New York Style Pizza Recipe: Authentic NY Pizza for Home Ovens

Name: New York Style Pizza Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 7 min
Ingredients: 170 grams Flour; 100 grams Water; ¾ tsp Salt (fine/table salt); ¼ tsp Yeast (instant dry yeast); ½ tsp Sugar; ½ tsp Oil (any kind); 100 grams Canned crushed tomatoes (3.5 ounces (app. ½ cup)); ½ tsp Dried oregano; ⅕ tsp Salt (to taste); ½ tsp Garlic clove (minced) (optional); 160 grams Freshly shredded/cut mozzarella cheese ((5.6 ounces)); Parmesan/Pecorino cheese (grated)

ByYuval Weinberg Updated on10/06/2026

17 Comments

New York pizza is arguably the best pizza you can make in a home oven. It has everything you could want in a pizza: a thin crust that is both crispy and chewy, with tomato sauce and cheese perfectly melded together, making it truly irresistible. If you’re considering making pizza in a home oven, look no further – this recipe has you covered, guaranteed

If you’re not familiar with NY style pizza yet, now is the perfect time to explore it. In my opinion, it’s the ultimate pizza to make in a home oven. Why? It requires minimal equipment, can be baked at the temperatures typical of a home oven (unlike Neapolitan pizza, which demands baking at high temperature), and most importantly – it’s simply delicious. Once you try it, you might never feel the need to order pizza delivery again.

Even if you’ve never made pizza dough before, this recipe will quickly give you great results. And if you’re experienced, you’ll hopefully discover how to make it even better.

Note: The preparation instructions in the recipe below are intentionally kept general and concise. Pizza making is a process, and the final result depends far more on using the correct technique and following the right process than on any single recipe. That said, this recipe will still guide you to excellent results – even on your first attempt.

For simplicity, the recipe assumes a default fermentation time of 4 hours. Using the dough calculator provided below, you can adjust the recipe for any fermentation time or method (room temperature or cold fermentation).

All measurements are in grams, so a kitchen scale is essential. Baking by eye or using volumetric measurements is not recommended.

Making New York Pizza Dough

Equipment Needed

A bowl for mixing the dough.
A kitchen scale for accurately measuring the ingredients
A precise scale for accurately measuring the amount of yeast (optional but recommended).
A container for fermenting the dough – this can be a plastic or glass container, a fermentation box, or even a plastic sandwich bag.

Dough Ingredients and Quantities (Pizza Dough Calculator)

Below is PizzaBlab’s pizza dough calculator, featuring a preset recipe formula and quantities for a standard 30cm/12″ pizza, designed for a 4-hour fermentation at 20°C/68°F.

It’s recommended, and even mandatory, to adjust the fermentation time and temperature to match your needs and preferences. This ensures the calculator provides the correct yeast quantity for your dough, which is crucial for achieving optimal fermentation.

You can choose any fermentation duration and method (room temperature or cold fermentation), ranging from 2 hours to long fermentation.

Additionally, you can customize the recipe to suit your preferences – adjusting the dough hydration (between 57% and 65% is recommended), the amount of salt, sugar, or oil, the size and number of pizzas, or using a preferment, among other options.

The calculator is based on baker’s percentages. If you are not familiar with this concept, I highly recommend reading about it in the Encyclopizza, as it’s a crucial yet simple concept that will greatly enhance your baking skills.

For further details on using the calculator, you can also refer to the guide on using PizzaBlab’s dough calculator.

Ingredient	Grams	Tsp	Tbsp
Flour (100%)	0	0	0
Water	0	0	0
Salt	0	0	0
Yeast	0	0	0
Total Dough Weight	0	0	0
Single Ball	0	0	0

Flour for New York Pizza Dough

Any bread flour or pizza flour will work, and even all-purpose flour may be suitable. However, for the best results, it’s recommended to use flour with a high protein content, ideally 11% and higher.

Using Italian flours for making New York style pizza is not recommended.

For further reading on selecting pizza flour, refer to the following article: The Ultimate Guide to Pizza Flour: Characteristics, Differences, and Choosing the Ideal Flour.

Sugar and Oil in New York Pizza Dough

Oil is added to the recipe to create a softer, more tender crumb. While you can omit it, doing so is not recommended. Any type of oil can be used (EVOO, canola, sunflower etc.).

Sugar is included to promote browning. While it can be left out, it is not recommended to do so.

Mixing & Kneading the Dough

1. Prepare Ingredients: Prepare all the ingredients according to the quantities listed in the calculator.

2. Mix Water, Salt and Sugar: Start by adding the water to a bowl, followed by the salt and sugar. Mix them together until most of the salt and sugar dissolves.

If your recipe includes oil, it’s best to add it only after the flour has fully absorbed the water, as oil can inhibit gluten development. However, it is also possible to add it to the water.

3. Add Flour and Yeast: Add the flour to the bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Alternatively, you can dissolve the yeast directly in the water and mix well, which helps distribute it evenly throughout the dough, especially when kneading by hand. It’s ok to add the yeast directly with the salt-water mixture.

If you’re using dry yeast and cold water (below 20°C/70°F), it’s recommended to suspend the yeast in warm water (about 40°C/105°F) for about 10 minutes before adding it to the cold water. Adding dry yeast directly to cold water can damage the yeast cells and impair their ability to ferment the dough.

4. Knead the Dough: Begin kneading the dough. If you plan to ferment it for a short period (up to 3-4 hours), aim to full gluten development by the end of the kneading process (i.e., pass the windowpane test).

The longer the fermentation duration, the less kneading is required. For dough to be fermented for more than 4 hours at room temperature or cold fermented for over 24 hours, knead just until the dough becomes uniform and coherent, with a “creamy” texture (see picture below).

If kneading by hand (recommended), mix all the dough ingredients in a bowl until the flour absorbs most of the water. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead for approximately 5 minutes.
If using a stand mixer, mix all the dough ingredients and run the mixer on the lowest speed (1) for 1-2 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Then, increase to speed 2 (do not go higher!) and continue kneading for around 10 minutes. Monitor the condition of the dough; it should be relatively smooth and uniform when ready.
If using a spiral mixer, follow the same process as with the stand mixer, kneading for about 5-10 minutes at low speed, depending on the mixer and the dough amount.

Alternatively, you can use a semi-autolyse: Mix all the dough ingredients just until no dry flour remains, cover to prevent drying, and let rest for 10-20 minutes before kneading/mixing. This can make kneading easier.

Pizza dough at the end of kneading — This is what the dough should look like at the end of kneading

5. Final Dough Temperature: It’s recommended to aim for a final dough temperature of 23-27°C/73-80°F. This is regardless of the kneading method used.

6. Stretch and Folds: After kneading, you can do 1-2 series of stretch and folds. Be sure to wait at least 15 minutes after the initial kneading before beginning the first series to allow the gluten to ‘relax’.

Dough Shaping/Balling and Fermentation

1. Divide the Dough Into Dough Balls: Divide the dough into the desired number of pizzas. Weigh each portion of dough instead of relying on visual estimation. If a dough ball is too heavy or too light, adjust by adding or removing dough until it reaches the correct weight.

2. Shape and Ball the Dough: To shape each ball, flatten the dough on the work surface with the palm of your hand or fingertips. Fold the edges from the outside toward the center, continuing all the way around until the dough forms a rough sphere.

Flip the dough over so the folded side is underneath, and the smooth side is on top. Place your palm over the dough and roll it in circular motions on the work surface until it forms a round ball with an even surface.

Don’t worry about creating a perfect ball. As long as it’s generally round, it’s fine. There’s no need to tightly “seal” the bottom of the dough ball.

If the dough sticks to the work surface, you can use a small amount of flour to help prevent it from sticking.

3. Move the Dough to the Fermentation Container(s): Transfer the dough balls to a fermentation container, and cover with a lid or cling wrap to prevent the dough from drying out.

If fermenting multiple balls in a fermentation box, leave about 5 cm (2″) of space between each dough ball.
If fermenting individual balls in a plastic or glass container, lightly oil the inside of the container with any type of oil before placing the dough inside. This will facilitate easier removal of the fermented dough ball later.
If fermenting in a plastic bag, coat the dough ball with oil, place it in the bag, and fold the end of the bag into a “ponytail.” Tuck the ponytail underneath the dough ball.

Pizza dough fermented in various types of containers — Dough balls in their containers (and plastic bag)

4. For Room Temperature Fermentation: allow the dough to ferment in the container until it’s ready for baking.

5. For Cold Fermentation: transfer the dough to the fridge immediately after balling.

You can also ferment the dough in bulk and divide it into balls later, approximately 50% into the fermentation process (for example, if the total fermentation time is 6 hours, divide the dough into balls or reball existing dough balls after 3 hours). For more information on bulk and ball fermentation and their effects on the dough, refer to the following article: Ball vs Bulk Fermentation in Pizza Dough: A Complete Guide.

Pre-Baking Preparations

Equipment Needed

Baking Surface: Pizza stone, baking steel, or an inverted oven tray (the standard black tray that comes with the oven, placed upside down for easier pizza placement and removal).
Pizza Peel or Large Tray: For transferring the pizza to and from the oven.
Bowl or Deep Container: For placing and flouring the dough.
Cooling Rack: Essential for cooling the baked pizza.
Parchment paper or pizza screen (Optional): This can assist with easier transfer of the pizza to the oven.

Ingredients and Quantities

The amounts listed below are for one standard-sized pizza, approximately 30 cm (12″) in diameter. If you’d like to adjust the quantities of cheese and sauce based on your preferences or different pizza sizes, you can use PizzaBlab’s cheese and sauce calculator.

160 Grams (5.6 ounces) of semi-hard cheese (see the following section).
100 Grams (3.5 ounces) of canned crushed tomatoes of your choice.
0.5 Tsp dried oregano (to taste).
Parmesan or pecorino cheese (optional but highly recommended).
Flour (for dusting the dough, the work surface and the pizza peel).
Toppings of your choice.

Cheese for New York Pizza

To create the most authentic New York-style pizza, the best choice for cheese is shredded whole milk (22-26% fat), low-moisture (“block”) mozzarella. This type of mozzarella cheese is crucial for achieving the stretchy texture and appearance that New York pizza is famous for, characterized by cheese that fully melds with the sauce and takes on an orange hue.

You can also use sliced mozzarella or cut it into strips or cubes, though this will create a different texture that may be better or worse, depending on your preferences.

It’s best to avoid using fresh mozzarella cheese as the main cheese, as it doesn’t suit this style of pizza as well. However, you can add fresh mozzarella alongside shredded low-moisture mozzarella if desired.

Since mozzarella cheese has a mild flavor, feel free to replace some of it with any semi-hard cheese of your choice, such as Gouda, Emmental, Provolone, or Cheddar. The same considerations about the form of the cheese – grated, cubed, or sliced – apply to these other cheeses.

Additionally, it is highly recommended to grate hard cheeses like Parmesan or Pecorino over the pizza, either before or after baking, as they add significant flavor.

Sauce for New York Pizza

To make the sauce, simply mix crushed tomatoes with oregano and salt, adjusting the seasoning to your taste. For added flavor, consider including 1 tsp of olive oil, one minced garlic clove (or a dash of garlic powder), and a touch of sugar if you find the sauce lacks sweetness.

You can run the tomatoes through a food mill (recommended) or use a (stick) blender to achieve a smoother texture.

You can also adjust the consistency of the sauce by thinning it with a bit of water or thickening it with tomato paste. Alternatively, you can use a mesh strainer to remove any excess water (also thickening it).

That’s it – the sauce is now ready. There’s no need to cook it.

Pre-Baking Instructions

1. Check Dough Readiness: The dough is ready for baking when it has doubled in volume and you can see many small to medium air bubbles at the bottom of the container (see picture and video below).

Illustration of the volume test for pizza dough, at the beginning and at the end of fermentation — This is what dough that is ready to be baked should look like at the end of fermentation (doubled in volume)

If you have cold-fermented the dough, remove the dough balls from the fridge approximately 30 minutes to 3 hours before baking, depending on the room temperature. The dough should rest AT room temperature (not reach it) to allow for easier stretching into a pizza base. If it is too cold, it will be resistant and difficult to work with.

You can start working with the dough when it reaches an internal temperature of at least 10°C/50°F (see video below).

2. Preheat the Oven and the Baking Surface: Preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes before placing the pizza. Position the baking surface (stone, steel, or inverted baking sheet) in the center of the oven on the middle rack. Set the oven to its highest temperature using the standard baking setting (upper and lower heating elements, without convection/fan).

If your oven has a ‘quick pre-heating’ function, it is recommended to use it, as it will significantly reduce the pre-heating time.

It is recommended to use an infrared thermometer (which you can purchase from Amazon or AliExpress) to ensure that the baking surface has reached the desired temperature (at minimum, the temperature set for the oven). In most cases, this should take approximately half an hour for the surface and oven to heat up properly.

Checking the temperature of a baking surface using an infrared thermometer — Using an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of the baking surface

3. Prepare a Cooling Surface: Prepare a surface for cooling the pizza after baking. Any surface that allows steam to escape from the bottom of the pizza will work.

Stretching, Dressing And Baking

Stretching the Dough Ball and Dressing the Pizza

1. Prepare Bench/Dusting Flour: Prepare a wide bowl or plate and fill it with a generous amount of dusting flour. Plain white flour works well.

2. Prepare the Transfer Tool (Pizza Peel): Prepare the tool you will use to transfer the pizza into the oven. If you have a pizza peel, use it; otherwise, use a large tray lined with parchment paper. If using parchment paper, place it on the peel or tray that will be used for transferring the pizza.

3. Flour the Peel: If using a pizza peel, lightly flour it to create a thin layer of flour all over (be careful not to use too much flour, as it may stick to the bottom of the pizza and burn during baking). If using parchment paper or pizza screen, there’s no need to flour them.

4. Remove the Dough Ball From Its Container: Take the dough ball out of its container. If the container was properly oiled before placing the dough in it, simply turn the container over the flour bowl and let gravity do its work – the dough should slide out on its own. You can help it release from the sides of the container with your fingers. If you fermented the dough in a plastic bag, pull the dough ball out or cut open the bag to remove it.

5. Flour and Flatten the Dough: With the dough ball in the flour bowl, press it down firmly with your hand to flatten it. Then, flip it over and flatten the other side as well. Don’t worry about being gentle, you can use some force.

6. Stretch the Dough: Place the flattened dough on a lightly floured work surface. Create a defined outer crust, then use your fingertips to press the center of the dough from the inside out to expand it. Flip the dough over and do the same on the other side.

Once the pizza base has expanded enough, finish stretching it using your preferred method (I recommend using your fists, as shown in the video above).

7. Transfer the Stretched Base: Transfer the stretched pizza base onto the tool that will be used to transfer it into the oven.

8. Dress the Pizza: Start by spreading the sauce, then add the hard cheese (pecorino or parmesan), followed by the mozzarella and the rest of the toppings.

9. Quickly Transfer to the Oven: Once the pizza is ready, transfer it to the oven as quickly as possible to prevent it from sticking to the peel.

A 16-inch pizza, fully dressed and ready to be transferred to the oven — A 16″/40cm pizza, fully dressed and ready to be transferred to the oven

Baking Instructions

For a comprehensive guide to baking pizza in a home oven – including methods, practical tips, and techniques – check out this article (recommended): How to Bake Pizza in a Home Oven: Everything You Need to Know [A Practical Guide].

1. Launch the Pizza: Slide the pizza onto the baking surface. Start with a sharp forward motion to release the furthest part of the pizza onto the baking surface; once the pizza touches the surface, continue with small, sharp, and quick backward movements.

Keep in mind that this may require some practice, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work perfectly on your first try. Or fifth.

If you are using parchment paper, you can simply slide the pizza along with the parchment paper into the oven (refer to the video above).

2. Adjust Temperature and Baking Setting: To bake the pizza, use the oven’s maximum temperature on the standard baking setting, with both the upper and lower heating elements, without convection/fan.

If you used the rapid pre-heating function, switch to the standard baking setting after placing the pizza in the oven.

The total baking time will be approximately 6-10 minutes.

Keep in mind that different ovens may require adjustments, such as placing the pizza on a higher or lower rack or using the broiler mode for more or less time.

3. Rotate the Pizza: It is recommended to rotate the pizza after about 3 minutes to ensure even baking.

4. Turn on Broiler/Convection Mode: During the last 2 minutes, you can switch the oven to broiler or convection mode to give the top of the pizza a final browning (optional – not always necessary). Using the broiler or convection mode will speed up the browning of the upper crust, so you can use them as needed.

5. Remove Parchment Paper (if applicable): If you used parchment paper or pizza screen, remove it after approximately 2 minutes (or once the dough has set and firmed) by carefully lifting the pizza and pulling out the paper. While you can leave the parchment paper or pizza screen in for the entire baking process, it is not recommended as it hinders the bottom of the pizza from receiving maximum radiative heat.

6. Remove Pizza From the Oven and Cool: Once the pizza is baked to your desired level, remove it from the oven and place it on a cooling rack or surface. If you do not have a pizza peel to take the pizza out of the oven, carefully use your hands or an oven mitt to transfer it onto the tray that you used to put the pizza in the oven.

Allow the pizza to cool for at least 3 minutes. A pizza that is piping hot can burn your tongue and is less enjoyable in terms of flavor and texture.

7. Cut and Serve: Transfer the pizza to a serving dish, cut it into slices, and enjoy!

Recipe Summary & Print Version