The glossary

A

Amylase (enzymes)

Enzymes naturally present in flour that break starch down into maltose and other sugars. They feed the yeast and provide sugars for browning, which matters most in long fermentations. Read more

Ash content (flour type number)

The mineral content of a flour, measured by burning a sample. German type numbers express it roughly in milligrams per 100 g of dry matter (Type 405 is about 405 mg); the higher the number, the more bran the flour contains. Read more

Autolyse

A rest in which only flour and water are combined and left for 20 to 60 minutes before salt and yeast go in. The flour hydrates, gluten starts to form on its own, and the dough then needs less mixing. Read more

AVPN

The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, an association based in Naples and founded in 1984. It sets out the rules for true Neapolitan pizza and certifies pizzerias around the world that follow them. Read more

B

Baker's percentages

A notation in which every ingredient is expressed as a percentage of the flour weight, with flour always set at 100 %. With 1000 g of flour, 60 % water and 2.8 % salt mean 600 g of water and 28 g of salt. Read more

Biga

A stiff Italian preferment at roughly 45 to 55 % hydration with little yeast, usually matured for 16 to 48 hours. It gives a pronounced flavour and an open, airy crumb. Read more

Bulk fermentation

The first rise, when the whole batch rests as one mass after mixing. This stage mainly develops flavour and dough strength. Read more

C

Cold fermentation

Fermenting dough in the fridge at around 4 °C for 24 to 72 hours. The yeast works slowly, enzymes get more time, and the dough gains flavour and digestibility; it needs about 2 hours at room temperature before baking. Read more

Cornicione

Italian for the rim of a pizza. On a Neapolitan pizza it is puffy, soft and usually 1 to 2 cm high. Read more

Crème fraîche

Cultured cream with at least 30 % fat, mildly tangy and stable under heat. It rarely splits in the oven, which makes it a popular choice for Flammkuchen. Read more

D

DOP (PDO)

Denominazione di Origine Protetta, in English Protected Designation of Origin. For these products every production step must take place in the defined area according to a fixed specification, as with Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. Read more

Dough ball

A weighed, rounded piece of dough for exactly one pizza (panetto in Italian). For a Neapolitan pizza a dough ball typically weighs around 250 g. Read more

Dough temperature

The temperature of the dough right after mixing. It controls how fast yeast and enzymes work; pizza doughs usually aim for roughly 22 to 26 °C, adjusted mainly through the temperature of the water. Read more

E

Endosperm

The inner part of the grain, rich in starch and protein. White flours such as tipo 00 or German Type 405 are milled almost entirely from the endosperm, without bran or germ. Read more

EVO (extra virgin olive oil)

Short for olio extravergine di oliva, the highest grade of olive oil. It is extracted by purely mechanical means and may contain no more than 0.8 % free acidity. Read more

F

Fermentation

The metabolism of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria in dough, turning sugars into carbon dioxide, alcohol and acids. It makes the dough rise and builds flavour. Read more

Final proof (ball proof)

The second rise, after the dough has been divided and rounded into balls. The balls relax and become easy to open into a base. Read more

Fior di latte

Mozzarella made from cow's milk using the pasta filata method, in which the curd is stretched in hot water. It is milder and slightly firmer than buffalo mozzarella and releases less water on the pizza. Read more

Fireclay (chamotte)

A refractory ceramic made from fired clay, used for oven floors and baking stones. It withstands high temperatures, holds heat well and draws a little moisture out of the dough. Read more

Flammkuchen (tarte flambée)

An Alsatian speciality of very thinly rolled dough, classically topped with a cream base, onions and bacon. It was originally baked in the wood-fired oven while the flames were still high. Read more

Focaccia

A flat Italian yeasted bread made with plenty of olive oil and usually baked in a tray. Depending on the region it is thin and crisp, as in Liguria, or thick and soft. Read more

Fromage blanc

A French fresh cheese similar to quark. In Alsace it is often mixed with crème fraîche to make the topping for tarte flambée. Read more

G

Gluten

The protein network formed from the wheat proteins gliadin and glutenin once flour is mixed with water and worked. It makes dough extensible and elastic and traps the gases produced during fermentation. Read more

H

Hydration

The amount of water in a dough, given as a percentage of the flour weight. Neapolitan doughs usually sit around 55 to 65 %, while pan styles such as teglia often go to 75 % or higher. Read more

I

Impasto

Italian for dough, and also for the act of mixing it. In pizzerias the word usually covers the whole dough-making step, from combining the ingredients to the finished, kneaded dough. Read more

L

Leoparding

Small dark spots on the rim that resemble a leopard's coat. They appear with very high oven heat and well-fermented dough and are seen as a mark of quality on Neapolitan pizza. Read more

Lievito madre

Italian sourdough, usually kept stiff at around 50 % hydration. It is milder in acidity than many rye starters and is used in Italy for bread, pizza and enriched bakes such as panettone. Read more

M

Maillard reaction

A chemical reaction between sugars and amino acids at high heat that creates brown colour and roasted flavours. It is responsible for the taste and colour of the crust. Read more

Margherita

Pizza with tomato, mozzarella, basil and olive oil. Tradition says it was named in 1889 in honour of Queen Margherita of Savoy, though the story is considered a legend. Read more

Marinara

A Neapolitan classic topped with tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil and no cheese at all. Together with the margherita it is one of the two pizzas described in the TSG specification. Read more

Mastunicola

An old Neapolitan pizza from before tomatoes were used, topped with lard, a hard cheese such as pecorino, pepper and basil. Its exact origin and the source of its name are not documented. Read more

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana

Mozzarella made from water buffalo milk, protected as a PDO (DOP) and produced only in defined areas of Campania, Lazio, Apulia and Molise. It is creamy, rich and very moist, so on pizza it often goes on late or after baking. Read more

O

Oven spring

The rapid rise of dough in its first moments in a hot oven as gases and steam expand. On a pizza it shows most clearly in the puffed-up rim. Read more

P

Pala (pizza peel)

A peel made of wood, aluminium or stainless steel for launching, turning and retrieving pizzas. A smaller round version used to turn pizzas inside the oven is called a palino. Read more

Pizza al padellino

A Turin style baked in a small round pan (padellino), usually one portion per pan. The dough is thicker and soft, with a base crisped by the oil in the pan. Read more

Pizza al taglio

Pizza "by the cut": tray-baked pizza sliced to the size you ask for and often sold by weight. A Roman speciality. Read more

Pizza in teglia

Pan pizza (teglia means baking tray) made from a high-hydration dough with oil and baked in rectangular trays. It is airy inside and crisp underneath. Read more

Pizza napoletana

Pizza in the Neapolitan tradition: dough stretched by hand, a soft, high rim and a very short bake of about 60 to 90 seconds at around 450 °C. Since 2010 it has been protected in the EU as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG). Read more

Pizza romana

The Roman round pizza (tonda romana), with a very thin, crisp base and almost no rim. The dough often contains a little oil and is rolled out with a rolling pin. Read more

Pizza stone

A slab of fireclay, cordierite or similar material that stores heat and passes it straight into the base. It gives a crisper bottom than a metal tray and needs a long preheat. Read more

Pizzaiuolo

The Neapolitan word for a pizza maker (pizzaiolo in standard Italian). The art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo has been on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage since 2017. Read more

Planetary mixer

A mixer whose attachment spins on its own axis while also circling a fixed bowl, as in most stand mixers. Versatile, but it reaches its limits sooner than a spiral mixer with large or stiff pizza doughs. Read more

Pomodoro pelato (peeled tomatoes)

Whole peeled tomatoes in tins or jars, usually packed in their own juice. For Neapolitan pizza they are crushed raw and simply salted, not cooked down. Read more

Poolish

A liquid preferment of equal weights of flour and water (100 % hydration) with a small amount of yeast, typically ripened for 12 to 16 hours. It adds flavour and extensibility to the final dough. Read more

Proofing

The time during which dough rests and rises through fermentation. It is split into bulk fermentation of the whole batch and the final proof of the shaped dough balls. Read more

S

Salt

Adds flavour, tightens the gluten network and slows the yeast down. Pizza doughs usually contain about 2 to 3 % salt relative to the flour, with Neapolitan doughs towards the upper end. Read more

San Marzano tomato

An elongated tomato variety with firm flesh, few seeds and balanced sweetness. As "Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino" it is a protected designation of origin (DOP) from Campania; not every tin with San Marzano on the label carries that seal. Read more

Schmand

A German soured cream product with roughly 20 to 29 % fat, thicker than ordinary sour cream. In Germany it is a common base for the Flammkuchen topping. Read more

Semola (durum wheat semolina)

Semolina milled from durum wheat; re-milled to a finer grade it is called semola rimacinata. It is often used to dust the bench and the peel because it burns less readily than white flour. Read more

Sfincione

A thick, soft tray pizza from Palermo topped with tomato sauce, onions, anchovies, caciocavallo cheese and breadcrumbs. It is traditionally sold as street food. Read more

Sourdough

A natural leavening made of wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria kept alive in a mix of flour and water. It adds gentle acidity and depth of flavour but reacts more strongly to temperature and timing than commercial yeast. Read more

Sourdough starter

A small amount of mature sourdough kept back and refreshed with flour and water before baking. It is used to build the leaven for the actual dough, and a portion is saved again for next time. Read more

Spiral mixer

A dough mixer with a rotating bowl and a spiral hook that works the dough gently and evenly. It is the standard in bakeries and pizzerias because it warms the dough only a little. Read more

Starch

The main component of flour, a carbohydrate built from long chains of sugar. During fermentation enzymes break part of it down into sugars the yeast can use; in the oven the starch gelatinises and sets the crumb. Read more

STG (TSG)

Specialità Tradizionale Garantita, in English Traditional Speciality Guaranteed. The EU label protects a traditional recipe and production method rather than a place of origin; Pizza Napoletana was registered in 2010. Read more

Stretch and fold

A technique in which the dough is pulled out and folded over itself several times at intervals during bulk fermentation. It builds strength in soft, high-hydration doughs without long machine mixing. Read more

T

Thermal mass

Stone, fireclay or metal that absorbs heat in an oven and releases it again. The more of it there is, the steadier the temperature stays when many pizzas are baked back to back, but the longer the oven takes to heat up. Read more

Tipo 00 (00 flour)

The finest grade of soft wheat flour under Italian law, with an ash content of no more than 0.55 % of dry matter. The grade describes extraction and fineness, not how strong the flour is. Read more

W

W value

A measure of flour strength from the Chopin alveograph, equal to the energy needed to inflate a bubble of dough until it bursts. Higher values indicate stronger flours that cope better with long fermentation. Read more

Y

Yeast

Single-celled fungi (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that ferment sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol and leaven the dough. Dry yeast is used at roughly a third of the fresh yeast quantity. Read more