Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza a day. They eat deep-dish pizza, pan pizza, hand-tossed pizza, gluten-free pizza, and so many more!
With so many types of pizzas out there, how do you even know the type you’re eating when you bite into that first mouthwatering bite of dough, cheese, sauce, and toppings?
Well, keep reading to learn about the difference between pan pizza vs. hand-tossed pizza!
The Dough
For starters, the dough of both pan pizza and hand-tossed pizza is basically the same. Most doughs consist of flour, granulated yeast, salt, warm water, and olive oil.
The difference comes in when you take into account how the dough is prepared. With hand-tossed pizza, the dough has to be thrown into the air. This makes the dough (and crust) come out thinner and softer.
When the pizza dough cooks on a hand-tossed pizza, the dough will rise in the oven.
For pan pizza, the dough tends to be thicker and fluffier. Since the dough is usually spread out in the pan, there is little room for it to expand, which causes its fluffiness and thickness.
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Preparation Techniques
The two types of pizzas are also prepped in the kitchen differently from one another.
A hand-tossed pizza sounds like the preparation: it needs to be tossed in the air. However, it also needs to be kneaded before that happens.
From there, you’ll cook the pizza for about 15 minutes at 500 degrees.
For a pan pizza, this has a bit of an easier preparation technique because there isn’t a huge risk of it breaking or falling on the floor.
Oil the dough and then put it into the pan. Next, push the dough out to the sides of the pans with your fingers. Continue to do this until it fills most of the pan or you get the desired shape that you want.
Before you bake it, make sure you coat the pan with oil so the bottom doesn’t stick and comes out a bit crispy. Bake at 500 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Toppings
While preparation and the dough that creates the crust are a bit different for the two, the toppings remain the same.
You can put whatever sauce you want on either kind, as well as whatever toppings will satisfy your cravings!
However, it is important to know that the pan pizza will be able to hold more toppings since the crust is thicker. Be careful with the hand-tossed pizza since it can be thinner and flimsier.
Pan Pizza vs. Hand-Tossed
Whether you are making a pan pizza vs. hand-tossed pizza, you’ll get a delicious pie either way.
However, you’ll need to make sure you prepare it and cook it slightly differently. Whatever pizza you decide to make, you’ll be sure to enjoy it.
If you want more tips, be sure to check out some of our other blogs!
