Want to recreate your favorite pizzeria pizza at home? This New York style pizza dough recipe creates a flavorful, chewy crust that stands up to any toppings on the menu.
What is New York style pizza?
Unlike the billowy, delicate crust of Neapolitan pizza, New York style pizza crust is thin and chewy with a nicely browned, rounded edge. The flavor is less tangy than that of its classic Italian cousin, with a touch of sweetness and heft (thanks to the additions of sugar and olive oil) and just the right amount of salt.
Though my 1-Hour Pizza Dough and Overnight Dough qualify as New York style recipes, they both create crusts that are thicker and chewier than the pizzeria slices we all know and love. So, I've created this recipe for all you New York style purists out there. See? I really do believe in pizza for everyone!
How to Make the Best Pizzeria Pizza at Home
To achieve the right texture, you have to give this dough a little extra love (a.k.a. kneading). Either mix it by hand and knead it on the counter for about 7 minutes, or make much quicker work of it in a food processor. As you'll see in the photos, I prefer the latter method; why knead the dough by hand when the food processor can turbo-knead it in 15 to 20 seconds?
Once your dough is kneaded, divide it into pieces, ball them up, and transfer the balls to airtight containers. Then, put the containers in the fridge and let the dough cold ferment for 24 to 72 hours.
That's it! Take your pizza dough out of the fridge 2 or 3 hours before you plan to make New York style pizza (so the dough can come to room temperature), and preheat the oven to at least 500°F. Then, stretch or roll out the dough to large, thin rounds, spread them with sauce, and add your favorite cheese and toppings. (Pro tip: For an authentic-tasting New York pie, use either No-Cook Marinara or Slow-Cooked Pizza Sauce, freshly shredded whole milk low-moisture mozzarella, and a sprinkling of finely shredded parmesan on top.)
Finally, slide the topped pizza into the hot oven. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes, until the crust is evenly browned and the cheese is charred in spots. Bada bing! You've got homemade New York style pizza that rivals your favorite pizzeria.
New York Style Pizza Dough
Equipment
- Food processor (optional)
- Large bowl and dough whisk or wooden spoon
- Airtight containers for proofing
Ingredients
- 3 dipped and leveled cups (435 grams) bread flour
- ½ teaspoon instant dry yeast
- 1¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1¼ cups (296 grams) warm water
- 1½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- To mix the dough in a food processor: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a dough blade or regular metal blade, combine the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Pulse a few times to mix everything together, then pour in the water and olive oil. Process until the dough comes together in a ball, then keep processing for 15 to 20 seconds.
- To mix the dough by hand: Measure the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar into a large bowl. Stir the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon or dough whisk, then pour in the water and oil and mix until the dough comes together and all of the flour is incorporated.
- Scrape the dough onto a floured countertop. If you mixed your dough by hand, flour your hands and knead the dough for about 7 minutes, until it forms a smooth ball that slowly springs back when you poke it gently with your finger. If you mixed your dough in a food processor, flip it until it's coated in flour, then knead it a few times, just until you've got a smooth, slightly tacky ball that doesn't stick to your hands.
- Divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal-size pieces. (If you're making 12- to 14-inch pizzas, divide the dough in half; if you're making smaller pieces, divide the dough into 3 pieces.) Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball, and place each ball in a separate airtight container. Refrigerate for 24 to 72 hours.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before you plan to bake your pizza. (For best results, let your dough come fully to room temperature before you stretch or roll it out.) If you only plan to make one pizza, freeze the remaining ball(s) of dough for up to 3 months (click here for more on freezing pizza dough).
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone/steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes, preferably more like 1 hour. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
- Roll or stretch out the dough to your preferred size. If you're working with a large ball, you'll get the best New York style results if you stretch or roll it out to a 14-inch round; if you're working with a smaller ball, aim for a 10-inch round. Pick the dough all over with the tines of a fork to prevent bubbles from forming in the oven.
- Top your dough with your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings. Transfer to the oven and bake until the crust is evenly browned and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
Looking to explore different pizza dough recipes? Here are a few others to try:
judith judge says
CAN I MAKE THE DOUGH IN A STAND
MIXER
Peggy Paul Casella says
Yep!
John Graham says
I tried this last week with a 2 and 3 day cod fermentation time. You can see a vast difference from the 24 hour difference in the dough. Maxing out the temperature on the oven is key when getting the texture you are looking for. Due to how well this recipe worked out I am comparing it this week to a different but similar dough recipe from a pizza cookbook I have to see how well the cold fermentation works with different styles of pizza dough. Will probably order your cookbook also just by how this one recipe for dough worked out. Very well done
Peggy Paul Casella says
I'm so glad you had success with the recipe, John. Thanks for the comment and review!
William Lynn says
Ive been looking for a new york style recipe for a while now. This looks ideal. Can I CT ferment the bulk for 24/72 before dividing into balls?
Peggy Paul Casella says
I would follow the recipe as it is first, then experiment. You don't want the dough to over-ferment!
Jenn says
By sheet coincidence my husband and I recently started "pizza Wednesday" with the goal of mastering NY/NJ style pizza at home. Well... I stumbled upon this recipe on week two and your dough has already been crowned 'the one'. The reigning champ method is 48 cold ferment, then using a pizza steel in a hot hot oven. Thanks for sharing!
chris binder says
If using stand mixer on low, approx how long?
Peggy Paul Casella says
Mix it in a stand mixer with the dough hook for 5 to 8 minutes.
Bruno says
I've been trying to do NY style at home for some time and this is the closest I got. For the first time the slices were foldable, Unfortunately it got a little burnt because I should have taken it out earlier. Delicious nonetheless, thank you!
Linda says
This Brooklyn-born Italian approves! I had never cold fermented dough before, and gave this 48 hours in the fridge. Preheated a stone for an hour at 550 and baked the pie for 7 minutes. We loved this! BTW, I live at almost 6000 feet and made no changes. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Peggy Paul Casella says
So glad you liked the recipe!
Sarah says
Thank you for this incredible and simple recipe! I decided I wanted to venture into the "good" pizza making world and I am SO glad I tried this recipe. My cold ferment was only about 30 hours (sorry, I could not wait another day haha) but even still, the flavour was SO delicious. I couldn't believe I'd created such flavours in a homemade pizza!
I cooked it at 500 in a large preheated cast iron skillet, though I can't recall exactly how long it took. Perhaps closer to 10 minutes? It's possible my oven ran a bit warm. I definitely also used the broiler- it made such a difference.
I made a vegan pizza for myself with Miyoko's cashew mozzarella and a non-vegan one for my family, and both pizzas were finished very quickly. Sad that there's no leftovers but that's okay- I'll make it again soon enough!
Peggy Paul Casella says
Thanks for sharing, Sarah! So glad you like the recipe!
Kat Williams, RD says
Not only do I appreciate the sharing of your authentic dough recipe, I also am grateful for the technique you outlined in the instructions! I have a pizza stone that I've not had success with but I followed your instructions - placed the stone in the bottom 1/3 of the oven, cranked the heat all the way up (525), and turned it to broil when it reached the temperature. I made two pizzas - one with your slow cooked pizza sauce (1/2 cheese, 1/2 meat) and a buffalo chicken pizza. Both turned out so well I doubt I will order pizza again!
I just wanted to confirm that when I place the uncooked pizza into the oven after the temperature is reached, I keep the pizza (on the stone) in the bottom 1/3 of the oven. The first pizza I made, I moved it on the top rack but had to move it down after only a few minutes because the meat toppings were burning. The second pizza I kept on the bottom and it was perfect. Both pizzas were done at 6 minutes.
Thanks again and I look forward to purchasing your cookbook!
Peggy Paul Casella says
I'm thrilled that you love this recipe as much as I do, Kat! Yes, keep the pizza on the stone for the entire baking time. Every oven is different, so some people have found that stones are better placed in the center or top third of the oven, and baking steels are better in the bottom third. I recommend changing the position of your stone a few times to find the best way to bake pizza in your specific oven. However, if you liked how it turned out, maybe just keep the stone where it is! Happy pizza making!
Liz says
What is 430 grams in cups?
Peggy Paul Casella says
3 dipped and leveled cups
Ed says
Just made a pie and excluded the sugar from the recipe. This is probably the best NY pizza dough recipe I have come across. You should add “Optional” next to the sugar, it really is unnecessary. Also, Grande mozz is the cheese everyone should use, hands down the best cheese for pizza.
Peggy Paul Casella says
So glad you love the recipe, and great point about the sugar!
John says
I plan on making this recipe ASAP. I’ll be splitting this up into 3 balls. Can you tell me if my new 500 ml dough containers will be big enough? I see they’re also avail in 1,000 ml but they’re pricey. Thank you
Peggy Paul Casella says
Those containers should work great. Let me know how it turns out!
Jenna says
This was DELICIOUS! After cold fermenting, can the dough be frozen for later use?
Peggy Paul Casella says
Yep! Feel free to freeze it in an airtight plastic bag for up to 3 months.