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.

EASY PIZZA SAUCE I

Steps:

• Mix together the tomato paste, water, and olive oil. Mix well. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste, oregano, basil, and rosemary. Mix well and let stand several hours to let flavors blend. No cooking necessary, just spread on dough.

EASY PIZZA SAUCE III

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, Mix together tomato sauce and tomato paste until smooth. Stir in oregano, garlic and paprika.

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.

BASIC PIZZA SAUCE

Steps:

• Empty the contents of the tomato can in a mixing bowl and coarsely crush the tomatoes with a fork or your hands, leaving them just a little chunky. In a heavy bottom 2-quart saucepot, add the olive oil, over a medium high flame and heat a little. Add the onions and saute until slightly translucent. Add the garlic and saute about a minute until golden. Quickly add the crushed tomatoes to the mix. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add the fresh basil and oregano. You can add a touch of sugar if desired or if tomatoes are tart. Simmer on a low flame, stirring often for at least 15 minutes. If not using right away, cool down and store in airtight container in the refrigerator, up to 1 week.

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:

• Preheat oven to 425°F and lightly grease two 12" round pizza pans, or a couple of large baking sheets.
• Make the crust:
• Mix the flour, oil, and water together - the mixture will be shaggy. Use your hands to gather it together and form into a ball. Divide it in two and form each half into a disk the rounder the better.
• Cover with saran wrap and allow to rest 10 minutes to make for easier rolling - skip this step if you're in a hurry.
• Grease a piece of parchment or wax paper about 12" square and set a circle of dough in the middle. Cover with another lightly greased piece. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough very thin - 1/8 inch or less.
• Place the dough on the prepared pans. Top each pizza with 1/3 cup of the sauce.
• Mix the cheeses together and sprinkle 1/2 over top of each then season with Italian herbs or pizza seasoning.
• Bake the pizzas for 9 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted with a few golden brown spots and the edges/bottom of the crust are golden brown.
• Remove the pizzas from the oven and let set 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, cut into squares, sprinkle over chopped parsley and serve immediately.

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.