History

Buddy LaRosa opened the first LaRosa's Pizzeria on Boudinot Avenue in Westwood in 1954, using his aunt Dena's secret pizza sauce recipe. The square-cut, sweet-sauced regional style differs from New York thin or Detroit deep, becoming the defining Cincinnati pizza. The chain now has more than 60 locations across the metro and the original Boudinot Avenue store still operates.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Makes one 12-inch pizzaHands-on 25 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water (around 105F)
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups (315g) bread flour
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 can (15oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • Pinch ground fennel seed
  • 2 cups shredded provolone cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded mild mozzarella
  • Italian sausage or pepperoni to top

Method

  1. Bloom the yeast in warm water with sugar for 5 minutes. Combine the flour and salt, then add the yeast mixture and oil. Knead 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Rise covered until doubled, about 90 minutes.
  2. Make the sauce: simmer the tomatoes with the sugar, oregano, garlic powder and fennel for 20 minutes. The sweetness is the regional Cincinnati signature.
  3. Preheat the oven and a pizza stone to 500F (260C).
  4. Roll the dough into a 12-inch round, transfer to parchment, and top with a thin layer of sauce.
  5. Add the provolone and mozzarella, then scatter the sausage or pepperoni over the cheese.
  6. Slide onto the stone and bake 10 to 12 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned.
  7. Let cool 2 minutes, then cut into squares (not triangles).

Tip from the editors. Provolone over mozzarella matters. The provolone gives the regional Cincinnati LaRosa's pizza its distinctive sharper, sweeter cheese profile.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat larosa's square pizza

LaRosa's square pizza in Cincinnati

Dewey's Pizza Oakley ★ 4.4

Pizza$$oakleyMon-Sat 11:00-22:00; Sun 16:00-22:00

Dewey's Pizza Oakley on Madison Road in Cincinnati is the open-kitchen wood-fired pie shop founded in 1998, with the Bronx Bomber and dough-tossing show.

Signature: Edgar Allan Poe pie, Salad with house ranch

3014 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45209

More cities are in research. Want larosa's square pizza covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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