New York style pizza

New York style is a thin, wide, foldable slice, and it is decided by two variables the baker controls: what is in the dough and how much heat reaches it. This page sets out both, using a home oven or a small countertop pizza oven rather than a deck oven.

The formula: 60–63% hydration with oil and a little sugar

Mix at 60–63% hydration with oil and a little sugar in the dough. Express the recipe by baker's percentage so the flour is always 100% and every other ingredient is weighed against it.

Cold fermentation over 48–72 hours and dough ball weights

Give the dough 48–72 hours in the fridge, then divide into balls at the weight that suits your skin size. Cold fermentation over that window is what produces the flavour and the relaxed gluten that make a 16 inch skin easy to open without tearing the centre.

Stretching a 16 inch skin thin without tearing the centre

Open the ball from the middle outwards, leaving a slightly thicker rim and keeping the centre even. If the dough fights back, let it rest for a few minutes and continue; the centre tears when the gluten is still tight or when the skin is pushed thinner than the dough can carry.

Steel or stone at 285–300°C: the longer, lower bake

Bake on a steel or stone preheated to 285–300°C. That is lower than a dedicated pizza oven, so the bake is longer and the slice sets and browns over that longer, lower window instead of blistering in ninety seconds.

Foldable but crisp: diagnosing floppy or cracker-like slices

A floppy slice means the bake was too short or too cool for the load on top; a cracker-like slice means it went too long or the dough was too dry. Adjust one variable at a time — hydration, ball weight, or oven temperature — and compare against the previous bake.

Questions this page answers

Why does New York dough have oil and sugar in it?

Oil and a little sugar are part of the New York style formula at 60–63% hydration. They are part of the dough the baker controls, weighed against the flour by baker's percentage, and they change how the slice browns and how it folds.

How long should I cold ferment before baking?

Ferment the dough in the fridge for 48–72 hours before you ball it, stretch it and bake it. That window is the one this page uses for the New York style formula.

What dough weight gives a 16 inch pie?

Ball the dough at a weight that opens to a 16 inch skin without thinning the centre past the point where it tears. Weigh the ball, note the weight, and use it as the number to compare against the next bake rather than guessing by eye.

How do I get a slice that folds without flopping?

Bake the skin on a steel or stone at 285–300°C for the longer, lower bake this page uses, so the slice sets and browns rather than staying soft in the middle. A slice flops when the bake was too short or too cool for the load on top; a cracker-like slice means the opposite, so change one variable at a time.