New Haven, Connecticut · 1925
New Haven apizza
Ah-beetz
Coal fired, charred, clams optional
Scale this formulaOblong, thin, aggressively charred, and traditionally baked in a coal-fired oven at temperatures that would ruin a softer dough. Long cold ferment, no sugar, and the char is not a mistake, it is the seasoning.
Method
- Mix to a moderately wet dough, knead to a strong gluten, and cold ferment two to three days.
- Warm the balls fully, then stretch into a rough oblong. Nobody in New Haven is aiming for a circle.
- For a plain tomato pie: sauce, oregano, pecorino, oil. No mozzarella at all.
- For a white clam: oil, garlic, chopped clams with their juice, oregano, pecorino.
- Bake as hot as you can, and let it take real colour before you pull it.
Fermentation
| Stage | Time | Temperature | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk | 1 h | 22°C / 72°F | |
| Cold ferment | 60 h | 4°C / 39°F | 48 to 72 hours. This style wants the long end. |
| Warm up | 3 h | 22°C / 72°F |
Times are a guide. How to read the dough instead of the clock →
The bake
Oven340°C644°F
Time5-7 minutes
Surface. Coal or wood oven, or steel plus broiler at home
Aim past comfortable. Blistered black spots on the rim and underside are the style, not a ruined pie.
On top
- Sauce
- Crushed plum tomato, oregano, garlic, oil. Grated pecorino instead of mozzarella on a tomato pie.
- Cheese
- Mozzarella is an extra you order, not a default.
- Toppings
- Clams, bacon, or nothing.
You got it right when Char you can taste, a thin chewy middle, and no cheese hiding it.