Best New Haven Clam Pizza Recipes

NEW HAVEN CLAM PIZZA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the flour, salt and oil; beat until smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 15-20 minutes., Punch dough down. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 14-in. pizza pan; build up edges slightly. Prick dough several times with a fork., Bake at 425° for 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle remaining ingredients over crust in order listed. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Cut into wedges.

NEW HAVEN WHITE CLAM PIZZA

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup of the warm water in a small bowl. Stir the remaining 3/4 cup water into 2 cups of the flour in a large bowl. Add the salt, and when the yeast is bubbly, add it, too. Stir it all together and turn the dough out onto a floured board. Let the dough rest while you clean and oil a large ceramic bowl. Knead the dough vigorously for a full 15 minutes, adding flour if necessary to create a silky dough. Return it to the bowl and cover it with two tight layers of plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours. Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Punch down the dough and flatten it on a lightly floured board. Pounding with the heel of your hand, carefully and methodically work the dough into a circle no more than 1/4 inch thick in the center, rising to a 1/2-inch ring around the circumference. Sprinkle a baker's peel generously with cornmeal and put the circle of dough on it. Cover it lightly with a sheet of plastic wrap (so it doesn't dry out) and let it rest while you open the clams. TO MAKE THE TOPPING: While the dough is resting, mince the garlic and let it steep in the olive oil. After the dough has rested for 10 to 12 minutes, brush on the oil and garlic, leaving the half-inch circumference untouched. Spread the clams around the pie with a dash of their own juice. Sprinkle on the oregano and cheese. TO BAKE: Use the baker's peel to transfer the pizza to the preheated stone in the oven. (The cornmeal will act as miniature ball bearings to help it slide neatly onto the stone.) Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is light brown.

NEW HAVEN-STYLE CLAM PIZZA

Steps:

• 1. In a small bowl dissolve sugar in 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle yeast over water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• 2. In a large bowl stir together 2 cups flour, remaining 3/4 cup water, salt, and yeast mixture.
• 3. Transfer dough to a floured surface and clean and oil large bowl.
• 4. Knead dough vigorously, incorporating as much of remaining 3/4 cup flour as necessary to create a silky dough, a full 15 minutes.
• 5. Transfer dough to prepared bowl, turning to coat slightly with oil, and cover bowl with 2 tight layers of plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm place 2 to 3 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
• 6. While dough is rising, in a small bowl combine garlic and oil and chill, covered.
• 7. Punch down dough and flatten on a lightly floured surface. Pounding with heel of hand and lifting, stretch dough carefully and work into a round about 15 inches in diameter (or into 2 smaller rounds).
• 8. Put pizza stone on bottom shelf of oven and preheat oven to 500°F.
• 9. Sprinkle baker's peel with cornmeal and slide dough onto it. Cover dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest, covered with the kitchen towel, about 15 minutes. While dough is resting, let garlic oil come to room temperature.
• 10. Brush dough evenly with garlic oil, leaving a 1/2-inch border untouched. Arrange clams with a dash of reserved liquor over garlic oil and sprinkle with oregano and Romano.
• 11. Shake and slide pizza off baker's peel onto pizza stone in oven. Reduce oven temperature to 450°F. and bake pizza 15 minutes, or until crust is medium brown.
• 12. Serve pizza immediately with plenty of napkins. Serves 2 as an entrée or 4 as an hors d'oeuvre.