9 Mouthwatering Pizza Styles You Can Easily Make at Home

Today, we’ll walk you through 9 pizza styles you can make at home to help you improve your pizza-baking skills. 

Cooking the same old recipe can get boring for you or your close friends. As a result, you’ll need to up your game and add new styles to your menu. 

So, what are some of your favorite pizza styles right now? Do you wish to learn more? 

Let’s check them out!

9 Pizza Styles You Can Make at Home

Here’s the shortlist of all 9 pizza styles you can make at home. But what distinguishes each pizza style? 

The most significant difference among these pizza styles is the crust. The crust determines a pizza’s taste, texture, thickness, toppings, and recipe.

Pizza Styles

Facts & Characteristics

Types of Pizza Crust

There are other ways to shape your pizza dough and crust, but thin and thick crusts are the most popular.

Let’s briefly discuss each type of crust and see how it determines the characteristics of each of the pizza styles.

Thin Crust

Pizza with a light, crunchy crust is known as thin-crust pizza. Flour, yeast, olive oil, salt, and warm water are commonly used to make this popular pizza style.

The dough is stretched out to make a very thin layer before being cooked for 7-10 minutes in an oven, or fewer if using a pizza oven.

The dough for a thin crust pizza foundation should be roughly 1/8″ thick or as thin as you can roll it.

This form of pizza has various variants throughout the world, but one thing they all have in common is a light and crispy texture. They are thinner in the middle but have a crispy edge.

The trick to getting thinner dough is to stretch it out to create the edges carefully. Because thin-crust pizzas can’t handle the weight of many toppings, they usually only have cheese and maybe one additional topping.

Thick Crust

Contrary to the thin crust, thick pizza crusts are hand-rolled or shaped crusts measuring at least 1/2″ thick and sometimes more. Given their thickness, they can readily take heavy sauce and toppings.

Because thick crust pizzas have borders or edges that hold all of the sauce, cheese, and toppings, the crust is usually laid out on a baking pan.

Pizza Styles by Type of Crust

Thin Crust	Thick Crust
Neapolitan	Chicago Deep Dish
New York Pizza Style	Sicilian Style
St. Louis Style	Detroit Style
New Haven	Greek
	California (Can also be Thin)

9 Pizza Styles You Can Make at Home

1. Neapolitan

It wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t start with one of the traditional Neapolitan pizzas. We usually say pizza originated in Italy. But did you know that Neapolitan pizza was a middle-class and lower-class meal?

The middle and lower classes in Naples were workers. So they had to find something ready-made, they could eat it fast, and it was affordable. Well, it is now one of the most popular pizzas globally.

The Neapolitan pizza is round, with a thin crust and fluffy edges. That means the pizza uses yeast, and you will need to wait for it to rise.

The toppings are centered and don’t occupy the fluffy edges. To serve, you need to cut the pizza into wedges.

• Crust: Thin, soft, and fluffy crust that contains yeast and salt.
• Cheese: Fresh Mozzarella
• Topping: very few toppings; homemade sauce, olive oil, oregano, basil leaves
• Cooking Method: 700-1000F for 60-90 seconds
• How to Eat: Serve in personal sizes

 

2. New York Style

Initially inspired by the Neapolitan, the New York style is one of the top choices in the US. Many restaurants claim to sell this type of pizza at your favorite pizza joint, but they can’t perfect the taste of New York pizza. The pizza is also round, with toppings that don’t spread to the edges.

Instead of having to travel across the country to enjoy a slice of New York-style pizza, why don’t you try making it at home?

You can never go wrong with the New York style because you can put any topping on the pizza. Unlike the Neapolitan with a thin crust.

• Crust: Large thin crust with crusty edges. The dough also contains olive oil, salt, yeast, and sugar.
• Cheese: low moisture shredded Mozzarella, Parmesan
• Topping: oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, pepperoni, homemade sauce, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes,
• Cooking Method: Use in the gas oven, 600-1000 temperatures, 60-90 seconds
• How to Eat: large triangular and foldable pieces

3. Sicilian (“Sfincione,”)

Well, if you thought the New York style was your favorite, the Sicilian pizza, also known as the Sfincione, can convince you of others. Unlike the typical circular-shaped pizza in the US, this pizza is thick, bready, and square-shaped.

In this case, you will need to add cheese underneath the sauce to avoid having soggy dough. Initially, the pizza makers baked the pizza with a thick tomato sauce, which is different from the other homemade sauces.

To get that thick dough, you will have to add yeast to your dough.

• Crust: Thick, bready, crunchy
• Cheese: you can eat it with caciocavallo, a dry, crumbly cheese, or without the cheese.
• Topping: Few toppings like herbs, anchovies, onion, tomato, and sprinkled bread crumbs on top.
• Cooking method: Oil your pan with olive oil before placing the dough. Cook for 30 minutes at 300F or 20 minutes at 400F.
• How to eat: Served in square-shaped slices.

4. Chicago Deep Dish

The Chicago deep dish is one of the more tasty and cheesy pizzas of all pizza styles. This pizza is circular with a sunken center and a raised crust.

Therefore, you don’t have to spread your toppings to the edges. The Chicago pizzerias made the pizza different by layering the cheese differently.

Typically, you will start with the dough, then cheese, toppings, and thick tomato sauce at the top. You can also add another topping of cheese with the tomato sauce.

• Crust: Thick crust, deeper and crunchier with olive oil flavor.
• Cheese: mozzarella and top with parmesan  
• Topping: pepperoni, ground beef, mushrooms, onions, and sausage underneath tomato sauce.
• Cooking method: Use a deep pan, oil the base, and cook for 25-40 minutes.
• How to eat: Serve in triangular slices

5. Detroit

Are you looking for a unique and aesthetically pleasing pizza to serve your friends and family? Try the Detroit, which is rectangular with the toppings spread to the edge.

People will appreciate the thick pizza crust that is also light and airy.

This pizza also has a different way of topping, starting with the pepperoni, cheese, toppings, and finally, the thick patched tomato sauce at the top.

Don’t be afraid to place a fresh garnish at the top to make the pizza attractive. Remember, you don’t need to oil this pan to get the oil flavor.

• Crust: Thick, buttery, crunchy crust with a caramelized cheese perimeter.
• Cheese: Wisconsin brick cheese
• Topping: pepperoni and tomato sauce.
• Cooking method: Cook in a rectangular-shaped pan with stretched-out dough on the sides. Cook for 10-20 minutes at 500-600F.
• How to eat: Serve the pizza in square pieces.

6. St. Louis

Are you looking for a yeast-free recipe? Then the St. Louis style will save you a lot of time you would have spent on waiting for the dough to rise.

This pizza comes in a rectangular shape if you want something unique. You can spread the pizza toppings to the edge because St. Louis has a flat, thin crust.

St. Louis came into the country in the 19th century with Italian immigrants. These immigrants got their inspiration from the Sicilian pizza style.

• Crust: Thin and crackling golden-brown crust.
• Cheese: cheddar, Swiss, provolone, and Provel processed cheese.
• Topping: sweet tomato sauce, oregano, Provel cheese, and other toppings of your choice.
• Cooking method: Place it on the lowest rack at the bottom to cook more. Use a pizza stone or a baking sheet. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
• How to eat: Cut the pizza into four rectangular pieces.

7. New Haven Pizza Style

The New Haven Pizza Style is a great way to try the Neapolitan style, also known as “apizza” by locals. What’s the difference?

The New Haven Pizza is the Neapolitan style cooked in a coal-powered oven. The New Haven also has a thin and oblong crust. Besides, the recipe prohibits you from using melting cheese.

This pizza type is served in many restaurants, including Modern Apizza and Sally’s Apizza.

• Crust: hand-tossed, thin, chewy, and charred edges. The crust is also plain, with no flavor and an oblong shape.
• Cheese: grated pecorino Romano and mozzarella, which are both toppings
• Topping: oregano, tomato sauce,
• Cooking method: Bake in a coal-powered oven at 670F
• How to eat: Sliced into pieces when serving.

8. Greek

The Greek pizza style came when the Italians in America introduced them to pizza. The Greeks had to add some of their favorite ingredients to the mix to enjoy it more.

You will also have to decide whether you add more Greek or non-Greek toppings as you cook with the traditional toppings. The pizza is circular with a thick crust and puffy edges.

The thick crust signifies that you don’t need to spread the ingredients to the edges. You will also have to cook the crust in a pan with more olive oil to fry the bottom of the crust.

However, the pan should not be as deep as the one we used for making the Sicilian crust.

• Crust: Thick puffy, chewy, hand-rounded, olive-flavored crust
• Cheese: Mix cheddar or provolone with mozzarella.
• Topping: Strong oregano flavor and tomato paste in the soup. You can add other Greek toppings like red onion, black olives, and feta cheese.
• Cooking Method: Bake in an olive oil-seasoned pan. Put a lot of olive oil on the bottom to fry.
• How to eat: Cut the pizza into triangle slices and serve.

9. California

The California style differs from the rest because it has no significant distinction between the crust and toppings. That is because the California style includes many other recipes for pizza.

The concept comes from the California Pizza Kitchen, a restaurant chain. Chef Ed LaDou, the head pizza chef in 1970, came up with over 250 different recipes while experimenting.

Some of the standard toppings include red pepper, ricotta, and mustard.

To order pizza in California, you must go to a high-end restaurant. Only in California will you get a pizza topped with caviar.

• Crust: either a thick or thin crust. The crust is also circular.
• Cheese: any cheese that will go well with your recipe.
• Topping: There are no specific traditional toppings for the California style. Put the toppings of your choice, like mushrooms, beef, chicken, artichokes, and garnish.
• Cooking method: Which type of crust are you using? You will need to cook for a longer time if you choose a thick crust and less for a thin crust.
• How to eat: You can slice the pizza into triangles. 

The Last Slice

There are many more pizza styles worldwide, but you should start with some of the ones listed above. 

We hope you understand the various pizza crust shapes and flavor pairings and layer the toppings. Remember to cook and serve as the commoners or tradition allow. 

Now that you know how to make them, you can start buying the ingredients and introduce your friends and family to something new. Simply choose your favorite and prepare the finest pizza possible.

Additional Resources on Pizza Making

Enjoy!

Related Posts

Newsletter

Subscribe to our Recipe of the Week newsletter and receive our partners’ latest recipes, tips, and discount offers.

Keep in Touch!

info@homemadepizzapro.com