Pizza may be receiving a high-tech upgrade that will use carbonation rather than relying on yeast to rise the dough. University of Naples Federico scientist, Ernesto Di Maio, experimented with crusts and doughs, replacing the staple leavening agent, yeast, with a newly developed process.

So, how does the carbonation process work? The pizza dough starts as usual — with flour, water, and salt — and is then put into an autoclave, which acts as a pressurized oven, to infuse gasses into the dough in a way that is similar to the carbonation process of soda and seltzer.

The carbonation process is a huge time saver, as the baking and leavening occur in the oven, at the same time. Conversely, yeast takes longer to work its magic and causes only an adequate amount of rising or leavening; and after the dough has risen to your desired thickness, it still has to be baked.