The Type Of Pizza Paul Hollywood Says Best Matches His Personality

How would you describe Paul Hollywood's personality in terms of pizza? Well, like many other celebrity chefs, he's a bit of a ham, and he and his handshakes can be somewhat polarizing like Hawaiian 'za. He started off as a baker, so maybe he's be a big, bready, Chicago-style deep dish pie. Of course, he has been involved in a couple of Food Network scandals, including accusations of favoring certain "Great British Baking Show" contestants and dating a fellow celebrity chef while still married to his now ex-wife, so spicy pepperoni could be another possibility.

Well, it seems Hollywood himself has other ideas. In a Q&A session with Eat Drink Dine, he did admit to being "a bit spicy," but overall, he feels he's more like "a plain and ordinary margherita" and also "not too cheesy." (Some "Great British Baking Show" viewers might beg to differ.) He also thinks he'd be "a bit tanned," as he likes his pizza crisp, but we're not sure if this counts as a personality trait.

However, we guessed right about Paul Hollywood being crust-focused (what else would you expect from a baker?), and his standard from-scratch dough is made with sourdough starter. His margherita pizza is a pretty standard version topped with fresh basil, buffalo mozzarella, and San Marzano tomatoes (the priciest options are always worth it if you're a millionaire). Still, you don't spend over a dozen seasons judging a baking show without wanting to branch out a bit, so Hollywood has some less standard 'za recipes, too.

The crust and tomato sauce used for Hollywood's autumn pizza are nothing out of the ordinary, but instead of mozzarella, he uses pecorino and taleggio, a soft Italian cheese similar to brie. The pie is topped with mushrooms, which aren't too unusual, but he also adds spinach and shallots. Hollywood also makes a tartiflette pizza inspired by the French potato dish of the same name. In addition to boiled potatoes, its toppings include lardons and reblochon.

Hollywood even ventures into deep dish territory with a pie filled with anchovies, capers, chicory, kale, olives, and provolone. This last pizza is not only bready but is also sufficiently complex, perhaps making it a better fit for Hollywood's "pizza-nality" than a plain old margherita — no matter how upscale its ingredients.