I’m planning to open a pizzeria after we sell our current business, and I’ve been testing our grandma-style pizza (most nights, honestly).

Note: It’s not a traditional grandma pie. It leans a bit Sicilian, but we’re naming the place after my grandmother, so we’re rolling with it.

ps – I used ChatGPT to condense this down for me because I’m not great with words and I ramble. So please excuse the AI language.

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What’s Working

1) Crumb / structure

The crumb is open and airy, but still strong enough after the par-bake to support sauce and toppings without collapsing or getting gummy. The 90% AP + 10% whole wheat blend adds extra flavor and depth.

2) Fried bottom

The bottom is golden and crunchy, lightly fried in olive oil. Too much oil burns, too little makes it dry, but we’ve found the sweet spot.

3) Garlic oil edges

Before par-bake, I spread garlic oil (olive oil + garlic powder, sometimes herbs – still testing). It keeps the edges golden and crispy, and adds great flavor.

4) Pepperoni cups + char

After testing tons of pepperoni and cuts, the winner is medium-cut casing pepperoni for consistent cupping/char. Add hot honey and it’s unreal.

5) Sauce (uncooked)

Most grandma/Sicilian/Detroit styles use cooked sauce, but uncooked has been best for our goal:

San Marzano tomatoes + salt + olive oil + oregano + chili flakes + a little sugar.

6) Fermentation

Long fermentation hasn’t improved this style as much as it does with NY dough. I think: (1) the fried bottom masks some fermentation flavor gains and (2) the whole wheat adds enough depth already.

This batch was about 6 hours total proof time, and it works great. Bonus: simpler production and more franchise-friendly (less walk-in space needed).

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What Needs Improvement

1) Cheese melt / quantity

Using low moisture mozzarella + parmesan, but it’s too light and too “blonde.”

I think we need ~25% more cheese and a blend that browns better.

Testing: 40% Muenster / 40% Monterey Jack / 20% mild white cheddar.

2) Shrinkage / rounded corners

This bake shrank about 1/4 inch, giving rounded corners (not the look we want – yes I know this is a classic grandma style characteristic).

I think the fix is longer pan proof before par-bake. Some people use shortening for better hold, but that’s not really our vibe. Our goal is sharp corners and no pull-away.

3) Sauce layout

Still undecided on best application: cheese first, sauce first, dollops, diagonal, etc. Testing continues.

4) Color too pale

Overall browning is too light. I finished with ~2 min broil but couldn’t push longer without burning the bottom.

Next tests: shorter par-bake, longer broil, rack higher (maybe??), and browning-focused cheese blend.

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Recipe (Baker’s %)

• 90% AP flour

• 10% whole wheat flour

• 75% water (RO)

• 2.2% fine sea salt

• 0.4% IDY

Process:

Mix → rest 20 min → knead smooth → portion → proof 4 hrs → pan + stretch → rest 10 min → stretch to corners → pan proof until ready → bake

Again – apologies for the AI language 😁