Difference Between Hand Tossed and Pan Pizza

Key Difference – Hand Tossed vs Pan Pizza
 

Pizza is an Italian dish that is popular all over the world. Hand tossed pizza and pan pizza are two different types of pizza. The key difference between hand tossed and pan pizza is the rolling of the dough; in hand tossed pizza, the dough is kneaded until it becomes soft and then it is tossed several times in the air whereas in pan pizza, a ball-shaped dough is formed and it is directly placed on the pan.  Due to this difference in preparation, there are some other differences in these two types of pizza as well.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Hand Tossed Pizza
3. What is Pan Pizza
4. Similarities Between Hand Tossed and Pan Pizza
5. Side by Side Comparison – Hand Tossed vs Pan Pizza in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Hand Tossed Pizza?

As the name ‘hand tossed’ implies, hand tossed pizza includes tossing the pizza dough in the air and catching it by hand. Before tossing, the dough has to be kneaded until it is soft. The tossing has to be repeated until the dough has the correct size and thickness. Hand tossing creates a thin crust that is strong enough to hold the toppings. However, hand tossing technique needs a lot of practice. When the dough is finished, a thin layer of sauce is added to the top of it, and the dough is left to rest for 2-3 hours. Since the hand-tossed dough is soft, it can be easily spread onto the pan while rising.

After the dough has risen, toppings can be added. Then the dough can be baked on the bottom rack of an oven at around 500°F for 10 to 15 minutes. Hand tossed pizza has a flatter and crispier crust when compared to pan pizza.

What is Pan Pizza?

Pan pizza is a type of pizza that does not involve tossing the dough into the air. This is also known as Chicago-styled pizza or deep-dish pizza. In pan pizza, the dough balls are prepared and are spread directly inside a deep pan to get the shape. Pan pizza dough is harder than hand tossed pizza; since there is no space to expand, the pizza is fluffier and thicker. Coating the pan with oil give a pizza gives a crispier crust.

Pan pizza is baked at a higher temperature than hand tossed pizza; the baking time is about 15 minutes.

What are the Similarities Between Hand Tossed and Pan Pizza?

• Both hand tossed and pan pizza use a standard pizza dough that is made of flour, yeast, water and salt.
• Same toppings can be added to both types of pizzas; these toppings typically include mozzarella cheese, varieties of meat, vegetables, seasonings and spices.

What is the Difference Between Hand Tossed and Pan Pizza?

Summary – Hand Tossed vs Pan Pizza

Hand tossed, and pan pizzas are two popular pizzas. The difference between hand tossed, and pan pizza mainly depends on the way the pizza dough is rolled. In addition, there are differences in the dough, crust as well as in the baking temperature.

Download the PDF of Hand Tossed vs Pan Pizza

You can download the PDF version of this article and use it for offline purposes as per citation note. Please download the PDF version here: Difference Between Hand Tossed and Pan Pizza

Image Courtesy:

1.’pizza-food-fast-food-muzarella-1317699’by marckbass8 (Public Domain) via Pixabay