St.Louis Style Pizza (Imo’s Copy Cat)

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.

 

*Pizza recipe adapted from Food.com