Reference
- Hydration
- 66%
- Oil
- 1%
- Load
- 15.1 h-eq
- Instant dry yeast
- 0.103%
8 h at 21 °C, then 24 h in the fridge (4 °C), then 4 h proofing at 21 °C
Instant dry yeast 0.23 g for a 374 g dough ball
Farine
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gLab sheet
New Haven apizza is a very thin, dry, deliberately irregular and heavily charred pizza, baked in long coal-fired ovens. Its dough sits within 62–70% hydration and bakes 4–7 min.
Every dimension is a window, not a single number: two doughs at 60% and 62% hydration are both Neapolitan. The marker shows the typical value.
The style was born in New Haven, Connecticut’s Italian-American community, around historic coal-oven pizzerias. The word "apizza" (pronounced "ah-beetz") comes from a local Neapolitan dialect. The irregular oval is not a flaw, it is the original shape: the dough is stretched by hand and nobody tries to make it round.
Fornello rates it confidence B, because the documentation is abundant but is not a regulation.
The dough stays within 62–70% hydration, with 1.8–2.6% salt and very little oil (0–2.5%). It is firmer than a Neapolitan and takes a thin stretch. A ball weighs 280–500 g, for a diameter of 30–45 cm.
Experiment
The calculator below is already set to this style, with a starting schedule. Change hydration, salt, oil or the fermentation schedule: the yeast is recalculated, and the indicator tells you whether you are still inside the style’s window.
Farine
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gEau
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gLevure
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gThis is the same calculator as on the Calculator page. Your settings stay in your browser; nothing is sent. Open the full calculator
The coal oven runs around 300–385 °C (570–725 °F). The pizza bakes 4–7 min, long enough to dry the crust and char it in places. At home, a steel deck and the broiler give the closest effect.
Variants to try
Each variant moves one parameter inside the style’s window. The engine recalculates the yeast so the fermentation load follows the schedule. The button loads the variant into the calculator above.
8 h at 21 °C, then 24 h in the fridge (4 °C), then 4 h proofing at 21 °C
Instant dry yeast 0.23 g for a 374 g dough ball
Bottom of the window: drier, crunchier, firmer stretch.
8 h at 21 °C, then 24 h in the fridge (4 °C), then 4 h proofing at 21 °C
Instant dry yeast 0.23 g for a 374 g dough ball
Top of the window: more tender under the crust, harder to stretch without tearing.
8 h at 21 °C, then 24 h in the fridge (4 °C), then 4 h proofing at 21 °C
Instant dry yeast 0.22 g for a 374 g dough ball
The same dough, matured for 72 hours. The engine recomputes the yeast to hold the target load.
8 h at 21 °C, then 72 h in the fridge (4 °C), then 4 h proofing at 21 °C
Instant dry yeast 0.17 g for a 374 g dough ball
Because the dough is stretched by hand, without a rolling pin, and not rounded afterwards. It is a signature of the style.
Yes, it is one of its emblematic toppings: the "white clam pie". Fornello does not calculate that topping yet, only the dough.
A long-preheated steel deck and the broiler produce charred spots. Fornello warns if the deck is too hot or too cool for the style.
Same family, or close in hydration and bake.