What Matters More: the Bread or the Toppings?

[Jimmy_Jack]

Title edited- capitalize important words, please. Rule 9. And question mark added.

There was another here earlier about pizza. That got me to thinking of something Ive always thought when pondering pizza and burgers.

Its the dough/bread...not the contents or toppings. What I mean is I am more apt to be impressed by good crust and dough, or a good bun on a burger, than the cheese/toppings, or burger and lettuce/tomato.

I wonder if anyone else feels that way?

You can take shit, standard beef patties and put them on a fantastic bun...BAM! Great burger! You can take crap cheese with greasy meat, put them on an great pizza dough...BAM! Great pizza!

Put those same toppings or burger components on standard breat....meh...not so good.

The bread makes the pizza or burger. That is my stance.

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

I prefer cheese on toast rather than pizza, any day.

 

[anotherbob]

nope both have to be good and can elevate or ruin the experience.

 

[solideogloria86]

Sauce and dough make the pizza.

Give me a quality, well seasoned , medium rare patty on two slices of wonder bread and I'm happy. Sandwich bread was the all purpose everything bun when I was a kid. Beef is the centerpiece of a burger in my opinion.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

There was another here earlier about pizza. That got me to thinking of something Ive always thought when pondering pizza and burgers.

Its the dough/bread...not the contents or toppings. What I mean is I am more apt to be impressed by good crust and dough, or a good bun on a burger, than the cheese/toppings, or burger and lettuce/tomato.

I wonder if anyone else feels that way?

You can take shit, standard beef patties and put them on a fantastic bun...BAM! Great burger! You can take crap cheese with greasy meat, put them on an great pizza dough...BAM! Great pizza!

Put those same toppings or burger components on standard breat....meh...not so good.

The bread makes the pizza or burger. That is my stance.

Both need to be right.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Give me a quality, well seasoned , medium rare patty on two slices of wonder bread and I'm happy. Sandwich bread was the all purpose everything bun when I was a kid.

Yep

Beef is the centerpiece of a burger in my opinion.

Put a fried egg on it and it becomes a masterpiece.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Pizza, phhhht…
But, some of the best burgers I’ve ever had were great pieces of meat, cooked and seasoned well on a couple of pieces of white bread. I mean, I’ve had good burger on good buns, but it’s not what makes me kick my heels. “Whoopie, great bread!” Nahhh.

“Where’s the beef?!”

 

[condorlover1]

I agree. I didn't really get burgers growing up as it was viewed as an 'American thing' and with my first wife being Asian this sort of stuff didn't enter my diet until I first visited the U.S.A. That being said the two slices of bread strikes me as very sensible since burger rolls never seem to taste of much to me. A good patty cooked over a BBQ with onions, mustard and hot sauce and a cold beer is what makes a U.S summer.

 

[STP]

1) Dough
2) Sauce
3) Toppings

In that order, but for a great pie the first two have to be great.

 

[scloyd]

I love a nice crispy crust French baguette. There's nothing better. A French baguette with some real salted butter.

 

[warren]

A less than great meat patty cannot be saved by buns, fresh tomato, perfect onion or such. Without a great piece of hand-formed, top grade "hamburger" (Ground rib or sirloin) ... you got yourself anything from a "blah" burger to a "tolerable" burger no matter how tasty the bun or condiments. The opposite is true in my experience also, great buns (sesame seeded?) and fresh toppings are ruined by an only tolerable piece of ground chuck or round.

A really great burger has grease dripping down your arms to your elbows and requires at least three napkins, should you use such.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Another vote for Burgers and Pizza being produced under different principles.

I'm mostly indifferent about burger buns but a consistent soft pizza crust is the main attraction.

 

[Streeper541]

Jimmy_Jack,

I would apply your bread philosophy to a McDonald's patty... no matter what bread you slap around that "beef" (and I'm being extremely generous with that description) it'll still be a crap to mediocre crap sandwich.

Am I wrong?

I for one believe the bread to enhancement of the main entree, and for that, like Warren, I want top quality beef.

As for pizza... I would say the crust & the toppings share about equal importance, with a slight favoring towards the crust as that MUST literally carry the rest of the dish. I want great cheese and fresh, quality toppings, but the crust has to be spot on for me.

What say you to this?

 

[Jimmy_Jack]

I guess my appreciation is like this. I often have a good burger while out or some pizza. But I only notice how “good” it is when there’s extra good bread involved.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

There was another here earlier about pizza. That got me to thinking of something Ive always thought when pondering pizza and burgers.

Its the dough/bread...not the contents or toppings. What I mean is I am more apt to be impressed by good crust and dough, or a good bun on a burger, than the cheese/toppings, or burger and lettuce/tomato.

I wonder if anyone else feels that way?

You can take shit, standard beef patties and put them on a fantastic bun...BAM! Great burger! You can take crap cheese with greasy meat, put them on an great pizza dough...BAM! Great pizza!

Put those same toppings or burger components on standard breat....meh...not so good.

The bread makes the pizza or burger. That is my stance.

Nah

 

[Streeper541]

I guess my appreciation is like this. I often have a good burger while out or some pizza. But I only notice how “good” it is when there’s extra good bread involved.

Fair enough

 

[Jimmy_Jack]

Nah

Lol

 

[beefeater33]

Both are equally important................ Shit on a shingle anyone??

 

[sandollars]

The bread. Always the bread....

 

[WVOldFart]

A really great burger has grease drip
ping down your arms to your elbows and requires at least three napkins, should you use such.

Tips on food: Potato chips are the same way. The best chips are greasy. If anything has "sugar free" on it, avoid it like the plague and a hamburger has to be dipping in mayonnaise, grease and tomato to the point you can hear your arteries clogging and you have to take a shower after eating. Yum Yum