New England Greek Style Pizza

In every New England town that has at least a stop light, there is a House of Pizza. Most of these House of Pizza's are run by Greek families. New England Greek Style Pizza is different from New York Style or Chicago Style pizza because of its sweet pizza sauce, buttery crust, and mozzarella cheddar cheese blend!

Ever since I was a little kid my dad and I would drive around New Hampshire trying different pizza places. We pretended we were "pizza critics". We had strict guidelines that we judged pizza by. First of all the crust had to be crispy and not floppy, secondly, the pizza had to have the correct topping to sauce ratio (too many toppings makes pizza soggy!) and finally, the cheese has to be slightly browned and melted all the way!

Here are the Ingredients you'll need for this recipe:

Pizza Dough:

2 1/2 - 3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 1/4 tsp yeast + pinch of sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
Butter for crust
Shortening for pan

Toppings:

1 cup of tomato sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
Pepperoni
Basil Pesto

Jamie's Bitchin' 20 Minute Pizza Sauce:

12oz tomato paste
1 medium tomato
2 cups water
4 tsp dried onion
3 tsp sugar
2 tsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions:

The first step to making the best New England Greek Style Pizza is proofing your yeast. You'll want to add 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast and a pinch of sugar into 1/4 cup of warm water. Mix the yeast and sugar into the water until it dissolves. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, until it's foamy and bubbly.

While your yeast is proofing add 2 1/2 cups of bread flour into your stand mixer. Mix in a teaspoon of garlic power and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. After your yeast has proofed add it to your flour mixture. Next you add in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and start mixing the dough with your dough hook attachment. Slowly add in a cup of water. If your dough looks a little too sticky slowly add a little more of flour. Let your dough knead on medium/low for 10-15 until dough is smooth and supple.

Let your dough rise for about 90 minutes. It should be doubled in size. Punch it down and form it into another ball. This is enough dough for 2 14" pizzas. Cut the dough in half. I usually save half my dough in the freezer for an easy midweek meal. Let your dough ball rest for another 30 minutes. While the dough is resting grease your 14" pizza pan. Use shortening! I swear by greasing my pizza pans with shortening. When it bakes it fries the crust and comes out so crispy and so good! Once pan is greased pre-heat your oven to 475 degrees and start making your pizza sauce.

When I make homemade pizza I always make my own pizza sauce. New England Greek Style pizza has a very sweet sauce. I call this pizza sauce: Jamie's Bitchin' 20 Minute Pizza Sauce! Wow I just said pizza and sauce a lot! this sauce is super easy to make and so incredibly good. The first thing you wanna do is add 12 ounces of tomato paste into a medium sauce pan with one fresh diced tomato and 2 cups of water. Add in all your spices, don't forget your sugar and red pepper flakes! Mix it all together. Over medium heat let the sauce come to a boil. Once it comes to a bowl turn it down to low and let it cook for 10-15 minutes.

Now that our dough is ready and our sauce is all made it's time to start assembling the pizza. Put your rested dough in the middle of your pizza pan and gently stretch the dough to the edges of the pan. Dock your pizza dough with a fork all around your pizza to help prevent air bubbles. Next I like to brush butter around the edges of the crust. Then add your pizza sauce and cheese. Use mozzarella and extra sharp cheddar cheese. Add your desired toppings. I used pepperoni and some basil pesto. Don't go to heavy or your pizza will be soggy.

Bake your pizza in your pre-heated oven for 8 minutes or until pizza crust is golden brown. Let your pizza cool for 10 minutes before cutting. I hope you enjoy a taste of New England and have fun with this recipe.