New Haven Style Pizza Recipe: Best Thin Crust Pizza with Video
What’s New Haven style pizza? Like New York style pizza, it’s all about the crust. I found that out when my son Howlett came home from Auburn one day and requested a homemade New Haven Style pizza. Sure, I said, let’s give it a try.
New Haven pizza originated in 1925 at a pizzeria in New Haven, Connecticut. Since then, this style of thin-crust pizza has gone from local favorite to a favorite of college kids around the United States.
In experimenting, I’ve found my new favorite homemade pizza recipe! Well, actually, it may be in a tie with this Domino’s style pizza. Click for a funny pizza story from high-school days, as told in my book Love Language of the South.
This pizza has become one of my go-to quickish dinners to make during the week. I’ve also made several at a time for the kids’ friends, and every piece was gone as soon as I got each of the pizzas out of the oven.
Bonus for those watching carbs: the thin crust makes a single slice fairly low carb.
How do you make great pizza, New Haven style?
What is the secret to New Haven pizza? The original pizzeria version calls for a coal-fired oven, but you can get a delicious, crunchy-chewy equivalent in your home oven.
What kind of flour is best for pizza dough? In this recipe, all-purpose flour works just fine, but for extra chewy, stretchy dough, you could use bread flour.
This New Haven style pizza dough is super easy to make. Watch the video below for a step-by-step demonstration. For extra chewy, stretchy dough, use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour.
Thin Crust Pizza Making Tips
You can make a New Haven pizza in 30 minutes if you’ve got the dough pre-made. You can also double or triple the recipe and store the dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you have time, allow the dough to sit out until it reaches room temperature.
Since you are rolling the dough thin, flour surface well and use a scraper to roll it onto a rolling pin before placing the crust onto a pizza pan about 14″ in diameter. It may stick a bit to the surface.
Sprinkle cornmeal on the pan before placing the shaped dough on it. This adds a nutty, earthy flavor and makes the cooked crust lift off the pan more easily.
For a crispy crust, use a pizza pan that allows for air circulation. Here is my favorite pan for a thin crust pizza.
The crust of a New Haven pizza should be both crunchy and chewy. You’ll know it’s ready when there are a few black charred areas on the edges of the pizza crust.
What about Pizza Sauce and Toppings?
Like any homemade pizza, New Haven style pizza lends itself to tons of variations. I like to use a light hand with the sauce so I can really taste the crust and toppings. Quality ingredients are key. On one side I use prosciutto salami, sausage, and mozzarella. On the other side I add smoked salmon and goat cheese. I sprinkle everything with parmesan cheese before popping it into the 500-degree oven and then again when it comes out of the oven.
Add your favorite pizza sauce or try my Basic Tomato Sauce.
Then layer on your favorite toppings:
- for a high-protein pie: extra cheese (try low moisture mozzarella), smoked salmon, prosciutto, pepperoni, bacon, ham slices, sausage, BBQ chicken
- veggies: fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, red peppers, spinach, artichokes, olives, onions
- herbs: basil, oregano, garlic
What’s the difference between a New York style pizza and a New Haven pizza?
Most people have a mental picture of a New York pizza — those oversized, foldable slices that call to mind neighborhood pizzerias. In short, NY style pizza has a very thin, very flexible crust.
This New Haven style pizza recipe makes a thin crust pie, too. However, it has a chewier crust than New York style. The crust is also slightly charred on the edges. Some people ferment the dough overnight, but you don’t have to. This quick, no-fuss recipe has the pizza dough rise for just 10 minutes. It will give you delicious pizza in time to feed a crowd for dinner. The dough recipe makes one 14-inch pizza, but you can double or triple it in the recipe settings.
New Haven Style Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil more for drizzling
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more if needed
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- Handful of stoneground grits
- Pizza sauce and toppings of your choice – see link in Notes for my tomato sauce recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- In a medium to large mixing bowl, add water, sugar and yeast. Allow the yeast mixture to sit for about 5 minutes. In another bowl, add the flour and salt and give it a few stirs.
- Stir in the olive oil and slowly stir in 2 cups of flour. Once it forms into a sticky ball, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until you have a smooth dough ball. You may need a little extra flour, depending on the flour you are using. Cover with a tea towel for about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle grits (cornmeal) on the surface of the pan or pizza stone you are using. I prefer a perforated 14-inch round pizza pan so air can circulate around it. See notes for a link to my favorite.
