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Old Forge55 520x500
Old Forge55 520x500

Old Forge-style Cheese Pizza

By Ooni HQ
By Ooni HQ

Old Forge Pizza is a unique regional style that’s largely served only in the coal mining region of Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA). A rectangular pizza baked in a steel pan — 10 x 14 inches sliced into 8 “cuts” or 11 x 17 inches sliced into 12 — and layered with...

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Method

Note

This recipe relies on recipes for Northeastern Pennsylvania-style Pizza Dough and Old Forge-style Pizza Sauce.

We recommend using gas for this recipe, as the bake requires manipulation of temperature that’s easiest with a gas flame. 

  1. Using the NEPA Pizza Dough recipe, make the dough and portion it into 2 x 450-gram pieces. Allow the dough balls to rest at room temperature for 3 hours, or until they have doubled in size and are not resistant to stretching. 

  2. Grease a deep-sided 10 x 14-inch pan liberally with shortening or butter. Place the dough evenly in your pan and gently press it into the corners without creating a raised-edge crust. The dough should be uniform and flat. If the dough resists stretching to the corners, cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then gently stretch it again. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 hour at room temperature.

  3. Preheat your oven to 700°F (370°C), measuring the stone temperature with an infrared thermometer.  Once the stone has preheated, dial the flame to low.

  4. Remove the plastic wrap, place the pan in the oven and bake the crust for 2 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for 2 additional minutes.

  5. Retrieve the pan from the oven and use a spatula to remove the par-baked pizza “shell.” Be careful — the dough will be hot! Flip the shell upside down on a cooling rack to allow moisture to escape for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, return the flame to the highest setting until the stone temperature rebounds to 700°F (370°C).

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  6. Flip the shell and return it to the pan. Spoon on half of the Old Forge-style pizza sauce, covering the entire par-baked shell except for a ½-inch border for the crust.

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  7. With the flame still on high, return the pizza to the oven for 1 minute, rotating it 180 degrees after 30 seconds, until the sauce begins to steam. Remove from the oven.

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  8. Sprinkle with half the Pecorino Romano, then cover with half each of the mozzarella, brick and white American cheeses.

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  9. With the stone temp at 700°F (370°C), dial back the flame to an ultra-low setting, then place the pizza in the oven. Bake for 1 minute, rotate 180 degrees and bake for 1 additional minute. Turn off the oven flame completely and use the residual stone heat to cook the pizza for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. If your Ooni pizza oven has a door, leave it open.

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  10. When the cheese is melted and begins to brown slightly and the visible crust is golden brown, your pizza is ready!

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  11. Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool on a rack for a few minutes. Slice into 8 squares and enjoy! Repeat the process for the second pizza.

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