19 July 2011
The Artisan Pizza Revolution
In today's fast paced, wireless and digitally driven world many of us find ourselves continuously preoccupied with our busy and hectic schedules.
We are always checking the latest tweet on Twitter, updating our Facebook status, reading online news updates and typing away on our slick smart phones.
All of this multi-tasking and excess of information sometimes calls for a break. Amidst our chaotic society there's a growing trend of people beginning to value more simplified, slower lifestyles and products.
Organic food, Buddhism (which is the fastest growing religion in the world), popularity of men's vintage watches and the revival of lace making as one of biggest fashion trends – all point towards this slow movement. At Col'Cacchio pizzeria we too believe in this philosophy with Artisan making of pizza that's taken the foodie industry by storm - revisiting pizza's roots and emphasizing the value of time and craft. Our journey began 19 years ago and like any true artisan we keep working on our product to ensure perfection.
An Artisan is defined as a skilled worker who practices some sort of trade or handicraft. Artisan Pizza is then, a pizza which is created by artisans, handmade and slowly crafted using quality, natural ingredients and does not include any added chemicals or artificial components.
There are many different styles of pizza making and each artisan pizza maker has their own vision of what the ideal product should look like. Our customers seem to favour our unique style of pizza as they keep coming back for more.
Today artisan pizza is an endangered species with fast food and chain restaurants having taken over the pizza market. We are however proud to say that Col'Cacchio pizzeria still keeps the artisan flame alive.
Its simplicity at its best – the use of flour, water, salt and yeast – four ingredients that when combined create pizza perfection. Artisan baking is a true art form in that it's all about understanding the role of different ingredients and the steps that need to be carefully carried out to perfect the product.
The character of the dough is developed by using long fermentation processes. Traditionally the crust is golden brown in colour and deliciously crusty in texture. The end product is also much healthier as no harmful additives are used to enhance the pizza dough in any way.
Our Col'Cacchio pizzeria wood-fired pizzas are made in this traditional way - hot from the wood burning oven. The crust is super thin, with a black blistered crown; it should be chewy and crispy all at once. The soft, milky richness of the mozzarella yields to the sweet and sour finish of a fine sauce made from tomatoes, a touch of oregano and good olive oil. That is in essence an artisan pizza – a product that's a true labour of love and symbol of quality.
