🍕 Authentic New York-Style Pizza at Home: Step-by-Step Guide 🍕

What’s up, pizza lovers! It’s Ella Foster from Food Bears. Today, I’m excited to share with you how to make a mouth-watering New York-style pizza right in your home oven. Let’s get started! 🎉

The Challenge: Home Ovens vs. Deck Ovens

Home ovens are marvels of modern convenience, but they need to catch up when it comes to making pizza. NY-style pizzas are typically cooked in deck ovens at temperatures between 600–800°F on thick stone surfaces. Home ovens max out around 500–550°F, which often leads to burnt cheese and a brittle crust. But don’t worry! I’ve got some tips and hacks to overcome these limitations.

Step 1: Prepare the Dough

The magic begins a day before pizza time with our specially formulated dough recipe for home ovens.

Ingredients:

• 570g King Arthur High Gluten Flour
• 330g Water (57% hydration)
• 2.3g Active Dry Yeast (0.4%)
• 10g Diastatic Malt (1.7%)
• 11g Salt (2%)
• 9g Olive Oil (1.5%)

Instructions:

1. Mix the water, yeast, flour, diastatic malt, salt, and olive oil in a large bowl or stand mixer. If using a stand mixer, let it run on low for 10 minutes. Otherwise, blend the ingredients by hand.
2. Knead the dough on the counter for 10 minutes. Cover it for 2–3 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into three equal balls, each weighing around 310g. Place them in oiled, airtight containers.
4. Let the dough balls rest for 20 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate for 24 hours.
5. Take the dough out of the fridge 3 hours before baking to let it come to room temperature.

Step 2: Oven Preparation

An hour before baking, set up your oven using the double baking steel method to mimic a deck oven experience.

Instructions:

1. Place a 3/8 inch thick steel plate on the second rack from the top of your oven.
2. Preheat the oven to 550°F for 70–80 minutes before the first pizza goes in. For this recipe, bake at 550°F for 3 minutes and then broil on high for 2 minutes to get the perfect cheese melt and crust.

Step 3: Make the Sauce

This easy, authentic sauce is a game-changer.

Ingredients:

• Can of Cento San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes (milled)
• Generous pinch of sea salt
• Oregano
• Basil
• A bit of garlic

Instructions:

1. Place the tomatoes in a bowl, add salt, oregano, basil, and garlic, and mill them to get a smooth, pulpy texture. Avoid using a blender to prevent bitterness from crushed seeds.

Step 4: Prepare the Cheese

We’re using two types of cheese: low-moisture whole milk mozzarella and Asiago.

Instructions:

1. Grate your own Boars Head low-moisture whole milk mozzarella to avoid the anti-caking agents in pre-shredded cheese, which burn quickly.
2. Freeze the mozzarella for 20 minutes before shredding for easier handling, and then keep it cold until ready to use.

Step 5: Baking the Pizza

It’s time to bake our masterpiece!

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven’s broiler for the last 10 minutes of preheating to get the top steel sizzling.
2. Stretch out your dough.
3. Add the fresh tomato sauce, grated Asiago, and cold mozzarella.
4. Switch the oven back to its highest baking setting (not broil) and launch your pizza onto the middle steel.

Baking Tips:

• Bake for 3 minutes at 550°F, then broil on high for 2 minutes. Turn the pizza halfway through to ensure it is even cooking.

The Result:

Congratulations! You’ve made an authentic New York-style pizza in your home oven. The cheese is perfectly caramelized without burning, and the crust is golden brown with a satisfying crunch and chewy texture.

Check out the bottom of the crust — golden brown with beautiful leopards. I’m thrilled with how this turned out, and I hope you give this recipe a try!

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