HYDERABAD: How many of us pizza lovers chomp down the entire pizza but leave out the crust? And that’s understandable — who wants to meddle with the taste of the yummy pizza with a dry, tasteless piece of bread? Hyderabad-based Swathi Reddy Gunapati was no different, except that she decided to change that. “I’m a food lover and have always tried different cuisines on my travels.
I have devoured and loved pizzas in all forms and from all places but the one thing that I never ate was the crust. I practically ate pizza only for the toppings. So I thought to myself that an ideal pizza is one that would have people like me thoroughly enjoying the crust too. When I couldn’t find it, I decided to make it,” she tells CE.
Thus Dough Mama was born — the first gourmet pizza brand in the country with infused crusts. “We have just launched our first kitchen in Hyderabad — it’s been only a month now, but people have been coming in good numbers because they loved the idea,” she shares.
You can trust Dough Mama with the most popular and interesting flavours for their crusts, some of which include jalapeno, cheese, and bacon-infused pizzas. “We are constantly looking to develop new pizza recipes and are looking forward to introducing new dishes on the menu every now and then,” she says. Now the big question: How do they make them? “I definitely cannot give out our trade secret on how they’re made. You’ll have to try and keep guessing,” she laughs.
Although crusts are the USP of the brand, Swati has put in a lot of effort to curate a menu that stands out. “Our a la carte menu has out-of-the-box pizza toppings like potato, green apple, eggs, nuts etc. We have also paired a lot of different flavours together that no other pizza brand is currently offering in the city.
Apart from that, we work towards attractive designs and efficient packaging. We pay great attention to quality, branding and design elements to elevate the experience of eating a pizza,” says she. Dough Mama’s menu also has a selection of interesting sides, desserts and homemade gelatos.
Swathi and her team, including head chef Shreya Vellidanda, have put their hearts and souls into creating the brand: “When we saw a gap in the city, we tried to fill it in the best way possible. Today, we are super excited to see how the audience responds to the idea.” Their pizzas are now available at their restaurant in Begumpet and also on various food delivery apps.