Pizza Dept.

Open all night

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis

No yeast, no chew, and Provel

Scale this formula

The most divisive pizza in America. The dough has no yeast at all, so it bakes into a cracker rather than a bread. Topped with Provel, a processed blend of provolone, swiss and cheddar that melts into something closer to fondue, and cut into squares.

Method

  1. Stir the dry ingredients, add the water and oil, and mix just until it comes together. Do not develop it.
  2. Rest 30 minutes covered so it rolls without snapping back.
  3. Roll as thin as you can manage, right to the point of transparency.
  4. Dock it all over.
  5. Sauce with a sweet, oregano-heavy tomato, then Provel to the edge.
  6. Bake until the cheese has broken and gone glossy and the base is dry.
  7. Cut into squares.

Fermentation

StageTimeTemperatureNotes
Bench rest 30 min 22°C / 72°F Only to relax the gluten for rolling.

Times are a guide. How to read the dough instead of the clock →

The bake

Oven260°C500°F
Time8-11 minutes

Surface. Screen or stone

Because there is no yeast, this is the fastest dough here: mix to table in an hour.

On top

Sauce
Sweet, thick, oregano and a little sugar.
Cheese
Provel. Substituting mozzarella makes a fine cracker pizza and a poor St. Louis one.
Toppings
Sausage, bacon, onion.

You got it right when It snaps like a saltine and the cheese pulls in sheets rather than strings.