The ultimate pizza primer
Dumbfounded by Detroit? New to Neapolitan? Let O break down those pizza styles, slice by slice
Once, pizza was simple: it was at and round, occasionally deep-dish and sometimes had a stu ed crust. But recently Britain has undergone a pizza revolution, with a new wave of hip restaurants pushing niche pizza, from al taglio squares to New York slices. It can seem bewildering, but no more – read on for your ultimate pizza primer. Tuck in!
Detroit-style at Ramona, Manchester
Served in rectangular slices, Detroit-style pizza has a thick, focaccia-like base that’s topped, in reverse order, with meat, cheese and an intense, cooked tomato sauce (hence its nickname, ‘red top’). Fittingly for a pizza originally baked in shallow steel trays that were used in Detroit’s car factories, the Manchester exponent of this style occupies a former MOT garage. Co-founder Dan Mullen describes Ramona’s take as an “artisan approach” to Detroit pizza, inspired by a Californian second wave that in recent years has taken the style in a fresh, gastro-nerd direction. Ramona’s toppings – “We make everything in-house,” says Dan – include pancetta, pineapple and thyme, or salami, ’nduja, sweet peppers and homemade hot honey that adds “richness, acidity, heat”. Some of Ramona’s slices come garnished with scooped ricotta or pecorino snowdrifts, because you can never have too much cheese – least of all with Detroit pizza, which develops “a crispy crust of cheese around the edge as it caramelises to the pan. The corner is the slice you fight over”. Slices from £5, takemetoramona.com
Also available at: London Detroit Pizza, London E1,
detroitpizzalondon.com; Square, Newcastle, hiptoeatsquare.com;
White Label Pizza, Maldon, Essex, whitelabeldetroitpizza.co.uk
Neapolitan-style at Otto, Lich eld
Very few British pizzerias adhere to the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana’s exacting rules (Herne Bay’s A Casa Mia is one exception; acasamia.co.uk). But many, says George Leigh, chief pizza geek at Otto, are “strongly influenced by its spirit rather than the law”. Using fiercely hot Gianni Acunto ovens, Otto’s three Midlands restaurants produce authentically thin, soft, pliable pizza, the bases swollen and blistered at the cornicione rim. Neapolitans would recognise Otto’s careful use of high-quality toppings and crushed (not cooked) Italian tomato sauce. But, at the same time, George likes to see delicious spots of so-called ‘leopard’ char on Otto’s bases, which would be unorthodox in Naples. Otto’s kitchens also use British cheeses and charcuterie in distinctive combinations, such as chorizo, ’nduja, mozzarella and honey, or roast squash, coppa, mascarpone and crispy sage. “Ferment slow, cook fast” is the motto, says George, whose 9-second cooked sourdough bases prove for 72 hours to unlock the dough’s character. Good neo-Neapolitan pizza involves coaxing layers of flavour from simple ingredients. “The longer I make pizza,” says George, “the more I see how much complexity there is in simplicity. There’s nowhere to hide.” Pizza from £9.5, ottopizza.uk
Also available at: Honest Crust, Manchester honestcrustsourdoughpizza.com; Dusty’s, Cardiff, dustyspizza.co.uk; Santa Maria, London, santamariapizzeria.com
Al taglio at Mike’s, London SE15
There are two types of Roman pizza: the familiar round al tondo, and al taglio, served in rectangular slices. These, explains Mike Davies, co-founder of Peckham’s Mike’s, are then “generously topped, often with things that go on after the bake, like charcuterie or fresh cheese”. Cooked in large teglia trays, an al taglio slice should “hold when you lift it – the challenge is incorporating a super-crisp underside and a light, airy bubble structure [into the base], while keeping it strong enough to hold plenty of toppings, without being over-thick”. It’s a task that Mike’s chef, Francesco Canzani, has mastered, to the extent that its rosso slice (tomato sauce, home-dried oregano and confit garlic oil), is a big hit on Mike’s sun-trap terrace. “It’s a perfect representation of the work that’s gone into making the slowly fermented dough taste as it does,” says Mike. Other flavours recently wowing regulars include a tomato-sauce-free white pizza with caramelised leeks, baked prosciutto and gorgonzola cream; and a salsa verde, piquillo pepper and tuna slice. Slices from £3, mikespeckham.co.uk
Also available: Fritto, Liverpool, fritto.org; Baked, Glasgow (follow on Instagram @bakedpizzaaltaglio); Simpatico, Leeds, simpaticopizza.co.uk
Britalian at Great British Pizza, Margate
Is British pizza a thing? Increasingly, yes. The Britalian bunch includes a broad church of pizza perfectionists who vibe off British seasonal produce or global flavours of UK food, to create pizza far removed from its Italian origin. Think of the smoked potato, black garlic vinaigrette and miso mayo umami bomb at Bertha’s in Bristol, or Crate Brewery’s Kashmiri dhal pizza in London. In Margate, Great British Pizza uses a “really zingy” slow-cooked tomato sauce (instead of Neapolitan-style crushed toms), and toppings range from Cobble Lane Cured wagyu beef salami with horseradish cream, rocket and parmesan; to sprouts, chestnuts and pancetta. “From day one, we knew we weren’t creating authentic Neapolitan or Roman pizza,” says co-founder Lisa Richards. “That gave us the opportunity to play with flavours.