What Makes Pizza Good? Explained by the Experts

Many people have dedicated themselves to the unending search for the best pizza in Auckland, but that ends here! We’re diving into what makes a pizza good, establishing it once and for all, with the help of some of the world’s brightest minds in food.

The three core elements of a pizza are the crust, the cheese, and the toppings. Each of those have their own unique contribution to the beauty that is a perfect pizza. So, let’s break down all three pieces to find the key to an out-of-this-world pie.

The Crust

We begin with the foundation layer. Your pizza crust needs to be flavourful and delicious in itself, acting not just as a vehicle for the cheese and toppings, but as its own element in an astonishing pizza.

Back when the pizza we know and love today was invented in Naples, the crust was a simple flatbread baked in a woodfire oven. These days, you’ll find it being created in everything from a cast iron pan to your oven at home. Thick, thin, round, square… pizza crusts come in all shapes and sizes.

However, there is one universally acknowledged truth about a pizza crust: it must be crispy. Gordon Ramsay, Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain; every chef you encounter will espouse how important a crispy, light pizza crust is.

Here at Proper, we cook all our pizzas on a thin and crispy base, incorporating sesame and semolina into our recipe for a light, crunchy, flavourful foundation to carry the other flavours. Of course, hand-kneaded dough is a must.

The Cheese

Next up is the cheese. Some people like the cheese on pizza so much that they opt to omit any other toppings altogether, simply eating cheese and marinara on a crunch crust (sounds good to us).

The cheese is an integral layer in a pizza, serving as the transition between crust and topping. It melds the flavours and textures of both together into one glorious bite. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that the right cheese can make a pizza, and the wrong cheese can break it.

The standard choice for pizza is the classic mozzarella teared over a marinara sauce. Mozzarella’s mellow flavour and amazing texture make for a fantastic flavour medium, so no wonder it’s beloved around the world and at Proper Pizza, too! Our own cheese blend features mozzarella, and it’s a layer worth noticing and savouring when you bite into any one of our pizzas!

The Toppings

Finally, we come to the toppings. Originally, pizza was enjoyed with fresh tomato sauce, delicious mozzarella, and basil leaves scattered on top for a bit of bite. These days, we in the biz call that a margherita pizza, and it’s still the favourite of many a pizza lover around the world (heck, our customers love our margherita).

According to Mario Batali, the Italian godfather of modern pizza, “pizza is simple, it’s easy to make, it shouldn’t be too complicated”. This sentiment is echoed across most chefs and their pizza recipes; the harmony of the toppings is essential, and that usually means embracing simplicity.

We’re all about flavour harmony here at Proper. In fact, our best sellers are simple, bold flavours embodied. Black truffle pizza, with its truffle shavings, oil, pine nuts, and earth cheese. Our Proper Pizza, with a small selection of meats dressed in fresh mushrooms and olives. Even our classic pepperoni embraces old-world sensibilities.

No matter what kind of pizza tickles your fancy, if you make sure it ticks all three essentials above, you’ll be in the clear.

Get gourmet pizzas delivered to your door or pick them up from us

Here at Proper Pizza, we put our money where our mouths are. Good pizza, great staff, and an awesome atmosphere are what we live for! Enjoy our gourmet pizza delivery service across Auckland or come visit our O’Connell Street pizza store for the best pizza on the block. We’ll see you there!