Basic St Louis Style Pizza Sauce Recipes

IMO'S PIZZA RECIPE (ST. LOUIS STYLE PIZZA)

Steps:

• Crust: Mix until thoroughly combined - Dough will be very stiff. makes enough for two (2) 12" pizza pies. The dough is ready to use "as-is" No need to rise or kneed. Divide the dough in half, shape into a round ball and roll out paper thin.
• In order to move the crusts around a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal works well.
• After the crust, it's the sauce that begins the first real steps towards forming the total Imo's pizza experience. Imos uses a tomato sauce mixture that has a sweet taste, but it's not so overly sweet to hide the rich tomato flavor or spices.
• Sauce:Combine together and it's ready to use - do not pre-cook the sauce! This Makes enough sauce for about four (4) 12" pizza pies, so that should give you some idea of how much to use on each pizza.
• On top of the sweet sauce Imo's uses Provel Cheese, which is simply a blend of Cheddar, Swiss and Provolone cheeses with some liquid smoke flavoring. If you can't find Provel in your local market, it can be easily created.
• Cheese:Toss until cheeses and smoke flavoring are completely incorporated. Typically it's enough cheese for two (2) 12" pizza pies, but if you like extra-cheese you'll want to make more.
• Authentic Imo's pizza toppings include: Extra-Cheese, Onion, Green Pepper, Sausage, Hamburger, Pepperoni, Anchovy, Bacon, Black Olive, Mushroom, Canadian Bacon, Jalapenos, Pineapple, Banana Peppers, and Tomatoes.
• In a professional pizza oven the meat toppings (Hamburger, Sausage, Bacon, etc.) can usually be put on raw, but at home you'll want to fully precook the meat before assembling the pizza.
• Now you have the correct style crust, sweet sauce, smoky cheese, generous toppings, it's now ready to be lightly sprinkled with some Italian seasonings.
• Seasonings: Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and blend well.
• While in the restaurant the pizza is baked in a pizza pan, at home you'll have the best results using a pizza stone and an oven temperature around 450 degrees. If you don't have a pizza stone, use the thinnest baking sheet you have and the lowest over rack position. The pizza is done when the underside of the crust is a dark golden brown, and the cheese is has a slight golden tint to it. Underbaking the crust will result in a limp crust, overbaking will result in a hard, tough, burnt-tasting crust, getting the right baking time to produce a crisp crust will require a bit of experimentation. The amount and type of toppings you use will also affect the total baking time. A rule-of-thumb is to check the pizza after about 10-12 minutes and adjust baking time from there accordingly.
• And, as a final touch to truly replicate Imo's Pizza at home, is to cut the pizza into tile-like squares instead of the traditional triangle slices.

ST. LOUIS-STYLE PIZZA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in water and oil until combined. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Gently form into a ball. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. On parchment, roll each half into a 10-in. circle. Transfer (leaving dough on parchment) to a 12-in. pizza pan. , Preheat oven to 425°. Combine sauce ingredients; spread over pizzas. Top with pepperoni, green pepper, onion and cheese. If desired, sprinkle with additional dried basil and oregano. Bake on a low oven rack, one at a time, until bottom of crust is golden and cheese is lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Cut into squares.

ST. LOUIS STYLE PIZZA

Steps:

• 1. Set the oven to 500°F or as hot as it will go and let it heat for at least a half an hour before making the pizza. If you have a pizza stone, put it in the lower-middle part of the oven now.
• 2. Combine the water and yeast in a mixing bowl, and stir to dissolve the yeast. The mixture should look like thin miso soup. Add the flour and salt to the bowl and mix until you've formed a shaggy dough.
• 3. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface along with any loose flour still in the bowl. Knead until all the flour is incorporated, and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. I admit to kneading the dough right in the mixing bowl, but I am a bit like The Anal Retentive Chef (as portrayed by Phil Hartman on SNL) and clean like a scrubby dutch as I go. If it is not necessary to dirty up another surface or dish I don't do it. The dough should still feel moist and slightly tacky. If it's sticking to your hands like bubble gum, work in more flour one tablespoon at a time until it is smooth.
• 4. Divide the dough into two equal size balls. I cover the dough and let it rise for at least an hour but this is not necessary. You can also refrigerate the 2nd dough ball for up to three days or freeze it if you want to just make one pizza.
• 5. Lay out a piece of parchment paper that is roughly 13″ long and using a rolling pin roll the dough out until you have about a 12″ pie. The dough will stick to the parchment paper, which makes it easier to roll out.
• 6. Mix some grated provel into your pizza sauce, enough cheese so that basically you just have sauce coated cheese. Spread the sauce/cheese mixture over your pizza crust. Add toppings of your choice. Meat toppings need to be precooked. I make cheese pizza so I added more cheese. BE VERY CAREFUL when you are using provel cheese. A little bit goes a long way and you will have more cheese than think. Too much will cause a cheesesplosion in the oven which will cause a very smoky kitchen.
• 7. Using a pizza peel or a cookie sheet, slide the pizza (still on the parchment paper) onto the pizza stone. If you don't have a pizza stone, bake it on a baking sheet.
• 8. Bake for about 8 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese looks toasty. Do NOT overcook the provel cheese. It has a very low melting point and burns easily.
• 9. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes (so cheese won't run) before slicing and serving.
• 10. Note: You can use this quick and dirty crust recipe if you do not keep wheat flour in your pantry. I actually go that route most of the time because it is so easy. This is a thin crust recipe so there is no rise. Just mix up the ingredients into a dough and roll it out as thin as you possibly can.
• 11. 2 cups and 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. olive oil 2 tsp. dark corn syrup 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp. water

ST. LOUIS STYLE PIZZA

Steps:

• Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 450ºF.

ST. LOUIS BARBECUE SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally and let simmer for 20 minutes. The sauce should be thin but not watery.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool, about 20 to 30 minutes.
• You can use the sauce immediately after cooling, but it is better if you allow it to sit for a day (refrigerated). Place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator (a squeeze bottle is a handy storage container). The barbecue sauce can be stored refrigerated for up to one week after preparation or three to four months in the freezer.

COOKS COUNTRY ST. LOUIS-STYLE PIZZA

Steps:

• Whisk together tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil and 1T sugar and oregano in a small bowl; set aside.
• Toss cheeses with liquid smoke in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Combine flour, cornstarch, 2 tsp sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Combine water and olive oil in measuring cup. Stir water mixture into flour mixture until dough starts to come together. Turn dough onto slightly floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times, until cohesive.
• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place pizza stone (or inverted baking sheet) on rack and heat oven to 475 degrees.
• Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, press into small circle and transfer to parchment paper dusted lightly with flour. Using rolling pin, roll and stretch dough to form 12" circle, rotating parchment as needed. Lift parchement and pizza off work surface onto inverted baking sheet (not one in the oven).
• Top each piece of dough with half of the sauce and half of cheese. Carefully pull parchment off of baking sheet onto hot oven stone. Bake until underside is golden brown and cheese is completely melted, 9-12 minutes. Remove pizza and parchment from oven. Transfer pizza to cooling rack and let cool a few minutes. Assemble and bake second pizza. Cut into 2" squares. Serve.
• Note - dough can be made in advance. Once mixed tightly wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate up to 2 days.
• Variation - If you would like to add pepperoni arrange them on a paper towel lined plate, cover with paper towl and microwave 2 minutes. Let cool. Add to pizza either before or after cheese.

BASIC ST. LOUIS STYLE PIZZA SAUCE

Steps:

• Sweat onions & garlic in preheated saucepan w/ olive oil. Add all other ingredients and bring to a simmer for one hour. Season to taste. Add water as needed to keep from reducing too far. Simmer until diced tomatoes break down into a paste. Can optionally add browned hot italian sausage in with onion & garlic.

ST. LOUIS-STYLE PIZZA

Steps:

• 1 For the toppings: Whisk together the tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, sugar and oregano in medium bowl
• 2 For the crust: Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven; preheat to 475 degrees
• 3 Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl
• 4 Mix the water and oil in a liquid measuring cup, then stir it into the flour mixture until a dough starts to come together
• 5 Lightly flour a work surface
• 6 Turn the dough out there, kneading it into a ball
• 7 Divide it in half; working with one portion at a time, shape each one into a small round, then use a rolling pin to stretch each one into a 12-inch round, dusting the bottom of the dough with flour as needed so it doesn't stick to the work surface
• 8 Place each dough round on a square of parchment paper
• 9 Transfer to the pizza stone (one at a time, on the paper); bake for 5 minutes, until the dough begins to puff up in spots, then remove it from the oven
• 10 Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees
• 11 Spread half of the sauce on each pizza crust, spreading it all the way to the edges, then divide the cheese between the pizzas, scattering it evenly over the sauce but leaving a 2-inch margin all around the edges
• 12 Place one pie (with its paper) on the pizza stone in the oven
• 13 Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown
• 14 Transfer the pizza to a wire cooling rack to rest while you assemble and bake the remaining pizza
• 15 Cut each pizza into 2-inch squares; serve warm

ST. LOUIS PIZZA

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water and the olive oil in a cup, and, with the mixer on medium speed, pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Knead the dough in the mixer until soft and smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove the dough, and knead on a well-floured counter a few times, then wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature while you make the topping.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F with a pizza stone on the bottom rack (see page 83). Drain and crush the canned tomatoes, squeezing out as much juice as possible (save the juices for a future sauce or soup). Coarsely chop the tomatoes, and put in a medium bowl; add the crushed garlic, olive oil, and salt. Let steep 10 to 15 minutes. After the garlic has steeped, discard it and stir in the basil.
• Combine the three cheeses in a food processor, pulsing until cheese is mixed to a crumbly paste.
• Divide the dough in half. On a floured work surface, roll the dough into an 11-to-12-inch round. Put the dough on a floured pizza peel, or on the back of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread with half of the sauce, all the way to the edges of the dough. Top with half of the cheese. Slide the pizza off the pizza peel or baking sheet with parchment onto the pizza stone. Bake until very crispy, about 13 to 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining sauce and dough.