Crispy Bar-Style Pizza Recipe
on Dec 13, 2024
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Let’s welcome this Crispy Bar-Style Pizza Recipe! Inspired by my husband, Danny, and his love for pizza making, we worked on this one together. A bar-style pizza has a super thin crust with a very crispy, cracker-like bottom. The pizza pairs perfectly with this Calabrian chili spicy tomato sauce, finished with parmesan and basil.
If you’re looking for more bread recipes, check out our Easy Homemade Focaccia Bread, Crispy Sicilian Sheet Pan Pizza with Hot Honey and Burrata, and Cheddar Scallion Serrano Biscuits.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This pizza is not only a pretty easy dough base it can also be proofed in about 6 hours, meaning you can, but don’t have to wait overnight for the dough to proof.
- Crispy crust: The crust is cooked first in the pan, then on a baking steel, then removed and crisped again directly on the steel to achieve that beautiful crispy bottom. You can also make this in a pizza oven!
- Spicy sauce: While a traditional tomato sauce is perfect in its own right, let’s amp it up with some Calabrian chili peppers, adding a subtle heat to the crispy and cheesy pizza.
- Customize Toppings: While we are just using mozzarella and cheddar, you can use any of your favorite toppings ranging from pepperoni, bell peppers, mushrooms, the list goes on.
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the ingredients you need to make this recipe, including all our tips and substitutions.
Pizza dough: The dough is made with flour, water, olive oil, yeast and kosher salt. We’re resting the dough for at least 6 hours, but you can opt to do this overnight.
Spicy tomato sauce: We are blending our tomato sauce with fresh garlic cloves, fresh basil leaves, salt, pepper, sugar, and a spicy Calabrian chili paste.
For toppings: Not all, but some Bar-Style pizzas like this one use both mozzarella and cheddar cheese, so that’s what we’re doing here. After baking, we’ll top it with shredded parmesan and basil.
The full list of ingredients with exact quantities can be found on the recipe card below.
Tips and Substitutions
- To substitute Calabrian Chili paste, you can use red pepper flakes.
- Ensure you are greasing the pan with olive oil or cold butter to ensure crispiness, but so that there is no sticking either.
- For a deeper depth of flavor, we recommend letting the dough rest in the fridge overnight. Let it come to room temperature before cooking. Overnight is not needed for this dough, but it does add more flavor and chew.
- If you want to skip the homemade tomato sauce, feel free to use your favorite store-bought pizza sauce.
How to Make Crispy Bar-Style Pizza
Step 1: To a stand mixer with your dough attachment, add flour, water, olive oil, yeast, and kosher salt. Mix on medium to high speed until a loose ball forms, for about 7 to 9 minutes. Proof at room temperature for 6 hours, or overnight.
Step 2: In a blender or food processor, blend your tomatoes, garlic, Calabrian chili paste, basil, salt, pepper, and salt. Set aside until ready for use. Roll out your dough and place it on a pizza pan, top with sauce and cheese.
Step 3: Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until the crust begins to brown, then finish directly on the pizza stone for extra crispiness.
Step 4: Remove the pizza from the oven on a cutting board, topping with parmesan and basil leaves.
The full detailed instructions can be found on the recipe card below.
Serving Recommendations
Looking for some ideas to serve this bar pizza recipe? We have you covered!
- Appetizers: Serve with Spicy Pimento Cheese Dip or Shrimp Cocktail with Old Bay Mayo.
- Salads: Serve the pizza alongside Roasted Beet Salad with Labneh, or Melon Prosciutto Salad with Sungold Tomato Vinaigrette, and Classic Caesar Salad.
- Sides: Make it a meal with Honey and Sumac Roasted Carrots with Ricotta, or Roasted Bone Marrow with Smashed Olive Salad.
Bar-Style Pizza FAQs
Bar pizza, also similar to tavern-style pizza, is a super thin, 10-12 inch pizza that has a crispy undercarriage and layer of cheese. It is cooked in the pan and then finished directly on the stone or pizza oven to get that crispy bottom. There are many different styles of bar-style pizza, some with oregano-based sauces, and varieties of cheeses.
Usually in a 10-inch pan, and up to 12-inch. You can easily eat one on your own if you’re not serving it with anything, it’s thin crust makes it easier and less filling than what a thicker-style pizza would be.
Yes, you can use store-bought dough just ensure it’s properly rolled out or a similar size ball of this dough. A store-bought dough ball may be bigger, so you might be able to cut it in half and make two pizzas.
More Bread Recipes
If you do make this Crispy Bar-Style Pizza recipe, leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, we would love to hear what you think! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram, we love to see what you’re making! If you’d like to stay in touch and get the latest in your inbox, sign up for our Newsletter. We can also be found on YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Crispy Bar-Style Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 250 grams all-purpose flour, 2 cups
- 150 grams water, 3/4 cup
- 20 grams extra-virgin olive oil, 1 ½ tablespoons
- 3 grams instant yeast, 1 teaspoon
- 5 grams Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons
Spicy Tomato Sauce
- 28 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon Calabrian chili paste
- 2 to 3 leaves of fresh basil, pus more for topping
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- White granulated sugar, to taaste
Pizza and Toppings
- Unsalted butter, for greasing
- 1/2 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make the Bar Style Dough: To a stand mixer with your dough attachment, add flour, water, olive oil, yeast, and kosher salt. Mix on medium to high speed until a loose ball forms, for about 7 to 9 minutes.
- Divide your dough into 2 balls and transfer to an oiled container, or separate bowl and cover tightly. Sit at room temperature for up to 6 hours, but overnight in the fridge is preferable. If you keep it in the fridge overnight, take it out at room temperature 1 to 2 hours before you are ready to cook.
- Make your pizza sauce: In a blender or food processor, blend your tomatoes, garlic, Calabrian chili paste, basil, salt, pepper and salt. Set aside until ready for use.
- Get a 10 inch pizza pan and pizza stone ready, using olive oil to coat the bottom or butter for greasing your pizza pan to prevent sticking and to get that crunchy bottom.
- Assemble and Cook: When you’re ready to make your pizza, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F (or as hot as your oven allows) with the top rack available, heating with your pizza stone at the top. Roll out the dough to about a 10-11 inch round pie and layer it gently on your pizza pan. Press out if needed to ensure it’s fully coating all parts of the pan.
- Gently poke holes with a fork all throughout the dough.
- Next, ladle about 1/2 cup sauce per pizza from edge to edge, topping with both your mozzarella and cheddar cheese, about 1/4 cup of each cheese per pizza.
- Transfer the pizza pan to the top rack over the pizza stone in the pan, or you can do this in a pizza oven.
- Allow the pizza to cook and crisp, for 6 to 8 minutes. Once you see browning forming on the outside parts of the dough, carefully remove the pizza out of the pan, and onto the hot pizza steel directly to continue to crisp directly on the stone.
- Remove the pizza from the oven on a cutting board, topping with parmesan and basil leaves.
Notes
- To substitute Calabrian Chili paste, you can use red pepper flakes.
- For a deeper depth of flavor, we recommend letting the dough rest in the fridge overnight. Let it come to room temperature before cooking. Overnight is not needed for this dough, but it does add more flavor and chew.
- If you want to skip the homemade tomato sauce, feel free to use your favorite store-bought pizza sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
A really delicious and easy pizza to prepare! It’s thin, and crunchy. I hope you enjoy, let me know if you have any questions!