Trend 1: Airy Dough
Known as ‘Pizza canotto’ (Italian for a round inflatable raft with a large raised edge), pizzaiolos are increasingly touting large, airy, long-fermented doughs. Flour maker Caputo has even brought out a new flour known as ‘Nuvola’, which allows for faster fermentation and higher hydration in order to speed the process along.
Trend 2: Dazzling Toppings
Innovative eating experiences are attracting audiences interested in discovering something new from familiar ingredients and dishes. From ‘ronicups’ created by natural casing pepperoni (which curl, creating pools of spicy oil that make the pizza delicious and Instagrammable) to the use of fresh fruit and flowers to create colourful masterpieces – chefs are pushing the boundaries of creativity by using pizza as a canvas.
Californian food influencer Lily Morello is taking a fresh look at pizza, topping it with seasonal fruits resulting in beautifully colourful and unique creations. Reflective of her on-going goal to “make carbs look pretty”, Lily’s pizzas are undoubtedly Instagrammable.
Trend 3: Big Crusts
Pizza is no stranger to the stuffed cheese crust, but innovators – largely in Asia – are experimenting with everything from customisable crusts including hash browns and egg tart. In Japan, Aoki’s pizza chain features hot dog-stuffed, oozing cheese crusts on their menu, whilst in Indonesia, Pizza Hut launched a Dim Sum pizza with fried dim sum packets incorporated in the crust.
