Isn’t it? Long time Chef John watcher here from West Bridgewater. Cape Cod Cafe all the way. A staple for us in the 70’s 80’s and 90’s. Was home a few months ago and stopped in. Same great bar style pizza. Fantastic.
Same here, from MA, now live in NC. Couldn’t take the winters. But yes, we miss the bar pies. Simply can’t find them here. Not even in Charlotte or Raleigh.
Oh man, I just made this tonight and it brought me right back to eating a cheese pizza at my local bowling alley. It was so good. Definitely making this again.
That is the perfect party pizza when you have friends over, whether for a party or to watch a fight or a game on TV. If you have the dough in the fridge, and the sauce made and cheese prepped in advance, it's hard to beat. You can even prep the dough in pizza pans in advance if you have the pans, and wrap them in plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge.
At the “pizzeria” / bar where I worked after college as a line cook because a certain Republican president ruined the economy for a whole generation of millennials entering the work force, we would make a dough very similar to this in a very large stand mixer and put them in large garbage bags, which we left overnight to double. The resulting dough was dense but workable, and we used pizza rolling machines to stretch them out over the cast iron pans Chef John mentioned, then we would thoroughly puncture them with a kind of rolling pin with metal spokes. Once panned, the dough was pretty much ready to go for the whole lunch or dinner shift. We used mozz/asiago blend as our base and always finished the top with a blend of grated parm (the powdered stuff, certainly nothing fancy) and and powdered oregano which we called “pizza dust”. This crust goes well with many different sauces and toppings. You can use beaten eggs and top it with sausage and bacon for a “breakfast pizza,” ranch dressing (which we made in house with a 4:1 mayonnaise to buttermilk ratio and a top-secret blend of herbs known only to the owner) with chicken, bacon and pickled jalapeños was a favorite, or just a clarified butter sauce with added cheddar, Monterey Jack and colby for a “cheesy pie”, which is great to dip in marinara sauce. I’ll be making this.
Cape Cod Cafe. The Jamoulis family. Great bar style pizza for a long long time. I moved away years ago, but when I’m back visiting, a very worthy stop.
@@billy2807 I see them in the Supermarkets but choices are limited I'm a pepper and onion guy..the way CC would dice them up small! By the way I would also go to the Italian Kitchen next door!
West Bridgewater born here. Long since moved away but Cape Cod Cafe, and ALWAYS ordered with burnt edges. Always. And Jimmy & Lynn, then Jeremy and Jonathan always delivered the burnt edges. Excellent bar style pizza.
I grew up on the south shore and have since moved away. The bar pizza is to die for- grew up eating lynwoods. This video is amazing and I can't wait to try and make it at home
Can anyone confirm the ingredient amounts are right? I've never had an issue with Chef John's recipes, but this just wasn't right. 3⅔ cups of flour and 1 cup of water yielded an unworkable dry mess that looked nothing like the dough in John's video.
The dough sleeps for a few days, especially if you dial down the yeast. This is one of those magic recipes made for raising a family. Nice post as usual Chef John!
As long as he doesn't make that North Shore pizza that's basically bread and a slice of provolone. Not that it tastes bad, but it's a culinary embarrassment.
@@Troglodyte Don’t conflate Hampton Beach with the North Shore. Our shitty pizza is Greek-style pan pizza from a place that has a bigger menu than the Cheesecake Factory. There are some decent ones where they make their own sauce or cheese blend, but most of them are bland and taste like 100 other pizza/sub/roast beef shops.
So many options for bar pizza, the best part is going full non-traditional no rules with bar pizza options: - Shredded Chicken tossed in buffalo sauce, with dollops of cream cheese, and a side of blue cheese for dipping - BBQ pulled pork, carmelized onions, with a spicy bbq sauce instead of the pizza sauce - White pie (béchamel with your choice of melting cheese) instead of tomato sauce - Siracha tomato sauce with sautéed squid with a soy glaze - Roasted Corn and Onions with mexican crema - Heck a leftover curry and if you have it Paneer chunks Pizza is a fantastic fusion food for so many good options and turning leftovers into a new creation
Amen. Buffalo chicken blue cheese and garlic butter is killer! Leftover dough, punctured and brushed with garlic/chives oil makes FANTASTIC naan crisp. Nice shout on the curry.
I like your ideas! I'm just iffy on the squid in number 4, because they *might* be too closely related to my Arch-Nemesis, the crustacean shellfish (I'm deathly allergic to shrimp, crab, scallops, lobster, etc.) It's also why I avoid clam chowder, and New England "White Clam pie" pizza.
"if it happens to go over the edge in a few spots, no problem" is a big problem. A South Shore bar pizza should have cheese go over the edge everywhere! There should be a crunchy ring of cheese around the outside, around the outside.
This was the pizza that a Boston chain called Ruggles used to make back in the ‘80’s. Back before people were afraid of carbs, their lunch special was a personal size of this pizza and a baked potato. So delicious! I remember getting it on Washington Street near the common and in Harvard Square before class. So many memories. Thank you!
@@kevinwatts661 - I’m so glad someone else remembers it! Let’s play again - Warburton’s Bakery had the best zucchini muffins and Division 16 (near the ICA) on Boylston for those chicken wings. (That was the ‘90’s so not sure you were still in Boston.)
There used to be a wine & pizza place in Norwalk CT called Fat Cat Pie. The pizza was decent, exactly like a South Shore Bar style. What set it apart was, they presented it with a spice rack of non-traditional seasonings, like Allepo Pepper, Garam Masala, and a bunch others that I can't remember. It was inspiring. Try it!!
@fernwood, go to Stamford, CT and visit the pizza place called, "Colonial Grill!" A place known for their very thin crust. I went there two years ago from Indiana.
Using the high wall 10 inch pan allows you to sauce and cheese right to the edge for the 100% authentic charred edges. It is a know fact that this was invented in the south shore so there’s no controversy there. Next you need todo North Shore Roast Beef….…three way of course.
Loved the video. For those that don't know, "South Shore" is any town of city south of Boston, all the way to the Cape Cod Canal. The "shore" part indicates that the town should be on the Atlantic Ocean, but over the years, when the term is used for bar pizza, it can stretch all the way southwest to Taunton. Some of the very best South Shore bar pizzas can be found at the Town Spa (Stoughton), Lynwood Cafe (Randolph), O'Tooles Pub or the Venus Cafe (both in Whitman) and my personal favorite "Poopsies" in Pembroke near the Marshfield border. Definitely worth a trip and order from any of these places!
Great info. Poopsies is hands down my favorite pizza ever. I miss it ever since I moved up here to the mountains but I think about it all the time. Brings back great memories.
This is a very detailed explanation of the term "South Shore" and yet you have completely neglected the unavoidable fact that the bowling going on while eating this pizza is necessarily *Candlepin* bowling.
Yea' kid, yous bring it home!! I was in the Sumnah heading to the packie with Fitzy when this came up, made us pahk the cah at Sully's to grab a slice as wea'h wicked hungry now kid!!
For this style of za I like to use the broiler: 3-5 minutes, then flip, 2-4 minutes, add toppings, 1-2 minutes to melt the cheese It doesn't really need much oil that way, and I don't have to preheat the oven.
That is similar to what I do. I buy those dollar store thin pizza crusts and lightly oil. I like extra crispy and cooking the crust first gives you the control over how crispy you want it.
Reminds me of "school pizza" which had tiny cube (6mm) peperoni and/or sausage on it along with this. It was, of course, baked on full sheet pans and cut into the obligatory 5x8 inch rectangles for delivery to the main serving school lunch trays. I'd buy 5 of those extra in high school on pizza Wednesdays! Only $0.50 for an extra pizza! (In 1990). I think they had them available (same recipe) from 1984 to 1992. Not sure how long they lasted on lunches after that. Pretty sure they used Mozzarella on it though and giant cans of tomato puree.
If its not 10” and it doesnt have cheesy lacy edges its NOT BAHH PIZZA. Be real. Just call it cracker crust pizza which is obviously where you likened it too. I like / love your channel. But be real.
I really believe cayenne is the magic ingredient in making an awesome pizza sauce 👌 Great recipe, Chef John. I'm going to make this over the weekend. Thin crust pizza is so delicious 😋🍕
I live very close to where this style of pizza was invented. 10” pan is required. Sauce over the edge to slightly burn or “laced” as we say. Your close but cooked a tad longer and laced is gospel around heeya.
A 10" pan is traditional but not required. When I'm baking for two, I adjust the recipe and use a 12" cutter pan from Lloyd's that works great. I do agree with everything else you wrote. I don't cut it into squares, however. I make the 1st set of parallel cuts, rotate 90° and make one cut through the center (diameter). This gives nice strips that are perfect for easy eating. If I were making pizza for a crowd I would cut into squares, though.
Never use 'pre-Crushed Tomatoes' ....never put 'seeded' tomatoes in a blender, nor a food processor! Why? Because when tomato seeds are 'crushed' then you'll have a BITTER sauce because of the crushed seeds! Always use whole tomatoes and use your hands and SQUEEZE the tomatoes to puree them between your fingers !!!
I like to claim this "south shore" name, as South of Boston Bar pizza. Made famous by Cape Cod Cafe.( now available frozen.) Addictive !!! Make 1 per person ! Love from Massachusetts.
Now Chef John just needs to make the other pizza style from New England: Greek style. It is called that due to originating in pizzerias owned by Greek immigrants in the 1950s, and many pizzerias in New England are still owned by Greek immigrants.
from the South Shore of Boston, we have several places that make this, the Most Famous of which is Town Spa Pizza in Stoughton, MA, The Lynnwood Cafe on the Randolph/Holbrook line, and of course Hoey’s Pizza, which runs inside Amvets Post 51 in Randolph, MA.
The best Pizza I've ever had was at a place called Connie's in Chicago. It was the typical Chicago cracker crust, cut in square slices and that sweet sausage/sauce that they were known for. The only other place that comes close is a place called Pauls in FL. He is from Chicago and has nearly an identical recipe and told me he gets his sausage from the same distributor as Connie's. Chicago is known for their Pizza Pies (deep dish) but everyone I know from there prefers cracker crust. The pizza in this video reminds me of Tom's frozen Pizza. When I was in Boy Scouts back in the 70s-80s we sold Tom's for charity funds and it looks identical to this... The crust is what made it so good though I'll have to try this and see.
The places that made it famous. Cape Cod Cafe (in Brockton not on Cape Cod) and the Brockton Cafe. Once a week dad would bring those pizzas home for supper. Good stuff👌
I understand that you’re “supposed to” use corn oil, but is there a specific reason _not_ to use olive oil? I mean, it might not be “bar pizza” any more, but it sounds more flavorful to me.
For the 'benchmark' of a good South Shore Bar style pizza, go to Town Spa in Stoughton, MA. They've been serving them for over 65 years. Just one thing: They're Cash Only. (there is an ATM in their Take-Out area)
It looks like the St. Louis-style pizza (which I didn't even know was a thing until Wikipedia told me) I grew up eating in Ohio, except those are generally cut into squares instead of wedges--which is, take my word for it, the greatest way to eat thin-crust pizza.
If you want great thin crust pizza get yourself a baking steel. It’s the best pizza I’ve ever made. Preheat the oven to 550 for at least an hour. It takes 6 mins to make a pizza and it’s pizzeria quality
Looks good, really good. Undercarriage meh, decent. Monterrey jack and cheddar...idk. needs a lil more crunch. Nice sauce. Look...i love this guy, GREAT GUY. Not bad but not great. 7.3? Look, i love bar pie. S little more crisp. Mozzarella mayyyybe some Parmesan. I don't know about cheddah and Monterey Jack. 7.3, that's the score.
I duplicated Chef John's dough recipe exactly but I tweaked the sauce by adding in addition to Chef John's ingredients, those from another bar pizza video, namely: 2 culinary TSP red wine vinegar; 2 TSP anchovy paste; a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes; 1 TBSP tomato paste; 1/2 TSP sugar. This created a uniquely tangy sauce that pairs well with this style of pizza. For the cheese topping I used 50% aged sharp white cheddar and 50% Monterey Jack. No mozz. This added yet another level of tanginess. This pizza is crazy tasty - IF you like bar style pie. I don't. My go-to home made pizza is Vera Napoletana Margherita using an Ooni propane fired pizza oven at 750F. My second home made fav is a NY Style thin crust using a conventional kitchen oven cranked up to 550F. This bar pizza doesn't feel healthy and has an air of greasiness from the butter and oil in the dough, together with the oil spread inside the pan to get that crispy almost-fried crust bottom. But because of the butter in the dough, it's definitely light and flaky (not traditional pizza-like, but we're not talking about traditional here). I'll keep this recipe but will only pull it out for those times when friends who have had and love bar pizza come to visit. Great job, Chef John. Kudos to you.
Bostonian checking in. Corner Pub near South Station does this style of pizza wonderfully. Def called bar pizza there. Now to the polite berating! Listen kehd! That is all.
Glad to see you were using a fork to dock. As noted, it's very important, but some dockers are cheaply made and defeat the purpose entirely. Yes, refrigerated dough is far better, imo.🙋👍
