Tavern Style Thin Crust Pizza with a Par Bake Method

Tavern style pizza is a Chicago tradition that rarely gets the attention it deserves outside the Midwest. Thin, crispy, cut into squares, loaded with toppings that caramelize and curl at the edges. @thebkydpalate shows how to make one at home using a pizza oven, a five-day fermented dough, and a par bake technique that solves the biggest problem with thin crust: getting it crispy without burning the toppings.

The Dough

This starts with a five-day cold ferment. Long fermentation develops flavor and makes the dough easier to stretch thin without tearing. Before shaping, the dough ball gets dried off so it handles cleanly and stretches to that paper-thin profile tavern style demands.

The Par Bake

The key move here is the par bake. The stretched dough goes into the pizza oven bare, with no sauce, no cheese, no toppings. It comes back out partially cooked after a short time. This does two things. First, you can press and flatten the edges down while the crust is still pliable, getting the pizza as uniformly thin as possible. Second, the underside firms up enough that the pizza will never stick to the peel when you launch it back in with toppings. That means you can take your time loading it up without worrying about a soggy bottom welding itself to the board.

Toppings and the Final Bake

The finished pizza is generous with pepperoni and crumbled sausage over a layer of melted cheese and red sauce. The pepperoni cups and crisps, the sausage browns into caramelized bits, and the cheese stretches edge to edge. A scatter of fresh herbs finishes it off. The final bake runs a little longer than usual on purpose. The goal is a crust that cracks when you bite through it, with deeply browned cheese and toppings that border on charred in the best way.

Cutting and Serving

Tavern style gets cut into squares, not wedges. The finished pizza sits on a wooden board and the pieces are small enough to grab and eat in two or three bites. The crust is visibly thin and rigid, holding its shape when lifted. No flop, no fold.

Key Takeaways

• A five-day cold ferment builds flavor and makes thin stretching easier.
• Par baking the naked crust is the technique that makes everything else work. It lets you flatten the edges, prevent sticking, and top at your own pace.
• Run the final bake a little hot and a little long. Tavern style should come out extra crispy with well-browned toppings.
• Cut into squares, not slices. That is the tavern way.