American Regional Pizzas

They really are! We’ve always known (and loved) the giant thin-crust slices from New York City and the epic deep-dish pies from Chicago, but did you know the Windy City also has a thin-crust pizza? Or that what distinguishes St. Louis’s signature pizza is a local cheese called Provel? And don’t get us started on shapes and sizes: rectangular pizzas with stripes of sauce, round pizzas cut into squares, and whole pies baked in cake pans—oh my!

We did too! And they are—the traditional deep-dish pan pizza of the Windy City, known for its gut-busting richness and depth, and for layering the sauce on top of the cheese, isn’t going anywhere. But on the South Side of Chicago you'll find locals devouring thin-crust pizza, and it's worth getting to know too.

Because that’s the way they do it in Detroit and New England! A pizza baked in a pan has a different texture than one baked on a stone, and for New England bar pizzas it’s that crisp, not chewy, texture and “laced” edges that can only be achieved in a round, individual-sized pan. Detroit pizza was inspired by focaccia, so a rectangular pan is key, and creates the cheesy crunch these pies are known for.

If you make a lot of pizza at home these two pieces of equipment are well worth procuring, but if you’re just dabbling in pizza-making to try a few of the recipes in this class you don’t need any special tools. Inverted rimmed baking sheets can stand in for both pizza peel and baking stone.