Description
A classic New York Style Pizza recipe featuring a thin and crispy crust topped with a flavorful tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. This recipe guides you through making the dough from scratch, preparing a simple yet rich tomato sauce, and assembling the pizza for baking to perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Dough
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
- 1 â…“ cups ice water
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
For the Sauce
- 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 large garlic clove (minced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
For the Topping and Finishing
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)
- 2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella (8 ounces)
- 3 Tablespoons Semolina flour or cornmeal (for dusting the pizza peel)
Instructions
- Make the Dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt. Slowly add the ice water and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients, stirring until the dough begins to form. Knead the dough by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for about 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let it rest and rise for about 1 to 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
- Prepare the Sauce. Drain the canned whole peeled tomatoes and crush them by hand or with a blender, leaving it slightly chunky. In a bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes with extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, salt, dried oregano, and sugar. Mix well to meld the flavors. Set aside to allow the sauce to develop its taste while the dough is rising.
- Preheat the Oven and Prepare Pizza Peel. Place a pizza stone or an inverted baking sheet in the oven and preheat it to the highest temperature possible, around 500°F (260°C), for at least 30-45 minutes. Dust a pizza peel or a flat baking tray with semolina flour or cornmeal to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Shape, Top, and Bake the Pizza. Once the dough has risen, punch it down gently and divide it if making multiple pizzas. Stretch or roll out the dough on a floured surface into a thin circle about 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough onto the prepared pizza peel dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Spread an even layer of the tomato sauce over the dough, then sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly on top, followed by a sprinkle of grated Parmesan. Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone or baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Remove from the oven, let it rest for a few minutes, then slice and serve hot.
Notes
- Use bread flour for a chewier crust with more structure.
- If you don’t have a pizza stone, an inverted baking sheet works well as a substitute.
- Semolina flour or cornmeal on the peel helps prevent sticking and adds a nice crunchy texture to the crust bottom.
- Letting the sauce sit while the dough rises helps the flavors to meld and enhances taste.
- For an even crispier crust, you can par-bake the dough for 3-4 minutes before adding toppings.
