# What is the difference between pizza and pinsa? Canonical: https://zestasy.com/wiki/pizza-vs-pinsa/ Section: Zestasy Wiki > Food · Updated: 2026-10-14 · Publisher: Zestasy *Zestasy Wiki: our reference answers. Checked for facts and sources; less curated than the magazine.* Pinsa is an oval flatbread from Rome made from a wetter dough that mixes wheat with other flours such as rice and soy, giving a crisp shell and a light, airy, almost focaccia-like crumb. Pizza, in its classic Neapolitan form, is round, made from wheat flour, yeast, salt and water, with a soft centre and a puffed edge. The romantic story that pinsa descends from ancient Rome is, by its own creator's admission, marketing. If you have eaten in Rome or in an Italian restaurant abroad recently, you have probably seen pinsa on a menu next to the pizza, or a pack of pinsa bases in the supermarket fridge. It looks like a pizza that has been gently squashed into an oval. Bite into one and the difference is clear: it is crisper on the outside, lighter and more open inside, with a texture that sits somewhere between pizza and focaccia. ## The dough This is where the real difference lies. **Pizza.** The classic Neapolitan version, which has had protected EU status as a traditional speciality since 2010, according to [Wikipedia's Neapolitan pizza entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neapolitan_pizza), is made from wheat flour, yeast, salt and water. The dough is soft and stretchy, and the result is a thin centre with a puffy, blistered rim. **Pinsa.** [Wikipedia's pinsa entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinsa_%28bread%29) describes a dough that mixes wheat, soy and rice flours with sourdough, yeast, salt, optional oil and cold water. Before baking it is full of air pockets, which give a light, crisp crust and a soft interior. In the hand it feels wetter and stickier than a typical pizza dough, and a long rest helps those bubbles develop. ## Shape and handling - **Pizza** is stretched into a round with the fingertips and knuckles, leaving the edge thicker. - **Pinsa** is pressed and pushed into an oval, often by dimpling the dough with the fingertips like focaccia, rather than stretched. The name plays on the idea of pressing: according to Wikipedia, it was chosen to evoke the Latin verb *pinsere*, to pound or crush. The oval also makes pinsa easy to share and cut into pieces, which is part of its appeal in bars and casual places. ## Texture and eating - **Pizza:** soft and foldable in the middle, chewy and charred at the edge. Best eaten immediately. - **Pinsa:** crunchier underneath and at the edges, airy and open inside. It holds toppings well and stays crisp a little longer. Toppings are similar in spirit. In the places we have eaten it, pinsa often gets lighter, fresher toppings added after baking, such as burrata, raw vegetables, rocket and lemon, alongside the usual tomato and mozzarella. Pizza toppings tend to bake with the base. ## The history, handled with care Pinsa is often sold with a story: that it is an ancient Roman flatbread, the ancestor of pizza. Treat that one with caution. According to [Wikipedia's account](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinsa_%28bread%29), the name "pinsa romana" was registered as a trademark in 2001 by the Italian entrepreneur Corrado Di Marco, whose company near Rome had been making the tray-baked dough since the 1980s. The same entry reports that he later admitted inventing the link to ancient Rome as a marketing tactic, and that the story was repeated uncritically by the media. So pinsa is a modern Roman invention, and a good one. It doesn't need a toga. ## Can you make pinsa at home? You can make something in its spirit. The keys are a very wet dough, a long, slow rest in the fridge, gentle handling so you keep the bubbles, and a very hot oven with a preheated tray or stone. Many supermarkets now sell par-baked pinsa bases, which only need toppings and a few minutes in a hot oven, and they are excellent for a quick dinner. For getting the most out of a domestic oven with either, see [pizza in a home oven](https://zestasy.com/wiki/pizza-in-a-home-oven/). If you love the airy, crisp texture of pinsa, you will probably also enjoy the bubbles of a well-made [focaccia](https://zestasy.com/wiki/focaccia-bubbles/). ## FAQ ### Are supermarket pinsa bases any good? Very. They are par-baked, so the hard part is done: add toppings, give them a few minutes in a very hot oven, and finish with fresh things like rocket, burrata or a thread of olive oil after baking. ### Is pinsa gluten-free? No. It contains wheat flour. Rice and soy flours are added to a wheat dough, not used instead of it. ### Do we need special flour to make pinsa at home? Pinsa flour mixes are sold, but a strong white bread flour with a little rice flour added makes a good home version. A very wet dough and a long rest matter more than the exact blend. ### Which is better? Different moods. Pizza for a classic, soft, blistered pie; pinsa for a crunchier, lighter base that loves fresh toppings. ## Sources - [Wikipedia: Pinsa (bread)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinsa_%28bread%29) - [Wikipedia: Neapolitan pizza](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neapolitan_pizza) ## Related - [How do you make good pizza in a home oven?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/pizza-in-a-home-oven/) - [Why does pizza dough taste better after a slow rise?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/slow-rise-pizza-dough/) - [How do you get big bubbles in homemade focaccia?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/focaccia-bubbles/) - [What is a piadina?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/what-is-piadina/) - [What is the difference between bruschetta and crostini?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/bruschetta-vs-crostini/) - [All Food answers in the Wiki](https://zestasy.com/wiki/#food)