How is America’s love affair with pizza driving consumer demand even higher?

“Our surveys show that 94% of Americans enjoy pizza and consume it regularly. Translation: Pizza is a communal food with near universal appeal in the United States,” points out Jeremy White, content director and editor-in-chief for Pizza Today, Pizza Expo, Artisan Bakery Expo. “Because it is easy to find no matter where you’re located, inexpensive as compared to other foods and holds up well after being transported, pizza was uniquely positioned to thrive during the pandemic.”

The latest trends regarding popular pizza styles are fueling growth for a wide variety, namely Detroit-style pizza, Roman-style pizza and Pizza Fritta.

For pizza makers, “it all begins with a consistent dough formula,” White states. “The crust is the foundation upon which everything rests. Without dialing in your dough formula, you’ll never be able to consistently produce great pizza.”

Fermentation equals flavor and shortcuts taken during the processing will simply produce substandard pizza crusts, points out Dave Krishock, bakery technical support manager for Grain Craft.

Paul Bright, senior innovation manager for AB Mauri North America, points out that to make a great pizza, it is quite simple: consistency.

“Once pizza makers determine the formulation and process to produce their version of a great pie, the next step is to ensure that the process is followed the same way every time,” Bright says. “Any changes to ingredients – like flour – or to process times and temperatures can increase the chances of inconsistently baked pizzas on a week in and week out basis.”

And yet, the convenience trend in America is driving growth – not in the consumption of pizza, but in the manner in which it is ordered. Consumers are moving to app-based ordering, experts agree.

“They want to push a couple of buttons and then have their food arrive,” White says. “The old ways of doing business are dying.”