Flatbread is a bread made of flour, water and salt. Almost all cultures of the world have traditional foods that fall into the category flatbread. Pizza is a popular Italian dish that falls into the category of flatbread. The key difference between flatbread and pizza is that flatbread is typically unleavened whereas pizza contains yeast, which is a leavening agent. The term flatbread pizza refers to a recent invention that includes the combination of flatbread and pizza.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Flatbread
3. What is Pizza
4. Similarities Between Flatbread and Pizza
5. Side by Side Comparison – Flatbread vs Pizza in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is Flatbread?
Flatbread is a type of bread that is found in nearly all cultures. It is essentially made of flour, water and salt. These ingredients are mixed well together and rolled into flattened dough. Flatbreads are typically unleavened, i.e., they do not contain a leavening agent such as yeast. However, some flatbreads such as pita bread are slightly leavened. Pizza, which also falls into the general category of flatbread, is made of leavened dough. Roti, naan, tortilla, pita, and poori are some other examples of flatbreads.
Figure 01: Afghan Naan
Flatbread Pizza
Flatbread pizzas, which are now often seen in restaurants, are a combination of pizzas and flatbreads. Since these are a new creation, they tend to be more experimentally. Thus, the preparation of flatbread pizzas depends on the chef and restaurant. Although the recipe for flatbread pizza calls for unleavened dough, some chefs do not follow this.
Figure 02: Flatbread Pizza
Flatbread pizzas are usually rectangular in shape and have thinner, crispier crusts and lighter toppings, as shown in the above image.
What is Pizza?
Pizza is a traditional Italian dish popular all over the world. Pizza is made by baking a yeasted flatbread topped essentially with cheese and tomato sauce in an oven. Other ingredients such as olives, pepperoni, mushrooms, meat and other vegetables can be used as toppings in pizzas.
Figure 03: Pizzas
The bottom of the pizza is called the ‘crust’. The thickness of the crust may vary depending on the style; traditional hand-tossed pizzas have a thin crust whereas modern versions of pizzas often have a thick crust. The crust is typically plain and unseasoned, but some chefs season it with herbs or stuff with cheese. Mozzarella is the most commonly used cheese in pizzas.
What are the Similarities Between Flatbread and Pizza?
- The dough of flatbreads and pizzas are typically made of flour, water and salt.
- Pizza is a type of flatbread.
What is the Difference Between Flatbread and Pizza?
Flatbread vs Pizza |
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| Flatbread is a thin, flat bread that is typically unleavened. | Pizza is an Italian dish consisting of a flat round base of dough baked with a topping of tomatoes and cheese, typically with added meat, fish, or vegetables. |
| Relationship | |
| There are many types of flatbreads in different cultures. | Pizza is a type of flatbread. |
| Leavening | |
| Pizza is typically made of leavened dough. | Flatbread is typically made of unleavened dough. |
| Shape | |
| There are differently shaped flatbreads. Flatbread pizzas are typically rectangular shaped. | Pizzas are round shaped. |
Summary – Flatbread vs Pizza
Flatbreads are a type of bread, which are found in almost all cultures in the world. Pizzas are a type of flatbread that has origins in Italy. The difference between flatbread and pizza is that flatbread is typically made of unleavened dough whereas pizza typically is made of leavened dough.
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Image Courtesy:
1.’Bread of Afghanistan in 2010’By Christine A. Darius (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2.’Margherita Flatbread Pizza’by viviandnguyen_(CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr
3.’Supreme pizza’By Scott Bauerderivative work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia