Episode Overview

Podcast: Things Bakers Know: The King Arthur Baking Podcast
Episode: Reinventing Pizza for 2026
Date: January 5, 2026
Hosts: Jessica Battilana (Staff Editor), David Tamarkin (Editorial Director); King Arthur Baking Company
Guests: Sarah Jampel & Molly Marzalek-Kelly (Test Kitchen Bakers)
Main Theme:
The episode is a deep dive into King Arthur’s 2026 Recipe of the Year—a “flaky puff crust pizza.” Jessica and David reveal the inspiration, unique techniques, and R&D process behind this game-changing new pizza style. They’re joined by the bakers who developed the recipe. The episode also answers listener questions on modern pizza baking fundamentals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction: What is Recipe of the Year?

[00:46–03:13]

• Each January, King Arthur releases a “Recipe of the Year”—a rigorously tested, trendsetting recipe meant to inspire bakers for that year (and beyond).
  • Past winners: 2023 - Coffee cakes; 2024 - Tangzhong chocolate chip cookies; 2025 - “The world’s best focaccia.”
• The build-up is compared with the anticipation around Pantone’s color of the year.
• Jessica emphasizes, “It's going to change your life.” [01:07]

2. Unveiling the 2026 Winner: Flaky Puff Crust Pizza

[03:13–04:23]

• What is it?
  • A brand new style of pizza: not thin crust, not pan, but a laminated dough (think puff pastry and pizza hybrid) resulting in a crispy, airy, buttery crust.
  • “Nobody knows what flaky puff crust pizza is…it's actually a totally new thing.” – David [02:53]

Origins & Inspiration

• Developed by blending ideas from Midwestern tavern-style pies (which use butter in dough) and the bakery world’s fascination with lamination.
• Connections drawn to croissant-dough, laminated challah, and crispy, cheesy pan pizzas.

3. Development Process

[05:28–10:43]

• King Arthur’s “Recipe of the Year” is a months-long, democratic, drama-filled process that involves voting and debate among staff.
• Sarah Jampel & Molly Marzalek-Kelly, the test kitchen bakers, led development.
• Innovative Lamination Techniques:
  • “They laminated the dough and created a pizza that has a really crispy...bottom, a truly flaky, puffy crust.” – David [06:32]
  • Dramatic oven rise and visible striations—like “waves of crust.”
• Served in a half-sheet pan (18x13")—big format = great for parties and leftovers.

Texture & Practicality

• Offers the satisfying richness of laminated pastry with the familiar comfort of pizza.
• Leftovers retain quality and can be easily reheated via direct heat (like on the grates of a toaster) for maximum crispiness.
  • “Like reheating a croissant...I needed some direct heat.” – Jessica [09:46]

4. Behind the Scenes: Interview with the Recipe Developers

[10:56–21:25]

• Are you sick of pizza yet?
  • “Never sick of pizza. No.” – Molly [11:19]
• Over six months, they tested upward of 70–100 pizzas.
  • Described the challenges and detours along the way (ex: early, ill-advised attempts at a “baking powder pizza” for speed).
• Goal: A pizza both innovative and easily made at home, using standard bakeware, with no need for specialty pizza stones or steels.
• Critical Design Choices:
  • Large sheet-pan format for crowd-feeding.
  • Hybrid lamination technique for maximal flakiness and “waves” in the crust.
  • Judicious use of butter inspired by Midwestern styles, but “amped up by a hundred.”

Memorable Quotes:

• “If low moisture on the whole pizza forms a helmet, it just sort of sits there very heavy...It browns so evenly that it's just like this brown helmet on top of your pizza.” – Sarah [18:06]
• “A good example of how collaboration works beautifully...someone points out a problem, someone has a solution.” – Sarah [18:56]
• “This was a challenging recipe...the challenge was to make a pizza that felt new, that felt innovative, which is not a small feat considering how much has been done with pizza in the course of history.” – David [11:54]

5. Deep Dive: The Cheese Journey

[15:44–20:38]

• Three types of cheese on this pizza:
  1. Low-moisture, whole milk mozzarella (shredded)—for even melt and coverage.
  2. Fresh mozzarella (cubed)—adds pockets of creamy melt and avoids the dreaded “cheese helmet.”
  3. Parmesan—interestingly, this is layered under the sauce to add umami and saltiness without overbrowning.
     • “I feel really strongly about cooked Parmesan cheese. I just think when Parmesan cheese browns, it gets a flavor that is totally different than fresh Parmesan cheese.” – Sarah [19:58]
• Fine-tuning cheese selection and placement played a pivotal role in the recipe’s success.

6. Ask the Bakers: Q&A Segment

[23:30–36:59]

1. Yeast Proofing—Do I Still Have To?

   • Short answer: No. Modern yeast is more reliably alive; proofing is now optional.
     • “Yeast no longer needs to be proofed before you incorporate it into the dough…” – David [25:21]
   • Still okay to do for tradition/peace of mind.

2. Best Cheese Combinations for Pizza

   • Use low-moisture whole milk mozzarella for texture, and a flavor cheese (like Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, or aged Asiago) for depth.
   • Fresh mozzarella or burrata should go on after baking to avoid sogging out the pizza.
     • “When you cut an apple, the clock starts ticking…same applies for cheese. The minute air hits that cheese, it's going to start drying out and degrade.” – David [29:43]
   • Avoid pre-shredded cheese—it's treated with anti-caking agents and melts poorly.

3. Homemade vs. Store-bought Pizza Sauce

   • No-cook sauce (just blended good quality canned tomatoes) is fastest, freshest; highly recommended.
   • “Jarred pizza sauce” is more like a sweet, garlicky, marinara—fine in a pinch, but not ideal for true pizza flavor.
   • Quality of tomatoes matters greatly if making at home—King Arthur recommends whole peeled Bianco di Napoli if available.

7. Baker Plans & Runner-up Recipes

[37:22–39:59]

• David: Baking more Recipe of the Year pizza and a delicata squash galette.
• Jessica: Making the “ultimate flaky biscuits”—the runner-up for Recipe of the Year.
  • “I feel like having a homemade biscuit sort of jazzes up even the most quotidian soup.” – Jessica [39:18]
  • These tall, bronze, pull-apart biscuits were developed alongside the pizza, and recipe is available.

Memorable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

• “It's going to change your life.” – Jessica [01:07]
• “Nobody knows what flaky puff crust pizza is…it's actually a totally new thing.” – David [02:53]
• “You get these striations, these layers…waves of crust in, in and out and up and down.” – David [06:55]
• “It's made in an 18 by 13 rimmed baking sheet. So more pizza, more party is what I say. That's the first time I've ever said that, but not the last.” – Jessica [08:09]
• “Never sick of pizza. No.” – Molly [11:19]
• “Upwards of 70. Probably closing in on 100.” [test batches] – Molly [11:34]
• “If low moisture on the whole pizza forms a helmet, it just sort of sits there very heavy. It's not creamy. It just doesn't have the moisture content, and it browns so evenly that it's just like this brown helmet on top of your pizza.” – Sarah [18:06]
• “I feel really strongly about cooked Parmesan cheese. I just think when Parmesan cheese browns, it gets a flavor that is totally different than fresh Parmesan cheese.” – Sarah [19:58]
• “You really don't need to ensure that you're getting live yeast. You can just go into your bread or pizza making with confidence.” – David [25:53]
• “The minute air hits that cheese, it's going to start drying out and degrade. So cheese that has been shredded before you buy it typically doesn't melt as well.” – David [29:43]
• “Bake your pizza with some of that low moisture whole milk mozzarella on it. And when it comes out of the oven... break open a ball of burrata on your pizza. That would be a nice time to do it.” – Jessica [32:14]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:46 — King Arthur Recipe of the Year explained
• 02:37 — Drumroll for 2026 winner
• 03:14 — What is flaky puff crust pizza?
• 05:28 — How Recipe of the Year is developed
• 06:32 — Lamination and crust details
• 10:56 — Interview with recipe developers (Sarah & Molly)
• 15:44 — “Cheese journey” & why three kinds of cheese
• 23:30 — Listener Q&A begins
• 25:21 — Yeast proofing myth busted
• 29:43 — Why fresh-shredded cheese is best
• 36:12 — Making pizza sauce at home vs. store bought
• 37:22 — What the bakers are baking next
• 39:59 — The “ultimate flaky biscuit” runner-up discussed

Episode Summary

This bonus episode of Things Bakers Know celebrates the inventive, meticulous journey behind King Arthur’s 2026 “Recipe of the Year”: Flaky Puff Crust Pizza. Jessica and David reveal the months-long process that brought this unique, laminated, buttery pizza to life—a style without parallel in current pizza canon.

Special guests and recipe co-authors Sarah Jampel and Molly Marzalek-Kelly illuminate the challenges of developing something truly new, from mis-steps like “baking powder pizza” to breakthroughs with cheese choices and dough lamination. The pizza is designed to feed a crowd, deliver an unforgettable crispy-flaky-buttery experience, and be wonderfully reheatable.

The episode closes with a practical Q&A on modern pizza fundamentals (yeast, cheese, sauce), and an acknowledgment of the “ultimate flaky biscuits”—the only recipe that nearly dethroned the puff crust pizza as this year’s marquee bake.

Perfect for the ambitious home baker, pizza lover, or anyone curious about the science and creativity behind King Arthur’s test kitchen.

For More

• Full Flaky Puff Crust Pizza Recipe: [kingarthurbaking.com]
• “A Pizza Out” Book: Available for pre-order, April 2026
• Ultimate Flaky Biscuits Recipe: [kingarthurbaking.com]

If you’re ready for a transformative pizza—and biscuits worth baking just for the leftovers—this episode brings both the inspiration and the technical depth to make it happen.