What Makes Bar Style Pizza Unique?

If you've enjoyed pizza at a bar, pub, or bowling alley, it's likely you've come across a thin, crispy type of pie known as bar or tavern style pizza, boasting a cheese-laden, slightly burnt rim. Depending on the occasion, you might've relished this delightful meal or perhaps, found the crust too dry and cardboard-like. Allow us to introduce you to the world of bar style pizza: a pizza with a crispy, cracker-like crust, and toppings spread from edge to edge. This thin-crust pizza allows you to indulge less on carbohydrates from the pizza, allowing you room for enjoying the carbs in your pint of beer.

Despite its simplicity, a bar style pizza isn't something extraordinary, although a few places have taken this style of pizza to new heights using select ingredients. In many bars and pubs, this type of pizza is kept straightforward with pepperoni and mozzarella, canned mushrooms, and crumbled Italian sausage. It's also easy to prepare, ensuring bartenders can continue serving customers their brews without hassle.

An ideal pizza for novice chefs, this pizza uses all-purpose flour instead of the bread or 00 flour typically incorporated in pizza making, resulting in a softer crust when thin. Any flour with a higher gluten protein content tends to produce a sturdier crust. The dough can be rolled out or pressed into an oiled pan to achieve the characteristic thin, cracker-like crust. Topping allocation should reach every pizza edge, possibly overflowing to achieve charred sides and a concealed outer crust. The result offers contrasting textures with crunchy, yet unburnt cheese at the edges and a crisp, cracker-like bottom. Meanwhile, the crust portion with the sauce retains a chewy consistency.

There's no avoiding competition even when it comes to bar style pizza. The debate is primarily centered in two local areas: Orange, New Jersey, located on the outskirts of New York City, and the South Shore area of Massachusetts, a stone's throw away from Boston. The test of allegiance is determined by where you come from and at which pizzeria your pizza allegiance lies. Although both these regions serve bar style pizzas, ingredients vary. In Massachusetts, cheddar or a mix of cheddar and mozzarella quite often top the pizza, a combination rarely found on the pizzas served at New Jersey's prominent pizzerias. The contest around the best bar style pizza will undoubtedly persist, much like sports rivalries, best left to discussions in forums and editorials. Nonetheless, one thing remains certain: both types of pizzas taste superb when accompanied by a cool pitcher of beer amongst friends.