What is New Haven-style pizza? A guide to apizza
If you've eaten at Gracey's, you've eaten New Haven-style pizza. It's the style that started everything for us, and it's still pretty rare on this side of the Atlantic. So what actually is it?
Where it comes from
New Haven-style pizza comes from New Haven, Connecticut, a small city about two hours from New York. It was born in 1925, when Frank Pepe opened Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana on Wooster Street, in the heart of the city's Italian neighbourhood. Pepe's, Sally's Apizza and Modern Apizza are still the big three, and locals will happily argue about which is best.
In New Haven nobody calls it pizza. It's apizza, pronounced "ah-beetz", from the Neapolitan dialect the first pizza makers brought over with them.
What makes it different
Thin, chewy and properly charred. The base is thin like a Neapolitan pizza but baked longer and drier, so it's crisp underneath with a chewy bite and lots of dark, blistered spots. Those dark bits are flavour, not a mistake.
A long, hot bake. The original pizzerias use coal-fired ovens running above 340°C. A Neapolitan pizza cooks in about 90 seconds; ours spend 4 to 6 minutes in the oven, which is where the crunch comes from.
Sauce first, cheese optional. A classic New Haven "plain" is just tomato sauce, oregano and grated hard cheese, with no mozzarella at all. Mozzarella (or "mootz", in New Haven slang) is something you add.
Irregular shapes. Pies come out oblong and a little wonky, cut into uneven slices and often served on a metal tray.
New Haven vs Neapolitan vs New York
Neapolitan: soft, puffy base that's wet in the middle, baked for about 90 seconds. Knife and fork territory.
New York: thin, foldable and evenly golden, baked longer in a gas or deck oven. Made for folding on the go.
New Haven: thin, crisp, chewy and heavily charred, baked longer and hotter. All about crunch, char and a big hit of tomato.
The famous white clam pie
New Haven's most famous pizza has no tomato at all. Pepe's white clam pie is olive oil, garlic, oregano, grated cheese and fresh clams. It sounds odd until you try it. It's one of the reasons food writers make the trip to Wooster Street.
How Gracey's does it
Grace and James fell for New Haven pizza on trips to the US East Coast, then spent lockdown working out how to make it in St Albans. Our dough is high-hydration, fermented slowly and baked hard until the edges blister.
On the menu you'll find a few New Haven classics:
New Haven 'Apizza': long baked for those who like it extra crispy, with San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, pecorino, garlic oil, aged parmesan and oregano.
Plain Tom: our take on the New Haven plain, with San Marzano tomatoes, Sicilian oregano, thinly sliced garlic, garlic oil and basil (and it's vegan).
Fresh Mootz Pie: San Marzano and vine tomatoes, garlic, fior di latte and fresh stracciatella di bufala.
Want to taste the difference? See the St Albans menu or read how Gracey's started.
FAQs
Is New Haven pizza the same as New York pizza? No. Both are thin, but New Haven pizza is baked longer and harder, so it's crisper and much more charred. New York slices are softer and made for folding.
Why is my pizza burnt? It isn't. The dark spots on the crust are the char New Haven pizza is known for, and they add a toasty, slightly bitter flavour.
Where can I get New Haven-style pizza in London? Gracey's serves it at our St Albans pizzeria and at Arcade Food Halls in Covent Garden, Tottenham Court Road and Battersea Power Station.