St. Louis-Style Pizza

Written By Alex Washesky

Description:

St. Louis Pizza is characterized by cracker-thin crust, sweet tomato sauce, abundant toppings and controversially, its use of Provel cheese. Provel is a processed cheese unique to St. Louis, that is a combination of Swiss, Provolone & Cheddar cheese. The most unique aspect of this cheese is its ability to stay melted, even after cooling to room temperature. Imo’s Pizzeria is perhaps the most well-known St. Louis pizza location, know for their use of Provel cheese on their pizzas. Not all St. Louis pizzerias use Provel for their pizza, and this recipe uses a Provel substitute blend of cheeses.

Ingredients:

(Makes 1 Pizza)

  • 1 sweet Italian sausage crumbled (95 g)

  • 20-24 slices pepperoni

Cheese Mix

  • 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, shredded (30 g)

  • 1/4 cup Provolone, shredded (30 g)

  • 1/4 cup Cheddar, shredded (30 g)

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup pureed tomatoes (100 g)

  • 2 tbsp tomato paste (30 g)

  • 1/2 tsp sugar (4 g)

  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder (2 g)

  • 1/4 tsp onion powder (2 g)

  • 1/4 tsp chili flakes (2 g)

  • 1/4 tsp oregano (2g)

  • 1/4 tsp salt (2 g)

Dough

  • 1 cup AP flour (115 g)

  • 1/4 cup water (58 ml)

  • 1/2 tsp baking powder (3 g)

  • 1/4 tsp salt (1.5 g)

  • 1 tbsp olive oil (14 g)

Preparation:

Mix all dough ingredients in a bowl until combined. Cover and let rest 30 minutes. Knead until smooth, then rest and cover for another 30 minutes.

To make sauce, mix all ingredients together and leave at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a floured cutting board, roll out dough until it is thin enough to barely see your hand through the other side. Grease a large, circular sheet pan. Place the stretched pizza dough on the sheet pan. Spread the pizza sauce evenly on top, spreading the sauce all the way to the end of the pizza. Spread the cheese evenly over the sauce, then top with sausage and pepperoni. Bake for 12-14 minutes until bottom is crispy. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a minute, then slice into even squares and serve.

Notes:

  • If you want a truly authentic St. Louis Pizza experience, you can substitute the cheese in this recipe for Provel - you can order this cheese online.

  • The most popular ingredient combination at Imo’s is the following: mushrooms, onions, green bell peppers, bacon and Provel.

Alex Washesky
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