Does it really make a difference what type of oil I use when I make my pizza dough?

       From a functional point of view no, but from a flavor point of view in your finished crust, the answer could very well be a resounding yes. Different types of oil can impart different flavor profiles in the finished (baked) crust. For, example, olive oil will impart as very characteristic flavor as will butter oil while oils such as canola, palm or corn oil have very little, if any, perceptible impact upon the flavor of the finished crust. Keep in mind that any type of oil will impact the flavor of the finished crust by carrying or retaining other flavors within the crust, but here we’re just talking about the flavor imparted by the fat/oil itself. In a number of Latin American countries we see lard being used as a major source of fat in many products including pizza dough/crust. Lard is no exception; it provides a very unique flavor to the finished crusts. 

       Lately, I’ve seen a growing interest in making dessert and breakfast pizzas. In these applications it might be advantageous to look at the type of fat/oil used in making our crusts. For example, in a dessert pizza, replacing olive oil with either butter or butter oil, or even lard, could greatly improve the flavor of the end pizza by making the crust taste more like a pastry than a pizza crust. The same thing can be said when making a breakfast pizza. If the high cost of olive oil is pulling on your purse strings, you can get some relief by blending your olive oil with up to 80% of blander oil, such as canola. When used in making pizza dough, the olive oil flavor will still dominate the finished crust, but your total cost of the oil will be significantly lower than 100% olive oil. You can also do the same thing with butter. In this case we have found that you can get satisfactory results by cutting melted butter into canola oil at eh rate of 1-part butter to 3-parts of canola oil. If flavor or cost is an issue, be sure to pay attention to the type of oil/fat you are using in your dough, it can, and does, make a difference.   

      The difference between sugars in a dough recipe is very little. The only real difference is with regard to the slightly darker color of the dough with the use of brown sugar, otherwise, they both provide nutrient for the yeast to metabolize. With regard to finished product quality, both white and brown sugar provide very similar levels of total sweetening to the finished crust, but, the brown sugar, due to its roughly 3% molasses content, will provide a slightly difference taste to the finished crust. We have found that when the level of brown sugar is at 2% or less of the flour weight, the flavor contribution is insignificant, but when the sugar level is increased to the 4% to 8% range, aside from the total sweetness, the unique “molasses” flavor is significantly increased.

      Other types of sugar that can be used in pizza production include dextrose (corn sugar), honey, malt and molasses as another type of syrup. In case you’re wondering why there’s a sudden interest in using these different, non-traditional types of sweeteners, it’s mostly due to the consumer request or demand. For whatever reason, white, refined sugar has gotten a bad rap with many consumers leading them to believe that some of these syrups (honey) are better for them. There is also the “natural” foods movement that is coming on strong. Consumers are losing confidence in the safety of the foods that they are purchasing and as a result many are grasping anything that restores some of that lost confidence. If that means a shift towards more “natural” ingredients, both in the dough, and on our pizzas, so be it.

-excerpts from PMQ's Pizza Magazine