The pizza brand will debut its Sourdough Range next week (14 April) to tap into the growing market for ‘hand crafted’ pizzas. Research from Papa Johns has found that while its Italian-style pizzas remained the top choice among 33% of its UK customers, 27% preferred sourdough or hand stretched bases.
The range will comprise three pizzas - Pepper & Pepperoncini, which is topped with green peppers, sliced pepperoncini, white onion and fior di latte mozzarella; Salami & N’duja with salami, ’nduja and fior di Latte; and Chicken & Pesto, which features a white garlic base topped with chicken, mushrooms, white onion, fior di latte and a drizzle of pesto that has become the hallmark of a number of smaller pizza players in the space, most notably Crisp Pizza.
The new range is made using a aged sourdough culture, which is matured over weeks and fermented for up to 11 days without additives or artificial leavening agents, according to Papa Johns. Its launch following two years of development and more than 50 recipe iterations.
The pizzas are priced at £15, or as a bundle for £29 that includes two sourdough pizzas, a side and a drink.
Alongside the new pizzas, Papa Johns is introducing a new Sourdough Dippers side and Sweet Dippers, topped with icing sugar and served with chocolate sauce as well as a new range of dips in Calabrian Hot Honey, Garlic Aioli and Pesto variants.
“From day one, we’ve been committed to better ingredients, better pizza – and our new Sourdough range is a true reflection of that,” says Papa Johns UK and Europe MD Chris Phylactou.
“The care and devotion we’ve poured into perfecting this over two years – testing dozens of recipes, working with industry experts and refining every detail – speaks to our commitment to flavour, texture and quality. This range is all about bringing high-quality, slow-crafted sourdough to everyone – we can’t wait for the nation to try it.”