Pizza originated in Italy but it has spread all over the world and the U.S.A. is one of the top countries making their own flavors. They are different types of pizza in the U.S.A that are great and let’s get through this list of the best ones.
You can make a lot of pizza flavors with just a few ingredients. That is the thing about pizza is that it does not box you in with what you have known and allows you to create new flavors.
The very simple nature of pizza allows you to be as creative as you can be. With dough, sauce, and toppings, you can make a pizza of any flavor that you want, add cheese in it and it gets better.
That is why pizza is really amazing even though it is a very simple recipe. These three main ingredients in a pizza have spawned a lot of variations that the majority of people love.
Given the history of pizza, nobody knew that it would spread this much. It was first known as food for peasants because the ingredients that were used were cheap and easy to make.
But ever since it became a well-known delicacy, it turned completely sideways. Pizza is now considered as a food for every class of society and it has been loved by many people.
From Italy to the US, the spread of this amazing recipe has been unstoppable. It garners billions of dollars in annual income and most countries have created their own versions with what’s available in their area.
So if you live in the US or if you just want to take a test on which pizza they produce is the best, we have this list for you of our favorite types of pizza in the USA that you will surely like.
1. Neapolitan Pizza
This pizza is the origin of all pizzas and it is one of the favorites. The iconic thin crust from Naples is the first type of pizza that was known and was copied by other producers.
The Neapolitan Pizza was introduced to America when the Italians migrated to the country. It has been around for so long so you might see some variations but the process is the same.
When you make a Neapolitan Pizza, you will need an Italian-milled flour, salt, yeast, and water for the dough. It is fermented and left to rise to create that thin crust when it is cooked.
The famous cheese used in Neapolitan Pizza is mozzarella. Along with that is only a small amount of tomato sauce so you can get that distinct taste of the crust and the cheese.
Nowadays, the Neapolitan Pizza has been edited in so many ways, especially on the toppings. But no matter what kinds of toppings you put in a Neapolitan Pizza, they should all be thinly sliced.
It is necessary to put only thin toppings on the Neapolitan Pizza because it has a very thin crust and if you put something too heavy on it, the crust will become soggy instead of being crispy.
The technique used in cooking a Neapolitan Pizza also matters. The authentic way to bake it is to put it in a wood-fired oven to get a little bit of extra flavor from the smoke and for it to cook quickly.
2. New York Pizza
This type of pizza originated long after the Neapolitan Pizza. However, it is considered as the one closest to the original and authentic pizza from Naples, Italy.
It still uses the basic ingredients like the yeast, salt, flour, and water but it also incorporates sugar and oil on the pizza dough. This is to make the dough brown beautifully when baked.
The original recipe for the New York Pizza also uses tomato sauce and grated mozzarella cheese. The noticeable difference is that New Yorkers love putting meat in their pizza.
So unlike the light toppings on the Neapolitan Pizza, the New York Pizza uses meat and vegetables that perfectly blend with the mozzarella, tomato sauce, and the slightly sweet crust.
The technique in putting toppings on the New York Pizza is to keep it balanced. This is because you should still consider the thin crust that might weigh down and get soggy with too many toppings.
The New York Pizza has a nice crisp on the crust but it is also chewy on the inside. This is why New York Pizza is folded when it is being eaten to get all the flavors in one bite.
The serving technique for the New York Pizza is also a little bit different. It is served in large slices instead of serving it as a whole round pizza like most.
The New York Pizza is basically a Neapolitan Pizza that gives more freedom on the toppings that you want. However, it should also be balanced so that it does not get soggy.
3. Chicago Deep Dish
Perhaps the only place that you will find this recipe to be popular in is Chicago. Deep-dish pizza is a relatively small pizza when it comes to the diameter but it is way larger in terms of toppings.
In fact, the meat and vegetables that you put in this pizza are more of stuffing instead of toppings. It consists of a deep crust pushed into a pan and layers of meat and cheese.
The crust is also made to be medium thick in order to hold up a large amount of topping that you put in it. It is made in a pan that resembles a cake pan and is cooked longer than most pizzas.
Because of the longer cooking time, the Chicago deep-dish pizza also has its toppings arranged in a different way. The cheese and the meat are not placed on top of the pizza for good reasons.
The toppings of the deep-dish pizza need to be protected. That is why the tomato sauce is spread on top of the meat and the cheese so they would not get burned in the long baking process.
So basically, you put the crust in the pan and then arrange the toppings, cheese, and meat upside down. The crust is also fried by putting oil on the pan so it becomes crispier and more firm.
4. California Pizza
The California-style Pizza might give you the impression that it is a Neapolitan or a New York-style pizza.
But aside from the crust, there are not many similarities between them.
The California-style pizza is an unorthodox pizza that uses ingredients that are uncommon to most pizzerias.
You might find some toppings such as smoked salmon, sausage, and different types of cheese.
But that is the trademark of the California-style pizza, it uses ingredients that are sometimes controversial.
In fact, it all started with a mix of red peppers, mustard, ricotta, and pate.
From there, the California-style pizza went on to be developed with different unusual toppings.
The world-renowned Chef Wolfgang Puck tried the first version of this pizza and actually loved it.
So that is a testament to the absurd, yet the amazing flavor of this pizza. Another commonly uncommon topping for this pizza is leftover barbecue chicken with strong cheese of your choice.
5. St. Louis Style Pizza
Often compared to the Sicilian pizza, the St. Louis-style pizza has a thin crust that is very crispy and almost seems like it is a cracker rather than being a dough or a pizza crust.
The main thing that differentiates the St. Louis pizza from the others is that it does not use yeast when making the dough. This means that it does not rise as much as the other pizza crusts.
This pizza is commonly topped with vegetables or cheese alone. This is because the crust cracks easily so heavy toppings will only make it crumble into pieces.
It is also served in a different way. The St. Louis pizza is sliced in rectangular pieces instead of the common triangular slices so they are just like crackers with the toppings of a pizza.
This recipe is famous for combining different kinds of cheese as toppings. You can go with the more common mozzarella, cheddar, and provolone mixture or add your own mix to it.
It was invented in the late 1960s and not much has changed since then. Up to this day, people who cook this recipe still use the cheese that was originally used in the first recipe.
6. Detroit-style Pizza
This is another kind of deep-dish pizza that is served like a Sicilian pizza. The recipe is served in a rectangular shape and is also sliced in that way.
The common sauce used in the Detroit-style pizza is marinara instead of tomato or pizza sauce. It is also not put right on top of the crust and instead, the marinara is drizzled on top.
It is cooked in a well-oiled pan and is baked in the oven so the crust caramelizes and gives a crunchy texture. It is often topped with mushrooms or pepperoni, depending on what you want.
The dough is also made with 70% hydration or even more. This makes the crust bubbly and it rises with the heat giving the crust a fluffy texture on the inside while keeping it crispy on the outside.
7. New England Greek-style Pizza
This pizza is not a very well-known pizza but it packs a lot of flavors. It was first served in the US in restaurants that were run by Greek immigrants in New England.
The crust of this pizza is not that thin nor is it thick but it is cooked in a heavily-greased pan like the Chicago Deep-dish. This gives the pizza a nice golden brown finish on the crust.
It uses tomato sauce but with a slight twist. The tomato sauce that is commonly used in this recipe is packed with oregano to give a fresh taste to the sauce.
It is topped with common Greek toppings such as artichoke, kalamata leaves, and more. The New England Greek-style Pizza also commonly uses mozzarella for the cheese part.
Conclusion
There you have it, the different types of pizza in the USA. We are sure that you will also find some types of pizza that are not mentioned in the list so let us know about them.
These types of pizza are the more well-known types that are made in the US. You can see that in just the USA, there are already a lot of variations of pizza.
So when you travel the world, you will see the diversity of cultures just by looking at how they prepare or what they put in their pizzas. It is a great way of knowing the taste of people in the area.
The types of pizza in the US are more friendly in terms of spice. They do not use too many hot ingredients, unlike the classic Italian hot sausage that is also popular in some countries.
The techniques and the ingredients of the pizzas in the US might be different but they are all relatively simple and easy to make. You can practice on any pizza type that you want and develop it.
There are a lot of pizza types that need to be done in a certain way so these types of pizzas on the list are a great way to start your own pizza recipe!
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