Brick Oven Pizza Brooklyn Style at Home: Recipes & Tips
Brooklyn-style pizza stands out due to its thin, crispy crust achieved from high-temperature brick ovens. These ovens cook the pizza rapidly, ensuring a balanced texture that’s both crispy and chewy. Dough is hand-tossed, making each pizza unique and providing an even bake. Traditional toppings like mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, and fresh basil enhance the classic flavor profile. These pizzas often feature a perfect ratio of sauce to cheese, highlighting the freshness and quality of ingredients.
The Appeal of Brick Oven Cooking
Brick oven cooking offers multiple benefits that standard ovens can’t match, especially in creating the distinct flavor of Brooklyn-style pizza. The oven’s high temperature, typically reaching up to 900°F, cooks the pizza in roughly 2 minutes, locking in flavors and imparting a smoky essence. The radiant heat from the bricks ensures even cooking, preventing sogginess and delivering a perfect crisp. Due to the quick cooking time, ingredients retain their freshness, providing a vibrant taste in every bite.
Key Ingredients in Brooklyn Style Pizza
Types of Cheese Used
Mozzarella is the primary cheese in Brooklyn-style pizza. Its meltability and mild flavor make it ideal. Fresh mozzarella, distinct for its moisture content, creates creamy patches on the pizza. Low-moisture mozzarella, grated or sliced, ensures even distribution. Provolone sometimes complements mozzarella, offering a subtle sharpness. Grana Padano or Pecorino Romano, shredded or grated, often garnish the pizza, adding an extra salty and nutty layer to the flavor profile.
Importance of the Sauce and Dough
The sauce in Brooklyn-style pizza balances sweetness and acidity. San Marzano tomatoes, known for low acidity and natural sweetness, form the base. Simplicity rules; ingredients typically include tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, and salt. The dough, pivotal to the pizza’s structure, requires high-gluten flour for elasticity and crispness. A long fermentation period, 24 to 48 hours, enhances flavor and texture. Hand-tossed technique ensures an uneven surface, which cooks evenly in the brick oven, resulting in a combination of crispy and chewy bites.
Combining these key ingredients—cheese, sauce, and dough—defines the unique taste and texture of Brooklyn-style brick oven pizza.
Top Brooklyn Pizzerias to Visit
Famous Brick Oven Pizza Spots
Brooklyn hosts several renowned pizzerias famous for their brick oven offerings. Grimaldi’s under the Brooklyn Bridge is iconic, known for its coal-fired brick oven, which imparts a unique flavor. The thin, crispy crusts and fresh toppings draw pizza enthusiasts from all over.
Juliana’s Pizza, founded by the original owner of Grimaldi’s, serves traditional pizza with a modern twist. The Margherita pie, featuring San Marzano tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella, is a must-try.
L&B Spumoni Gardens offers a different take with their Sicilian-style pizza cooked to perfection in a brick oven, ensuring every bite is flavorful and satisfying.
Hidden Gems in Brooklyn
Several lesser-known spots also serve exceptional Brooklyn-style brick oven pizza. Roberta’s, located in Bushwick, stands out for its inventive toppings and high-quality ingredients. The Bee Sting pizza, a mix of spicy and sweet flavors, is particularly popular.
Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitana in Coney Island has been around since 1924. Its coal-fired brick oven pizzas feature a perfect balance of cheese, sauce, and crust, attracting both locals and tourists.
Di Fara Pizza in Midwood, run by the DeMarco family, remains a hidden gem. Each pizza is crafted with care, using high-quality tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil, making it a neighborhood favorite.
These pizzerias, both famous and hidden, offer a taste of authentic Brooklyn-style brick oven pizza, each with unique pizza creations worth exploring.
Making Brick Oven Pizza at Home
Equipment Needed
To make authentic Brooklyn-style brick oven pizza, you’ll need specific tools:
- Brick Oven: For the characteristic high heat (up to 900°F).
- Pizza Stone or Steel: If you don’t have a brick oven, these can mimic the high temperatures.
- Pizza Peel: For easily transferring your pizza in and out of the oven.
- Dough Mixer: To achieve a well-mixed and kneaded dough.
- Proofing Container: Allows the dough to ferment properly.
Step-by-Step Recipe
Follow these steps to make your own Brooklyn-style brick oven pizza:
- Prepare the Dough: Mix high-gluten flour, water, yeast, and salt. Let it ferment for at least 24 hours.
- Preheat the Oven: Heat your brick oven or pizza stone to 900°F.
- Shape the Dough: Spread the dough into a thin crust.
- Add Sauce: Use San Marzano tomato sauce as a base.
- Top the Pizza: Add mozzarella, provolone, Grana Padano, and Pecorino Romano. Include fresh basil.
- Bake the Pizza: Place the pizza in the oven for 2-3 minutes until the crust is crispy and toppings are melted.
- Serve and Enjoy: Cut into slices and serve hot.
Turning your kitchen into a Brooklyn pizzeria is possible with these tools and steps, ensuring you enjoy the distinctive flavor and texture of a classic brick oven pizza.
Conclusion
Brooklyn-style brick oven pizza isn’t just a meal; it’s an experience. From the crispy crust to the savory toppings, every bite transports you to the heart of Brooklyn. Whether you’re savoring a slice at a renowned pizzeria or crafting your own masterpiece at home, the essence of this iconic pizza style is all about quality and tradition. Embrace the challenge of making it yourself, and you’ll find that the rewards are as satisfying as the flavors. Dive into the world of brick oven pizza and bring a piece of Brooklyn to your kitchen.
