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May 17, 2014

The Best New York Style Cheese Pizza

This New York Style Cheese Pizza Recipe features a chewy crust, sweet and tangy sauce, and plenty of gooey cheese! This pizza is almost identical to the famous slices sold on the streets of New York. And so much better than delivery!

Cheese Pizza Recipe

Greetings from Sicily! We’re finally here. And you guys… I’m never leaving! Everything about this place is perfect. I’m so happy we have 6 more days before heading to Rome. During this time I will be putting all of my effort into eating as much as humanly possible. Priorities! Also, I will be mentally storing recipe ideas. I think an Italian week is a must. Don’t you?

But enough about Italy. Today’s post is all about New York. More specifically, New York-Style Cheese Pizza! Have you ever had a slice? It is pizza perfection.

New York Pizza Dough Recipe

Great pizza starts with great pizza dough! For the crust you’ll need:

  • Bread Flour: This is a high-gluten flour that has a tiny amount of barley flour and vitamin C added. The barley flour helps the yeast activate, and the vitamin C increases the elasticity of the gluten and its ability to retain gas as the dough rises and bakes. Bread flour is typically used for recipes like pizza dough and garlic knots because of the chewiness that the extra gluten provides.
  • Sugar: Granulated sugar works best here.
  • Active dry yeast: Be sure your yeast is not expired.
  • Kosher salt: Table salt will also work.
  • Water: Use a thermometer to ensure the temperature is between 110 and 115 degrees (F).
  • Olive Oil: You’ll need this for the crust as well as greasing the bowl the dough will rise in.

Best Cheese for Pizza

No surprise here: Mozzarella!!! I suggest using low-moisture mozzarella cheese, which has been aged for longer and has a lower water content than fresh mozzarella. Which means your pizza is less likely to bake up soggy when using it. I also love low-moisture mozzarella because it melts great and has a delicious salty/tangy flavor to it.

Pro Tip: Freeze your cheese! I know that sounds crazy, but it’s key. Because freezing your cheese helps it melt slower, resulting in a perfectly gooey cheese pizza! Try it at least once!

Pizza Sauce

For this tangy homemade sauce, you’ll need:

  • Olive Oil
  • Yellow Onion
  • Celery
  • Garlic
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Tomato Paste
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Dried Basil
  • Dried Oregano
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Black Pepper

How to Make Cheese Pizza

Although this recipe may seem like a lot of work for a simple cheese pizza, all of the steps can be done ahead of time. The pizza dough makes enough for 2 pizzas! And you can freeze the pizza dough and sauce for up to 2 months! So then all you’ll need to do is thaw, assemble, and bake! And I promise it’s worth your effort! Because although delivery pizza can be delicious, nothing hits the spot like homemade cheese pizza! For a real New York dining experience, enjoy a slice of The Best New York-Style Cheesecake for dessert!

More Pizza Recipes:

  • White Pizza with Tomatoes, Basil, and Zucchini
  • My Favorite Margherita Pizza

4 votes

Print

The Best New York Style Cheese Pizza

Prep 20 mins

Cook 45 mins

Inactive 1 hour, 45 mins

Total 2 hours, 50 mins

Author Ashley Manila

Yield 1 Pizza

This New York Style Cheese Pizza Recipe features a chewy crust, sweet and tangy sauce, and plenty of cheese! So much better than delivery!Β 

Ingredients

For the Crust:

  • 3 and 3/4 cups bread flour
  • 1 and 1/4 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 envelope active dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 and 1/2 cups water, 110 - 115 degrees (F)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons

For the Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Cheese:

  • 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded then frozen

Instructions

For the Crust:

  1. Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer; stir to combine.
  2. Fit mixer with dough hook.
  3. Turn mixer on low speed and add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil; beat until the dough forms into a ball around the hook. If the dough is super sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
  4. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.
  5. Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm area and let it double in size, about 90 minutes.
  6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Wrap one dough well in saran wrap and place in the freezer for a later use.
  7. Place the dough you'll be using on a piece of plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.

For the Sauce:

  1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-flame. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute until soft; about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir until smooth.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to slow simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and allow sauce to cool.
  3. Spread the sauce on pizza dough, as needed.Β 

For the Cheese:

  1. Grate cheese, then place it in a large, clean bowl. Place bowl in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Assembly:
  3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F).
  4. Roll dough out to a large circle (about 12 inches). Pour a 1/4 cup of sauce in the center and spread it around evenly. Add cheese.
  5. Place pizza in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is set and the cheese is bubbling. Cut into slices and serve at once!

Notes

  1. The trick to a perfect pizza is a very hot oven! Be sure to crank your oven on at least 45 minutes before baking. I usually preheat mine for 1 hour. Hot oven = gooey cheese and crispy crust. YES!

Courses Dinner

Cuisine Italian

23K Shares

Filed Under: Dinner, Savory Tagged With: cheese, dinner, New York, pizza

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Librarian Lavender says

    May 17, 2014 at 7:43 pm

    This looks so good, indeed identical to the real thing!

    Reply
  2. Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says

    May 17, 2014 at 8:45 pm

    YAY ITALY! YAY ITALIAN WEEK! YAY NY! YAY NY PIZZA!!!! Sooooo yummyyyy!!

    and have so sooo much fun!!

    Reply
  3. Tieghan Gerard says

    May 18, 2014 at 3:07 am

    Talking about pizza well in Italy! So fun!! Have a great time and girl this pizza! Looks perfect!

    Reply
  4. Stephanie says

    May 18, 2014 at 4:55 am

    Look at all that cheese!!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 29, 2014 at 10:48 pm

      Cheese is like my bestie πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  5. Medeja says

    May 18, 2014 at 9:01 am

    This pizza looks so good!

    Reply
  6. ATasteOfMadness says

    May 19, 2014 at 5:06 am

    Oh yum! This pizza looks SO good! I am ALL about cheese pizza. You can never go wrong πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 29, 2014 at 10:48 pm

      So true! Thank you!!!

      Reply
  7. Melanie Hiester says

    May 19, 2014 at 2:40 pm

    Mmmmmm….. There’s nothing in the world look perfect pizza. Yours look delicious!
    Have a marvelous Monday

    Reply
  8. Nora (A Clean Bake) says

    May 20, 2014 at 4:13 pm

    Hope you’re having a blast in Italy! I’ll be here, stuffing my face with this pizza…

    Reply
  9. Christine @ Cooking with Cakes says

    May 20, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    you. are. making. me. JEALOUS. but I guess I’ll have this pizza to console me over my lack of Sicily adventures πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  10. Ashley says

    May 21, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    Whoa this pizza. It looks amazing. Have an awesome time in Italy – I’ve always wanted to go!! Some day : )

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 29, 2014 at 10:49 pm

      You’ll get there, girl πŸ™‚

      Reply
  11. Zainab says

    May 21, 2014 at 9:07 pm

    Looks like the ones we get here!! Can’t wait to try it. Dude I love how many of your recipes I can make for dinner πŸ™‚ Have a great time in Sicily!!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 29, 2014 at 10:48 pm

      I’m all about the dinner lately πŸ˜‰ Thank you!

      Reply
  12. Caroline says

    May 22, 2014 at 5:04 pm

    Hope you’re having an amazingggg time in Sicily! I’m super jealous. This pizza sounds incredible. NY pizza really is the best! I’ve actually never made my own pizza dough before, so I’m definitely going to try this.

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 29, 2014 at 10:49 pm

      It’s much easier than you might think! Good luck πŸ™‚ And happy pizza eating!

      Reply
  13. Jenny @ BAKE says

    May 25, 2014 at 1:53 pm

    Hope you’re having a great trip! I cannot wait to try this crust!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 29, 2014 at 10:49 pm

      Thank you, Jenny! The crust is GREAT πŸ™‚

      Reply
  14. Amber says

    May 29, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    Wow, this looks good! Just printed the recipe- I’m going to make this tonight.

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 29, 2014 at 10:35 pm

      Hi Amber! Yay! I hope it’s in the oven right now. Please let me know how it turns out πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Amber says

        June 5, 2014 at 8:28 pm

        It was absolutely delicious! My husband and kids said it was the best crust and sauce ever. Thanks!

        Reply
        • bakerbynature says

          June 5, 2014 at 8:52 pm

          That just made my day! So glad to hear you all loved it πŸ™‚ xo

          Reply
  15. kita says

    May 30, 2014 at 1:51 pm

    seriously – picture perfect pizza! you rock

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 30, 2014 at 3:00 pm

      *Blushing! Thank you, Kita!!!

      Reply
  16. Claire Gallam says

    May 30, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    I NEED TO HEAR ABOUT SICILY. Also, me likey this pizza πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 31, 2014 at 2:40 pm

      I’m writing up a Sicily post right now, mama πŸ™‚ xoxo

      Reply
  17. Rachel @the dessert chronicles says

    May 31, 2014 at 11:57 am

    Absolutely perfect pizza! I love my pizza extra cheesy so I know I will love this recipe!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 31, 2014 at 2:41 pm

      Yessss for extra cheese! You’ll definitely love this, Rachel!

      Reply
  18. danielle says

    May 31, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    Can not wait to try this out. Im from NY but I live in TN and could use some good NY Pizza.

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 31, 2014 at 10:15 pm

      Hi Danielle! I’m so excited for you to make this πŸ™‚ From one New York gal to another – you’re going to love this πŸ™‚ xo

      Reply
  19. Millie l Add A Little says

    June 1, 2014 at 5:29 am

    Oh man! THIS looks like pizza perfection to me!

    http://youtube.com/addalittlefood

    Reply
  20. Tracy | Peanut Butter and Onion says

    June 2, 2014 at 7:30 am

    Sometimes we forget simple is best. I was thinking of making an elaborate pizza tonight, you have just changed my mind!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      June 2, 2014 at 11:35 am

      Hooray for simple and delicious πŸ™‚

      Reply
  21. Lynda says

    June 2, 2014 at 4:44 pm

    Can you please explain more about the importance of the cheese in the freezer? Why do you do this? Thanks!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      June 5, 2014 at 12:51 pm

      Hi Lynda! It’s important to freeze the cheese for this kind of pizza b/c the oven is going to be super hot, so if the cheese isn’t frozen it will melt extremely fast and not stay as gooey as we want it πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  22. heather says

    March 26, 2015 at 9:15 pm

    Hi, so you might not respond in time, but the directive’s for the crust are lacking… Do you let the yeast mixture poof? And then after you mix the yeast mixture it days to add the oil and water and mix until dough forms… So I’m assuming we as the flour before you add the water/oil??
    Thanks!

    Reply
  23. heather says

    March 26, 2015 at 9:21 pm

    Haha! Never mind! My phone was showing it really wonky so I didn’t see add the flour to the yeast right away πŸ˜‰ you can delete my last comment!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      March 27, 2015 at 3:16 pm

      Hi Heather. Happy it worked out πŸ™‚

      Reply
  24. Jessica says

    April 15, 2015 at 8:39 pm

    Can you make this on a square cookie sheet instead? My son loves his pizza in squares lol
    Making it tonight!
    Thanks!
    -Jess

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      April 15, 2015 at 10:27 pm

      Hi Jessica. While I’ve never tried, I don’t see why not πŸ™‚ Please let me know how it works for you!

      Reply
  25. NY Style Pizza says

    May 11, 2015 at 6:29 am

    Cheese Pizzas are tastier. Thank You for providing the great post. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  26. Melody says

    May 31, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    I made this today and it was awesome! I’ve had several failed pizza dough attempts! Your recipe was great and the dough was so easy to work with! Thank you!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 31, 2015 at 7:56 pm

      Hi Melody. That is so awesome! Definitely my favorite pizza dough so far πŸ˜‰ Thank you for letting me know.

      Reply
  27. Hunter says

    March 5, 2016 at 11:01 pm

    What temp do bake?

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      March 6, 2016 at 8:43 am

      Hi Hunter. You’ll preheat the oven to 450 degrees (F). All of this information is in the recipe box in the “assembly” section πŸ™‚

      Reply
  28. crislen cabrera says

    March 11, 2016 at 2:18 pm

    Hi. I have tried the dough recipe, and it turned out great the most delicious pizza crust…but my problem now is that I ran out of bread flour..Can I sub the all purpose flour? Thanks.

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      March 14, 2016 at 1:42 pm

      Hi Crislen. So happy you enjoy this recipe! Unfortunately all-purpose flour will not yield the same results as bread flour.

      Reply
  29. Lucia says

    May 24, 2016 at 6:16 pm

    This pizza looks amazing πŸ™‚ Can you tell me. please, how many grams is 1 cup?

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 25, 2016 at 7:07 pm

      Thank you, Lucia. Here’s a link that might help you with the conversion πŸ™‚ http://www.answers.com/Q/How_many_grams_are_in_a_cup

      Reply
  30. Nicole says

    June 25, 2016 at 6:36 pm

    Can you leave it sit on the counter for longer than 90 minutes? We’re going to be out and about and not sure if we will be back in 90 minutes, I wasn’t sure if that would effect the dough or not?

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      June 25, 2016 at 6:59 pm

      Hi Nicole. I don’t suggest keeping it out longer than 2 hours.

      Reply
  31. Brooke says

    October 21, 2016 at 12:07 am

    Hello! Your pizza looks delicious and I am going to make it soon! I was just wondering a few things. Does this make 2 pizzas and if it doesn’t can you just half the dough recipe to make one instead of have leftovers in the freezer? Do you use a pizza stone or a baking sheet? Finally, how the heck do you organize the timing so nicely!? Thank you and I hope you don’t get a headache from answering all these questions. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  32. Michelle says

    February 26, 2017 at 9:19 pm

    Pizza stone or baking sheet??
    Looks delicious!

    Thanks,
    Michelle

    Reply
  33. Trish Pin s says

    March 18, 2017 at 1:26 am

    Loved the crust (similar to my favorite grandmas pizza pan crust) but sorry, did not care for the sauce. Was sweet and salty but not in a good way. I doubled checked my steps and I ended up using some Raos and tomatoes with spices . Was still delicious. Liked the frozen mozzarella!!!

    Reply
  34. Becca says

    September 26, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    This would also make great soft breadsticks! Maybe add Italian herbs, garlic and butter before baking….

    Reply
  35. Alex says

    January 8, 2019 at 9:18 pm

    Only 15 miutes in the freezer? That’s new! Haha it looks great, can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  36. Jodi says

    November 5, 2019 at 11:58 pm

    I am new to cooking. The crust was great and very easy. My sauce was a bit salty. I am not sure what I did wrong…any suggestions.

    Reply
  37. Iris says

    January 5, 2020 at 5:10 pm

    I love the sauce! Did you change the recipe? I’m positive it used to contain fennel seeds.

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      January 7, 2020 at 4:29 pm

      Hi Iris. Nope, no changes have been made to the sauce!

      Reply
  38. Sharon Juarez says

    January 22, 2020 at 7:41 pm

    I made the sauce recipe. It was great, but it was SO thick that with all the other ingredients, I couldn’t cook it very long . The recipe doesn’t call for water, but maybe I should have added a little. I’ll add some next time. Your thoughts, please.

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      January 24, 2020 at 2:56 pm

      You could definitely add a small splash of water, if needed! But the sauce should be quite thick, so only add a teaspoon or two at a time πŸ™‚

      Reply
  39. Debbie says

    May 5, 2020 at 11:11 pm

    How did you cook it? Preheated stone? Thin pizza sheet?
    I used my stone, but didn’t preheat heat (cuz how would I spread the dough out then- and I’ve just stuck the cooked pizza Directly on the rack to cook the bottoms crust

    Reply
  40. Yumymymym says

    September 3, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    Yum

    Reply

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Meet Ashley

Hey! I’m Ashley, a creative spirit with a major sweet tooth. Most days you can find me in my happy place: the kitchen. If I’m not there, I’m probably snapping photos of food, planning a party… or dreaming about my next trip to Paris (AKA my favorite place in the entire world). I’m a story teller, recipe developer, and photographer who firmly believes that a homemade life is a happy life. Learn More.

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