NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� After more than a decade of mixing and kneading dough in his family鈥檚 Brooklyn pizzeria, Salvatore Lo Duca recently made a distressing discovery: A key component of their thin-crust pies, bromated flour, contained a suspected carcinogen in much of the world.
So, in the back kitchen of Lo Duca Pizza, the 39-year-old began tweaking the original recipe handed down by his parents 鈥� with unexpected results.
鈥淲hen we started playing around with a different flour, I actually took a liking to it,鈥� said Lo Duco, who runs the shop with his five brothers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a little more expensive, but the quality is there.鈥�
A looming ban on the additive, potassium bromate, may soon force thousands of pizzerias and bagel shops across New York into a similar transition.
The bill, passed by state lawmakers and awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul鈥檚 signature, has divided dough-makers, triggering fears that even a minor change to long-established baking practices could have dramatic implications for the city鈥檚 most iconic foods.
鈥淭his is an earth-shaking event for New York pizza,鈥� said Scott Wiener, a pizza historian who leads tours of notable slice shops. 鈥淭hat ingredient is part of the identity of the slice.鈥�
Employees at several stores that use bromated flour declined to comment for this story. But Wiener estimated that around 80% of pizza and bagel shops rely on a flour that contains the oxidizing agent, which reduces rest time for dough and helps ensure a stronger, chewier product.
To some, the quintessential qualities of the New York bagel 鈥� its height and structure, external crispiness and springy bite 鈥� would not be possible, or at least as ubiquitous, without the chemical shortcut.
鈥淵ou could achieve that same bagel texture, but it鈥檚 a lot more work and it鈥檚 going to be a lot more expensive,鈥� lamented Jesse Spellman, the second-generation owner of Utopia Bagels.
Ahead of the possible ban, he too has been adjusting his family recipe, experimenting with yeast concentrations and rise time.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to take some time to get a product that we鈥檙e happy with,鈥� Spellman said.
Others, meanwhile, see the proposed ban on potassium bromate as long overdue. The additive is already outlawed across the European Union, China, India, Canada and 鈥� as of next year 鈥� California. Some experts have theorized that its absence outside the United States could be one reason that many Americans find baked goods in Europe and elsewhere more tolerable.
鈥淔rom a consumer鈥檚 point of view, there鈥檚 nothing good about potassium bromate,鈥� said Erik Millstone, a professor of science policy at the University of Sussex focused on the health impact of chemicals in food.
Going back to the 1980s, he noted, studies have shown it can cause cancer in laboratory animals, even in 鈥減erfectly reasonable鈥� doses.
鈥淢ost well-informed people would prioritize a long healthy life over a slightly softer and more soluble bun,鈥� he said.
Already, many of New York鈥檚 most celebrated pizzerias, particularly newer and more artisanal-leaning shops, tout their use of 鈥渦nbromated鈥� flour.
But neighborhood slice shops still overwhelmingly rely on a , a standard ingredient since the city鈥檚 first grab-and-go pizza parlors opened nearly a century ago, according to Wiener. General Mills now sells an unbromated flour for roughly the same price, though other alternatives are costlier.
In Wiener鈥檚 view, the move away from bromated flour could ultimately improve the quality of slices across the city.
鈥淲ithout such a fast turn around for dough production, you鈥檙e going to get more well-fermented doughs, which is going to lead to lighter pizzas that are easier to eat and leave you with less of a stomachache,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t will require more of a process. But everything will be built back better.鈥�
If the , businesses will have a one year grace period to continue using the additive, plus additional time to go through unexpired bags. A spokesperson for Hochul said she would review the bill.
In the meantime, the possibility of the ban has rippled beyond New York鈥檚 borders.
鈥淧izza in Florida is officially better than pizza in New York,鈥� crowed Mario Mangilia, the owner of DoughBoyz in Florida in a recent . He added that 鈥渕y grandfather would haunt me鈥� if the shop鈥檚 dough recipe were ever changed.
But after he was confronted by several prominent pizza accounts over the additive’s health concerns, Mangilia appeared to walk back his pro-bromate stance.
鈥淚鈥檒l tell you what,鈥� he replied to a Long Island-based pizza owner. 鈥淚鈥檒l test some different flour out to check it out.鈥�
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