Where to start? I grew up in Connecticut, home of what I’ll always argue is the best pizza in the world. My family was especially lucky — my uncle owned a pizzeria, and we spent countless Sundays there sharing pies, garlic bread and eggplant parm while drinking wine and listening to Frank Sinatra. The taste of that pizza (the dough, sauce AND cheese) is burned into my memory, and I’ll be chasing it for the rest of my life.
When I went down south for college at Duke University (go Blue Devils), I had a rude awakening. The pizza dough was completely different, and Domino’s was much more accessible than a crisp “sausage and hot cherry pepper” slice. Over time, a few northeast transplants opened shops in North Carolina, and I eventually found a couple of favorites.
Moving to Türkiye, I set my expectations for pizza pretty low. Luckily, Istanbul has a growing list of great spots, especially for Neapolitan-style, brick-oven pies. In our hometown, though? I’ll take the Domino’s.
A few months ago, I decided to try making my own “New Haven–style” pizza dough at home. I pulled together recipes from across the internet and even attempted to scale down my uncle’s bulk dough formula. What I ended up with was a little chaotic and definitely “wrong”.
At the time, I didn’t own a baking stone or steel — just an aluminum pizza pan and a dream. The result wasn’t perfect, but it was a start- and the beginning of an ongoing journey to bring that Connecticut-style pizza into my home. I hope you enjoy this never-ending series!
Results:
Day 1 — First attempt (dough recipe unknown, baked on a pizza pan):
The dough made enough for three pizzas: I baked the first after one day of resting in the fridge. See below for the result (a sad excuse for a pizza). The bottom was pale and a little doughy — the opposite of the spotted base I’m aiming for.
Day 2 — Same dough (after 2 days in the fridge), baked on a pizza pan:
This one (pictured below) actually turned out the best, and I have no idea why. Unfortunately, there were too many variables. I kept tinkering with oven settings (fan vs. no fan, bottom heat only, etc.) without taking notes — something I’m trying to improve.
Day 3 — Same dough (after 3 days in the fridge), baked on a pizza pan:
Similar story: a pale bottom, too doughy. I had a hard time working with the dough and as you can see (below), the crust made weird pointy edges where it was sticky.
I hope you’ll enjoy following this project as it unfolds. It won’t always be pretty, and it definitely won’t be quick — between the two of us, Berke and I can only manage one pizza night a week!