locations in Wickford, Narragansett, North Kingstown, Peace Dale, West Warwick, Charlestown, Kingston (URI), Bonnet and Richmond. www.KingstonPizza.com

"I’ve never changed the recipe once in 32 years because if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Cheese and pepperoni is my favorite pizza because people love it. What sets ours apart is that we use a very high-end pepperoni, not the big wafer kind. It’s a smaller Margherita sliced pepperoni that’s cured, so it’s a little different. It changes the dynamic and gives a lot of flavor." -Sam Sciabarrasi



Where else to get neighborhood pies
Casa Della Luce, 105 Franklin Street, Westerly. 637-4575, www.CasaDellaLuce.net
Casa Pizza, 855 Point Judith Road, Narragansett. 783-2459, www.CasaPizzaNarragansett.com
PD’s Pizza, 1202 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. 789-0000
Estia Restaurant, 28 Old Tower Hill Road, Wakefield. 782-8800, www.EstiaRestaurantRI.com
PizzaPlace, 43 Broad Street, Westerly. 348-1803, www.PizzaPlaceWesterly.com
Supreme Pizza of Westerly, 157 Granite Street, Westerly. 596-1001, www.SupremePizzaofWesterly.com

Neapolitan Pizza
Who we talked to: Pasquale Illiano of Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana
Oven temperature: Around 800 degrees
Cooking time: 1 to 1.5 minutes

Must-try pie: Margherita pizza using San Marzano tomatoes, tomatoes from the Naples area or the south side of Italy that grows in volcanic soil, Fior di Latte mozzarella and extra virgin olive oil from southern Italy.

Why use a wood-fired oven: That’s what they use in Naples

The perfect Neapolitan crust: Neapolitan pizza is not a crispy pizza. Neapolitan pizza is well-proofed, delicate and airy. The edge (the cornicione) has to be full of air. The pizza is supposed to be soft like a pita or a soft foccacia and you have to eat the pizza as soon as it comes out of the oven.

All about the dough: For Pasquale, the universal ingredients for Neapolitan pizza are water, natural Sicilian sea salt, natural yeast, mother dough, Caputo flour and passion. Pasquale stands by the machine for 20-25 minutes as he processes the dough. He looks at it, stares at it and feels it. After letting the dough ferment for 24-plus hours, it only requires a few seconds from the box to the counter, where it is lightly floured and slapped with a technique to open up the disk and get rid of the excess flour. He does not spin it or throw it. It has to be handled in a certain way in order for it to be nice and airy, soft and fragrant.

What’s in the sauce: Hand-crushed tomatoes from the San Marzano region.

Insider Tip: If you’re going to make dough at home, try to get a dough recipe that you have to make the day before because it will taste better. Try to stay away from all-purpose flour and use good ingredients. For Pasquale, good ingredients are the key to success whether you have a restaurant or are inviting friends over for dinner. Stick with natural products and try to use as many organic products as you can. Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana, 60 South County Commons Way, South Kingstown. 783-2900,
www.PasqualesPizzeriaRI.com

"Pizza sauce is loaded with flavor and is for very specific pizzas. All the ingredients in Neapolitan pizzas have to be very well balanced with nothing overpowering anything else. When you take a bite of Neapolitan pizza, you want to feel all the flavors." -Pasquale Illiano

Where else to get Neapolitan pizza
Bravo Wood Fired Pizza, 6689 Post Road, North Kingstown. 398-2500, www.BravoWoodFiredPizza.com

New York Pizza
With a 550-600 degree oven, the New York pizza from Vetrano’s Restaurant only cooks for 6-7 minutes. For owner Pasquale Illiano, the perfect crust is fairly crispy and thin, and his favorite type of pie is a plain cheese pizza. For him, it allows the diner to taste all of the elements without anything being overpowered. Expect Italian tomatoes, lots of fresh basil, salt and extra virgin olive oil in the sauce. Although the dough doesn’t need to be spun, Pasquale will do it for the kids. Vetrano’s Restaurant, 130 Granite Street, Westerly. 348-5050, www.VetranosRestaurant.com

Where else to get New York pizza
Vittoria’s New York Pizza, 224 Post Road, Westerly. 322-1901, www.VittoriasNYPizza.com
Pier Pizza, locations in Wakefield, North Kingstown and Warwick. www.PierPizza.com
The Breachway Grill, 1 Charlestown Beach Road, Charlestown. 213-6615, www.BreachwayGrill.com

Gluten Free Pizza
It’s only fair that everyone should have the opportunity to grab a slice of cheesy melty goodness. Even if you are gluten free, there’s still a pizza for you.

Bravo Wood Fired Pizza, 6689 Post Road, North Kingstown. 398-2500, www.BravoWoodFiredPizza.com
Kingston Pizza, locations in Wickford, Narragansett, North Kingstown, Peace Dale, West Warwick, Charlestown, Kingston (URI), Bonnet and Richmond. www.KingstonPizza.com
Fresco, 301 Main Street, East Greenwich. 398-0027, www.FrescoRI.com