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My favorite pizza of all time is a St.Louis Style Pizza, specifically, a copycat Imo’s St. Louis Style Pizza. This traditional pizza is nestled on a paper thin, crisp crust (no yeast!), covered lightly in a sweet sauce, and then smothered in tangy provel cheese. The cheese is so gooey and delicious, it sticks right to the top of your mouth. So delicious!
If you’re not into St. Louis Style Pizza, be sure to check out our Best Pepperoni Pizza which is a classic New York-style pizza with a chewy crust, plenty of whole milk mozzarella and truffle honey. If specialty pizzas are your thing, don’t miss this Bruschetta Chicken Pizza, and if you like just a little bit of a spin on a classic, check out this Best Meatball Pizza Recipe.
St.Louis Style Pizza (Imo’s Copy Cat)
St.Louis style pizza. Love or it hate it?
I’ve found that most people are very passionate one way or the other, if you hate it, the mere thought of it elicits cringes and a crinkle of your nose; on the other hand, if you love it, the mere thought of it will make you burst into tears of joy and send your stomach into a hunger-induced tizzy. As you can imagine, I’m on the love the side, in fact, I think I feel a tear welling up in my eye right this very minute…
I happen to LOVE the super-thin crust, sweet, sparingly used sauce, and ALL the melty, in-your-face provel cheese. The fact that the cheese is so sticky and gooey, it practically adheres to the roof of your mouth when you take a bit is not a nuisanceto me, but a mere perk of the delicious pizza.
Because of the thin nature of the crust, each pizza is usually cut into squares instead of the typical triangular pizza shape to ensure all toppings stay safely on said crust and not on the ground.
What is Provel cheese?
This is an absolute essential ingredient in St. Louis Style Pizza. Basically it’s a processed cheese made of provolone, Swiss, and white cheddar. It’s a wonderful melting cheese, and gets gooey and sticky when heated, unlike mozzarella, which gets stringy. You can find it in most grocery stores these days in the specialty cheese bin.
Nowww, I’m not really one to go for processed cheese on anything (unless it’s a classic grilled cheese of course), but here, I wouldn’t have it otherwise. – it makes the pizza. BUT this is also what turns some people off, it’s a very pungent cheese, which I, happen to think if fabulous, but other, stinky cheese haters might think otherwise.
How to make Imo’s Pizza Crust
So this also where people go, “Huh??”
This particular crust in unlike any pizza crust you’ve encountered. It’s paper thin, has no chew to in, and this version, uses only a touch of baking powder and no yeast. It’s more a cracker consistency than a pizza dough.
Here’s what you need:
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- olive oil
- corn syrup
- water
Mix all the ingredients together, give it a few kneads and roll it out. Ready for toppings!
How to Make St. Louis Style Pizza
- Make the crust
- Mix tomato puree, tomato paste, oregano, basil, garlic powder, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Roll the pizza crust out and divide the sauce between to two pizzas.
- Cover with cheese.
- Bake! (For great instruction on how to make perfect pizzas every time, check out our Best Pepperoni Pizza post.)
Toppings for St. Louis Style Pizza
I’m a purist when it comes to topping on most pizzas, this one is no exception. Because the crust is relatively thin, it really can’t stand up to a lot of toppings. Two is the most I’ll ever put on, but you can try your hand at more. My very favorite is plain ol’ cheese, but pepperoni or pepperoni and chopped green peppers is a close second.
St.Louis Style Pizza (Imo's Copycat)
Ingredients
- 10 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 3 oz tomato paste
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp corn syrup
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp water
- 4 cups shredded provel cheese, about 3/4 lb
Equipment
- pizza stone
- Mixing bowl
Instructions
- Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 550 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together, tomato puree, tomato paste, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, basil, garlic powder and oregano. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk flour, remaining salt and baking powder. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk water, oil and corn syrup. Mix into flour mixture until combined. Gently knead to bring together. Split the dough in two equal pieces and roll each piece out to make a 12-inch pie.
- Transfer to a pizza peel covered in cornmeal. Spread half the sauce on each pizza. Cover with cheese and desired toppings. Sprinkle with a little basil, oregano and kosher salt to taste. Bake on pizza stone for 8-10 minutes until crust is crisp and cheese is melted, bubbly and golden brown. Cool for a few minutes before slicing.
Nutrition Information
*Pizza recipe adapted from Food.com
Ginnie says
This looks super delicious, and I’m curious to try the crust! Thanks for sharing.
Nicole says
It was so good Ginnie!! Let me know if you try it!
Youngmee says
Did you mean to list baking powder in the actual recipe as opposed to baking “soda”? Sorry, I just want to make sure I use the right one.
Nicole says
Yes!!! I did mean baking powder. Thanks for catching that. Updating now!
Nina says
I need to know exactly what the toppings are in the picture, but that is what is causing my mouth to water. It looks like pepperoni and sausage/ground beef. I’m dying to know, I want to make the exact thing that’s in the pic
Nicole says
Nina, I used Boar’s Head pepperoni, in the stick, not pre-sliced sliced from the deli counter and a really good quality spicy Italian sausage!
Sharon says
What does Transfer to a pizza wheel covered in cornmeal mean? Or do you transfer it to the pre-heated pizza stone? looking forward to making..looks delicious!!
Nicole says
Haha major error in instructions, it’s a pizza PEEL, not a wheel. Oh lordy. Sorry about that! I usually cover a wooden pizza peel (you can find one here) with cornmeal, to make the transition to the oven easy. If you put the pizza on a peel covered in cormeal you can just slide it on to your pre-heated pizza stone!
Laura @ My Friend's Bakery says
That looks heavenly! I can never get the dough thin enough for my taste so this is a definite must try! Thank you!
Kassie says
Anyone know if it needs to be light or dark corn syrup?
Nicole says
Kassie, I used dark!!
Bob says
I’m from St. Louis and I want to thank you for not adding a recipe for provel. If you don’t have it, it won’t taste like St. Louis pizza. And make sure your sauce and toppings go all the way to the edge, there’s no crust on this pizza. I like your toppings but for me some thin crispy bacon must be on it. Thanks!
Nicole says
Yeah, you just cannot replace provel cheese already made!! There’s nothing like it! I’m going to have to try mine with bacon! Thanks Bob!
Cyndi says
I am a true St. Louisan and absolutley love Imo’s pizza! Decided to see if someone had a good copycat recipe here and found yours…..can’t wait to try it! We have noticed that the Imo’s near us has somehow changed either the sauce or cheese used over the last couple of years and it just isn’t the same. Hoping your recipe recreates that awesome pizza! Thanks for sharing!!!
Nicole says
Ooooo let me know if you do try it Cyndi!! I’d love to hear about it!
Margo says
I just moved to Florida from Saint Louis and the one thing I missed was Imo’s Pizza.
It’s simply the best! ( My Opinion )
Anyway, I did some Google searches and found quite a few copycat recipes and tried only 1 so far.
Made it a few times and each time I make it gets better and better.
I made one for a neighbor here in Florida and now they are hooked.
I’m going to have to try this one you posted.
Netizen says
You can get provel cheese from Amazon now……It isn’t cheap but you can get it.