Andy Montoya
New York-style pizza is famous for its thin, hand-tossed crust, which is both crisp and soft. It is typically topped with a light layer of tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese, with additional toppings placed over the cheese. The mozzarella cheese used is typically full-fat and dry, which gives it its signature stretchy effect when melted. The pizza is often eaten folded in half, making it a convenient fast food option. New York-style pizza has been around for over a century and is prevalent in New York, New Jersey, and several other states in the Northeastern region of the US.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Crust | Thick and crisp along the edge, thin and pliable beneath toppings, chewy |
| Crust thickness | 2-6 millimeters |
| Crust texture | Crisp, well-browned bottom layer |
| Crust preparation | Hand-tossed |
| Dough | Made with high-gluten bread flour |
| Dough preparation | Dough can be frozen for up to 2 months |
| Size | 18-24 inches in diameter |
| Slices | Cut into 8 slices, eaten folded in half |
| Toppings | Tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese |
| Cheese | Grated, dry, full-fat mozzarella, melted into a loose matrix |
| Cheese preparation | Cheese can be frozen before use to prevent over-browning |
| Sauce | Tangy, sweet, tomato-based |
| Sauce ingredients | Butter, olive oil, whole tomatoes, dried oregano, onions |
| Condiments | Oregano, dried red chili pepper flakes, garlic powder, dried basil, Parmesan cheese |
| Oven type | Gas oven, 500-550°F |
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What You'll Learn
New York-style pizza uses dry, grated, full-fat mozzarella
The use of full-fat mozzarella is essential, as part-skim or low-fat mozzarella does not stretch as well. It is also important to grate the mozzarella yourself, as pre-shredded cheese is coated with starch or cellulose powder to prevent clumping, which affects how well the cheese melts. Freezing the grated cheese for 15 minutes before baking helps to achieve a mottled, browned crust without burning.
Some pizzerias may blend their whole milk mozzarella with a small amount of part-skim mozzarella to prevent the cheese from making the pizza too oily. The part-skim mozzarella also helps the cheese brown faster. However, others prefer to use only whole milk mozzarella, adding just enough to keep the pizza from becoming too oily.
Mozzarella is the primary cheese used on New York-style pizzas, but other cheeses such as provolone and muenster may be added for additional flavour and texture.
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The crust is thick and crisp only along its edge
New York-style pizza is made with a hand-tossed, thin crust that is characteristically large, typically measuring 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm) in diameter. The crust is thick and crisp only along its edge, with a well-browned bottom layer about 2 millimeters thick. This distinctiveness comes from the high-gluten bread flour used in the dough, which creates a crust that is simultaneously tender, chewy, and crisp. The crust is also attributed to the minerals present in New York City's tap water, which gives the dough its unique texture and flavour.
The process of making a New York-style pizza crust involves stretching the dough into a circle, leaving the outer inch higher than the rest. This technique, known as the toss-and-stretch method, results in a crust that is slightly raised and thicker at the edges, gradually thinning towards the centre. The dough is then topped with a light layer of tomato sauce and dry, grated, full-fat mozzarella cheese. Additional toppings can be added as desired.
The crust of a New York-style pizza is designed to be sturdy enough to support the weight of the toppings without becoming crunchy, tough, or cracker-like. It should have a gentle give when folded, allowing for convenient one-handed consumption. This balance between crispness and pliability is a defining characteristic of New York-style pizza.
To achieve the perfect crust, the dough ball is pressed and stretched into a circle, typically using the knuckles, to create a 12- to 14-inch circle about 1/4-inch thick. The sauce and cheese are then spread, leaving a border along the edge. The pizza is baked until the cheese is melted with some browned spots, and the crust is golden brown and slightly puffed. This results in a crust that is thick and crisp along its edge while remaining soft, thin, and foldable beneath the toppings.
The New York-style pizza crust, with its unique characteristics, has evolved from the Neapolitan-style pizza that originated in Italy. The Neapolitan crust is known for its poofy, leopard-spotted edges, while the New York-style crust is more evenly browned with a couple of charred bubbles and an open, bread-like structure. The dough for a Neapolitan pizza uses high-protein, finely milled Italian Tipo "00" flour, resulting in a super-thin crisp layer surrounding a moist, airy interior. In contrast, the New York-style crust achieves its distinctive texture through the use of high-gluten bread flour and the unique mineral composition of New York City's tap water.
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The pizza is cooked in a gas oven at 500-550°F
To make a New York-style pizza, you'll need a pizza dough, a sweet and tangy sauce, and plenty of gooey cheese. The crust should be chewy and crispy, and the pizza should be cooked in a hot oven to achieve the desired texture.
To cook a pizza in a gas oven, preheat the oven to its maximum temperature, which should be at least 500ºF (260ºC). A pizza stone or heavy cast-iron pan will take longer to heat up than your oven, so wait for at least 30 minutes. If you're using a large pizza stone, you may need to wait for up to 60 minutes.
Once the oven is preheated, place your homemade pizza dough on a pizza peel dusted with flour or cornmeal to prevent sticking. Form the dough into a disk and create the lip of the crust by hand. You can then add your toppings. If you're using a pizza stone or heavy cast-iron pan, slide the pizza onto it and put it in the oven.
When cooking at 500-550°F, your pizza should only take 8-12 minutes to cook. Keep an eye on it and take it out when the top is bubbling and the crust has browned. If your oven cooks unevenly, rotate the pizza halfway through to ensure even browning.
If you're looking for that authentic New York-style pizza, use a high-gluten bread flour for your crust and consider using New York City tap water for the dough to give it its characteristic texture and flavor. For the toppings, use a light layer of tomato sauce and sprinkle with dry, grated, full-fat mozzarella cheese. You can add additional toppings as desired, but the traditional New York-style pizza is kept simple.
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The sauce is sweet and tangy
The sauce is a key component of any pizza, and New York-style pizza sauce is typically sweet and tangy. The sweetness comes from whole peeled tomatoes, which are cooked down with garlic, herbs, and spices to create a rich, flavourful sauce. Some recipes also call for the addition of butter and/or olive oil, which gives the sauce a smoother, richer mouthfeel and adds to the sweetness.
The key to achieving the perfect New York-style pizza sauce lies in balancing sweetness, acidity, and heat, with a definite herbal backbone. The sauce should be thin enough to spread easily but thick enough to prevent the pizza from becoming soggy. This balance can be tricky to achieve, but it is crucial to the overall taste and texture of the pizza.
While the specific ingredients and proportions may vary, a typical New York-style pizza sauce recipe might include crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, butter, Italian seasoning or dried oregano, salt, pepper flakes, and sugar. Some recipes also call for onions, which further enhance the sweetness of the sauce.
The sauce is then simmered on the stove to develop a rich, fresh flavour. This cooking process is what sets New York-style pizza sauce apart from the uncooked sauces typically used on Neapolitan-style pizzas. The sauce is cooked until it reaches the perfect consistency—thin enough to spread, but thick enough to keep the pizza from turning soggy.
The sweet and tangy sauce is a defining characteristic of New York-style pizza, and it pairs perfectly with the chewy crust and gooey cheese that are also hallmarks of this style. The sauce's intense savouriness and slightly spicy kick complement the other ingredients, creating a delicious and harmonious flavour profile.
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The pizza is typically eaten as fast food
New York-style pizza is typically eaten as fast food. It is traditionally hand-tossed, with a thin crust that is thick and crisp only along its edge, yet soft, thin, and pliable enough beneath its toppings to be folded in half lengthwise to eat. This allows the slice to be eaten one-handed and also controls the flow of oil running off the pizza. The crust is made with high-gluten bread flour, which gives it its characteristic texture and flavour.
The pizza is typically around 18 to 24 inches in diameter and is commonly cut into eight slices. The traditional toppings are simply tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese, although additional toppings can be added if desired. The sauce is an emphatically tomatoey sauce with a balanced sweetness and acidity and a hint of herbs and alliums. The cheese is full-fat mozzarella, grated and dry, which melts into a loose matrix that mingles with the sauce.
The pizza is often sold on the streets of New York, and its large size and foldable nature make it ideal for eating on the go. The recipe for the dough and sauce can be made ahead of time and frozen, so all that is needed is to thaw, assemble, and bake. This convenience, along with its delicious taste, makes it a popular fast food option.
The pizza's size, ease of eating, and availability make it a convenient and tasty option for those looking for a quick bite, whether it's a slice on the go or a whole pie shared with friends. Its cultural significance and prevalence in the New York metropolitan area and beyond have solidified its place as a staple fast food item.
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Frequently asked questions
New York-style pizza is popular due to its thin, hand-tossed crust, which is both crisp and soft, and its simple toppings of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. It is often eaten folded in half, making it convenient to eat as a fast food.
New York-style pizza typically uses dry, grated, full-fat mozzarella cheese. This gives the pizza its signature stretchy, molten texture.
Yes, you can use other types of cheese on a New York-style pizza. Some people like to experiment with different blends of cheese, such as mozzarella, provolone, and muenster. There are also vegan cheese options available, such as dairy-free mozzarella made with rice starch, cashews, and chickpeas.
The hallmark crust of a New York-style pizza is achieved by using high-gluten bread flour with a very high protein content. The minerals present in New York City's tap water are also said to contribute to the characteristic texture and flavor of the dough.
New York has several iconic pizzerias that have been in operation for decades. One famous pizzeria is Lombardi's, which was founded in New York City's Little Italy in 1905 and is considered the first pizzeria in the United States.
