Recommendation on ingredients for a Canadian in GTA

[fishyguy]

Was looking for advice/recommendations on ingredients for pizza here in Canada. Live in Mississauga, Ontario. Trying to make NY style pizza.

Cheese:I used Tre Stelle deluxe a few times but found it quite bland. Last time I used Armstrong had decent flavor (albeit with a weird after taste). I'm planning on trying Cracker Barrel mozzarella for my next one. These 2 brands seem to have the highest MF 28% and lowest moisture levels 42%. The Walmart and no name brands also have same MF and moisture levels  but maybe they're lower quality? Was wondering what other Canadians think about the local mozzarella brands and what recommendations you guys have.


Sauce: I found Pastene chunky California ground tomatoes at highland farms and i'm mixing 3/4 part of this with 1/4 part Emma tomato paste so far (saw this type of ratio used by Tony Gemignani),

Flour: so far been using Robin Hood bread flour (3 day cold ferment) using recipe from John Arena. Gonna try Rogers flour soon, saw someone post that that was really good. Any other recommendations?

Pepperoni: So far using Hormel from Walmart but find them to be too thinly sliced for my liking. Saw a few other brands called Roma/ Ziggys and Pillers. Pillers seems to be a mix of beef and pork while others mostly pork and chicken. Trying Pillers next time. Any suggestions is greatly appreciated

Thanks.

[Fastfocus]

Hey Welcome to the Group! I'm from Toronto and just learning also.
I can answer a couple of your questions. After much experimenting, get away from supermarket flour, it won't give you a good pizza dough. If you have a Whole Foods near by, go and get some of Anitas Organic All Purpose Bread Flour. It is the best for NY Style Pizza dough. If you want you can also order on https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00V69G33W/?tag=pmak-20, which is where I get it. Also Costco is a great resource, they have Grande Mozzarella, not the same as the U.S. but very good for the price, also I like the Mozzarella sold at Farmboy, but it's pricy. Also Costco has the San Marzano tomatoes, they're very good if you'r following Tony's recipes.
As for Pepperoni, I prefer Spicy Calabrese, hope that helps a little bit. There is also an amazing FB group called Artisan Pizza https://www.facebook.com/groups/751162561617075/
Hope this helps a bit.

[Rolls]

The low moisture prepackaged mozzarellas all tend to be somewhat bland IMO, so I'm always looking for something with good melting qualities more so than flavour.  I actually find the Tre Stelle brand to be quite good for pizza but I also use Silani and Santa Lucia, as well as Grande.  To boost flavour, try adding a sprinkle of Reggiano, Padano or Pecorino.  I wouldn't fool around with imitation cheeses but would get the imported stuff from Italy.  You should also try some fresh mozzarrella from one of the Italian delis or cheese producers.  In Mississauga, you might find some supplies at Aurora Meat and Cheese (3661 Dixie Rd) or Commisso Meat  (1004 Burnhamthorpe Rd E) but you'll find greater selection if you go to Vaughan.

I've tried all sorts of flours at all sorts of price points, but I find regular supermarket flour to be more than adequate.  You'll probably find various Italian flours at Highland Farms but I wouldn't bother if you're only making NY style pizza.  Remember that most all-purpose flours in Canada have a high protein content and are perfectly suitable for making bread and pizza.  I normally use Five Roses.  Costco sells an excellent AP flour called Master's Hand.  Great price too.

Of the supermarket pepperoni brands, I like the Venetian brand out of Hamilton, which is widely distributed in the area.  Just give them a call to find a specific store close to you.  Ezzo pepperoni is being brought into the province.  Try calling Jesse Tree Fine Foods in Bolton (905) 951-2124.  Otherwise, try experimenting with some artisanal pepperoni from your local butcher shops.  I used to buy at the St. Lawrence market but that might be out of your way.


Rolls 

[wotavidone]

There is also an amazing FB group called Artisan Pizza https://www.facebook.com/groups/751162561617075/
Hope this helps a bit.

She doesn't know yet, but my wife just applied to join this group. 
I'm sure she won't mind.
Thanks for the link.

[dessertfarmland]

also I like the Mozzarella sold at Farmboy, but it's pricy.

If you're referring to the low-moisture mozzarella thats wrapped in plastic with the deli label on it, I am almost certain it is cut slabs of Saputo 17%

https://www.saputofoodservice.ca/en/cheese/pizza-mozzarella-cheese/17-percent-pizza-mozzarella-cheese

It's honestly probably one of my favourite cheeses I've tried. Now that I know what it is, I can search it out elsewhere - it really is pricey

[kori]

If you're ok to buy in bulk then I would recommend going to the Wholesale Club (owned by Loblaws) and purchase a bag of Robin Hood Pizza Flour (not bread flour), it's produced by Ardent Mills (bag might say Ardent Mills Pizza Flour). It's a 20kg bag, price is $19.97, item# 10063 will be right on the front of the bag. I've been using this flour for years, I make NY & American style pizza's with it in a home electric oven, on pizza screens, no stone and it performs great. I also using it for baking various types of bread.

Same goes for tomatoes, if you can deal with bulk they are now selling a variety of Stanislaus tomatoes, they come from California and they are the best in my opinion, better then any SM I've ever tried. They are all 100oz cans, price ranges from $6.47 - $6.97, very good price and you can buy single cans. My recomendation would be Tomato Magic ground tomatoes or Saporito Filetto di Pomodoro tomato strips, these are the same tomato as Alta Cucina but sliced differently.

They sell a pretty good variety of pizza cheese there as well, prices are good, bulk or smaller sizes, shredded or block. They have a new mozzarela there branded Sunspun (kinda there house brand) I bought a few blocks recently and I am quite happy with it.

I've used all 3 of the pepperoni's you mentioned (not hormel) and you probably won't be impressed with any of them, but out of the 3 I would have to say Ziggy's. I'm not sure where you are in Mississauga but there's a bakery near where my sister lives called Truscott Bakery and sell a pepperoni called Fantino & Mondello dry pepperoni and it is really good. I can't recall the price, don't think it was a good price but thought I'd mention it, I have my sister pick some up for me whenever she heads up here.

Kori B

[Shanksworthy]

I find that Canada has some of the best ingredients available. If you’re lucky, you may be able to find Saputo Gold or Saputo Deluxe, both of which are 48% and very flavorful. I get mine at Costco in Calgary. But if your Costco doesn’t carry that, Saputo Mozzarellissima works almost as well and can be found at any grocery store. It’s 52%, but I honestly don’t find that it has any adverse effects, and sometimes even prefer its extra moisture. And it melts and browns really nicely.

For flour, really you can’t go wrong with most brand-name Canadian bread flours because they tend to be higher in protein than American flours. Many agree that Rogers is a good bet for a grocery store brand, because it’s unbleached, and it’s the only major Canadian brand that’s still independently owned (whereas Smuckers owns most of the others). Still, even Robin Hood is fine — their AP flour is better than most American bread flours.

For sauce, these days I can find Mutti pizza sauce at most grocery stores (or at the very least, every Italian grocer carries it). It’s a really nice tasting sauce, and if you can find it on sale, it’s cheaper than buying the ingredients for making your own sauce of equivalent quality.

Finally, I prefer the Roma brand mild pepperoni, but that’s personal preference. I don’t think it’s similar to the type found on a typical NY pie, so maybe just try a few until you find something you like. I think they tend to be on the spicier side. Also I saw some large diameter sliced pepperoni at Walmart the other day — can’t remember the brand, but it struck me as looking very NY-style.

[marvinpontiac]

Hello. I’ll share my experience with the ingredients I use for NY-style pizza at home in Canada. I put a TLDR at the bottom so you can skip right to the things.

CHEESE:
I think I’ve tried all the low-moisture mozzarella available to me in Ontario. I’ve come to the conclusion that the most delicious (that I’ve found) and best melting low-moisture cheese is Saputo Brick (42%), which is kind of like if a cheddar melted like a mozzarella. I’ve only found Saputo Brick at a Wholesale Club but maybe you can get it easier. Brick cheese is also what's traditionally used for detroit-style.

St. Albert’s Mozarella is also really good (44%). You can find it at Costco or Costco Business Centre in larger blocks, or you can find smaller amounts at most grocery stores in the Eastern Ontario / Quebec zone.

Armstrong's Pizza Mozzarella is also very good and the easiest to get (for me) so it's what I use most often. Melts really nice, and is a low moisture (42%). Most “pizza mozzarellas” don’t actually fit NY style but this one does.

What I avoid:
They sound perfect but I avoid most "pizza mozzarellas" – for example;  Saputo's Pizza “Mozzarellissima”. It melts sort of like how cheese curds melt. It would be pretty good on a Neapolitan-style pizza becuase it has good flavour but in general “pizza mozzarellas” are too high moisture. I think anything over 48% isn’t great for NY-style.

For parmesan – I don't think you can really go wrong if you buy the real stuff. It's kind of essential in NY-style becuase low moisture mozarellas in Canada are a bit light on flavour.

TOMATOES:
Tried many, many kinds but I’ve landed on one called Bianco Di Napoli from California, which is probably the best canned tomato I’ve ever had. You can find it at specialty stores since it’s a bit hipstery now or online at https://store.berchicci.ca/Bianco-DiNapoli. You can get whole peeled or crushed – not a huge difference once it’s out of the oven so go with whatever is cheaper at the time although I tend to get whole. IMO you don't have to cook this one, and you barely have to salt it. I put a little salt & olive oil or sometimes even sugar if I'm feeling like I want a bowling alley pizza.

Costco also has two brands that are very good called La San Marzano” whole peeled. They also carry “Pastene” which are very similar.

When I’m in a clutch, canned Mutti are decent and at most grocery stores. A bit thinner in flavour and consistency compared to the thick marinara the brands mentioned above are packed in. Still fine.


OLIVE OIL:
I fluxuate between two brands, one being really easy to get and one being kinda pricey and not that different but different enough.

My favourite one is Frankies 457 from Brooklyn. I order it here: https://erinandco.com/products/frankies-457-spuntino-extra-virgin-olive-oil. The picture shows a 500 mL bottle, but it’s actually 1 Litre (as you can see in their description).

Second go-to is Terra Delysssa Tunisian olive oil, which I find at most grocery stores and/or Costco. It's very similar to Frankies, and is more affordable.

FLOUR:
I won't really get into this since bread flour has been a bit hit/miss in my area in terms of what brands are available so I just grab whatever I can get right now (which is really basic grocery store stuff that ends up being perfect after proper dough-making and ferment time). I will however shout out my friends at https://almanacgrain.ca who make my absolute favourite '00' flour which I use for stretching (I use a 50/50 bread/00 mix). Sometimes I'll hop across the border and get King Arthur which is great. Costco Biz Centre also carries a protein-rich bread flour for pizza specifically but I haven't tried it yet.

TLDR:
CHEESE: Saputo Brick, St. Alberts Mozz, Armstrong Pizza Mozzarella
TOMATO: Bianco Di Napoli, La San Marzano (Costco), Pastene, Mutti Whole Peeled
OLIVE OIL: Frankies 457, Terra Delyssa
FLOUR: Basic Robin Hood or Five Roses or King Arthur bread flour, Almanac 00 for stretching

That’s it. Hope this helps in some way. (I realize this is a way late reply).