Bar Pizza (The Easiest Pizza)

The New England Bar Pizza is every bit as delicious as a classic NY pizza, but a whole lot easier, and its simple design and cracker-like crust make it super easy to eat – perfect for snacking while seated at a bar, or in the comfort of your own home!

Easy to make, even easier to eat!

As a New Yorker, it wasn’t until I was older and traveled around more that I had my first bar pizza. I had grown up eating classic New York pizza with its comparatively large slices and flop.

So when I first ate a bar pie, it was a different experience entirely – most notably, the pie was much smaller and the cracker-like crust had no flop, but rather made the slice very easy to eat. The ideal snack when sitting at a bar!

The thing I like best about the bar pizza is that it is incredibly easy to make – no pizza steel required, no opening the dough ball to hand stretch, and no launching with a pizza peel. These cook up in bar pie pans (you can also use cake pans) and require a much smaller dough ball. I like that these are small enough to be personalized, so you can easily customize each pizza with your favorite toppings!

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.

• Pizza dough. I’m using homemade dough and using 1 7-ounce dough ball per bar pizza. For the dough, I’m using bread flour, SAF instant yeast, fine sea salt, sugar, cold water, and olive oil. Yes, you can use store-bought pizza dough to make this recipe.
• Cheese. Most bar pizzas include a combination of mozzarella and cheddar. I’m using mild white cheddar and a block of mozzarella, and using a cheesegrater to shred the cheese. I do not recommend using pre-shredded cheese as those typically contain additives that can cause the cheese to burn. I also don’t recommend using fresh mozzarella here.
• Tomatoes. If you’ve made any of my pizza recipes, you’ll know that the “sauce” is not really sauce – it’s a combination of good-quality drained canned tomatoes and salt, and that the only cooking it sees is when it’s on top of the pizza dough in the oven. This is how NY pizzerias do it, and it’s the way I’ve always done it.
• Butter and oil. I’m using a combination of butter and oil for the bottom of the bar pie pan. Most New England bar pies use corn oil as it allows the bottom to reach a golden-brown crispiness, but you can also use olive oil.
• Oregano. Dried Sicilian oregano is preferred, but any dried oregano will do.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make the dough

Note: if using store-bought pizza dough, skip to the next area.

1. Combine the flour, yeast, fine sea salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add the water a little at a time and mix to form a dry rough mass, then pour the oil over the dough, mix again to scrape off any residue stuck to the sides of the bowl, and place on a work surface.

3. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, place an inverted clean bowl over the dough and wait 20-30 minutes before resuming. Return to kneading. Just be sure to knead for a total of 5 minutes from start to finish.
4. Divide the dough into 2 equal-sized portions and pull the dough toward its end repeatedly to form a smooth ball. Pinch the seam side and place each ball seam-side down into an oiled bowl or container and cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least 12, but ideally 24 hours before using. Note: if making the pizza the same day, set the covered dough balls in a warm area and allow them to rise for 90-120 minutes or until the dough doubles in size. Then, make the pizza, but note that there won’t be as much flavor as a cold-fermented pizza that comes only from allowing the dough to sit in the fridge overnight.

How to make bar pizza

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Remove the dough balls from the fridge 2 hours before using and preheat the oven to 500°F. Set one rack to the lowest level and the other to the second-highest level. Strain the crushed tomatoes for 3 minutes to remove excess water, discard the water, and add salt to the tomatoes to taste.
2. Oil each 10-inch bar pizza pans with 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons of melted butter, including the side edges.

3. Place each dough ball into the pans and press it out to the edges.
4. If the dough resists going to the edges, simply cover with plastic wrap and wait 20-30 minutes, then press again.
5. With a fork, make dimples in the dough to prevent large bubbles.
6. Place a layer of sauce on the pizzas to the edge.

7. Sprinkle with oregano and top with the cheese. Note: you will need to use all the cheese, but may have leftover sauce.
8. Bake for 8 minutes on the lower-level of the oven and use a spatula to lift the bottom to check for brownness. If the bottom is golden-brown and crisp, move the pans to the second-highest level and bake for another 5-8 minutes or until the pizza is nicely browned and cooked through. If the pizza is still blond after 8 minutes on the lowest rack, bake for the whole time on the lowest rack. Enjoy!

More pizza recipes

If you love making homemade pizza, give these other recipes a try!

• Grandma pizza
• NY Sicilian pizza
• Easy French bread pizza