History

Brian and Kim Spangler opened the original Scholls Public House as a wood-fired sourdough bakery in Scholls, Oregon, in 2001. By 2004 they had moved to SE Hawthorne in Portland and rebranded as Apizza Scholls, with a deck oven, naturally leavened dough fermented 24 hours and an 18-inch round as the only size. The Spanglers were the pioneers of Portland's serious-pizza era. The crust is the point: charred, blistered, with the sour from the wild starter cutting the tomato. Order at the counter for the dining room or call ahead from 16:00 for pickup. Dough sells out.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Makes 1 large pizza (4 slices)Hands-on 30 minTotal 26 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 300g 00 flour
  • 200g bread flour
  • 350ml water
  • 10g fine salt
  • 100g mature sourdough starter (100% hydration)
  • 200g San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes, hand-crushed
  • 200g low-moisture mozzarella, torn
  • Fresh basil, sea salt, olive oil

Method

  1. Mix flours, water and starter in a bowl until shaggy. Rest 30 minutes (autolyse). Add salt and mix to a smooth dough.
  2. Bulk-ferment 4 hours at room temperature with four sets of folds at 30-minute intervals.
  3. Divide and shape into a tight ball. Refrigerate covered 18 to 24 hours.
  4. Three hours before baking, take the dough out and rest at room temperature.
  5. Heat oven to maximum (260C+) with a baking steel on the top rack for 45 minutes.
  6. Stretch the dough on parchment to 30cm. Top with crushed tomato, scattered mozzarella, drizzle olive oil.
  7. Slide onto the steel. Bake 6 to 8 minutes until the crust is blistered and the cheese bubbles. Finish with basil and a pinch of salt.

Tip from the editors. The baking steel is the load-bearing tool; a pizza stone takes twice as long and never gets the under-char right.

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 the portland slice (1990s heirloom)

The Portland Slice (1990s heirloom) in Portland

Apizza Scholls ★ 4.6

Pizza$$hawthorne-belmont

Brian and Kim Spangler's 18-inch sourdough pies on SE Hawthorne in Portland, in business since 2004 and still the canonical Portland Neapolitan pizza.

Signature: Pizza margherita, Calzone

Order: The classic Margherita with house mozzarella

Tip: Phone orders open at 16:00. Dough sells out on weekends; arrive by 17:30 or risk no pie.

4741 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215 Book →

Ken's Artisan Pizza ★ 4.5

Wood-fired pizza$$hawthorne-belmont

Ken Forkish's wood-fired pizza room on SE 28th in Portland, the pizza arm of his bakery empire with naturally leavened dough and seasonal toppings.

Signature: Wood-fired margherita, Monday-night meatballs

Order: The margherita with house-cured pepperoni

Tip: Reservations on Tock for the dining room. Monday-night meatballs sell out by 19:00.

304 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214

Lovely's Fifty Fifty ★ 4.6

Pizza and ice cream$$mississippi-williams

The Smith family's whole-grain sourdough pizza and house-churned ice cream room on N Mississippi in Portland, all foraged toppings and seasonal flavours.

Signature: Wood-fired pizza, House-made ice cream

Order: The pie with chanterelles and fontina, in season

Tip: Walk-in only with a handful of booths. The ice cream rotates weekly with foraged flavours.

4039 N Mississippi Ave, Ste 101, Portland, OR 97227

More cities are in research. Want the portland slice (1990s heirloom) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →