You either hate it or you love it: the New York pizza, with its thin crust and wide range of topics. The New York pizza was created by immigrants from southern Italy who came to the United States around 1900. Many of these immigrants settled in Manhattan, New York. This area in New York still has a neighborhood known as Little Italy, which offers a wide variety of mouth-watering foods.
The New York pizza was made completely differently from the Neapolitan pizza. The origin traces back to the early 20th century, with the arrival of Italian immigrants in the United States. An immigrant from Naples, Gennaro Lombardi, opened the first pizzeria in New York City in 1905 and laid the foundation for what would become the New York-style pizza.
The adaptations made to this pizza were partially influenced by the availability of ingredients and equipment (such as coal-fired ovens, which were common in New York at the time). Over time, the characteristics of New York-style pizza—its thin, hand-tossed crust, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese—became distinct. The slices were large and wide, allowing them to be easily folded by busy New Yorkers on the go, further embedding this pizza style into the city’s fast-paced lifestyle.
New York pizza is perhaps the most convenient pizza style to make at home because nowadays, it is usually baked at a relatively low temperature. You can bake the pizza in your home oven! The best way to do this is to use pizza steel in your oven. Preheat it at least 30 minutes beforehand to 250°C (482°F) so that the steel becomes piping hot. The heat released by the steel will give your pizza base the crispness and chewiness that is so typical of New York pizza.
New York pizza is perhaps the most convenient pizza style to make at home because nowadays, it is usually baked at a relatively low temperature. You can bake the pizza in your home oven! The best way to do this is to use pizza steel in your oven. Preheat it at least 30 minutes beforehand to 250°C (482°F) so that the steel becomes piping hot. The heat released by the steel will give your pizza base the crispness and chewiness that is so typical of New York pizza.
What is a New York pizza?
As mentioned before, the Neapolitan pizza differs from the New York pizza. The New York “pie”, as New Yorkers like to call it, is baked at a much lower temperature, which gives its distinct chewy crust. When the immigrants started baking pizzas in New York, there were no wood-burning ovens that could withstand high temperatures. Instead, they used large bread ovens, which have a lower temperature. Because of the large size of these bread ovens, they were able to make larger pizzas. This greater size of the pizza is also what led the pizzerias to offer pizza by the slice. This contrasts with the Neapolitan pizza, which is usually made for just one person. You can recognize the New York pizza by its thin crust and a wide range of different toppings.
Methods
Cold Fermentation
Cold fermentation is a widely used technique for New York pizza dough. Extending the fermentation process by refrigerating the dough for anywhere from 24 to 72 hours enhances the development of complex flavors and improves the texture of the crust and helps to create a digestible dough with a desirable chewy texture and slight tang, characteristics prized in New York pizza.
Bulk Fermentation
This method involves letting the mixed dough ferment in a large, single mass before it’s divided into individual portions. Bulk fermentation is beneficial for New York-style pizza as it allows for an even fermentation process and can contribute to a more uniform flavor and structure in the dough. During bulk fermentation, the need for extensive kneading is reduced as the dough strengthens progressively throughout the fermentation time in bulk.
Direct Method
The direct method, where all ingredients are combined and mixed in one go, is standard for New York pizza dough. It is efficient and effective, providing a good balance of texture and flavor, particularly when combined with cold fermentation. This method ensures that the dough is manageable and can be stretched into the large, thin bases typical of New York-style pizzas.
These methods together ensure that New York pizza dough has the right texture, flavor, and structural integrity to hold up to the typically generous toppings while maintaining a crispy crust and chewy center.
Tools
Crafting an authentic New York Pizza at home is simpler than you might think, especially when it comes to the tools required for the job. With just a handful of kitchen essentials, you can transform basic ingredients into a culinary masterpiece reminiscent of the bustling streets of New York. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Spoon
- Dough container(s)
- Oil & brush
- Fridge
- Pizza peel
- Optional: pizza steel for achieving a crispy pizza base
How to make New York-style pizza
Now that we have some insight into the origin of the New York pizza, it’s time to get baking. Click here if you want make pizza dough.
By Safia Abali
In this article
Tools
Ingredients
Techniques
