History

Trenton-style tomato pie originated in Trenton, New Jersey, at Papa's Tomato Pies in 1912 and DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies in 1947, where the sauce-on-top construction allowed long bakes without scorching the cheese. Patrick DePula and Nichole brought the style west, opening Salvatore's Tomato Pies in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, in 2011, then expanding to the Madison Livingston Street location and Monona. The tomato pie at Salvatore's is the Trenton recipe with Wisconsin mozzarella and a longer-fermented dough.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 25 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 400g all-purpose flour
  • 260ml water at 75F
  • 8g salt
  • 5g instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 300g whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 300g low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
  • 30g grated Pecorino Romano
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Olive oil for finishing

Method

  1. Mix flour, water, salt, yeast and oil in a bowl until a shaggy dough forms. Knead 8 minutes until smooth.
  2. Cover and rest at room temperature 2 hours, then divide into 2 portions and rest 30 minutes more.
  3. In a bowl, mix the crushed tomatoes with oregano, salt and grated garlic.
  4. Stretch each portion of dough into a thin 12-inch round on parchment.
  5. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella directly onto the dough first, all the way to the edge.
  6. Ladle the tomato sauce on top of the cheese in dots and swirls, leaving some cheese visible.
  7. Slide onto a hot pizza stone at 500F.
  8. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until the crust is crisp and the sauce darkens on top.
  9. Finish with grated Pecorino, fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil.

Tip from the editors. Cheese under the sauce is the canonical Trenton order; never reverse it. Use whole-milk low-moisture mozzarella, not fresh.

Where to eat trenton-style tomato pie

Trenton-style tomato pie in Madison

Salvatore's Tomato Pies ★ 4.8

Italian Pizza$$capitol-square

Salvatore's Tomato Pies on North Livingston, the Madison branch of the Sun Prairie Trenton-style pizzeria, runs tomato pies with sauce on top of the cheese.

Signature: Trenton-style tomato pie, Scratch pasta

Order: A Trenton-style tomato pie and a Wisconsin tap beer at happy hour.

Tip: Closed Monday; 16:00-18:00 happy hour Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday with $5 off 10-inch pies.

10 N Livingston St, Madison, WI 53703

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