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St. Louis-Style Pizza

Jun 18 2013 | By: Becky Diamond

My son and I saw this recipe one night on Cook's Country and I knew I just had to give it a try. I had never heard of St. Louis-style pizza, but they are great! Thin and crispy, they remind me of the Tomato Pies so popular in the Trenton, NJ area. Plus these pizzas are SO easy to make - no yeast required - just baking powder as the leavening which give them a crunchy cracker-like crust. With no rising to wait for, they  come together in no time. Apparently the other thing that sets them apart is the type of cheese: Provel - a smoky, soft white processed cheese invented in St. Louis that is said to be a mix of cheddar, Swiss and provolone. I had never heard of this type of cheese and don't think I would have been able to easily track it down where I live in Pennsylvania. Luckily, the Cook's Country recipe I used actually called for a mix of white American and Monterey Jack cheese. So far I have used varying mixes of mozzarella, mild cheddar and provolone which seemed to work fine, especially since this last time I also added a little smoked paprika to the sauce (as a sub for the suggested liquid smoke). I will definitely try to get some liquid smoke for next time, but the smoked paprika really was a delicious substitution. When I rolled out the dough tonight it just happened to form the neat heart shape you see in the picture above - a nice surprise!

 
St. Louis Style Pizza

Yield: 2 (12-inch) pizzas (8 servings)

For the sauce:
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dried oregano

For the cheese (see note):
2 cups shredded white American cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 drops liquid smoke

For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position. Place a pizza stone or an inverted baking sheet on the rack. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
2. Prepare the sauce. Whisk together tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, 1 tablespoon sugar and oregano in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Prepare the cheese. Toss American and Monterey Jack cheeses with liquid smoke in a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. Prepare the dough. Combine flour, cornstarch, 2 teaspoons sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Combine water and olive oil in a measuring cup. Stir water mixture into flour mixture until dough starts to come together. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times, until cohesive.
5. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, press into a small circle and transfer to a sheet of parchment paper dusted lightly with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll and stretch dough into a 12-inch circle, rotating parchment as needed. Lift parchment off work surface and onto an inverted baking sheet.
6. Top each piece of dough with half of the sauce and half of the cheese. Carefully pull one sheet of parchment paper and pizza off a baking sheet and place on the hot baking stone. Bake until underside of crust is golden brown and cheese is completely melted, 9 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, roll out the remaining dough and top with sauce and cheese.
7. When first pizza is done, transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for a few minutes. Bake second pizza. Cut pizzas into 2-inch squares and serve.
Note: Substitute 2 1/2 cups of provel cheese, if available, for the cheese mixture. The dough can be made in advance; tightly wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Per serving: 310 calories; 15g fat; 8g saturated fat; 35mg cholesterol; 12g protein; 33g carbohydrate; 12g sugar; 2g fiber; 870mg sodium; 100mg calcium.
Recipe developed by Meghan Erwin of Cook's Country magazine

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