It was time for me to come up with my version of the Best New York Style Pizza Recipe. I would describe my perfect pizza as New York Style, crispy on the bottom with a nice little chew to the dough. In my mind, there are no bad pizzas, just some that I like better than others. There are so many versions and types of pizzas I always fall back on my favorite; New York Style!

Typically, I would go out and buy a dough ball from my local Italian Deli or market. However, it just felt like time to make my own. When researching I found that making dough can be complicated. You have to deal with hydration levels of water to flour … What type of flour to use… Should I add oil or not … How long to rest my dough …

For a New York Style Pizza, it seemed the proper hydration level is about 65% (Ratio of flour to water). After you make your dough let it rest in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours. I used a combination of bread and 00 flour. They are higher in protein which means that they will have an appropriate amount of gluten that allows the dough to stretch when properly rested.

Do I Need a Pizza Stone?

I would definitely get a pizza stone or steel in order to get a proper crispy bottom to your pizza. If you just try to cook on top of a pizza tray, the top of your pizza will probably cook faster than your dough leaving your dough not cooked completely.

Examples of a Pizza Steel and Stone

What About Toppings?

Typically anything goes when adding your favorite toppings. My very basic toppings start with a low-moisture, high-fat shredded mozzarella cheese. I like the simplicity and flavor of Tomato Passata with a sprinkling of some oregano and garlic powder.

Some diehards might say a true New York Pizza should only include pepperoni which is a one-inch circular slice that cooks into a nice little cup.

I am not going to disagree that if you are going to have a New York Style Pepperoni pizza, you better have the “cupping” type of pepperoni. However, as we all know, pepperoni is not the only awesome topping for pizza. I have made many a pizza with other types of proteins and veggies.

What are your thoughts on my Fig, Guanciale, and Foie Gras Pizza? It’s a little out of the box, but it was so good!

You might want to look into my recipe for Nduja which is definitely an awesome topping to try if you are looking for something new!

Check here for information and my recipe for Nduja!

Am I still making a New York Style Pizza with all these different toppings? That’s an argument for another day when we are all at our favorite pizza joint with many pitchers of beer that have been consumed and under our belt! (Without saying, your night should end up contacting your nearest Uber driver!)

I hope you enjoy making your favorite version of pizza! Please leave your comments below, and as always, thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!

The Best NY Style Pizza Recipe

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Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

Pizza Dough Balls

Dough Resting Time

hours

Ingredients

Primary Ingredients for the Dough
400 Grams 400 “00” flour (3 cups)
200 Grams 200 Bread flour (1 1/2 cups)
400 Grams 400 90° F – Water (1 2/3 cups)
3 tsp 3 Active dry yeast
1 1/2 TBL 1 1/2 Sugar
1 TBL 1 Salt
3 Tbl 3 Olive oil
Secondary Ingredients for Your Toppings
Shredded mozzarella
Tomato passata
Favorite toppings
Equipment
Pizza stone or steel

Directions

Dough Recipe
Add water to your Stand Mixer. Add yeast and sugar to the water. Lightly stir for about 10 seconds. Let it proof in the mixing bowl (about 5 to 10 minutes ) until the yeast starts to bubble and starts to smell “yeasty”.
Combine the remaining primary ingredients in a mixer. Mix until the dough comes off the side and is no longer sticking to the side of the bowl. (Put on low speed to keep the flour from exploding out of your bowl. You may have to add the flour a little at a time depending on the size of your mixing bowl.
Remove the dough from the mixer and let rest at room temperature until doubles in size. 1 to 2 hours
Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 balls.
Take one dough ball and stretch the top of the ball outward. Fold back over the ball. Stretch the other side downward. Fold back over the ball.
Turn the ball 90° and repeat. Continue to folding process until the ball is strong.
Fold and tuck the seam underneath until smooth dough is achieved. Repeat for the other 2 dough balls.
Rub your dough balls with olive oil. Place balls on a tray.
Wrap the tray with plastic wrap and place the tray in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours. (See note below.)
Let the ball come to room temperature (minimum 2 hours) and make your pizza based on your preference for pizza ingredients.
Making your Pizza
Your dough should be nice and soft and will easily stretch into an approximate 14-inch pizza. I will then place the pan into a 500° oven to give the dough a partial cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Time to add your other ingredients
For my sausage and mushroom pizza, I partially saute the mushrooms and sausage because your pizza will cook fast. I prefer to place the partially cooked sausage and mushrooms under the shredded cheese so as to not overcook them.
Toppings
Lightly spread the sauce on your pizza shell. Sprinkle with garlic powder and oregano.
Add toppings that do not need direct heat. Sprinkle with cheese. Place items such as pepperoni on the top.
Place pizza on top of your pizza stone and back into your 500° oven. See the note below for additional cooking directions
Cook until the top of the pizza is browned to your desired texture.

Notes

You can freeze your dough. I would wrap your dough balls with plastic wrap. Place them in the freezer. Once frozen, place the dough balls in a vacuum seal bag or ziplock. Once you know you are going to have pizza; let them thaw out in the fridge. Once thawed, let them proof for another 24 to 36 hours.
If cooking in your oven I would definitely preheat your pizza stone for a minimum of 1 hour before making your pizza. This will give a nice crisp to the bottom of your pizza and ensure your dough will be cooked through and not still raw in the middle. When cooking your pizza you can turn on the broiler to get your desired texture and color to your pizza and toppings.