The Montreal baker: Ingredient tips on pizza baking

Montreal-based foodie Enrico Frank Andreoli has sampled pizzas from over a dozen restaurants and food establishments in his beloved hometown. Admittedly, some pizzas were better than others. He realized that perhaps, the most telling factor in a pizza’s quality was its ingredients.

Certain toppings such as pepperoni, prosciutto, and Italian sausage can all make these favorite dishes even better. Sometimes, chefs even go the extra mile to add bacon bits, ground beef, ground pork, and chopped ham. Onions, green pepper, tomatoes, an excess of garlic, and even jalapenos can add an extra dimension to a pizza.

However, Enrico Frank Andreoli of Montreal mentions that some ingredients should never be part of a pizza for many different reasons.

Take, for instance, lettuce. On its own and as a fresh serving, lettuce is great. But once exposed to the heat of the oven in which a pizza is cooked, it shrivels and dries up quickly. While several Montreal restaurants experiment with creating a “salad pizza,” Enrico Frank Andreoli says people would be better off ordering a salad and a pizza separately.

Other toppings that Enrico Frank Andreoli of Montreal notes that have made for a less-than-satisfying pizza experience are citrus fruits such as orange or lemon slices – because they interfere with the cheese and mayonnaise – which only makes a high-calorie meal a lot more fattening.