BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A controversial flour used in some pizza and bagel dough could be banned in New York soon if Governor Hochul signs pending legislation.
But for the owners of Extra Extra, the change would have little impact on their kitchen.
Potassium bromate, added to some commercial flours to strengthen dough and improve consistency, has faced scrutiny over health concerns. Several countries and California have already moved to restrict or ban its use.
At Extra Extra, head pizza maker Joe Pucciarelli said the shop took a different approach from the beginning.
"People come in here, and they are always shocked at how much of the pizza they can eat, and that is a testament to our recipe and how little yeast we use and how long we let it ferment," Pucciarelli said.
Pucciarelli said the decision dates back to the earliest recipe testing.
"Yeah, I would say day one," Pucciarelli said. "We were doing a bunch of recipe testing before we opened, and went with this flour that we really liked that did not have any of these additives in it."
So why was potassium bromate ever used in the first place? Pucciarelli said the additive can help businesses create more predictable dough, especially when temperatures fluctuate.
"There are days when we mix dough, and it's 70 degrees one day and 40 degrees the next day, and the doughs are pretty different from day to day," he said. "Using the chemically altered flours, it would give you much more consistency, where you know what you will get every day."
WATCH: Extra Extra ahead of proposed New York State potassium bromate ban
And customers said they notice a difference.
"It might be cliché, but I feel like they put a lot of love into it," one customer, Desmond Allen, said.
