American
New York Style Pizza
Thin, foldable, slightly chewy, slightly char-kissed — the gold standard of the American slice.
Recipe by Cyman Huang
Cooked, styled and photographed in his kitchen.
The New York slice is the platonic ideal of American pizza: large enough to fold, thin enough to be crispy at the edge and slightly yielding in the center, topped with a bright, garlicky tomato sauce and low-moisture mozzarella that stretches in long ribbons.
The secret is a properly fermented high-protein dough, a very hot oven and sauce seasoned with restraint so the dough and cheese can speak.
Watch it come together
Ingredients
For the New York dough
- 3¾ cups (500g) bread flour
- 1½ tsp (9g) kosher salt
- 1 tsp (4g) sugar
- 1 tsp (3g) instant dry yeast
- 1¼ cups (300ml) cold water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the sauce (no-cook)
- 1 can (28 oz) whole San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp sugar (if tomatoes are acidic)
For the pie
- 8 oz low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, grated (not fresh)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Dried oregano and red pepper flakes to finish
Method
- 1
MAKE DOUGH: Whisk flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Add cold water and olive oil and mix to a shaggy dough. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic — slightly tacky but not sticky.
- 2
Divide into two balls, place each in a lightly oiled container, cover tightly and refrigerate at least 24 hours and up to 72. Remove 2 hours before baking.
- 3
MAKE SAUCE: Crush the tomatoes by hand into a bowl, squeezing each one. Add olive oil, garlic, salt, oregano, red pepper flakes and sugar. Do not cook — the oven cooks the sauce on the pie.
- 4
PREHEAT: Place a pizza stone or steel on the top rack and preheat to 550°F (or as high as your oven goes) for a full hour. This is not optional.
- 5
STRETCH: Flatten a dough ball from the center with your fingertips, then stretch with the backs of your hands into a 14-inch round with a slightly thicker rim. Move to a well-floured peel.
- 6
TOP & BAKE: Spoon 4–5 tablespoons of sauce in a thin, even layer, scatter the mozzarella, drizzle with olive oil, and bake 10–12 minutes until the crust is deeply browned and the cheese bubbles with golden spots.
- 7
Finish with dried oregano and red pepper flakes. Cool 2 minutes, slice into 8 pieces, fold the first slice and eat immediately.
Substitutions
- Chef's Tip: Grate your own low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella and let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator for an hour before using. This dries the surface slightly and prevents the soggy pool problem at high heat.
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