Flour + Water Foods Launches Handcrafted Frozen Pizza in Bay Area

Developed by co-chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow in conjunction with the Pizzeria’s culinary team alongside Flour + Water Foods CEO Dan Nestojko, the line showcases the craftsmanship behind the restaurant’s pizza program with three of their best-sellers taking frozen form: Margherita, Pepperoni, and Cacio e Pepe. Each 13-inch round pie is handmade by the expert pizza makers at the North Beach flagship with the same skilled touch and precision as those served hot from the oven to guests. 

A multi-day process, the slow-fermented dough is formed with meticulously-sourced North American wheat to create the Pizzeria’s signature airy texture. Before adding sauce –and each pie’s respective toppings and fior di latte cheese– a thin layer of dried mozzarella is applied directly on the dough to ensure the crust stays perfectly crisp. The pies are par-baked in the Pizzeria’s high-heat, electric deck ovens, and then immediately flash-frozen to preserve structure and quality. The frozen pies are subsequently hand-delivered to local markets and retailers throughout the Bay Area.

With the debut, Flour + Water expands its commitment to bringing a restaurant-quality experience to the home table through products backed by decades of expertise and knowledge of the Italian culinary vernacular. The Flour + Water Foods CPG division launched in December 2022 with a bronze-die, organic dried pasta line that quickly found an audience for the noodles’ stand-out texture and flavor. Now, the team shape-shifts the home freezer with a frozen pizza line that showcases the evolution of Flour + Water’s distinct approach. Informed by McNaughton + Pollnow’s obsession with perfecting and reinventing the classics, the pies reflect a modern West Coast style characterized by conscientious sourcing, a slow-fermented dough, and pizzas baked longer and at a lower temperature, frequently in electric deck ovens. 

At home, customers can emulate the experience by baking the frozen pies directly on their hot oven rack at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Chef tips for creating the perfect slice at home can be found on the back of each pack, as well as on the Foods’ website, accessible through a QR code.

Like the dried pasta line, as well as their Pizzeria and growing Flour + Water Pizza Shop concepts, the team partnered with Office, a San Francisco-based branding agency, for the packaging design. Structured similarly to a to-go pizza box, the terracotta-toned cardboard wrapping is customized to protect + show off the integrity of the product. The individual pizzas are also constructed for display within a complementary cardboard case, a retail innovation that ensures the pizzas stay upright and stand-out in the freezer section.

For its initial run, the frozen pizza can be found at select retailers within the Bay Area region. Further expansion will be announced in the months to come, always with an eye toward retaining the level of care and craftsmanship that’s foundational to the group’s restaurants and CPG division. Pies retail at a suggested retail price of $14.99. Through Flour + Water's partnership with Zero Foodprint, 1% of proceeds is used to team up with farms and ranches transitioning to regenerative agriculture practices.