New York-style pizza

From Naples to New York... the iconic journey of pizza

When Italians began to immigrate to America between 1880 and 1920 to escape famine and poverty in southern Italy, they brought their gourmet pizza with them. How could they not? Nostalgic for their homeland's food, several bakers in Little Italy started offering this dish by the slice. But it wasn't until 1905 that a business displayed "pizzeria" on its window. Say hello to Gennaro Lombardi, the father of pizza in the United States!

What differentiates New York pizza from Neapolitan?

Most Italians started baking pizzas in coal-fired ovens that weren't as hot as wood-fired ovens in Italy. This meant the pizza needed more time to cook, and the recipe had to be adjusted for the longer cooking time. This is how New York-style pizza is said to have been born.

Since baking takes between 8 and 15 minutes, it's impossible to use a Neapolitan pizza dough recipe. It would dry out completely during this period. The secret? New York pizza incorporates key ingredients: oil and sugar. The oil protects the dough from drying out, and sugar helps the crust brown more evenly, giving it more flavor.

Is it possible to make a pizza worthy of New York pizzerias?

Bake a large pizza, with a thin, pliable crust, a slice you eat with your hands, folding it in half lengthwise... and you take that first *perfect* bite from the tip of the triangle. Oh-my! Because a New York crust bends, cracks but never breaks! A little oregano and parmigiano with that?

We are convinced that with the right ingredients, accessories, and optimal cooking techniques, you will be fully capable of achieving a result worthy of the best pizzerias in New York (Helloooo Totonno's, John's Pizza & Patsy's). BUT! It's not all in the crust! Discover the ingredients and recipes to get there.

Refer to our dough calculator to get a perfect dough recipe for your New York-style pizza!

For cheese, we recommend a combination of grated pecorino or parmesan under grated mozzarella (low moisture content).

And for the sauce? Click here for the best tomatoes!

New York Pizza Sauce

6 ingredients, 2 steps, for about 5 12-inch pizzas (3 cups)

20g extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
8g sea salt
.3g dried oregano
.4g chili flakes
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes

1. Put the olive oil, salt, garlic, and chili flakes in a blender. Add just one tablespoon of tomatoes and blend briefly until the garlic and oil have emulsified.

2. Add the rest of the tomatoes and blend very quickly with short pulses of the blender AND only until all ingredients are combined. **Over-blending releases water from the tomato pulp, and the sauce can quickly become too liquid.

*The sauce can be kept for one week in the refrigerator.

New York-style pizza cooking instructions

Pizza dough fermentation at room temperature (min 6h – max 24h) or cold fermentation (min 8h – max 72 hours) in a fermentation box
Oven temperature: 200 – 300 °C / 400 – 580 ℉
Stretch the pizza, keeping a 3/4 inch rim (thinner than a Neapolitan)
Pour the tomato sauce (preferably at room temperature) into the center of the pizza with a ladle. Use the back of the spoon with a circular motion, from the center outwards, to spread the sauce to the rim
Preferably, bake your pizza on a grid (12 or 16 inches) for a perfectly crispy crust
Cooking time: 8 – 15 min.
Sprinkle with parmesan, piccante oil, and oregano!