here are many ways to differentiate your pizza crust from others. Replacing water with flavorful liquids can make for some great variations, as discussed in the April issue of Pizza Today. Now, as we delve deeper into pizza crust flavor, we must look at incorporating solid and semi-solid items into and atop our gluten matrix.

Breaking and Entering

For centuries, artisan bakers have been adding flavors to their dough to give customers a delightful, textural crunch and flavor excitement. From salty olives that the ancient Etruscans mixed into their wet dough to the spicy sweetness of brushing green chili jam on a hot crust today, experimenting with new ingredients pushes the boundaries of taste.

These items can meld with different flours, dough hydrations and pizza toppings to define your personal approach. Even though bakers have been infusing breads for centuries, pizza crusts have remained relatively untouched – probably because our dough has a lower height and thinner profile, and pizzas already are topped with a variety of flavors. What if this coin was flipped, and the flavor profile of each pizza was a combination of base and toppings?

X-Men

Integrating solid items into pizza dough may be a giant leap for most pizza makers, but if you start by dipping your sesame-coated toe into this vat of creativity, you may get hooked. If you are delving into solid-flavored crusts for the first time, you should ask yourself: Are all my taste sensations activated so I want to go back for a second bite or a second slice?

The flavor factor depends on taste, touch (mouthfeel), aroma and what some call the “X” factor. This last factor is an amalgamation of all the above, creating a sense of place and time. Flavor depends on what is perceived by the mouth, nose and eyes. Sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness and umami are all mouth activations. Texture, piquancy (hotness) and astringency (the “pucker effect”) are residual mouth sensations. Because we are working with cooked and crispy wheat products, texture is usually the No. 1 sensory factor when creating pizza crusts.

Planting Evidence

Mixing flavors into dough can be a complicated affair if these items are too large, sharp, flaccid or leach components that inhibit yeast growth. Any sharp item can puncture the waxy alveoli in the dough’s cell structure as it rises. Items too long and flaccid will inhibit the formation, balling and cutting of the dough ball, and items that are too fatty can burn on the oven bricks.

Here are some items that can be fun to integrate into your pizza dough:

• Herbs.

This is a sure-fire way to integrate flavor into dough. Rosemary, cilantro, parsley, basil, tarragon, chervil and arugula integrate well with fatty meat toppings and cheeses. Be sure to chop items such as rosemary, which can be too strong. Herbs are great partners to onions and garlic. Fatty cheeses also complement the strong herbaceous notes.

• Pork Products.

Bacon, soppressata, salami and other fatty charcuterie can be cooked and chopped into small slices before it is kneaded into the dough. Just be sure to partially bake bacon and soak up the fat with paper towels before incorporating pieces into the dough. A thin chiffonade cut with Prosciutto di Parma shank and end cuts of salami will save you money and add major flavor to pizza crust.

• Spices.

Wow. That’s usually the reaction when a person bites into a Za’atar covered crust or a green peppercorn-infused crust. We’ve come a long way from pepper-flake-added pizza dough. Now, many inventive pizza makers are experimenting with ghost pepper, fennel pollen, spicebush berries, Szechuan peppercorns, cardamom, caraway, coriander and even Chinese seven-spice dough.

• Seeds and Nuts.

Both offer a wonderful expansion of textural enjoyment in pizza dough. The rule that “smaller is better” comes to the fore here. Walnuts, pine nuts, pecans, hazelnuts and pistachio round out the nut category, with sunflower, sesame, nigella, black sesame, poppy, flax and pumpkin coming in a close second. Don’t forget sprouting seeds, which increase nutritional value and create a whole new flavor profile.

• Dried Fruit.

Cherries, prunes, apricots, cranberries, figs, apples and pears are all a great juxtaposition to nuts, sour cheeses, bacon and charcuterie. They offer a sweet and intense respite from redundant savory flavors on a pizza. Some of these can be rehydrated before mixing or made into chutneys, sauces and gastriques (a de-glazed sweet fruit with vinegar).

• Allium.

Believe it or not, this category is one of my favorites for dough infusions. Onions, leeks, scallions, garlic, ramps, chives and black garlic are the best partners with cheese, meats, vegetables and spices. I make a pizza with roasted leek, grated Parmigiano and artichoke that’s a real showstopper with pureed roasted garlic and salami. In the spring, I harvest ramps and infuse them in the dough for a Gruyere and bacon pizza. The key dynamics of alliums is pairing them with spices. Curry spreads so much better in a dough than curry powder, while garlic with anchovy makes for a memorable pizza dough.

JOHN GUTEKANST owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

Did you miss Part 1?

Knead to Know: Liquid Courage

Infusing pizza dough with flavor and finesse (Part One) We pizza makers immerse ourselves into the science, craft and business of perfecting pizzas every day.