In reality, few people understand Brooklyn-style pizza well enough to distinguish it from distinctive New York pies. In this text, we have gained a deeper understanding of this specific style of pizza.
Many areas within the US have their own unique delicacies. It’s a fusion of Tex-Mex culture, while its mid-west cities are famous in the world for their Cincinnati’s Skyline Chili and Kansas City BBQs. Perhaps the most recognized nearby dish is New York-style pizza. However, community members and pizza enthusiasts nationwide cherish a unique style of NY pizza known as Brooklyn-style pizza.
No matter your personal preferences, it’s likely that you enjoy some form of pizza. Of course, that’s a reasonable assumption to make given the variety of pizza styles available. The New York slice, Chicago deep dish, and California-style pizza are just a few examples. But what about Brooklyn pizza?
Brooklyn-Style Pizza
The borough of Brooklyn primarily makes and perfects Brooklyn pizza. Specifically, Brooklyn-style pizza is characterized by its slim, crispy texture, a large pie length typically ranging from 18 to 45 inches, a thin crust, and minimal toppings, if any. Chicago deep dish pizza, known for its “deep” layers of sauce and cheese and thick crusts, stands in contrast to Brooklyn-fashion pizza.
Thin, Brooklyn-style pizza is also typically served in rectangular shapes rather than the triangular slices commonly visible with specific pizza types. When eating Brooklyn-fashion pizza, you’ll likely discover that the skinny crust makes the pizza portions a touch floppier—that’s what the square form is for.
In addition, the skinny crust modifies how many slices you can anticipate from a Brooklyn pizza pie. Brooklyn-style pizza pies typically divide into six portions instead of precise slices. Depending on the number of toppings, thick-crust pizzas typically come in eight to 16 slices.
Here are some fascinating statistics about Brooklyn-style pizza to help you distinguish it from other types:
•Brooklyn-fashion pizza is historically hand-stretched. Brooklyn-fashion pizza is traditionally hand-stretched. That thus means it ordinarily has a paper-thin crust.
•Brooklyn-style pizza dough always has less moisture; it carries a hand-stitched texture. Therefore, it remains as a favorite for pizza enthusiasts who want their pizzas to have a crisper mouthfeel or less crust or dough.
•Most specialty cheeses in Brooklyn-style pizzas contain fewer toppings and less complexity in cheese mixture, unlike other types. Fifty-five percent provolone and forty-five percent mozzarella cheese are mainly used in making a traditional pizza for Brooklyn pizza.
•Other people consider Brooklyn-style pizzas to be healthier compared to exquisite pizzas because the former contains fewer toppings or cheeses. Because they contain fewer doughs, eating a Brooklyn-style pizza results in a lower consumption of carbohydrates.
The history of Brooklyn-style pizza
While Brooklyn-style pizza has gained popularity today, it wasn’t always this way. In fact, Domino’s brought Brooklyn pizza back to prominence in 2006. Domino’s Brooklyn-fashion pizza came in six large slices and featured an extraordinarily skinny crust. Expertly cooking cornmeal into the crust enhanced its crispiness in the Domino’s recipe.
But that wasn’t where Brooklyn-style pizza originated. Technically, Brooklyn-style pizza originated from New York fashion pizza, which first appeared in the early 1900s. The first U.S. pizzeria, Lombardi’s, made New York-style pizza under the recipe and recommendation of an immigrant pizza maker named Antonio Totonno, who hailed from Naples.
The original New York fashion pizza evolved into one with cheese on the bottom and a moderate layer of tomato sauce on the top. The popularity of New York fashion pizza rapidly expanded throughout the town and the rest of the United States of America. But it wasn’t till the Eighties and Nineties that Brooklyn-fashion pizza began to differentiate itself.
Even these days, most Brooklyn-fashion pizza pies contain a few similarities to traditional New York-style pizza.
For instance, both pizza types use garnished mozzarella and hand-tossed dough with the intention to maximize crust thinness. Notably, Brooklyn pizza uses significantly less mozzarella than traditional New York-style pizza.
Discover a secret to perfect Brooklyn-style pizza at home.
While Brooklyn-style pizza boasts the most perfect aggregate of crust, rich tomato sauce, and melted cheese, its secret to being developed to taste like that famous flavor is unknown to many; how do you make this happen at home? Let Red Moon Pizza take you on a culinary journey to replicate their well-known pizza.
• The Dough
The foundation of any super pizza is the dough. For that true Brooklyn style, the dough must be thin—however strong—sufficient to maintain beneficial toppings. We use excessive protein flour to accumulate the proper texture. Here’s a simplified version of our own family recipe: integrate flour, water, a pinch of sugar, salt, and yeast. The key is to allow the dough to rise slowly, preferably in a single day, to enhance the flavors.
• The Sauce
Our sauce is a blend of sun-ripened tomatoes, a touch of garlic, basil, and a mystery mixture of herbs; this has been in our own family for generations. The trick is to prepare the sauce just enough to blend the flavors without sacrificing the freshness of the tomatoes.
• Toppings
Quality is paramount on the subject of toppings. We use locally sourced mozzarella, handpicked greens, and artisanal meats. Remember, less is more; you want each issue to shine.
• Baking
Most domestic ovens cannot reach the high temperatures of industrial pizza ovens; however, a pizza stone or metal can provide assistance. To achieve a satisfying, charred crust, preheat your oven to its highest setting for an hour.
Follow these steps, and you might take home a little taste of Brooklyn all thanks to the storied lifestyle of Red Moon Pizza.
Final Thoughts:
Really, pizza has come down to a simple choice: Brooklyn-style pizza or skinny crust pizza. You might be yearning for the heartier, shareable pie with amply tossed toppings or perhaps just looking for a lighter experience that focuses on pizza. Each style has its charm. The next time you crave that slice of pizza: before baking your pizza. consider exploring the delicious variations between Brooklyn-style pizza and thin crust to find a pie that suits your palate.
