I’ve been making a lot of this NY style pizza dough recipe …. The obsession started a while back, and I’ve finally found a recipe that I love the best! After years of experiments (and I mean years!), I am now using this recipe based on recommendations from the many fine pizza makers at www.pizzamaking.com and the Dough Doctor, Tom Lehmann.
Making pizza dough at home
Making NY style pizza dough is definitely somewhat of an art form. There are so many variables that can be changed aside from the ingredients alone. For example, these variables include:
- oven temperature
- temperature of the water used to make the dough
- proofing methods (room temp vs cold rise)
- order of adding the ingredients (yes, this makes a big difference!)
- mixing time
- use of autolyse
- use of poolish (I don’t do this or the one before, although I have in the past)
And then of course, the toppings which can be simple or as complex as you’d like. But don’t worry too much about all of this – my method is easy and straightforward. Plus, you will make better dough than 99% of the pizza chains out there. You will not want take out anymore!
My favorite pizza dough: the big secret is how you proof the dough
My all-time favorite dough is NY style dough, which really is classic pizza dough that is stretched out into a thin crust pizza. This type of pizza dough contains water, flour, salt, instant yeast, and olive oil (and sugar especially when baking in a home oven, to help browning).
After it is mixed, it is proofed (left to rise/ferment) in the refrigerator for a minimum of 24 hours and up to 72 hours (it can also be frozen). I’ve used the dough up to 5 or 6 days afterwards, so you can essentially prepare dough for the week.
This recipe produces a crisp yet foldable crust that is tender, light, and flavorful and will make enough for four 14-inch pizzas. You can easily double or half the recipe to make 2 or 8 pizzas.
Fourteen tips for success when making NY style pizza at home:
Tip 1: Choosing the flour
Use high-quality flour – I like to use King Arthur’s all purpose or bread flour; higher protein (ie, bread) flours work best. However, I prefer all-purpose flour because I like a lighter, airy crust.
Tip 2: Adding the yeast
Do not add instant dry yeast (IDY) directly to cold or cool water – you may shock the yeast (add the IDY to your flour instead) (please note that IDY differs from active dry yeast, which must be activated by adding it to water).
Tip 3: How much yeast?
Use only enough yeast to “get the job done” – yeast eats the sugar in your flour to produce its leavening effects – I find that if you use too much, your dough will be tasteless (this is just my opinion); however, it is a fact, that too much yeast can make your dough taste bad. Most recipes out there, some of them in well known, published books contain too much yeast!
Tip 4: Cold ferment that pizza dough!
Always use your refrigerator. The best NY style doughs “ferment” or “cure” in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to 48 72 hours. This is called a “cold rise” (vs warm rise on your kitchen counter).
The refrigerator is used to retard (or slow) the dough’s fermentation, allowing that distinctive flavor to come through (ever wonder why some pizza crust tastes different than others, despite the fact that they are both made from just about the same exact ingredients? – this is a big reason why!)
When your dough rises too quickly, the flavor will not develop optimally. Slow rise = MUCH better flavor.
Tip 5: Weigh those ingredients!
Use a scale to weigh the flour instead of using a measuring cup – it is much more accurate and will yield superior results. I’ll admit, I resisted doing this for a loooong time. Just do it. You’ll be glad you did and your dough will be more consistent and much improved.
Tip 6: Add oil last
Mix the oil in as the last step, after the flour has all been incorporated. This is important to allow the flour to hydrate properly.
Tip 7: Flour your dough balls
Before tossing or opening your dough balls, flour them *very* well on each side (if you are a beginner) to ensure they do not stick to your counter or pizza peel. I sometimes use a bit more flour after I begin spreading them.
Tip 8: Keeping those rims a bit puffy
Take care not to “degas” the rim of your pizza as you are spreading your dough! Do NOT ever use a rolling pin! There are many different methods to spread/open your dough ball. I hope to add a few pictures someday of this process.
Tip 9: Baking pizza in a home oven
Ensure that your oven is preheated for a sufficient amount of time (about 1 hour) and bake the pizza within 6 to 8 inches of the top of your oven (ie, your broiler) so that the tops browns sufficiently in conjunction with the bottom of the pizza.
Do not place the stone near the bottom of your oven. I made this mistake for too many years.
After your stone has been preheated sufficiently, the heat from the stone will cook the pizza from the bottom and you can switch the broiler on if you find you need more browning on the top (I now use the broiler to bake my pizzas…more on this sometime in the future).
If you find that your cheese is browning well before your rim attains sufficient color, use partially frozen cheese (ie, place shredded cheese in the freezer while the oven is heating up) and cold sauce or you can drizzle just a bit of olive oil on top of cheese.
Tip 10: Use a pizza stone or steel
Use a pizza stone if you have one. The stone with draw moisture out of the dough and produce a beautifully crisp crust. I use a pizza steel because my stones kept breaking.
Tip 11: Use just the right amount of sauce
Do not use too much pizza sauce – it will make your pizza soggy
Tip 12: Find the right kind of cheese
Do not use low fat cheese to top your pizza or pre-shredded cheese (the former will not melt sufficiently and the latter contains additives that prevent the cheese from sticking together and therefore does not melt very well). The best is low-moisture, whole milk mozzarella.
If you must use pre-shredded cheese, I’ve found that adding the sauce on top of the cheese helps with the melting. Also, do not use too much cheese; apply it sparingly so that you can achieve that mottled NY pizza appearance.
Tip 13: Flour your pizza peel
Use semolina or flour on the bottom of your pizza peel to prevent the pizza dough from sticking but be careful not to overdo it because it will burn.
Tip 14: Learn to launch that pizza
Give the pizza peel a few very small quick jerks to make sure the pizza will easily slide off your pizza peel before attempting to transfer pizza to the oven, and more importantly, rub flour into the peel before placing the dough on top.
How to stretch the pizza dough
A nice video (from The GoodFellas Pizza School of NY), showing how to stretch the dough:
Questions? Please see my NY Pizza FAQ
The Best New York Style Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 6 cups flour, all purpose or bread 28 oz (796 grams)
- 2 1/4 cups water 17.4 oz (493 grams or mls) Luke cold
- 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast (3.5 grams)
- 2.5 teaspoons salt (15.6 grams)
- 2 teaspoons sugar (7.8 grams)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (11.8 ml)
Instructions
To mix the dough
- Place water in mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix salt and yeast (and sugar if using) into flour
- Combine flour/salt/yeast mixture into water and mix until all the flour has been incorporated.
- After flour has been totally incorporated, add oil and knead for about 4 to 5 minutes (see note)
- Test final dough temperature, which should ideally be between high 70s to low 80s (optional)
Diving the dough and letting it rise
- Divide dough into 4 equal pieces (using a digital scale if possible; each ball should weigh 11.5 oz [~326 grams]), shape into a ball, and place in greased, sealed quart-sized container or oiled/greased freezer bag and refrigerate overnight or up to 72 hours (After much experimenting, I have concluded that I like 3 days best but day 2 is good too).
Assembling and baking the pizzas
- The following day, remove your dough balls within 1 hour or less of baking and allow the dough to come to room temperature. (the dough will tend to blister more if the dough has not been allowed to come to room temperature however, I often bake coldish dough without problems, just some bubbling)
- In the meantime, place your pizza stone in oven and preheat at 550 degrees (depending on thickness of your stone and your oven's power) for at least 1 hour
- Open each dough ball using care not to degas, transfer to a pre-floured pizza peel (or on parchment paper), and top with your favorite sauce, cheese, or other toppings.
- Transfer pizza from peel to oven or slide parchment paper onto preheated pizza pan/stone and bake for 4 to 6 minutes each until browned on top and cheese has melted but not burned.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Try these other pizzas and this NY pizza sauce:
Buffalo style (one of my absolute favorites)
White with prosciutto
White with spinach and feta
Pizza sauce
Katie says
This sounds amazing & I can’t wait to attempt it…. Do you have any pizza sauce & cheese recipe/brand recommendations? Thanks in advance!!
Marie says
Hi Katie – I have a pizza sauce recipe here on the site. For cheese, try to get a low-moisture, whole milk mozzarella. The skim versions burn very easily. Hope that helps!
Caitlin says
Thank you! I’ll definitely look at that recipe.
Brett says
Great recipe- my family loves it. Could uou please clarify something
You mention taking the dough out 1 hour or less before baking, but then say to let it come to room temperature. It usually takes more time than 1 hour to come to room temp. Which is more important ; to stick to the less than 1 hour time or look to get to room temp?
Marie says
Hi Brett – I have even used the dough while it was still cold many times (it’s a bit more challenging to stretch though). What you don’t want to do is wait so long that the dough collapses and becomes overproofed. Hard to say when that would occur because it’s related to the temp in your kitchen but it’s probably something to look out for on a very hot day. So regarding the 1 hour rule or reaching room temp, it’s really just a guideline so that folks don’t leave the dough out for too too long…
Caitlin says
I love this pizza dough recipe. It works so well and makes a great pizza. However, I’ve started a sourdough starter, and I’m trying to find a pizza dough recipe which uses the yeast in sourdough to raise the dough rather than added instant yeast. Have you ever adjusted this recipe to use a sourdough or do you have any recommendations for sourdough pizza dough recipes? Thanks!
Marie says
Hi Caitlin – I love sourdough pizza too! I haven’t made it in a while but I used to use Jeff Varasano’s recipe. It’s very good!
Scott says
Thank you Marie! I am a ‘pizza baker newbie’ and tried your recipe. It was fantastic! Looked just like your picture and tasted just like slice from a NY pizzeria. I made a half batch (2 pizzas) and placed the dough in the frig for @ 30 hours. My only question: I let the dough sit out at room temperature for 1 hour. However, when I tried to shape either dough ball, both were extremely springy…to a point where I had to use a rolling pin (I know NOT recommended). Every time I tried to stretch the dough, it would spring back into original ball shape. Any advice? I used King Arthur Bread Flour and weighed all the ingredients. I also included sugar. I used a KitchenAid mixer with a hook and kneaded the dough for @ 10 minutes.
Marie says
First, I would recommend trying King Arthur all purpose flour next time and see if that’s easier. It has a higher protein content than most other all purpose flours but a bit less than their bread flour. I recommend bread flour on the site because many all purpose flours aren’t really ideal for pizza but King Arthur all purpose definitely is. Alternatively, you can usually let the dough ball rest a bit after trying to stretch it and it helps relax the gluten. Also, when mixing your next batch, you can place all the yeast, water, and flour in the mixer and mix until flour has been incorporated then let rest for about 15 minutes before adding salt, oil, sugar and then continue mixing for the additional time. Hope that helps!
janet says
hi Marie. You are so correct. I am sure that if I cook crust only with no sauce/toppings that the air pockets will probably happen. Never even thought of that. Thank you for forewarning me. I, as well, don’t think that pricking the crust is what I want to do (but who knows, I may try on a little piece of pizza dough). I will go back to precooking a couple pizzas and then also make a couple fresh as per your suggestion. Until next time, have a great week!
B.W. says
Thank you for the recipe, the dough is perfection. My only question is what procedure do you use to cook your pie. I feel like I do not get enough heat on my pizza stone. I tried using the broiler to increase the heat as well as setting the temperature to 550 degrees (The maximum temperature of the oven). I want to get my dough to be a little bit crisper without drying out the rest of the pie. any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you,
BW
Marie says
I preheat my pizza steel for at least 45 minutes and place the steel on the upper rack within 6 to 8 inches of the oven ceiling. I then slide the pizza from the peel to the steel and shoot for a 6 minute bake or less for a 14 inch pizza. It usually does the trick. Are you preheating long enough? And what kind of flour are you using?
TheO_Chemist says
I absolutely Love this pizza dough recipe. I have searched for a while to try and find a pizza recipe that reminded me of home (Yonkers, NY). And this dough is pretty close to it. I get to have the big fold-able slices with the oil and cheese dripping no matter where I am. Also this pizza recipe is easy to adapt to make any type of pizza, Stromboli, even zeppoles. Thanks once again for sharing.
janet says
Thank you Marie. You always have wonderful ideas. I do like the idea to pre bake a couple pizzas and then do a couple fresh at the party. This would definitely eliminate some of the nightmare and guest would get to taste the true NY style. I failed to mention that we are in Canada so outside cooking on the grill in winter is not feasible.
I did experiment today with pre baking a completely dressed pizza for 3 minutes and hours later I preheated both my kitchen oven with ceramic glazed stone for 45min in 530 degree oven. I then inserted pizza for another 3 minutes. It was still an awesome crust, however the cornicone (sp?) was a bit crispier but still so good.
At another date I will try:
1. To prepare crust only (with no toppings)and semi cook crust for 3 minutes. Later that evening I will build and cook pizza.
2. To avoid a drier cornice, I may try to stretch the dough with no lip and then spread the sauce closer to edge and bake that way.
I did some research on the Blackstone Patio/Pizza Oven. Looks very interesting. Our Lowes and Cabelas do not carry in stock. I may check further into possibly purchasing for our summer months.
Your uncooked tomato sauce recipe is the BEST sauce ever
Thankyou again Marie for everything!
Marie says
Hi Janet – if you cook the pizza without any sauce or topping at all, the center will puff up much like the edges do so you will have to put something or maybe try pricking the throughout the center with a fork (not sure if that will do the trick?)
Also, with regard to Blackstone oven, I used it all winter long in my garage:) Opened the door just a bit for venting and it worked like a charm. LOVE it!!
Janet says
hi Marie
More questions once again.
I am planning a pizza party of 8. With my small kitchen, one oven, 8 bodies, pizza peels on counter, dough, sauce, toppings, flour and what else goes on the counter could make a nightmare pizza party. As fast as the pizza goes into the oven, it comes out just as fast. Then there is counter cleanup time to be able to put pizzas and salads on counter.
I have reheated your leftover pizza in a 500 degree oven and it was awesome! This leads me to think, could I prepare the full pizza in the am and only 1/2 cook for about 3 minutes then put in fridge till the evening then finish the cooking with a clean kitchen? Or maybe, 1/2 cook only the dough and build the pizza in the eve.
Do you have any thoughts on this?
Marie says
Hi Janet – I’m sorry, I don’t have specific tips for larger crowd because I’ve only used my Blackstone oven to entertain. It makes the pizzas in only 90 seconds and so it’s pretty fast and keeps things moving. My husband helped me when we entertained recently. He would run the pizzas back and forth and I was on cleaning/serving duty. So maybe enlist a helper if possible? That said, I would either make larger pizzas if your peel and oven and stone can accommodate (so you can make fewer) or pre-bake them as you mentioned. If you have had reheated pizzas before, I’d say go for it! Or else, maybe you can make a few ahead of time and then also do a couple of fresh ones? I also think if you keep the toppings minimal and less complicated it will be a lot easier.
Luke says
Hi Marie, I have never made home made pizza before until last year…I found your recipe and have had about 8 pizza parties! I have used your sauce and crust recipe with wisconsin cheese (Go Pack Go!) And it’s been awesome every time! I have just been using Hunts tomato puree and it makes really great sauce! Having a pizza party tonight! Thank you for the recipe!
Cindy Holshouser says
I made homemade pizza for the first time and my hubby and teen raved about it. And that was BEFORE I found your post! I can’t wait to try all of your tips. It’s so nice to be able to google a topic and get such great information. Thank you for this valuable information!
Janet says
Oh Marie you are wonderful! Thank you for such a quick reply and it all helps me understand more on the art of making perfect pizza. Create a good day!
Janet says
hi Marie
After taking days and days of reading your informative blog and making notes, I, like many many many others, have been researching for a good 10 years for a good pizza dough and by George, it is yours. Thank you for taking your valuable time and sharing everything with all us strangers. some more questions again.
1. I as well have cracked a few stones. At present I have been using a ceramic stone (Emille Henry) and I do love it. Will check into the steel plate.
2. Should there be bubbles/air pockets in the crust? I used my 550 degree oven.
3. Besides the type of flour used, and cooking temps what is the difference in taste, texture, thickness, etc between crusts ofNY and Neapolitan?
4. What kind of cheese did you use in your pictured pizza?
5. What is the difference in crust when you use AP compared to Bread flour. There couldn’t be that much of difference,
6. I also have Robin Hoods cake and pastry flour. I will contact Robin Hood to check the protein factor. Have you used a cake and pastry flour?
7. My scale does not go to the decimal point so when I weigh my ingredients I will round either up or down. Ex. 15.6grams salt will round to 16 grams. This should not make much of a difference should it?
8. You stated that day 3 in fridge for the dough to slow rise is the sweet spot. How about day 4 or even day 5 to use the dough?
9. I have both a aluminum peel and a wooden peel (which I always flour generously.). I find that the pizza slides off the aluminum peel so much more easily than the wooden peel. And also, the dental floss tip works like a charm on the wooden peel.
You are an angel and your hard and time consuming work is very much appreciated.
Marie says
Hi Janet! Thanks for your kind words:) In reply to your questions:
2. It has been said that true NY pizza doesn’t really have a puffy cornicone, but I sometimes get that depending on how I stretch the dough (being careful to not press out all the air around the edges) and also if the dough is still a bit cold when you stretch it, you will get more oven spring (ie, it puffs up more around the edges) so it depends on what you are going for.
3. I just started making Neopolitan and it’s hard to answer/compare because it’s a different animal; a true Neopolitan dough uses 00 flour baked in a very high temp oven. True Neopolitan crust is not crispy but is pretty light and airy. Different crust but just as yummy.
4. I’ve been using a local “club” (like Costco but smaller chain) brand that produces a low moisture, full fat one that melts beautifully.
5. I use King Arthur all purpose flour, which is pretty high protein compared with many other all purpose flours. Although I recommend bread flour, I prefer the King Arthur all purpose because it’s a bit lower in protein than their bread flour but high enough to produce a good crust (~11.7%). The higher protein flours give the pizza a good crisp but if you use a flour with too high of a protein you could end up with a very tough crust. Personal preference plays a role here. Try both and experiment. Here’s info on King Arthur flours: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/about/documents/5Flours_000.pdf
6. I’ve never tried a party or cake flour to make pizza. I wouldn’t advise it – it will produce a dense and gummy crumb when topped with sauce and cheese and you will not get a chewy texture.
7. That’s fine. Just make sure the scale is accurate: 2 pennies should weigh 5 grams
8. Personally, I’ve felt that the pizza starts to lose it’s oomph. It gets more dense after the 3-day mark but it is still edible.
Happy baking!
Harrison says
I cannot thank you enough for this recipe! It is the best that I have used, and I have used many. My wife and kids think that I am a pizza hero!
For anyone thinking of trying this dough, stop thinking and start making!
Janette says
I live in LA am still on a search for the best New York Style pizza in town! I’m going to test this recipe out in hopes I won’t need to continue wasting my money at restaurants that fail! Thanks so much for sharing!
matt says
hi, marie,
i used the 2 qt. containers (one ball in each) and the dough worked out really nicely after letting it sit in the fridge for 24 hours. i did not use sugar but the flavor is great. going to be serving four tasty pizzas tonight for the super bowl. already have the next four balls in the fridge, this time with sugar and in ziplock bags (found that i had some). i am going to let it sit for 72 hours then freeze and see how it goes. i have been looking for a good pizza dough recipe for many, many years. most of the ones we have used in the past were so flavorless that i resorted to buying dough from the frozen food section. After much trial and error, we found that “house of pasta” brand dough was the best (very good, actually), but this recipe is better – and i like that i can make it myself (now, i just need to make my own sauce). the only drawback (and it is very minor), is that the 326g balls were a bit small to give me the crust i would want for a true “new york” pizza (we are new yorkers, born and raised and definitely like a bit of a heavier crust – not too thick, mind you, but a bit more substantial that this one provides with the 326g ball). i think i would try dividing the recipe into thirds or maybe just experiment until i get it to the right thickness. still, that is a very minor issue in my opinion, as the dough really tastes great. anyway, thanks for the great recipe and instructions. we look forward to many more great sunday night pizza nights with the family.
warm regards,
matt
matt says
excited to try this. question – does it matter that you use 1 qt. containers? all my 1 qt. containers are currently in use. will a 2 qt. container work? could i put two of the balls in one of the 2 qt. containers? thanks!
Marie says
Hi Matt – you can use quart sized plastic bags (eg, Ziploc) if you don’t have enough plastic containers. Spray the inside of bag or container with oil or wipe the inside with oil before placing dough balls inside. I wouldn’t put 2 balls together because they will stick together during the overnight proofing.
Christina Peters says
OMG. Wow! I have never made pizza before and I grudge paying £16 for a pizza from Doninoes so I set out to find a recipe to make my own and I am SOO glad I came across yours!! It is phenomenal! So easy, so tasty and mess free!!! Plus it’s homemade goodness for my 1yr old daughter, omg I can’t thank you enough for this fantastic recipe! I am passing around to all of my friends! 😀
Rich Van Valin says
Fantastic Recipe!! I have tried a few, and even though it only seems like slight variations, this is by FAR my favorite, thank you so much!
Brad says
This is one of the best posts I have seen for making pizza. Between recommending weighing the ingredients and the great video it is hard to go wrong. The video helped me a lot since I think I was being too “nice” to the dough. Between being more aggressive and using less yeast I was able to get the pizza I have been looking for! Thank you!
Lints says
Hey! Thanks for this recipe, it works really well and tastes good. Unfortunately I encountered some problems with the dough sticking to my peel before sliding it off onto the stone… do you have any tips for how I could avoid this in the future? I followed the recipe word for word.. perhaps I should reduce the amount of water?
Marie says
Hi! The dough can sometimes be sticky but it’s not really a very wet dough. Kneading it a bit more makes it less sticky and *flouring it very well on both sides* before you “open up” the ball (ie, shape it into the pizza) really helps. In other words, when you take the dough ball out of the plastic bag or container that it is in, place it on a very floured surface and sprinkle some more flour on top so both sides are well floured. Also you must flour your pizza peel (I use wooden ones) and really rub the flour into the peel using circular motion. Hope that helps!
Bill says
Marie,
A few times a year I’m fortunate enough to enjoy a great NY style pizza while traveling. And, although the local pizza shop has good pizza … it’s just not the same. Well, I retired recently, and decided that maybe I can learn how to make great pizzas at home. I did a Google search and your site was the first one to catch my eye. I read the entire site and watched the video on how to stretch the dough. By the way, the picture of your cheese pizza convinced me that I was on the right track.
My wife gave me moral support and showed me where to find the necessary items in the kitchen. We followed your advice and used a scale to make the dough … everything went smoothly. We then made the sauce from your tomato puree recipe and waited 24 hours for the dough to rise.
I was a little nervous when it was time to stretch the dough, so I watched the video again. To my complete surprise, stretching the dough turned out to be a simple task. I just followed the steps in the video and it turned out perfect. At this point I added the sauce, cheese and toppings and baked it on a preheated cookie sheet. The resulting pizza was wonderful and we enjoyed it very much.
We’ve now made several pizzas and have graduated to a pizza stone. The pizza stone was a nice addition to the process and allows us to produce really “great” pizzas … the crust is fantastic!
Please accept our sincere “Thanks” for sharing your recipes! We can now enjoy great pizzas at home whenever we want.
Your kindness for sharing is truly appreciated!
Marie says
That’s great Bill! Once you start making great pizza at home you don’t miss the pizza shop:)
KJ says
FINALLY!!! THANK YOU! Followed everything exactly as stated, and it was a result to be excited about. The only substitution was 00 flout instead of all purpose/bread.
Marie says
Many have asked about 00 flour – I’m glad it worked out!
Norma says
Hi Marie, Some people asked about the sauce for pizza. I don’t have a pizza Stone and use my aluminum 9×13 pan. I buy Italian bread dough from the bakery. One pound of dough makes a 9×13 pizza. I found by putting the mozzarella on the dough first and then the sauce, it does not come out soggy and the cheese does not burn. I use one 8 ounce can of tomato sauce ( not puree or crushed) for each pan and add oregano and sometimes garlic powder. My 5 boys always raved about it and their friends commented that I made the “best pizza”. We always had “unexpected friends” arrive on Friday nights!! (Pizza Night). Hope your recipe works for me without the stone. I always put the pan on the bottom of the gas oven for about 5-8 minutes to give it a head start to prevent sogginess. One of your commentors mentioned that aluminum does not conduct heat, and I believe her comment is incorrect because manufacturers are putting aluminum on the bottom of their stainless steel cooking pans to conduct heat throughout the bottom for even cooking!!
Marie says
Hi Norma – It should work just fine but of course will be different if you’d bake it on a pizza stone or steel. I use a different recipe when baking thicker, pan pizza. I’ve never tried the NY dough for pan pizza – let me know how you like it!
chris says
I tried this dough again and the results were not that good. The dough was very dense, did not brown correctly and the ends were crusty but not very stretchy in the middle. In fact, my pizza looked just like the baked pizza pictures posted on this thread and you can see their crust is not brown on theirs either. This dough recipe has the same texture as sour dough bread and that’s what it was like, sour dough bread pizza! While it was still edible, it was the NY style crust I was looking for. I’ve had much better pizza with frozen dough balls from Walmart and Sam’s Club. If you are looking for a recipe for authentic NY style pizza dough this is not the one.
Past comments below:
Marie
January 11, 2015
Hi Chris – Authentic NY pizza is definitely thinner than most people are used to. Using 18 ounces for a 16 inch pizza, you’re going to get a pretty authentic thickness ratio (in thinness in this case!). Try using 20 ounces of dough for 16 inch pizza next time. If you prefer a lighter airier pizza, try proofing the dough for an hour or 2 (depending on ambient kitchen temp, warm or cool) after you are finished kneading it. Afterwards, divide the dough into balls, oil your containers and place dough balls covered airtight.
But to your initial point, NY pizza is not really an airy light pizza but you can most definitely use this recipe to make it lighter. Other thing is which is key – use all purpose instead of bread flour if you want a lighter crust. I think you will much prefer the dough with those modifications (ie, all purpose flour and adding a bulk rise). The oven temp is hard to comment on as everyone’s oven runs differently but if you have had luck with that temp and you’re finding the pizza bakes well in a relatively short period of time, I’m guessing it’s not a problem? With oven temp, if you bake too long, the pizza crust dries out and becomes too hard. The goal is to get a crisp yet foldable crust. Good luck and happy baking!
chris
January 11, 2015
I was looking for a restaurant style NY style pizza dough and found this recipe to be more thin and crispy with hard crusty ends. I followed directions and prepared dough in kitchen aid mixer. I let dough sit in fridge 24 hours and removed to room temperature 2 hours before baking in oven at 550 degrees. This is temperature I have always used with my pizza oven using store bought dough with great success. by the way I used 18 oz dough ball for 16″ pizza which is standard. Unless something went wrong?
Marie says
Hi Chris – sorry the pizza didn’t work out for you. I can assure you it is a very authentic recipe and one that was developed based on a collaboration between NY pizza aficionados and a professional bread baker (Tom Lehman). The pizza in the photo was done before I began adding sugar to the dough – I now recommend it. I also have changed how/where I cook the pizza in the oven (6 to 8 inches from the top on a baking steel). You may have more luck posting your results and questions on the pizzamaking.com website. Please remember that folks like me post these recipes out of the kindness of our hearts to share with strangers and while I appreciate constructive feedback or questions, coming to the site with mean spirited comments is not very helpful or appreciated.
Rob says
Hi Marie. Just made my first batch last night and can’t wait until Friday night to cook!
You wrote:
“Hi Gloria – the dough is best used on day 2. That is, 2 days after you mix it. I froze this dough and it is still amazing. Mix it, separate into individual dough balls, let it sit in fridge for a day, then put it in ziplock quart sized bags. Remove the bags from the freezer the morning you plan to make pizzas and place it in the fridge. When you are ready to make the pizza let the dough balls sit on the counter fir about one hour to get to room temp. Good luck!”
Your Recipe Says:
“Divide dough into 4 equal pieces (using a digital scale if possible; each ball should weigh 11.5 oz [~326 grams]) and place in sealed quart-sized container or freezer bag and refrigerate overnight or up to 72 hours (After much experimenting, I have concluded that I like 3 days best).”
Question 1- I’m confused by the discrepancy between these 2 statements. Should I have followed the recipe and put the dough balls immediately into the bags (as I did) or should I have left them sitting in the fridge overnight before putting them in bags.
Question 2 – I added some olive oil to the inside of the ziplock bags because a dough recipe I previously made had me oil the dough ball before rising. Have you ever done this, or dough you have any opinion about it?
Thanks
Marie says
Hi Rob – hello! Thanks for your question (btw, nothing wrong, first time commenters all wait for admin approval to reduce spam, which is so out of control on these types of blogs). anyhow, about the discrepancy…over time my tastes do change, but I think what I meant was that if you are going to freeze the dough, do it by day 2. Honestly, I haven’t had too much experience freezing this dough, I just make it a few days ahead when I need it. I’ve been using it anywhere between day 2 and 3. Seems like day 3 is the sweet spot, but not a huuuge difference IMO compared with day 2. And to your second question, yes, absolutely oil or spray the container or plastic bags with oil. I will add that to the instructions because that’s important to do. thanks!
chris says
I was looking for a restaurant style NY style pizza dough and found this recipe to be more thin and crispy
with hard crusty ends. I followed directions and prepared dough in kitchen aid mixer. I let dough sit in fridge
24 hours and removed to room temperature 2 hours before baking in oven at 550 degrees. This is temperature
I have always used with my pizza oven using store bought dough with great success. by the way I used 18 oz
dough ball for 16″ pizza which is standard. Unless something went wrong?
Marie says
Hi Chris – Authentic NY pizza is definitely thinner than most people are used to. Using 18 ounces for a 16 inch pizza, you’re going to get a pretty authentic thickness ratio (in thinness in this case!). Try using 20 ounces of dough for 16 inch pizza next time. If you prefer a lighter airier pizza, try proofing the dough for an hour or 2 (depending on ambient kitchen temp, warm or cool) after you are finished kneading it. Afterwards, divide the dough into balls, oil your containers and place dough balls covered airtight.
But to your initial point, NY pizza is not really an airy light pizza but you can most definitely use this recipe to make it lighter. Other thing is which is key – use all purpose instead of bread flour if you want a lighter crust. I think you will much prefer the dough with those modifications (ie, all purpose flour and adding a bulk rise). The oven temp is hard to comment on as everyone’s oven runs differently but if you have had luck with that temp and you’re finding the pizza bakes well in a relatively short period of time, I’m guessing it’s not a problem? With oven temp, if you bake too long, the pizza crust dries out and becomes too hard. The goal is to get a crisp yet foldable crust. Good luck and happy baking!
Mark says
About your blog Marie–Ya you nailed this recipe. Ive only been to NY and Chicago once but that’s all it takes to get hooked on the pizza. Making pizza and sauces has been either a hobby or obsession of mine (haven’t figured out which yet) for quite awhile. There was a question about using a bread machine earlier. I tried it and it works fine. I just had to add small amounts of water during the initial mixing to get the correct consistency. Thanks again
Marie says
Thanks, Mark! Always nice to meet a fellow pizza hobbyist. It’s addicting, isn’t it? 🙂
Tom says
I just made this, plan on trying it tomorrow. I just realized it shows no “rise” time? Did I miss it?
Thanks! Can’t wait to try…..
Marie says
Hi Tom..yes that’s correct it works fine that way. However if you like a light crust u can do a bulk rise for 1 to 2 hours depending on temperature and then divide and place in oiled containers then to fridge for 1 to 3 days…enjoy