What Makes Crust Bros’ Neapolitan Pizza Different?

There’s a lot that goes into a Crust Bros pizza before it lands on your table.

Our dough takes days, not hours. We spent a long time finding the right flour. We’re pretty particular about our tomatoes and mozzarella. And those little charred spots around the crust? Very much meant to be there.

We take the foundations of Neapolitan pizza seriously. We just don’t think that means everything that goes on top has to be traditional.

Neapolitan roots, London soul. Here’s what that actually means.

It Starts with the Dough

Before the tomato, mozzarella or toppings, there’s the dough.

Ours starts with Type 0 Bongiovanni flour, water, salt, and fresh yeast. Four ingredients, then quite a lot of waiting.

We ferment our dough for 48 to 72 hours using a slow, double-proved process. Giving it that time helps develop the flavour and gets us the light, airy crust we’re after.

Our dough is also at least 65% hydration. In less pizza-nerdy terms, that means there’s plenty of water in there. When the dough hits the hot oven, it helps create the open, airy crust that makes Neapolitan pizza what it is.

You can’t really rush a good crust. So we don’t.

We’re Particular About Our Flour

We tested a lot of different flours before settling on Type 0 from Bongiovanni, an Italian flour mill.

Type 0 retains more of the grain than the Type 00 flour commonly associated with Neapolitan pizza. We like the extra character and flavour it brings to our dough, without losing the light texture we want from the finished crust.

It might sound like a small detail, but when pizza is what you do every day, the flour matters.

If you fancy getting properly into the pizza nerd stuff, learn more about how we make our Neapolitan pizza. Or, if you want to have a go yourself, our founder Joe has a whole series of pizza-making tutorials to get you started.

Those Charred Spots Are Meant to Be There

They’ve even got a name: leopard spotting.

Our pizzas hit the oven at seriously high heat, making the dough puff up quickly and blister around the edges.

That gives you a crust that’s light and airy inside, with a little char and chew on the outside.

So if your Crust Bros pizza turns up with a few dark spots around the crust, nobody forgot about it in the oven. That’s exactly what we’re going for.

And please don’t leave those crusts behind. We’ve got dips for that.

Good Dough Needs Good Toppings

There’s not much point in spending up to three days making dough and then chucking anything on top of it.

Our tomato base starts with San Marzano tomatoes from Italy, chosen for their natural sweetness and balanced acidity. Then there’s our fior di latte mozzarella, selected for the creamy flavour, melt and stretch we want on our pizzas.

From there, it’s about balance.

Take the Margherita. Tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, basil and Parmesan. Simple, done right. 

Then there are the pizzas where we have a bit more fun.

Neapolitan Roots, London Soul

This is where Crust Bros gets a little less traditional.

We love Neapolitan pizza, but we’re a London pizzeria. Our menu should feel like it.

Da Kine is a pretty good example. Tomato, mozzarella, burnt pineapple and chilli relish, finished with Speck. Pineapple on a Neapolitan pizza? Sacrilege? Maybe. But what the Neapolitans don’t know won’t hurt them.

That’s the Crust Bros approach. Start with great Neapolitan pizza, then don’t be afraid to play around with what goes on top.

It’s the same thinking behind our collabs with London’s food scene. Different flavours, different ideas, but the dough underneath it all stays the same.

Is Crust Bros Pizza Supposed to Be Soft?

Yes.

A Neapolitan pizza isn’t supposed to behave like a stiff, crispy slice. The high-hydration dough and thin centre mean there’s some softness and flop, surrounded by that bigger, airy crust.

Fold it. Pick it up. Use a knife and fork. We’re not judging.

Just save some room for the crust.

Try Crust Bros’ Neapolitan Pizza

So, what makes our Neapolitan pizza different?

It starts with dough that gets 48 to 72 hours to do its thing, Type 0 Italian flour, and high hydration. Add serious heat, San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte and toppings that actually earn their place.

Then we give ourselves enough room to have some fun with it.

You can try it for yourself at Crust Bros in Covent Garden and Waterloo.

Book a table, pick your pizza and eat the crust.

It’s in the name.