This isn’t the first time that I’ve shared a pizza recipe for this newsletter (though wow those are embarrassingly bad pictures). It’s also not the first time I’ve shared distinctly Ohio recipes in this newsletter.
It is the first time (I think) that I’ve shared a distinctly Ohio pizza recipe.
Pizza in probably unique in its endless cultural, stylistic, regional, and even neighborhood variations.
There’re thin crusts, thick crusts, deep dish, puffy crust, chewy crusts, focaccia styles, even deep fried – and that’s before getting into the cheese and toppings: heavy cheese, light cheese, fresh mozzarella, low moisture mozzarella, provolone, brick, Romano, Parm, cheddar? Hot or Cold? (Yes – there’s a style with cold cheese – I’ll get into that later.) And of course, endless variations in sauce and toppings as well. Cut into slices or rectangles?
And that’s just pizza I can get within a few miles of my home here in Ohio.
No, I’m not kidding.
Of course, as I mentioned above there are even neighborhood variation – after all everyone has their favorite neighborhood pizzeria. It might not be the best, or the trendiest, or even feel like it came from the same century – but it’s yours. It’s familiar, friendly, hot fresh and fast.
I love pizza of all sorts, I’ve got one of those propane powered back yard pizza ovens that lets me make a simulacrum of Neapolitan style pizza - one of my Kate’s favorites – but on the other end of the scale, I’ve got a weird soft sport for frozen Totino’s Party Pizzas (though they were better in the old shape and box) – and not just folded over and deep fried like the short lived probably almost certainly unlicensed cart outside one of my favorite post college bars served them. I’ve even come to appreciate the fabulous oddity of Ohio River Valley Style pizza – where the cheese and toppings is added – cold – after the crisp medium thick crust pizza is baked off – so that it only sort of melts. I’m not kidding, it’s a real thing that only exists along about a 50 mile stretch of the big brown river, and it’s really sort of great in its own right. Someday, maybe i’ll do a menu of all the weird wonderful Ohio pizza styles.
All that being said, I’m partial to Central Ohio’s semi-unique style. It’s a thin – sometimes ludicrously so – crust, often with a slightly sweet, very simple sauce, and topped edge to edge with firm cheese (often provolone) and often with a fantastic locally made (though nationally used) pepperoni that crisps and cups up as it bakes. I say semi-unique because lots of folks who’re more steeped in pizza history will claim it’s just like Chicago’s tavern style pizza – but I’ve had both and think there are some subtle differences – mostly in the sauce and cheese choices.
I mentioned neighborhood styles above as well – and that’s in part because the neighborhood I grew up in was home to a couple of the style’s originators. One, an family owned Italian restaurant – TAT - that apparently began serving thin crust pies back in the early 30s, and the other – a tiny neighborhood place from the 1950’s - the pizza that shaped a lot of my perception of the style: Rubinos. Almost universally known to locals as ‘Binos, the parking lot was packed with kids after every home football game waiting to tear into the nostalgic - but practical -paper wrapped pies. People who’ve moved away have it shipped, frozen, across the country just for that little taste of comfort and familiarity. And folks not initialed into the cult of ‘Binos tend to think it’s weird and maybe even a little terrible. It’s an acquired taste maybe – extremely thin, almost paper thin crust, simple sauce, light on the cheese (unless you order extra) with unfussy topping options.
So before I go on to greater and greater lengths here – and I could – I’ll get to the meat. This week’s menu isn’t a fully menu in that it’s not a number of dishes. It’s one. A single – albeit multipart – recipe for a thin crust Columbus, Ohio style pizza. A little taste of my home, and for most of you, probably an unusual and unfamiliar style – but one that’s none the less wonderful for its wonderful weirdness.
A couple notes: First, with one exception, the ingredients for this pizza are easily available at your average grocery (or Italian market) almost anywhere in the world. The exception is the pepperoni. Living here in Columbus, I can drop into a neighborhood grocery (not in my neighborhood – but still a neighborhood grocery) and buy a fabulous locally made pepperoni that’s usually only available wholesale to pizza operators. Unless you’re here in Columbus (and if you are, drop me a line – I’ll tell you were to find it), that’s probably not an option. You can sometimes find pre-sliced packed pepperoni labeled “cup’n’crisp” or something similar – and that’s probably your best option. If you can, I strongly recommend buying whole pepperoni and slicing it yourself for the best result.
Second, while you could make this dough quickly and let it rise fast – the end result will be sort of cardboardy. It really needs a long slow ferment to develop flavor and fully hydrate. That means it takes at least an overnight and best a full 24 hours to make the dough – so plan ahead.
Columbus Ohio Style Thin Crust Pizza
This isn’t the real thing. The real thing should be purchased from a grizzled 60 year old pizzaiolo (who would never call himself pizzaiolo) at a 70 year old shop with faded window lettering and an arcing half broken neon sign at 9pm on dark October weekend night - and mostly eaten on the way home.
This is an approximation – but after a few weeks work, and more than few years of … um … research … it’s a pretty good one.
Makes 1 13-14 inch pizza
½ recipe thin crust pizza dough (see below)
½ recipe simple pizza sauce (see below)
½ cup shredded aged provolone cheese
4 tbsp dry grated parmesan, grana padano, or romano cheese.
Approx.. ½ cup cup crisp style peperoni or more, maybe a lot more
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp coarse cornmeal
1 tsp vegetable shortening
Roll out the dough into an even sheet about 15 inches across in both directions.
Grease a 13-14 inch pizza pan – preferably black or well seasoned – with the vegetable shortening.
Scatter cornmeal on the pan, and on the top of the dough.
Set the pan on the dough, and using a very sharp knife, cut around the pan to make a sheet of dough the same size as the pan.
Turn the pan and the dough over, stretching it back into shape if necessary.
Set the dough sheet and pan aside and allow to relax as the oven preheats.
Preheat your oven to its highest temperature.
Spread the sauce on the dough, using a the back of a ladle or spoon to spread it evenly from edge to edge.
Top - again from edge to edge - with a dusting of dry grated cheese.
Add the grated provolone, working from the outside in to ensure the entire surface is coated.
Add the peperoni in a tight even layer.
Dust the whole pie with the remaining dry grated cheese, and sprinkle lightly with Italian seasoning.
Bake at your oven’s highest setting until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown and the crust is crisp and browning.
Remove from the oven, slide off the pan, and cut into rectangles approx. 2 inches on the short side.
Eat the corners first. They’re the best part.
Simple Pizza Sauce
This is a very simple sauce that uses ingredients that I might otherwise disdain in a tomato sauce: sugar, garlic powder, and dried herbs. The fact is they’re the right ingredients for this sauce. The sauce is slightly sweet (or very sweet if you’re used to just tomatoes). Some shops/cooks add crushed red pepper or cayenne for a bit of heat – that can be fun, but it can also overwhelm the other ingredients. I prefer to scatter the top with red pepper flakes while eating the pizza. Particularly if it’s shaken from one of those impossibly old school glass shakers sitting on a plastic red checkered tablecloth.
1 small can tomato paste
2 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
Add the oil to a thick bottomed pan over medium high heat.
Add the tomato paste, and fry, stirring and scraping, until the paste has darkened somewhat and is very fragrant.
Add the water, basil, garlic powder, and salt.
Stir well to make sure the garlic powder is fully incorporated.
Bring to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes – or just until the ingredients are integrated.
Cool to room temperature before using – hot sauce makes for soggy pizza.
Thin Crust Pizza Dough
Did I develop this recipe mostly from my faded memories of a late 80’s television ad for one of the local shops where they bragged about the fresh ingredients in their crust? Yes. Yes I did – because even then I thought .. wait, milk and eggs in a pizza dough? What the heck. But it’s perfect for this sort of pie.
So … thanks 80’s television. You’ve saved me once again.
Makes two 13 to 14-inch pizza crusts
300g AP flour
½ large egg (approx.)
150g warm whole milk
25 g neutral oil
11 g kosher salt
3 grams flour
Add the milk and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Allow to rest for ten minutes.
Add the flour and salt, and process until the dough starts to come together – it will be crumbly.
Crack a large egg, beat well, and add ½ to the bowl, and process until it’s integrated into the dough.
Process the dough until it begins to come together as smooth dough, then slowly add the oil – waiting until each bit it fully integrated before proceeding.
Knead using the mixer for approx. five minutes – adding very small amounts of water if necessary to form a smooth, but very tight dough.
Turn the dough out into a covered container and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Transfer the dough to a plastic bag (I use a gallon sized zip top bag) and allow to proof in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, 24-36 hours for the best flavor, and up to 72 hours.
Bring the dough to room temperature before using.