PN Pizza is a Neapolitan pizzeria, so you might assume that the “PN” stands for something along the lines of pizzeria Napoletana. It does not. It stands for pecore nere, which means black sheep. They aim to stand out and do something against the grain and I think they do a fantastic job.
Neapolitan pizza, undeniably the best pizza in the world, is incredibly nuanced and in order to be authentic, can only be made according to very specific requirements. The dough is made of four simple ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. The flour must be Italian “00”, which is a high-protein flour that is ground very fine. While every Neapolitan pizzeria will have a slightly different take on the dough’s ideal length of fermentation, it’s always a minimum of 24 hours and generally a maximum of 48, with some flexibility in either direction. The dough is integral to Neapolitan pizza because unlike most other pizzas in the world, it’s sparingly topped. That is to say the toppings are a subtle accent to the underlying dough and tomato sauce, and not the star of the dish. They are very minimal and well balanced.
PN Pizza takes the concept of classic Neapolitan pizza and executes everything fairly authentically… except for the dough. Instead of using the traditional dough described above, they rotate through 8 different types of dough, each day offering a choice of three to diners. The doughs they offer are completely unique and unheard of as pizza dough, using several untraditional grains and fermentation processes.
There’s the “Einkorn” for instance, which is a wild species of wheat that tastes nutty with hints of hay. Then there’s the “Montana,” which is a mix of Canadian Manitoba (hard wheat) with farro and rye flours. This has a malty flavor. And let’s not forget the “multigrain,” which is a blend of rice, barley, and rye flours. Very light and chewy texture with a strikingly subtle, yet delicious flavor.
They do also have options that closely resemble a traditional Neapolitan pizza dough such as their stone ground wheat flour or slightly more unique “miracolo,” which is a very soft wheat flour from Italy that has a slightly sweet flavor.
On top of these flours sits your traditional Neapolitan pizza toppings and sauces, and all good quality at that.
