A whole grain pizza crust that actually tastes good? It’s no longer merely an elusive dream of brands and formulators. Until recently, trying to make pizza dough with whole grains yielded a bland, dense crust that was too tough for consumers to enjoy, much less consider purchasing again. Lately, though, EverGrain is leading the way for barley to become the game-changing grain in pizza crusts that offer both healthy appeal and great taste.
Consumers want healthier pizza
According to a 2020 consumer study by EverGrain, nearly half (45%) of global consumers agree that it is important to them that pizza provide healthy, high-quality nutrition. When shopping the grocery store for pizza, a substantial number of consumers wants pizza that looks healthy and natural (30%), makes them feel full longer (29%), or is high in protein (25%) or fiber (24%). All of these are key attributes of EverVita, our barley ingredient packed with protein and rich in fiber.
Consumers around the world are intrigued by pizzas made with barley, according to the survey results. Just over half (51%) of all consumers surveyed said they are interested in trying pizza made with barley ingredients. This sentiment was especially strong in Germany (63%) and Italy (68%). To this end, EverVita provides not only attributes that consumers want but also functionality that helps formulators and manufacturers achieve one-of-a-kind flavor.
For example, the machinability (e.g., challenging rheology of a sticky dough and resistance to mechanical shocks in production line) and materials costs for pizza dough have been shown to improve when EverVita makes up 10% of the flour mix. Always minimally processed, all-natural, and highly sustainable, EverVita helps doughs remain strong while delivering a soft, airy crust that rises in the oven. These improvements in production efficiency not only increase manufacturers’ margins; they also drive sales growth by conveying a better sensory experience for the end consumer.
Bringing better-tasting whole grain pizza to the market
Ultimately, it’s that sensory experience that drives repeat purchase and brand loyalty. One such success story came to life as a collaboration with Deimos, distributor of EverGrain products in Italy. In addition to distributing EverGrain’s barley ingredients, Deimos served as a partner in application development and enabled innovation with companies like Serris, which brought the ingredient to shelves in the Veneto region of Italy, where it is being used in the first ever pizza dough that can be stretched and baked at home with comparable quality to that of a real pizzeria.
“For the whole grain pizza, we tested multiple ingredients but eventually selected EverVita because of its light cereal taste that remained pleasant without being too invasive,” said Eugenio Cervato, Commercial Director at Serris. “Substituting almost the totality of the whole grain flour with EverVita, we achieved our objective of offering the highest quality product, and at the same time improve the easiness of manufacturing and the total cost in use, to even better match market demand. The proof is that, on shelf, the specialty pizza is performing even better than the regular one.”
Whole grain pizza crusts need not be a disappointing trade-off of taste for wholesome ingredients and healthy appeal. Whether foodservice, frozen, or take-and-bake, EverVita excels in creating memorable taste and appetizing texture for all types of pizza. In addition to contributing plant-powered protein and insoluble fiber, formulating doughs with EverVita provides a more satisfying chew, light cereal taste (less pungent than whole grain), and a visually striking golden-brown crust. For crunchier applications like pizza, we suggest trying EverVita Fibra, while for softer ones like a focaccia, we suggest trying EverVita Pro. Both barley-based ingredients effectively blend with traditional flours and can easily replace one third of the original whole grain flour inclusion, integrating seamlessly into dough systems.
Interested in learning more about how EverVita is revolutionizing whole grain pizza crusts? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us to find out more about why a growing number of formulators is turning to barley for flavor and functionality in pizza crusts and more.