New York Square Pizza
A light square-pan pizza with poolish and olive oil.
The thick square slice of New York is known as Sicilian pizza. It derives from sfincione, a thick pizza from the province of Palermo, which Sicilian immigrants brought to the United States. Sfincione has no mozzarella. The American version became a square cheese pizza.
The formula in numbers
- Hydration
- 74.7%
- Salt
- 2%
- Olive Oil
- 3.8%
- Portion
- 1 × 700 g, about 29 × 29 cm
- Fermentation source
- Instant Yeast
- Preferment
- Poolish, 10.1% of the flour
- Bulk at room temperature
- 2 h 30 min
- Final proof
- 3 h
- Flour strength
- W 300–400
- Flour protein
- 12.5–15%
How to prepare it
- Poolish39 g flour, 39 g water, 0.03 g yeast79 g
- Flour349 g
- Water251 g
- Salt8 g
- Instant Yeast0.38 g
- Olive Oil15 g
The yeast is dosed for the fermentation times of this formula. The calculator adjusts it to your flour, your kitchen and your schedule.
- 14 h
The preferment
Start with a poolish: 10.1% of the flour, the same weight of water and a pinch of yeast, stirred into a smooth batter. Cover it and leave it at room temperature for 14 h.
A ripe poolish is domed and crowded with small bubbles. Use it before it sinks back.
- W 300–400
The dough
Strong bread flour, water, salt, yeast and 3.8% olive oil, plus the poolish. Use a flour of W 300 to 400.
This dough is pressed into a pan, not stretched in the air, so it can be wet.
- 74.7% water
Mixing
Stir the poolish into the water, add the flour, yeast and salt and mix until the dough is smooth. Work in the oil at the end. At 74.7% hydration the dough is sticky.
Oil your hands instead of adding flour.
- 2 h 30 min
Fermentation
Leave the dough for 2 h 30 min at room temperature, covered, with a fold or two on the way. After the poolish, this is a same-day dough: there is no fridge in the plan.
Change the hours in the calculator and the yeast dose follows.
- 3 h
Into the pan
Oil the pan well and press 700 g of dough towards the corners with your fingertips. If it pulls back, wait a few minutes and press again. Then let it proof in the pan for 3 h.
700 g fills a square pan of about 29 × 29 cm.
- 11 min
Baking
Lay the cheese on the dough and spoon the sauce over it. Set the pan on a preheated stone or steel and bake at around 310°C (590°F) for about 11 min.
The cheese shields the dough from the wet sauce, so the crumb under it bakes through.
The most common mistakes
Wrong:Using a poolish that has collapsed
Right:Use it while it is still domed and full of bubbles.
Wrong:Forcing the dough into the corners
Right:Let it relax for a few minutes and press again. It reaches the corners without tearing.
Wrong:Baking before the dough has risen in the pan
Right:Give it the full 3 h in the pan, until it looks puffy.
Wrong:A pan that is barely oiled
Right:Oil it well, so the pizza comes out of the pan in one piece.
Recommended flours
Flour for this formula: W 300–400, 12.5–15% protein. Ranked by fit, then by availability in your country, then by popularity.
