This is my recipe interpretation of my own copycat Di Carlo’s style pizza. Di Carlo’s style pizza is an institution in the tri state area of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Square slices yield a crunch with every bite. My version is baked with a slightly sweet oregano sauce and cold toppings of mozzarella & provolone cheese mix, and pepperoni applied after baking. The steam from the pizza fresh out of the hot oven melts the cheese and warms the pepperoni.
**** This recipe was updated January 13, 2020 with edits and new photos****
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If you are reading this, it’s because you probably live too far away from a Di Carlo’s Original Pizza and were craving the unmistakeable Ohio Valley pizza sooooooooo so badly. They pretty much put Ohio Valley Pizza on the map. Literally, hands down, the best pizza I have ever eaten.
Have you ever noticed that people are territorial about their pizza no matter where they are from? Well, I’m from the Ohio Valley, and yes, Ohio Valley has their own Regional Style. Let me first describe what Ohio Valley Pizza is. What it isn’t is your typical run of the mill circular pizza pie. It’s square in shape, the uncooked toppings are usually added on top of the sauce out of the oven as it’s sliced and slightly cooled. The sauce is more of a stewed tomato type sauce, and it’s typically sold by the slice.
If you are from the Ohio Valley, Wheeling, WV and Pittsburgh area, then you know this is one of the most highly coveted pizzas around. If you ate this pizza as a kid growing up, (like I did, in the Mingo Junction/Steubenville Ohio area.) and have since moved away, you will inevitably make time to stop in and order some when you go back home to visit just to get a taste of the goods again. Oh, and they don’t deliver. At least not back in the day.
There’s no other pizza like it around. If you have ever eaten this pizza, then you understand that you can’t even wait to get home to eat it. You tear into the box in the car. Pizza in one hand and the other hand white knuckling the steering wheel. It might be worse than texting and driving. I don’t text and drive…and I plead the 5th on eating and driving. One slice is never enough!
You can find out more about them on their Original DiCarlo’s Pizza website. But here’s a quick rundown.
Primo Di Carlo was the son of Michael and Caroline Di Carlo, who immigrated to the United States from Italy. They owned and operated a grocery store in Steubenville Ohio. My birth town. They later expanded to a bakery as well. Primo decided he wanted to get in the pizza business when he returned from serving in the military during World War II. While stationed in Italy, he noticed that the locals were making a crispy bread, topping it with tomato sauce and cheese and selling it. He believed he could make a similar concept to succeed in his home town. He pretty much hit it out of the ballpark.
When he returned home from Italy, he and his brother Galdo adapted the Italian recipe. They opened their first pizza shop in Steubenville, Ohio in 1945 and sold pieces of their pizza which they called “poor man’s cheesecake” for 10 cents a slice. They basically put pizza on the map in the Steubenville, Ohio and the Wheeling, West Virginia area. When most people think of Ohio Valley Pizza they automatically think of Di Carlo’s.
Factoid: Crooner Dean Martin’s hometown was Steubenville, Ohio and it is said he was “gumbas” with the Di Carlo family.
The creamy stringiness of the cold provolone & mozzarella cheeses is almost indescribable. It is said that Di Carlo’s use only provolone cheese. I do question that however. I have no proof whatsoever one way or the other.
Yes, you heard me right. I said cold cheeses. It’s sprinkled over top of the steamy sauce straight out of the oven and layered with room temperature pepperoni. The steam of the pizza box melts the cheese and warms the pepperoni to sheer perfection. I swear I can smell it just talking about it. The crispiness of the outside crust combined with the light & airy inside will have you hooked after the first bite. People have been known to fist fight over corner slices! I exaggerate, but you get my drift.
There really are no words. You simply have to try this pizza for yourself at least once in your life. And if you can’t? Well, I feel sorry for you. So here is my very own tribute adapted recipe interpretation that is reminiscent of that distinct Ohio Vally pizza.
I called upon my memory of the flavors and adapted and substituted ingredients I thought would work for me to come close enough to give me that feeling of nostalgia and satisfy my insatiable cravings for this pizza. And I do mean insatiable! Please, puh-lease understand that I am not claiming this to be the original recipe. I have no idea what it is. I’m sure it’s under lock and key.
COPYCAT Di CARLO’S STYLE PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE:
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/2 Tablespoon organic honey (OR 1.5 teaspoons sugar)
- 1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (plus more for rising dough and baking sheet)
***** For best results, I recommend that you make the dough ahead of time (if you’re able) at least 4-6 hours ahead or you can do a slow cold ferment in the refrigerator overnight.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
******I also recommend you use a mix of All Purpose Flour and Bread Flour. You can usually find bread flour at your grocer or you may purchase bread flour here. Bread flour is higher in protein and gives the pizza crust that chewy bite. It is a bit harder to work with when shaping the dough in the pan because of the higher protein. You can always let your dough rest if it is snapping back on you. Check it every 5 minutes .
Read all about a cold ferment here.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH:
- In small ceramic or glass dish, add 2 teaspoons yeast, 1/2 tablespoon organic honey, and 1/4 cup warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes to activate yeast. It should be nice and bubbly.
- In a separate large bowl add 1 cup all purpose flour, 2 cups bread flour, 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk ingredients together.
- Once yeast has activated, add the yeast and about 3/4 cup of water. Don’t add all the water in case you don’t need it. Give the flour time to absorb the liquid. Dough should come together in a shaggy ball. It there are still dry bits of flour add water a tablespoon at a time until dough comes together in a shaggy ball.
- Turn dough out on a clean counter or surface and knead for at least 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
- Return dough to bowl and drizzle some Extra Virgin Olive oil over the dough and oil sides of bowl lightly. Cover bowl with a plastic wrap or a clean towel.
- Let rise in a warm area free of drafts such as your microwave or counter for at least 4-6 hours. But I recommend 8-10 hours for fully developed yeasty flavors.
- If doing a cold rise; place in fridge overnight and bring back to room temperature before shaping & baking. ( I have used both a counter rise and cold ferment overnight and have gotten delicious results from both.)
The sauce is really simple and can also be made ahead of time if desired. It’s made with very few ingredients and takes very little preparation. Over the years I have found that 6 in 1 tomatoes give me the best results. They have that sweet tomato-y flavor that mimics the sauce the closest in my opinion. I have to special order them from a grocer called Taylor’s Market in California. **** See note below about 6 in 1 tomatoes.
COPYCAT Di CARLO’S STYLE PIZZA TOMATO SAUCE RECIPE:
- One 28 oz. can of 6 in 1 all purpose ground tomatoes (***See update below)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 Tablespoon brown sugar
- Mix of provolone and mozzarella cheese for topping the pizza (you can sometimes find a bag of mixed provolone and mozzarella blend.)
- ***** Optional: you can add a slice of either green pepper or pepper of your choice to cook in the sauce but I recommend removing the pepper before putting the sauce on the dough.
- *******Update: 6 in 1 all purpose ground tomatoes are no longer available in 28 oz cans so now I use Pastene D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes and crush them in a large bowl with my hand. I pick out any large stringy bits of the tomato.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COPYCAT Di CARLO’s STYLE PIZZA SAUCE:
To a deep sauce pot add canned tomatoes, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt and brown sugar. You can throw in a pepper if you’d like but I don’t use pepper at all in my sauce anymore. Stir and simmer on low medium heat for 15-20 minutes.
ASSEMBLY OF PIZZA:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees an hour before baking.
Lightly oil the bottom and sides of your baking pan with extra virgin olive oil. I used a 15 x 10 baking sheet and all of my dough. If you truly want the legit Di Carlo’s pizza experience, you can use a square pizza pan.
Remove your dough from the bowl and place in the center of your pan.
Don’t roll the dough. Spread the dough out with your hands all the way to and up the sides. You don’t want to ruin the integrity or overwork it. Be patient and gentle with it. If it is rubber banding back on itself, cover it and give it 5 minutes or so to relax the gluten.
Now that your dough is situated in the pan, poke it with a fork to prevent air bubbles from happening while baking.
Place the pizza in a 500 degree oven on bottom rack and bake for about 10 minutes or until dough just begins to to get lightly brown. You don’t want to overcook the dough. Remove the pan and decrease oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Spoon a thin layer of sauce on the dough making sure not to cover the crust in sauce. Leave about 1/2 inch border.
Lightly sprinkle on a very small amount of mix of mozzarella and provolone cheese before placing back in oven. This is just to absorb some of the liquid so the dough doesn’t become soggy.
Place in 425 degree oven for about 6-8 minutes or until crust is golden brown and bottom of pizza crust sounds hollow when you check it with a spatula. Remove from oven.
Immediately sprinkle on the provolone and mozzarella cheese mix and top with room temperature pepperoni.My favorite pepperoni to use with this recipe is Margherita pepperoni. Sometimes, I’ll use Boar’s Head pepperoni. I feel these two pepperoni brands comes the closest to Di Carlo’s pepperoni flavor.
Give the pizza a few minutes for the cheese to melt and the pepperoni to warm before you slice it.
Take note of the golden brown thin crispy crust, yet airy, chewy interior. It’s so delicious and like no other pizza you’ve had before. Whenever I’m craving a slice of Di Carlo’s Original pizza, this copycat version that I’ve created really hits the spot. One bite of this pizza and it just might transport you back to your childhood memories.
This pizza is also great reheated. Reheat in preheated oven at 325 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.
Copycat Di Carlo’s Style Pizza
Course: Pizza, DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Fairly Easy4
servings45
minutes25
minutes300
kcalCopycat Di Carlo’s Pizza an Ohio & West Virginia favorite in the try-county area. Crunchy chewy crust with a lightly sweet & seasoned tomato sauce. Cold cheese and pepperoni added to the piping hot pizza after it’s baked.
Ingredients
DOUGH:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast1/2 Tablespoon organic honey (OR 1.5 teaspoons brown sugar)
1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup warm waterSAUCE:
One 28 oz. can of 6 in 1 all purpose ground tomatoes1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
Mix of provolone and mozzarella cheese for topping the pizza (you can sometimes find a bag of mixed provolone and mozzarella blend.)
***** Optional: you can add a slice of either green pepper or pepper of your choice to cook in the sauce but I recommend removing the pepper before putting the sauce on the dough.1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (plus more for rising dough and baking sheet)
Directions
- FOR THE DOUGH
In small ceramic or glass dish, add 2 teaspoons yeast, 1/2 tablespoon organic honey, and 1/4 cup warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes to activate yeast. It should be nice and bubbly. - In a separate large bowl add 1 cup all purpose flour, 2 cups bread flour, 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk ingredients together.
- Once yeast has activated, add the yeast and about 3/4 cup of water. Don’t add all the water in case you don’t need it. Give the flour time to absorb the liquid. Dough should come together in a shaggy ball. It there are still dry bits of flour add water a tablespoon at a time until dough comes together in a shaggy ball.
- Turn dough out on a clean counter or surface and knead for at least 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
- Return dough to bowl but first drizzle some Extra Virgin Olive oil over the dough and oil sides of bowl lightly. Cover bowl with a plastic wrap or a clean towel.
- Let rise in a warm area free of drafts such as your microwave or counter for at least 4-6 hours.
- If doing a cold rise; place in fridge overnight and bring back to room temperature before shaping & baking. ( I have used both a counter rise and cold ferment overnight and have gotten delicious results from both.)
- FOR PIZZA SAUCE:
To a deep sauce pot add canned tomatoes, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt and brown sugar. You can throw in a pepper if you’d like but I don’t use pepper at all in my sauce anymore. Stir and simmer on low medium heat for 15-20 minutes. - ASSEMBLY OF PIZZA:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees one half hour before baking. - Lightly oil the bottom and sides of your baking pan with extra virgin olive oil. I used a 15 x 10 baking sheet and all of the dough.
- Remove your dough from the bowl and place in the center of your pan.
- Spread the dough out with your hands all the way to and up the sides. You don’t want to ruin the integrity or overwork it. Be patient and gentle with it. If it is rubber banding back on itself, cover it and give it 5 minutes or so to relax the gluten.
- When dough is pressed in the pan, poke it with a fork to prevent air bubbles from happening while baking.
- Place the pizza in a 500 degree oven on bottom rack and bake for about 10 minutes or until dough just begins to to get lightly brown. You don’t want to overcook the dough. Remove the pan and decrease oven temperature to 425 degrees.
- Spoon a thin layer of sauce on the dough making sure not to cover the crust in sauce. Leave about 1/2 inch border.
- Lightly sprinkle on a very small amount of mix of mozzarella and provolone cheese before placing back in oven. This is just to absorb some of the liquid so the dough doesn’t become soggy.
- Place in 425 degree oven for about 6-8 minutes or until crust is golden brown and bottom of pizza crust sounds hollow when you check it with a spatula. Remove from oven.
- Immediately sprinkle on the provolone and mozzarella cheese mix and top with room temperature pepperoni.
- Give the pizza a few minutes for the cheese to melt and the pepperoni to warm before you slice it.
- Pizza can be reheated in oven at 350° F for 10 minutes
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I’m from Steubenville, and I’ve always called it “ohio valley pizza”… SO good. nothing like it anywhere else. When we go home, we buy a tray and go to town. When I’m feeling ambitious in the kitchen I may try this!! 🙂
Please let everyone know your thoughts if you decide to make it Marie. Thanks for stopping by.
Sherri, I’m from Mingo Jct. OV STYLE PIZZA RULES THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTEMPT AT REPRODUCING IT! WILL LET YOU KNOW WHAT WE THINK WHEN I CAN FIND THE TIME TO TRY YOUR RECIPE……
PATRICK MCMASTERS
Thank you Patrick, I look forward to hearing your results.
Giannamore’s pizza recipe
First of all you can’t just say use bread flour. DiCarlos uses a blend of flours. Then u have to figure out the brand of San Marzano tomatoes they use. Think about it. Where are they getting their ingredients. Do u think they’re shipping 55lb bags of flour across the country. Not likely. I agree they are using Provolone as one of the cheeses. Toni DiCarlo even said that in an interview. Why would you spill the beans like that? It’s a fairly complicated recipe. Good luck all.
Mark,
Wow, sounds like you have your panties in a wad over this or you are having a really bad day. Either way, I hope it gets better for you. If you would have taken the time to read the post entirely, you would have read that I’m not trying to “nail” the recipe. Even if you didn’t read the post you can clearly see that I state in my title that it’s “My Review and Recipe Tribute to DiCarlo’s Original Pizza.”
While I respect your opinion, around here (i.e. my blog) I do things differently. That means I interpret and develop recipes and post my opinion of them. You don’t have to agree with it or like it. However, I like to keep things on the positive and nice side here.
So you see, I can in fact say, use bread flour…because that is what I use. In the end it’s still flour, sauce, and cheese. Not that complicated at all.
Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the comments. Have a great day! 🙂
If you not trying to nail it why put forth all this effort in the process? You must have spent a lot of time on all of this. When I cook anything I want to nail it, that’s the challenge. If it doesn’t taste like the original recipe what’s the point? You might as well get out your Easy-Bake Oven and make something.
Mark,
Once again, I’ll ask if you read the post? Because here is an excerpt…
“So here is my very own tribute adapted recipe interpretation that is reminiscent of that distinct Ohio Vally pizza. I called upon my memory of the flavors and adapted and substituted ingredients I thought would work for me to come close enough to give me that feeling of nostalgia and satisfy my insatiable cravings for this pizza. And I do mean insatiable! Please, puh-lease understand that I am not claiming this to be the original recipe. I have no idea what it is.”
I think the real question is why are you trying to argue with someone who has clearly stated an answer to your question? Not once…but twice. Why are you impugning my motives? It seems odd to me, that you are trying to provoke or elicit the answer YOU THINK I should give you. All this over a recipe post?
I am not you. You have your reasons for cooking. I have mine. At this point, your behavior seems troll-like.
By the way dude, I used to make some killer cakes in my Easy-Bake.
Ok if you’re cool with being mediocre that’s fine. Do you know how much money can be made with the right recipes. People in general don’t know how to cook. I’ve served things to guests that weren’t quite just right. They told me it was the best food they ever had in their life not just once either many many times. Food is like everything today. If you want to be successful you should take it more seriously. Good luck to you.
Dude, I bet you’re a BLAST at parties. Lighten up.
And I quote dumb face: “People in general don’t know how to cook”. Wow, you surely must be the wizard of humanityhumanit with such a vague generalized statement like that. Let me correct you: Young 20 something college idiots can’t cook, and of course young girls these days don’t cook… because they don’t do much in life in general. Actually, most normal, non-white trash humans do cook. Including myself, who happens to enjoy cooking.
So you’ve served food many times to guests that wasn’t “quite right”. Did you tell them or were you privately proud your “non nailed” food was wonderful anyhow? Food is not “everything” today, life is. Please look up Auguste Escoffier’s life & his principles on treatment of people & kitchen staff. He was a chef to kings & has an amazing history. It seems you seem to have a passion for bullying not food. What have you done to promote your “not quite right recipes” that are still great? Where is your blog? Any cookbooks written to help the non cooks to cook or spark an interest
in cooking? Continually taking up space to denigrate someone is pathetic & sad. What happened to you to make you so angry? Your food may be wonderful, who knows? No one on this blog has a clue about your food, only your need for perfection & bullying those who in your mind who don’t meet your lofty standards. Be socially responsible to all for a week & see the surprising response from others.
Why such a DB attitude? Hey keyboard warrior, leave the lady alone for doing something many of us appreciate.
Ok I’ll be nice. I’m going to do you a big favor. I’m going to tell you a couple secrets to making this pizza. You need to use All Trumps flour. It’s a high gluten flour 14.2% protein. That’s what DiCarlos uses. Also let the dough cold proof for 2 to 3 days before making your pizza. Also Cento tomatoes is not what they use. They don’t even use San Marzano tomatoes. That’s it for the tips today. There’s a lot more to it than you think. Time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. That’s more valuable information than you have in your entire blog. I know how to cook. Give me any more crap and I won’t tell you anything else.
Mark, thanks for all the tips.
Any new tips mark?
Idiot
All Trump’s flour contains potassium bromide which is a class 2B carcinogen. I think I’ll stick with the bread flour considering I make and eat a lot of pizza dough.
I’ve done a lot of research on this and you’re right, they do use All Trump’s flour. This was confirmed when I saw a huge bag of ATF in one of their photo’s of a new franchise that recently opened up. In another photo of the same franchise they had boxes of 6 in 1 Escalon ground tomatoes, so somehow I nailed the exact tomatoes they use.
Sometimes I do a 48 hour cold ferment when I have the time. I haven’t found much difference when I let my dough ferment on the counter for 8-10 hours. It develops nice flavors and gets a good rise when baked the same day. And it’s delicious.
I tried grating my own provolone from a block recently and I hated it, it was so sharp and pungent. The smell is off putting and I didn’t like the taste at all. I prefer a mix of mild provolone and mozzarella. I can sometimes find bags of shredded mozzarella and provolone blend at my favorite wholesale market but I prefer to use fresh blocks of cheese because I don’t really care for cellulose powder. Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s just easier to used shredded bagged cheese.
For whatever reason, this post remains one of the more popular recipe posts on my blog and for that I appreciate everyone who reads, makes, or comments on the recipe.
I hope you’re all well and blessed and wish you all a very Happy 2022 New Year.
You realise it a take on the recipe. Obviously it’s not the exact recipe. I can tell you to 💯 certainty when I make it I add a touch more salt and make my crust thinner then the authors judging by the pizza in the picture and mine taste almost spot on to dicarlos pizza.
Marie, I just want to say your explanation about DiCarlo’s Pizza is exactly how I feel. Everytime I go back home to Steubenville I go to DiCarlo’s as much as possible. I can eat it every night. I haven’t tried your recipe yet but I will. My mom recently moved to heaven and she is the reason for all my visits there. I don’t know when I’ll get back there now, so I am desperately looking for something close to it. I live in Oklahoma now. Thanks for posting.
Best pizza EVERRRRRR! Grew up in the Valley and there is nothing like this pizza anywhere I know of!!! You described it perfectly! I am now wanting to plan my next trip home just for a single slice!
Thank you for the words that make me want to go home!!!!
Anytime Kelly! My family does the same. In fact, when someone is visiting they take a picture of the pizza and text it to the rest of us. Pure torture. I’m still on a quest to get this as close as I can, so if you have any suggestions, please feel free to comment again.
Thanks for stopping by.
there is di carlos pizza now here in the Valley if you are talking about the phoenix metro area. It is located at
13000 W Dysart Road
Litchfield 85340
623-535-5232
When you go in there are pics of stuebenville and old man dicarlo from 1939. It is like a trip back to Ohio only here. You should check it out. Our family was thrilled beyond words!!!
What?! There’s one in Phoenix? Does it taste the same? OMG!! I’m there. Apparently, there should be a Meetup group of Ohio Valley to Phoenix transplants to go to this pizza joint once a month. 🙂
Apparently, that restaurant is now closed. 🙁
OMG! my family does this too. I look forward to trying your recipe. I am currently suffering in the pizza purgatory that is Southern WV.
DiCarlo’s fan for years having lived in Yorkville,OH for most of my life. However, I am stating, without reservation, that the pizza made by our fire department’s ladies auxiliary in years gone by was the absolute best. I learned from my cousin in the kitchen baking the trays to only get the pizza baked in the old, seasoned pans and not the shiny new aluminum ones.
Second best was Steve’s in Martins Ferry between Yorkville and Wheeling. DiCarlo’s a close third.
I grew up in the OV as well and I somehow found myself in a town that doesn’t really like pizza. Couldn’t even keep a Papa John’s open. It has been so long since I had good pizza that I ordered hospital pizza after I had my baby and thought it was pretty good. Hospital pizza. Do you know how hard that is for someone who was used to DiCarlo’s?
Hospital pizza? LOL that is kinda disgustingly funny Courtney. I suggest you try this recipe right away to banish all your hospital pizza memories for good!
Thanks for stopping by.
I grew up in New Martinsville, WV, and I THANK YOU for this! I have a new project this weekend!!
Jona, please drop by again and give us your thoughts or any suggestions. I’m still testing out the recipe and trying to get it as close as I can. I think I might try San Marzano tomatoes next time I make it.
Thanks for dropping by.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! I am from between Moundsville and New Martinsville and I crave this pizza from the time my feet leave until I can get back to the closest one!!! Cant wait to try this tomorrow!!!!!
Sharon, please drop by again and tell us what you think. I welcome any and all feedback.
Thanks for stopping by.
Been eating DiCarlos since the ’60’s.Still the best.
Me too John. It really can’t be beat!
Thanks for commenting.
i heard from another “original” employee that in the dough they used mazola corn oil (not olive oil) and sugar (not honey) back in the day. olive oil being too expensive. and a few years ago from a Weirton store manager, that they use a whole tomato like San Marzano and blend them for the tomato content in the sauce. i do think your sauce recipe is close–i have detected green peppers which the manager would not confirm or deny! finally, i heard they use a cheese that is half mozzarella, half provolone – think it comes that way in a block.
Hi Cathy. Thanks for dropping by and commenting. First, I want to make clear that I don’t claim that I have copied this recipe to an exact T by any stretch of the imagination. I simply did some research and pulled together some basic ingredients that I thought could closely recreate the “Ohio Valley Pizza” feel.
That said, I use organic honey and olive oil as healthy alternatives to refined sugar and genetically modified oils. I did say that either honey or sugar could be used. The type of sweetner used makes no difference, as it is there to activate the yeast.I also used a half strained tomato and half chopped tomato base for the sauce.
And I did include that you could use a provolone/mozzarella mix which is what I did.
I welcome any and all comments to improve the recipe to be as close as possible. Thank you for your suggestions.
Sherri
Aww, man. I used to live near the DiCarlo’s in Newell (which I was told by an old friend who shared this recipe on fb) that it has closed! How lame! Anyways, when my hubby and I lived near that one, my hubby had his first taste and just loved it, especially the sauce…it was the best! We definitely live ‘away from the area’ now as we are in his home country (he is English)…so no DiCarlo’s, nor any other Ohio valley type square pizza trays available. I’ve gotta get my oven fixed so i can make this!
Kearsten,
I am grateful to all who shared my recipe on Facebook! I wish I could thank everyone personally. My website crashed for a little bit when the recipe first took off. I hope that you enjoy the pizza if you make the recipe and I welcome any and all feedback. I’m not done improving upon it just yet. But I couldn’t wait to share it with everyone. So if you have any suggestion, please feel free to comment again.
Thanks for stopping in and please visit again.
Thank you so much! I grew up in Wheeling and Warwood! Everytime I go home I have to get my pizza and a Colemans fish sandwhich at the market in Wheeling. They closed down my favorite doughnut shop, Green’s! I loved those maple iced sweet rolls.
Jeff,
I’ve never had a Coleman’s fish sandwich. Hmm going to have to ask a few of my cousins that still live in the area if they ever heard of it. And how dare they close Green’s donut shop!
Thanks for stopping in. I invite you to visit again.
You’re from Steubenville and you have never tried Coleman’s?? Get on it, sister!! You won’t be disappointed!
Mike,
Sad but true. I live in Florida now and rarely get back to Steubenville when I come home to Ohio for a visit.
Amen to all of your comments. Same with me.
WOW!! This is great. From Martins Ferry Ohio and really miss this pizza. Since you have my e-mail address is there any way that you cold e-mail this to me so I can pass it on to my brother and sister so they can enjoy it too. They do not do Face book…..thanks so much
Mary,
I will see what I can do. I would have to copy and paste everything into an email, or if you have a printer, you can print out the version in the recipe box above.
But, I’ll see what I can do for you if time permits. Thanks for stopping in and I hope you do visit again. Take care.
I was born and raised in Steubenville. All other pizza is just a shadow of THE BEST!! I want to try this but for some reason I can’t seem to print out the recipe. Any suggestions short of handwriting it down?
I’m sorry,, I just read the post before mine and saw that I could print out the recipe itself. I had actually wanted to print out the pics and directions too. If I can’t do that at least I got the recipe to try now. Thanks!!!
Hi Cindy. Thanks for reading and commenting. The printable version has directions as well. The only thing you won’t have are the photos. If you have a smart phone, or iPad, notebook etc. you could just follow along the actual blog as well. Another suggestion is to pin to a board on Pinterest.
I hope you stop in often. Take care.
It is great that OV people have such a great memory to share and live with. But you have to keep in mind that this pizza is just a local thing. This would not even come close to my favorite pizza. The crust is basic and so is the sauce. Minus the brown sugar, (yuk). Provalone cheese is not meant for pizza to me. Listen up St Louis lol. I like my peperonni crisp on the edges and the dough thin and crispy like a cracker. So everyone is different and they know what they like. If i came to visit OV and someone insisted I go eat this pizza and they promised me that it was the best, and it was this pizza, I would have been dissappointed for sure. Just Sayin.
Scott, I’m not offended. I like all different types of pizza myself. I try not to limit myself to one. But I do have my favorite crusts and ingredient combinations. To each his own. This is what makes the world go round.
As far as some of the ingredients go, they can be left out or substituted. I’m not evening claiming to have nailed the exact recipe. Just having fun creating in the kitchen, living life to the fullest and sharing a few recipes along the way.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Take care.
Regarding my earlier post about our fire dep’t pizza and your comment about the pepperoni, I remember my aunt placing the pepperoni slices on the uncooked dough and pre-baking it before adding the sauce and cheese. I guess the pepperoni grease also helped to flavor the pizza dough.
St. Louis doesn’t use provolone, they use provell, which is essentially the cheeze whiz of pizza cheese.
I LOVE this pizza. Living in Boston I can’t get a place that even comes close to it, so I made sure when I went home over the Holidays to pick some up. (Wish they would ship it frozen!) I’d buy it, freeze it and have it to enjoy longer and it still tastes great. I’ll def need to try this recipe. What brand of pepperoni do you recommend?
Kelly, I use Boars Head. I hope you enjoy my version and interpretation of this recipe. Thanks for commenting.
Not that it’s precisely the same — but Giannamore’s (very similar to DiCarlo’s for those unaware) does sell their pizza frozen by the box. They sell it all the time to ‘displaced’ Steubenville area folks who want some Steubenville-style pizza to take home with them!
They actually do sell it frozen and will ship to you. I believe you have to call the Elm Grove location (the best location for DiCarlos-in my opinion)
They have shipped it unbaked and frozen. You just bake it
My brother and I worked for Toni for years.she owns the downtown wheeling and a few others I believe, and is the founders daughter . she is a great person and I always try to visit when I go home, she sells prebakes that I pack in a cooler and bring back to Richmond va and my bro will fly back to Colorado with and they last for a few days before you have to cook them off:)
Ben,
I’m all for them making frozen pizzas. I’d totally buy them and have them shipped here to me in Florida! Nothing beats the real thing!
Thanks for dropping by and commenting.
Aly & I are from Toronto and now live in Mesquite, Nevada (5+ years). Went back to the Valley in ’09 and ate DiCarlos (Toronto) pizza almost everyday for lunch and supper since we missed so much. We are coming back in 9 / 14 for my 50th high school reunion and will eat our share of it again. We also visit Capri’s and Naples in Steubenville several times when we are back there. Sure miss Ohio Valley eateries ! Especially pizza by – the – slice !
Dave,
I was born in Steubenville and moved to the Youngstown area when I was two. My mother and father’s families all still live there, so we went back often to visit. The older I became, the less I visited. Now I live in Florida, and it is rare that I visit; however, when I do, I always make sure to stop in and get some DiCarlo’s pizza. I’m not familiar with Capri’s or Naples. I will have to check them out.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
Oh man! Naples is, like, THE BEST Italian restaurant ever! My father grew up eating there in the early 1930/40’s! I grew up on their food! Whenever I go back home, Naples is the place we eat and we go up to Wintersville to DiCarlo’s for “dessert”! LOL I always pack a roll of paper towels for the trip back home while we eat our DiCarlo’s!!!!
Hi Cindy. Thanks for stopping by. It’s so funny because I was driving home from work yesterday and my sister was visiting relatives in Mingo and texted me a picture of her DiCarlo’s pizza. My mouth was water. Guess what I’m making for dine tonight? LOL
My aunts and most of my cousins still live in the area and whenever my sisters take my Mom to visit they either end up at Naples, but ALWAYS end up at DiCarlos! So your story sound about right! It’s funny how we all have the similar stories of how much we love to stuff our faces with these great foods when we go back for a visit.
I tried it tonight and it was AWESOME! Just as I remember DiCarlos being! Not greasy, and I can’t believe I made this incredible sauce!
I couldn’t find “strained” tomatoes, I used pureed, and I don’t like chunky tomatoes in my sauce, so I used “crushed”.
My only advice is to bake it on the lowest rack. Mine did not get as brown on the bottom, but the top was about to burn, so it wasn’t as crisp as I would of liked, but the taste is right on!
Thank you so much for sharing! I found you thanks to Pinterest.
Martins Ferry native transplanted into Savannah GA.
Penny,
Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a review. Much appreciated. I’m glad you enjoyed your version of it. Everyone’s oven’s are different that is for sure. I guess my best advice would be the more you make it, the more you will get the feel for your oven and where to place it and how long to leave it in. The recipe is very forgiving to variations of substitutions. What you did is fine, from what I read crushed tomatoes are actually used. I’m just a little funny about using things in metal cans. With all the cancer causing chemicals they put in the metal, the acidity of the tomatoes can leach out the chemicals. I get a little freaked out about that at times.
I’m still looking for ways to improve the recipe, and I think next time, I am going to try using San Marzano D.O.P. certified crushed tomatoes. They are from Italy and much sweeter, have less seeds, and less acidic compared to other tomatoes. I think this may keep the recipe more authentic. I guess I will just have to get over my chemical leaching phobia haha. Whenever I change an ingredient, I always edit the recipe as well.
Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment.
I’ve read quite a few taste tests for canned tomatoes and San Marzano tomatoes have not ranked in the top two of any of them. Red Pack and Muir Glen were the top rated.
Thanks for posting this! I’m from Martins Ferry, but now live in Toledo. The pizza here is all chains or local Mediterranean inspired (due to a large Greek & Lebanese population). I’m just not a fan of most of the local offerings, so I always bring a tray home when I visit home.
I’m planning to make this tonight, but the one thing that I didn’t see in your recipe is what size pan to use for this serving size. I’m guessing a full size 12×17″ baking sheet, but don’t want to stretch the dough too thin if I’m wrong. Also, what are your thoughts on cooking this directly inside a Pampered Chef stone baking sheet? It would certainly cook evenly, but would I get the desired results on the bottom crust?
I appreciate any feedback.
Hi Chris. Thank you for pointing that out. I just measured my pan and it is 15 x 10 1/2. If you are using your size pan, I would say use the whole amount of dough. I suggest using your best judgment for the thinness of the dough. I will edit the post to reflect that. Sorry for the confusion. You can use your stone if you want. I don’t see a problem with that. I usually make my pizzas on a stone on the grill. I wanted to keep the recipe as authentic as I could, which is why I used the baking sheet. I would suggest to just keep a close eye on it, if you are using the stone. I think with any recipe, the more you make it, the more efficient you become at adjusting and making it.
If you have any further questions, I would be happy to help you out. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Thanks for the update on pan size. I have a pan that is 15″ x 10″, and my Pampered Chef stone sheet is the same size and has sides on it. I think I’m going to make a double batch and do one pizza in each pan to see how each option turns out. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Regarding the sauce, with two 30 ounce containers of tomatoes it seems like this would be enough to cover two pizzas. Am I correct, or should I plan on making a double batch of sauce as well?
Yes Chris, that sauce should be plenty to make two pizzas.
Just finished up a couple of hours ago and gotta say I loved it! I had a thought while eating it and it was this: It’s not exactly Dicarlo’s, but neither are any of the other Ohio Valley style pizza places down there. They all have their little differences that make them all great in their own right. This recipe is no different.
Tonight actually gave me the chance to introduce one of my favorite things to someone who’s never had anything like it & she loves it too. I will make this again for sure!
Also, I posted an album to my Facebook and have given you a thumbs up there, feel free to have a look…assuming that this site will accept URL’s.
https://www.facebook.com/clsiburt/media_set?set=a.10151948420556365.1073741827.668776364&type=1
Thanks again.
Chris,
Such a nice compliment. Thank you. I’m glad you and your friend enjoyed it.
And you are correct. Everyone has their own distinct way of making pizza.
I grew up in Steubenville but, I have been away from the valley for 13 years now and Dicarlo’s pizza is one of the things I miss the most. I have looked for a similar recipe for years with no luck until I found this one. I just made it and it turned out ok. The sauce was very good, not quite dicarlo’s, but the best i’ve made at home. The biggest issue I had was the crust did not get crunchy at all. It was operator error, but for anyone else trying this recipe, spread the crust really thin on the pan. I’m fairly certain that was where I went wrong. That or it needed a little more cook time, but it was browning up nicely so I believe the problem was the thickness. I highly recommend this recipe to anyone who knows the pizza, but has moved away from the area. I will try this again and post if I have better results with the crust. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
Hi Joe. Yes, as I explained in the post, I’m not claiming this to be the recipe by any means. Because I too missed the pizza, this was my attempt at recreating a similar taste to satisfy my cravings for it.
I have made this several times now, but the second time I made it, I also made the dough a little too thick. The thinner the better. The more you make it, the more you will develop a feel for how thin to spread the dough. Another issue is everyone’s ovens operate differently. My suggestion to people is, if it doesn’t come out exactly the way you had hoped, and like yourself, they think it may have been operator error, don’t give up. Keep trying. Pizza is something you get better at the more you make it. At least that is what I think.
Thanks for taking the time to comment for others see how to work out the the dough issue.
I’m thinking that you could adapt this to bake on a baking steel or on a large cast iron skillet turned upside down. I remember seeing this done on some other sites, but don’t have the info except the results were very good.
I’m from Mingo Jct., Ohio & now live in Deltona, FL. I miss this pizza so much. The pizza in Florida is terrible from crust to sauce. Everytime I go home I have to eat it and buy some to bring back with me. I wish someone would open a DiCarlos here in Deltona you would make a killing as there are so many Ohio Valley residents living here now. I’m trying this this weekend.
Hi Madaline. I know, you are so right. I live in Florida too, and the good pizza here is far and few between, which is why I recreated this recipe. I really miss it.
Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to leave a comment.
I’m from the Moundsville area. This is so amazingly good! I think the sauce needs tweeked a bit but everything else is right on the money! THANK YOU!!!
Hi Pennie. Thank you for sharing your review of the recipe. As I shared with another commenter, I am still testing out a few other things, like using San Marzano crushed tomatoes in the sauce. I too agree it could use some tweaking, but I think we all can agree it will never be the exact DiCarlo’s. That’s why we all keep going back. This is sort of an “in between” to hold us over. Hehe.
Please keep us updated. Ill look for the other brand of tomatoes. Sure tastes like the original cold for breakfast. Lol. I’d give 5 stars but it only lets me do 3?
Pennie. Thanks so much. I actually tested a batch of sauce tonight, and I definitely think the San Marzano tomatoes make a huge difference. I used two 28 oz. cans of crushed San Marzano D.O.P tomatoes. I’m going to update the recipe. Please come back and let me know what you think, should you try the change.
While DiCarlo’s was good, coming from a bit south of Stubenville, there were afew others. Because I grew up in St, Clairsville, Home Pizza was it for me. I guess it was just a variation on a theme.
I never knew that the whole square pizza was a valley thing. I miss that style of pizza nearly daily.
Hi Tim. Ohio Valley history has it that Di Carlo’s was apparently one of the first to sell pizza in the country in the mid 40’s. Although they probably originated the square pizza, others continue the tradition.
Sicilian style pizza is also square which originated in Italy. I’m not sure where Mr. Di Carlo was stationed in Italy, but when he returned, he introduced the square pizza to the Ohio Valley.
I’m not a history teacher…LOL but I love pizza!
I think the rectangular pizza is Sicillian. Not sure now where I heard that. Charlotte
Thank you Charlotte 🙂
I am still living in the Wheeling area and Di Carlos opened a little shop just about a mile or so from our house so we can order it anytime and it is the absolute best pizza ever but I love to cook and bake so I can’t wait to try your recipe just to see how close it comes to the original. I will come back and give you a review and thanks for sharing this! Everyone I know who leaves this area always heads to Di Carlos when they come home to visit…quite a testament to their wonderful pizza, isn’t it?
Emille,
Yes it certainly is. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Growing up, I lived TWO house down from the DiCarlo’s Pizza shop in Wellsburg. I moved to Florida when I was 16 and miss this pizza every day. Every time I go up to visit, I make sure to get some. The sauce is on the oven now, getting ready to make the dough. Can’t wait to see how close this is. Thank you!
Misty,
You are quite welcome, and I hope you enjoy every bite!
All Ohio Valley DiCarlo’s pizza shops are not created equal. Some are clearly better than others. Of the ones I’ve had Wellsburg, downtown Steubenville shop, Wheeling, and Moundsville were best IMO.
Hi Raymond. The only DiCarlo’s I’ve ever visited were Steubenville and Wintersville. I sure do miss the taste of that pizza. I haven’t been back there in years, but I’m way overdue. Thank you for all your comments.
I was born in Steubenville and slightly remember this pizza as a small child. (we moved when I was three) My mom raves about it and I’ve had it many times while visiting my sister who lives about three miles from Di Carlos. My mom says it doesn’t taste as good as it used too and my daughters don’t really like it. I think it’s a bit bland but yet I still love it. Weird, huh? I think I will have to give your recipe a try and see if I can replicate the taste my mom misses 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Suzetter,
Yes, bland but amazingly weird, just like you said. I think that’s what makes it distinctive. Thanks for stopping by.
Grew up in Weirton and treasure DiCarlo’s. I’m now in North Carolina but get my Di Carlo’s fix every time I visit my family. Last summer I went on a DiCarlo’s pizza eating frenzy…..started with two pieces in Wintersville, on to downtown Steubenville; down Rt 2 for a taste of Wellsburg and finished off with my childhood pizza from Main Street in Weirton. Stuffed, yes. Happy? No, ECSTATIC.
LOL Lynette, I think that is awesome!
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I think it is a well written review that should have been taken as a super compliment by their company, that someone would go out of their way to duplicate their recipe. People really need to lighten up.
Love the photos..
Thank you Kim 🙂
I tried this recipe and gave it 3-3.5 stars. It didn’t have the aroma, texture or taste of DiCarlos – but it was pretty good pizza. I made it again and used all vegetable oil in place of olive oil and raised my oven temperature to 525. I also hand kneaded the dough for the last few minutes of mixing time. The final product was much improved from my first attempt. I now gibe it 4.5 stars. The pizza had a much closer taste, texture and aroma. Thanks for good building blocks!
give – sorry!
Tina,
Thank you for your suggestions. I have been researching pizza dough and thought the dough needed slight improvements as well. I do think a slightly wetter dough and higher oven temp can improve the texture. I think I may have over baked my crust slightly as well.
I also am in the process of testing a 24-48 hour cold fermentation rise to improve upon the crust texture and taste. I was just too darn hasty the first time I made it, because I wanted it so badly. Now that I have made it a few times and tested certain things, it just keeps getting better, as you said.
Every time I test the recipe, I seem to make some small edit adjustments here. For example, I have switched over to using whole imported San Marzano D.O.P certified tomatoes and process them. Makes a huge difference also. So check back regularly for any updates.
Glad you enjoyed. As I originally said, this was my interpretation and I have no misconceptions to think it would taste exactly the same. Nor do I wish to mislead anyone of the same. It would be impossible, as nothing could touch the taste and smell of THE Original Di Carlo’s Pizza!
Be well,
Sherri
Thank you for sending the link! I made the pizza and… WOW…incredibly close to dicarlos! My husband grew up in moundsville, wv…. where i think dicarlos was the ONLY pizza resturant growing up. He said he thinks it tastes exactly like it. I don’t think I cooked my crust as long as I should have, but the sauce was perfect. No wonder they had a tizzy when they seen this recipe, you nailed it! Thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome Christina. The more you make it, the better you get. Trust me on this one.
Thanks so much for the recipe. I’m from Steubenville & have been eating Di Carlos since the 40’s. I’ve lived all over the U.S. & never found a pizza that comes close. I come back for hs reunions & it’s the first place I go to from Pgh airport to my sister’s house and always buy 2 trays! Then her & I end up getting more when in Wintersville, take it to the car & eat several pieces each! No self control. Wish they’d open in California. I’m going to do the recipe & share with foodies out here. At Naples, in the 50’s, meatball on heel, fries w/ gravy & pasta bean soup were gobbled down daily at lunch break from Big Red. Except for the fries, it’s not the same. I think grandma Delatore died & took the recipe with her. Great memories are there for a lot of us at Big Red. They put up with our daily invasion.
Thank you for sharing your memories Charlotte.
I was finally able to try your recipe and loved it. I used the San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes and the provolone cheese with a little mozzarella mixed in. I used the bread flour as well. Your detailed instructions were very helpful. I’ll be making this pizza on a regular basis since I’m an ex-Steubenvillian now living in Colorado.
Thank you Chris. I appreciate you taking the time to come and comment your results.
I tried this recipe tonight and….it’s Very good. We think it does resemble/taste like the big D. I made in a 17 1/2 X 13 1/2 pan and had extra dough & plenty of extra sauce. The only change was the style of tomatoes, I only had crushed tomatoes. The next time I will make the crust a little thinner(use extra for breadsticks) & less brown sugar (maybe 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons) I used all provolone cheese, just like the original Dicarlos. This is definitely a keeper. Thank you Thekitchenprescription.
Alesha, Thank you and you’re welcome!
I am from Wellsville, Ohio and grew up on Nick’s, DiCarlo’s, Bruno’s, Bosco’s, etc. and after living in Michigan for 10 + years, I am thankful that you posted pictures so I can show people what great pizza is! Someday I will try the recipe but, until then, I will stare! Now if I can just find a recipe for East Liverpool Hot Dog Shoppe chili cheese fries!
Mara,
Hot Dog Shoppes were pretty popular in the Ohio valley also! I remember passing through ELP on the way to Steubenville. I always remember Buddy’s Hamburgers. Is that place still there?
I’M ORIGANALLY FROM POWHATAN POINT,OHIO BUT HAVE LIVED IN CLARINGTON,OHIO FOR 39 YEARS–HAVE EATEN DICARLOS PIZZA SINCE I WAS A PUP–I THINK THE GROVE IS THE BEST,BUT I REALLY HAVEN’T MET A PIZZA I DIDN’T LIKE SOME ARE JUST ALITTLE BETTER THAN OTHERS–IT COMES DOWN TO THIS–U EITHER LIKE DICARLOS PIZZA OR U DON’T–ANOTHER GOOD PIZZA SIMULAR TO DICARLOS IS ZONTINNI’S IN MARTINS FERRY VERY GOOD…..
Well said Dave. Thank you for stopping by and sharing.
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve tried it a few times & I’ve got the sauce pretty darn close. Wondered if you had any suggestions on the crust though. I just haven’t been able to get that light, airy, crispy texture on the bottom. The closest I’ve gotten it was one time when I goofed up & kneaded the dough again after letting it rise. So I had to let it rise a second time. That was the best one I’ve done, but I don’t understand why that would make a difference. Any suggestions or advice? I’m very much a novice & don’t really know what changes to make to get desired results. Would love to hear your thought. And thanks again for the post.
Joe,
Hi. I’m in the process of testing a 48 to 72 hour cold rise in the fridge. I think you might be on to something with that mistake you made. Like you, I too feel the crust could be better. I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on pizza crust and getting a light & airy crispy crust, yet not dried out. Kitchen trial tests have shown that a 24-72 hour cold rise produces better results. So I’m going to try this and see if it works.
Check out this post for more information. It’s very interesting.
http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/09/the-pizza-lab-how-long-should-i-let-my-dough-cold-ferment.html
Thanks for stopping in and commenting. I really appreciate everyone’s input and ideas.
Use a high gluten flour 14% protein. Let it cold proof in the refrigerator for two days then bake at 500 degrees for 14 minutes.
BTW, I rate this 4.5 stars. It wouldn’t let me choose past 3 in my previous comment. 🙂
Thank you kindly.
I still live in the tri state area. If you are ever II the Wheeling area stop at DiCarlos Pizza in Elm Grove. It’s hands down the best I ever ate. They also ship frozen pizza. Anywhere in the U.S.
Thank you for sharing that information David. 🙂
My experiences at the Elm Grove DiCarlo’s is that the dough seems to be on the tough side like it has been worked too much. Many people do swear by it, but I prefer Wheeling’s.
I grew up near Elm Grove and DiCarlos always tasted best eaten out of the box at Oglebay 🙂 Thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to try it!
Susie, you’re most welcome. Thank you for stopping by.
Hi, I grew up in Cambridge Oh. and Wally Parks opened Wally’s pizza around 1969.I think Wally was a nephew of Dicarlos, and he worked there .Love Wally’s and have had Dicarlo’s and love it too.When any friend ,relative or anyone who ever lived here comes back to the area the first thing we do is get Wally’s .Ohio Valley pizza is like no other and people who think they wouldn’t like it without trying it should go to another site.Can’t wait to try your recipe.Btw just finished a cold slice of Wally’s about 1 hour ago. Good work !
Steve, I’ve never had Wally’s. I was just back in Ohio for a visit this past weekend, but not near enough or time enough to stop by to get DiCarlo’s.
🙁 Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hope you enjoy this recipe version.
I still have issues with getting my dough into the pan. Would you consider making a video to show how you do it?
Thanks
Penny
Hi Penny. Sure I’d be glad to do that for you. Can you be more specific with the issues you are having so we can try and correct them? I sometimes have problems with the dough stretching back on me. Are you doing a cold rise in the fridge or a long room temp counter rise? I do either, depending on how prepared I am. Sometimes it’s just a matter of letting the dough relax an additional 5-10 minutes if you notice it stretching back on you, then shaping it. It could be that your dough isn’t wet enough or it needs more kneading.
Even though I have a stand mixer, the more I make pizza dough or bread, the more I find myself kneading by hand. I seem to get a better feel for the dough and it allows me to properly develop the gluten and distribute the gases uniformly. I get good and rough with it. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. Plus, I consider this a great workout and stress reliever! 🙂
Here is a great tutorial on kneading dough. http://www.wikihow.com/Knead-Dough
The next time I make it, I will do a demonstration video and add it to the post. I’ll let you know when it’s up.
Thank you.
Thanks for responding! I made the pizza last night, doing a room temp rise. I kept having wet sections in my dough, so I kept adding some more flour. I did knead it some more. It doesn’t want to stay stretched out. I even let it have rest periods. I have problems where it gets too thin, then I get holes. The best one I made was the first time I did it. My husband actually “threw” that one for me, and it came out perfect. I can’t throw dough yet. Gotta keep practicing I guess.
Penny,
Maybe it’s the brand of flour you are using. I use organic King Arthur bread flour. I actually made some whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread last night and I was paying attention to the dough. It rose for about 2 hours before I rolled it and filled the center. I did stretch back on me a few times as well.
I need to do a little more research into this. As I said sometimes I have times where it stretches back on me and other times it’s fine. I guess we have to be little more patient until we figure out a fool proof solution.
As I promised though, the next time I make it, I’ll make a video to address the issue. 🙂
If you want to make this dough correctly it has to be cold proofed in the refrigerator for two days. Use a high gluten flour 14% protein. Cook pizza at 500 degrees for 14 minutes.
my husband is from the valley, and next to home pizza – De Carlos is his favorite. I just made this for dinner. I think I went a little too generously with the sauce, but other than that he says I nailed it. the flavor of the sauce was dead on though, & I never imagined putting the pepperoni and cheese on at the end. It was perfect. although not identical it is the closest we’re going to get seeing as we are in Germany. but I can guarantee pizza will be on our menu when we come home to visit.
Thank you for your comment Carla! I’m both honored and humbled out of all the pizza recipes out there that you chose mine to try. And all the way in Germany!
Yes, while not exactly the recipe, it elicits found memories of their pizza, no?
Hi Sherri, I remember at the Market St & at the Wintersville store that the proofed round dough was pulled a tad then smacked down hard, turned & done again. How many times, I don’t know, but there wasn’t much of a problem of the stretch return. Plus they worked fast at getting it to the pan edges. Gluten flexing it’s muscles is hard to stretch. Maybe it was knocked out by being smacked a few times!! Ha. Some bully bloggers may need the same thing!
Keep smiling & hugs for reasonable answers to those with perfection OCD’s.
Charlotte, thanks for those great tips! I’m definitely going to have to try giving the dough a smack down! LOL. I also enjoyed your last comment. 🙂
I was checking out your website last night. Impressive. I’m a huge EVOO fan. Congrats on all your awards.
Hello, I’ve been eating DiCarlo’s Pizza since 1953 and I’m still in love with it.
We’ve moved here and there over the years…one place called their “stuff” pizza..now if you like toast with tomato soup and cheese on top…horrible!!
We would drive over an hour just to get a tray of DiCarlo’s and eat it on the way home. ( love cold pizza for breakfast).
I remember the one on 3rd St in Steubenville, the one in Wintersville,and the one in the Grove. The only one left making the original sauce is down town Wheeling.
I’ve tried to break the DiCarlo’s recipe code and have come close…but no cigar. Can’t wait to try this version.
We are orginally from Follansbee and I do remember it being ten cents a slice…those were the days.
Great blog and keep on keeping on, 😉
Terry,
Thank you for stopping by. I’ve never been to Follansbee growing up, but I remember my mom and aunts mentioning it all the time! You sure won’t find pizza for 10 cents a slice now! LOL
I hope you enjoy making my version of this recipe.
Thanks again.
Hey Sherri,
I stumbled across your page and found it too funny that my wife and I have been doing the same thing for about 10 years. We also tweak our recipe as we go. Our recipes are very similar.
One thing I thought I’d throw out there, we make our cheese to be “Grove style” crumbles. We’ve figured out, shredding up a 2:1 ratio of non-smoked provolone : mozzarella cheese, melt in a microwave container, refrigerate to get hard again. Cube the new cheese mixture and chop in the food processor (blades only, no disk) till desired crumbles are formed.
It is as close as we can get to that unique texture of the Elm Grove cheese and melts just like it. I’ve even went as far as saving extra DCP boxes to “steam” the pizza in when it comes out of the oven to get it just right.
I’m glad to see we are not the only crazy ones in love with this most delicious pizza!
Hi. Thanks for commenting. What an ingenious idea to melt the two cheese together to create a new mixture! I just might try that. Do you mind if I ask how long you melt in the microwave and at what level? I’m not a big fan of the microwave but as long as I put it in a glass dish and melt for a few minutes, I’m okay with that.
I honestly was surprised to see that there weren’t other knock off recipes posted on the net. To this day, this is one of my most popular posts. I’m glad everyone has received it so well. The owners kinda got their panties in a knot over the post, as it went viral in the area and word got back to them there was a recipe circulating online. They tried to threaten me with legal action and bullied me to remove their name from the post, but I did my research and stood my ground. Since my public response back to them via this blog, I haven’t heard a peep out of them.
Thanks for sharing your great cheese idea!
Did you ever think of just freezing the cheese then grating it. You don’t need to microwave it first.
Hi Sherry,
Re: Terry & Follansbee. Random memories. As a pre teen & teen, Follansbee was the place to go for roller skating. I learned to twirl and did amazing falls! Ha! Looked forward to it every weekend & if I couldn’t go I went to the rink in Steubenville by the ice plant. I was back there this July for my 55th Big Red reunion & as par for the course, from the airport I met my sis at Wintersville DiCarlos & we got 2 boxes. Sooooo good! Hopefully, they have someone to take over to keep it going. The bldg. hasn’t been improved in 50 yrs & looks dumpy. (Unfortunately, the whole town is a dump & depressing) Nice employees though. Hope to do your recipe soon. Amazing how one recipe effects so many people. Also like the cheese idea in the last post. Does anyone know if white pepper is used in the sauce?
Fascinating to read and think about trying your sauce recipe. I’ve been DiCarlo’s obsessed for a long time (and for the record Elm Grove’s DiCarlos is the best–and the reason it differs is primarily the sauce, but also the cheese seems to be grated and not shredded.
I’ve done some experimenting with the style, and even with a couple “known” elements I’ve had some success. (My “known” elements are that the cold cheese applied after the pizza is done is provolone cheese–which I’m lucky enough to get in blocked chunks not slices so I can grate it and apply in the elm Grove style; the other Known was that the oven needs to be HOT. What that number is I don’t know, but more than I’d ever considered to cook a pizza. I think it flash cooks in a way that crisps the bottom an makes the sauce a steamy delight, but leaves the top of the crust JUST a bit moist and doughy— thought its cooked through and through.
Been very happy with my own “tributes” just grabbing a wad of run of the mill pizza dough, topping with a sauce , flash hot hot cooking and adding that cold cheese.
While I can respect your efforts focusing on the crust I’m most fascinated with the DiCarlos sauce. Every time I taste that unique sauce I’m dying to know what is in there! When I was a picky kid the pizza in the 70s sometimes would have a little chunk of green pepper in it. Which I’d often pick off. So I’m sure green pepper is an ingredient, I think they just pureed it somehow so the big chunks aren’t there but the flavor is. Supposedly the elm grove dicarlos secret formula is made by the owner at home. They cut that sauce with a canned product..perhaps just canned tomatoes or something like a pizza sauce base. I’ve heard some of the dicarlos use San Nicole base, though I’m not sure thats for all dicarlos.
And for the record, while Elm Grove Dicarlos is the mecca of all the Dicarlos, the others I’ve had ARE still unique and awesome. Sometimes I enjoy the Wellsburg one…favorite feature there is it’s not as insanely busy as Elm Grove’s is. (as good as the pizza is, the system is the worst! everyone knows what I mean. Always call ahead, and even with that expect to wait.
As an aside, a couple occasions I’ve had eggplant parmagean at various fine italian places and detected a hint of something similar to dicarlos in elm grove. Could eggplant somehow be involved as some mystery ingredient? who knows? Just a wild guess from a familarity in my taste buds.
I plan to try your knock off sauce, applying it to what I’ve been most happy with, in my own simple experiments with crust and provolone cheese.
Thanks
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Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe! I made it for the first time two weekends ago and am making it again for the Superbowl today. Your crust recipe really nails it. I made the dough about six hours before and it was so light and flaky. It hit the spot and cured my craving for some great Ohio Valley pizza.
I have only one suggestion. The ingredients in the sauce recipe are not listed in the order you add them to the recipe. I was multi tasking and making juggling two recipes at once, so it made it more difficult to follow. I would suggest putting them in that chronological order.
Thanks again for sharing your great recipe!
Nice post. A few tips here. The biggest issue with making this pizza is how it’s baked. If you use an electric oven, you’ll lose the battle. If you use a gas oven (which is what all pizza shops in the valley use), you’ll have better success with your crust. The gas from the ovens produce moisture during baking whereas the electric oven simply drys out the crust. Additionally, when it comes to the cheese, it is best to buy the provolone in a block (Walmart sells it as do most delis). Using a meat/cheese grinder you get that moist, thicker cheese, not the dried out sliced packaged stuff. Same thing for the pepperoni. Buy the stick and cut it frest. For the tomatos, the Kroger brand whole peeled tomatos are the exact consistency and taste that DiCarlo’s distributed to the many pizza shops in the Valley. They are more watery and not as paste-like in consistency. We never used onions, green bell pepper or basil. We did however use just the oregano and dried parsley which gives it the sweet taste. Hope this helps. Your photos do look spot on however.
All my best from a former Ohio Valley Pizza shop owner.
Vito
Thanks for stopping by Vito and sharing all your great suggestions. I wish I could find provolone cheese in a block at my super market. I think I’ll try our Italian specialty market next time I visit. Thanks for that tip!
The tomatoes they use are not from Krogers. You can’t buy anything except provolone cheese from a grocery store and make this pizza. You have to buy the ingredients from the internet.
You are also completely wrong about the baking of the pizza. You can use an electric oven. It’s depends upon the hydration rate of the dough. You can even put a pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven to create steam when baking.
How much parsley should I use in proportion to this recipe?
Thanks, Sherri and Vito.
I’m a Wheeling native who lives on the West Coast, rarely gets back to the valley, and craves this pizza to an unreasonable–some would say psychotic–degree. I cook for a living–not pizza, alas–but will try this recipe nonetheless, along with Vito’s suggestions. And if it doesn’t scratch my itch I’m going to lose my goddamned mind. If I don’t report back, just assume that the recipe failed, and that the authorities have probably caught up with me.
Hahaha. This is my favorite comment ever!!!! Thanks for stopping by.
Hey! Thanks so much! I can’t wait to try this. I went to West Lib and my husband is from Elm Grove, so that is the Dicarlos we always got.
I always loved the little “crumbles” that their cheese is cut into. Had an appiphany today…they grind it in a food processor. (You may already know this, I didn’t read all the comments 🙂
I tried it today in my little nutribullet, and I came out perfect!
Hi Haether. No I didn’t know that. I never thought of that. That’s a great idea. I even have a mini Ninja that would be perfect for the job. I’m still on the hunt to get as close to the real thing a possible. I’ve made some great strides since I’ve originally posted my tribute blog. I probably need to update the recipe a bit, but I’m still experimenting with different things. For one, I started using Jim Lahey’s no knead pizza dough with a long ferment on the counter for 18 -24 hours. I preheat my oven to the highest temp it goes for an hour, which is 550 degrees. It definitely gives a better taste with a great outside crispy crunch and a light, tender chewy inside. The sauce keeps the dough chewy on top but it’s crispy on the bottom. I’m also going to try a 00 flour from italy which is a more fine flour. I’ve read mixed reviews, for and against 00 flour, but I’m going to try it myself. Let us know how it turned out or any suggestions you might have.
wow, I am totally going to try this recipe… I worked at Toni’s DiCarlo’s shop – downtown Wheeling – for a few years while I was in college. I had to grade the cheese in the morning, (and yes she did use provolone) and slice the pepperoni. Everything was imported, flour, cheese, tomatoes, spices, pepperoni, etc. I also helped make the sauce a time or two and I dont remember them putting anything in the sauce besides tomatoes, oil, and spices. They would cook lots of garlic in oil first, which only flavors it and then discard the garlic. Then they would do the same with the ends of the pepperoni that were cut off so the long tubes of pepperoni so it would cut evenly in the slicer (they had this special tube for the slicer that would hold several pepperonis at time)
GAWD! I am totally making pizza next weekend. Thanks for this – I am going to try it and see how it turns out.
Hi Amy. Thanks for dropping by. I really appreciate the tips. Although I don’t think Toni will. I had quite an incident with her bullying me a bit to take the recipe down. You can read about it if you are interested.
https://thekitchenprescription.com/2014/02/06/dear-di-carlos-pizza-a-recipe-bloggers-response-to-trademark-bullying/
I didn’t back down, and finally she stopped. Anyhow, I am going to try using some 00 flour from italy. I think I might take your suggestions and eliminate the peppers and onion and cook and discard the smashed cloves with the pepperoni ends in the EVOO. Is that what you meant? The pepperoni ends were sautéed in the oil? I keep experimenting with the recipe and the more I make it and the more tips people leave the closer I’m getting. Thanks a bunch!
Yep, that is what I meant. Sorry, I didn’t make that clear enough in my first post. I was somewhat freaked out that I didn’t have to drive 500 miles to get the best pizza in the world – I really am going to attempt to make it next weekend.
With reading Vito’s post, I started thinking how I could come closer to a gas oven with my electric/convention oven. Once the hot air is circulating, I think a shallow pan of water in the bottom of the oven would help keep the crust from drying out while baking. Also, to clarify, that was whole (un-smashed) cloves of garlic and the pepperoni ends that were fried in the oil till browned and then removed and discarded. And I remember more oil than that… I will probably use 1/4 cup of oil when I make the sauce and I wont put peppers or onions in the sauce either… just the oil, tomatoes, and spices.
Someone already mentioned that the reason DiCarlo’s got a little miffed about finding this recipe on the net was because they are in development to start shipping their pizza to those of us who no longer live in the Ohio Valley but still want a taste of home. Yes, I can understand her point of view, but she needs to realize that for the handful of people who will attempt to make this pizza once or twice – it is a hell of a lot of work and it is far easier to order it and have it shipped to your home already made. But, until that happens, this is a great alternative for those of us Ohio Valley people who no longer live in the valley.
Nah. Don’t use 00 flour. That’s not what they use I.e. Caputo. Use a high gluten flour. 14% protein. Cook at 500 degrees For 14 minutes.
I hate to disagree with you but they don’t use imported products. No San Marzano tomatoes or imported pepperoni. All ingredients are from the USA.
Hi: I just wanted to tell you I figured out the true ingredients and recipe for DiCarlos Pizza. I made it for dinner last night. It’s not some lame tribute it’s the real thing. Good luck in your quest.
I grew up in Steubenville. When I moved to Columbus Ohio and ordered pizza to my surprise it was round. It also didn’t taste nearly as good as DiCarlos. So I’ve made this reciepe several times since I discovered it and although it doesn’t taste exactly like back home, it’s very good and reminds me of the greatest pizza in the world, DiCarlos.
Thank you Mike. Yes, I too make this often, nothing compares to the real thing, but it’s a great substitute.
Nothing like it in Florida!
Hi Susan. The nearest I’ve come to it is Pizza Rustica in Fort Lauderdale. It’s very reminiscent of DiCarlo’s.
I grew up in Steubenville near the Wintersville line and remember $.015/slice. Pepe used to manage the Wintersville store and we would put the red rubberbands they put around the boxes over our rear view mirrors. It was the place to hand out on weekends.
The dough was left to rise on the table in the back and Pepe would start rolling it over his hands and slamming it down on the table until it was the right length for the black cooking sheet. He would then stretch it to fit the pan.
The store had the one big oven with 5-7 doors and he would move each sheet up during the cooking process. I can’t remember if he started with just dough then added the sauce after cooking in the lower ovens for a few minutes. However, I do remember he would cook it with the sauce and when it was just about done he would add cheese and put it in the top oven for a few minutes before pulling it out to serve. That makes me wonder if they use varying temperatures throughout the process. Hotter in the beginning and finishing it at t lower temperature.
Over time I’ve also been to the downtown Wheeling and the shop near Wheeling Park. I found the downtown Wheeling and Wintersville shops very similar but did not like the Wheeling Park one as much (still better all the other pizza).
I was was visiting Steubenville with my mother a few weeks ago and brought a sheet home with me. It lasted about a day.
The varying temperatures really don’t matter. The real secret is the ingredients. Bake it at 500 degrees on a blue steel tray. That will give you the best results.
Your recipe sucks. Stop pretending you know how to cook.
Do you have a better one?
Heya,
I’ve not been to the Ohio Valley, but I like to try new things and so came here to try the OV-style pizza.
I can’t say as to authenticity, obviously, but I enjoyed this. Even without the nostalgia, I thought it was a lovely recipe. Don’t listen to the haters. Thanks for posting!
Hannah,
Thank you kindly. I’m glad you enjoyed it. It definitely is a style lol. I don’t take the negative comments personal. Nor do I delete them if unless they are downright over the top rude or inappropriate. I feel everyone is entitled to their opinion. I simply ignore the rude comments because it doesn’t affect me one way or the other. Most times, rude people are just looking for an argument. Why give them one?
I believe based on your recipe you have good grasp on what it takes to make good imitation of the Di Carlos pizza. My family goes way back with the Di Carlos brothers, my great uncle Frederico Orella was a very very good friend of theirs. He in fact procured their recipe and rights in producing their pizza at his own pizzeria in East Liverpool back in the 50′.s I still remember as a small child walking from counter with slice of pizza out the front door happy as I can be. My uncle eventually passed the recipe to my father but to my horror and his he lost it! I have tried many times in replicating the crunch of the crust and have come pretty close.
If the many fans of this pizza what to read where this style of pizza originated from(Rome) where they called it “bakery sheet” or “poor mans” then they should pickup the book “Pizza” by Gabriele Bonci. Once you start paging through it look with amazement on page 8 and 9, it is picture of how the pizza in the oversized black pans with steaming hot pizza looked like as the original Di Carlos pizza did. The chef details how to make this style pizza step by step.
Luckily I am going back with my uncle next week for his Wintersville H.S. reunion were we will first make a stop at Giannamore’s and inhale mucho slices!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for your comment Michael, I enjoyed reading it. Anyone who is from that area has such fond memories of the pizza. Thank you for sharing yours.
Your memories are right on. I was always fascinated when pizzas would go in & out of the various ovens. They had the cooking temps for each ingredient down to a science. I loved the slapping down of the dough. Apparently, it doesn’t effect the dough quality. Tried the slapping at home with company…..they were quite impressed! Ha!
This pizza is very good – especially the crust. I don’t think the sauce is completely accurate, though I have no clue as to what could make it more DiCarlo’s-like. The provolone is spot-on, and the overall product was very tasty. However, It did make me crave the real thing. Guess we’ll have to make a five-hour drive this fall to get some Elm Grove DiCarlo’s! Thank you for the recipe – it is by far the best crust I have ever made, and resulted in the best pizza I have ever made at home!
Clark,
Thank you. Your comment and experience is truly appreciated.
There is now a DiCarlos Pizza in Myrtle Beach for any of your readers that live in the area. I read your recipe, you are very close but then again you knew that it was not going to be exactly the same. I know each and every ingredient in the dough and the sauce and some of these comments are completely out in left field. It is all provalone and it always has been. Other than that I can’t divulge the ingredients but keep on cooking sister!!!!
Jason,
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. And exactly, I knew I couldn’t come anywhere near to the perfection that the actual recipe holds. For now, it hold me over until the next time I will get to taste the actual thing!
OMG. You just took me back. I went to high school in Bellaire and DiCarlos pizza was EVERYTHING. Yum. Thanks so much for sharing the memory and the recipe.
Hi Karla,
Thanks for stopping by.
I grew up eating this pizza every weekend and continue to go to Steubenville and Wheeling W. Virginia to get DiCarlo’s Original Pizza as often as I can. I love it, and will be eating it along with my grandson’s, Forever…… Hope they have it in Heaven.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I just made it and it was so good. I live in California but my family is from Wheeling and i miss DiCarlos almost as much as i miss my family 🙂 thanks again
Puri, thank you. And you’re so welcome.
I can’t wait to try this as I love DiCarlo’s pizza and miss it desperately (and I haven’t lived there for 35 years). They opened one here in Arizona, but it closed because people here didn’t get it. Boo! I will definitely try this one and hope it tastes as good as DiCarlo’s. Thanks for the recipe!
Melanie, nothing could ever taste as good as DiCarlo’s, but hopefully you will find the recipe somewhat reminiscent of it. Enjoy!
Hello, I made this recipe last night and it’s very close to Ohio Valley style pizza. I grew up around the Cambridge, OH area eating Wally’s pizza. It’s easily my favorite pizza of all time, but my wife hates it. Maybe because she didn’t grow up eating it? DiCarlo’s is very similar.
I used regular Cento whole peeled toms, simmered for about 3 hours because I ran out of time. I didn’t use quite the entire 28oz can but next I think that I will; could’ve used more sauce. I also bought a half pound block of provolone, shredded with a box grater, but only used about 2/3 of it. Next time I’ll probably use the entire block or try your method with the slices. Dough/crust recipe was spot on, IMO. 58% hydration yields a dense crust that we want. Wally’s crust is pretty bland, but in a good way – it works for this pizza so I mean no disrespect at all. I let mine rise at room temp for 5 hours, punched down and allowed to rise for another hour or so. I also used the entire batch of dough and it wasn’t too thick for me. I preheated my Baking Steel for an hour but some parts weren’t as crisp as I had hoped. Next time I’ll either increase temp to 500 or just place directly on the rack. Sauce was great!
Congrats on the great tribute! Glad to see someone put forth the effort to replicate this style of pizza. I will definitely make this again with the above changes.
Hi Travis. I saw your email while I was driving home from work yesterday. I didn’t read it while driving, obviously. Sorry I missed your comment. I’ve been away from the blog for a bit. Thanks for your comment and suggestions. I find that when I let my dough rise overnight, it is the most flavorful, as the fermentation process develops a distinct flavor. It’s also easier to work with and provides a softer texture. Overworking dough can cause it to become very tough. It’s funny how the more I work with making pizza dough, the more I develop a feel and instinct of when it’s just right. Thanks again for your patience.
I have been eating Di Carlo’s pizza for over 50 years and without a doubt it is my favorite style of pizza. My family is from the OV area and we would go down 5 or 6 times a year to visit. Unfortunately all my immediate relatives have passed way, so it has been a few years since I have been back in that area. I remember as a young boy as soon as my Dad and I unpacked the car once we got to Bubba’s house (my Grandma), we would head over to the Steubenville Di Carlos and pick up several boxes of pizza bring it home and the family would devour it. Yum so good. It became a ritual. After I graduated college, I would still go down several times a year to visit and the first thing we always did was stop and pick up Di Carlos. After I got married and had kids I made a point of taking my family down and we always picked up Di Carlos. Wow the memories this has brought back!
Well I found this link and tried the recipe for the first time yesterday, my dad (who just turned 80) is my only link to the OV area that is left, said it tasted almost the same as he remembered. I still have to work on the crust as it did not turn out as I had hoped, but now I will keep trying and will N
“nail” it. Thank you for keeping this very special tradition on the web. I hope that I can pass on this tradition to my kids..
Lastly, thank you for bring back so many happy memories of my youth! God Bless…
Dave,
Thanks for your comment. I enjoyed reading it. I don’t know what it is about that pizza, but I swear, it’s the best pizza I’ve ever eaten. I miss it horribly! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. If you make any tweaks, please come back and share with us all.
I have to tell you that the sauce they use is a brand called 6 in 1. They do add herbs to it. Margarita (sp?) is the brand on the pepperoni. Those two things make all the difference.
Hi Lucie. Thanks for the tips! I ordered both the sauce & pepperoni on Amazon. Just waiting on my sauce to arrive, then trying out a pizza again!
Been eating DiCarlos Pizza since they opened their store in Wellsburg WV in 1957. Can’t be beat…..
Wellsburg is the best of the dicarlos.
Tim grinds his cheese, it’s like little balls. I’ve had them all Weirton, follansbee, Steubenville, wintersville, Wheeling. Wellsburg still trumps them all.
I got the Margarita pepperoni & the 6 in 1 tomato sauce is coming in today. (Amazon) Can’t wait to try it this Sun. Thanks for the update & ideas!
Charlotte, I did the same. Tried it and the sauce was so much better. Not sure pepperoni tasted that much different but was delicious nonetheless.
Can’t thank you enough . I also am from the valley but have lived in Florida for the past 25 years. Even when I fly home I have a large carry-on bag that I will be able to take back three or four trays with me on the plane. I once drove home went to the dicarlos Wholesale store that was in Wintersville and bought enough ingredients to make 700 slices of pizza and hauled back to Florida with me. Since I have found your recipe I have made it repeatedly all of my friends rave about it. I know people in my town here from West Virginia who are aware of dicarlos and swear it is spot on. The only change I made after a few attempts was to use the bread flour mixed with regular flour and even proportion but thanks again for sharing I am making a batch today !
Sherri,
I am from Rayland Ohio and was also born in Stubenville. I have found a site that actually posts the real recipe for Dicarlos from a friend of the Dicarlo family. I thought I’d share it with you :0) You have to make a user account but is well worth it! http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=15736.0
As a WJU grad, Elm Grove diccarlos helped my college experience. However, I cannot make pizza dough to save my life and going to Wheeling as frequently as I need for DiCarlos just doesn’t happen. I’d love to be in contact with you in regards to how to make a great dough (posting a video or even a YouTube video might help). I’d love the personal step by step, if possible.
Sherri–thanks for the post! I ate my first 10 cent piece of DiCarlo’s standing on the street Saturday night in Bellaire, Ohio. Walking through downtown on a summer evening, in the mid-1950’s when all the businesses were still operating, is a treasured memory. Here I am at age 70, having a DiCarlo’s
for brunch, courtesy of a son who brought back a box from Wheeling. (Having attended Wheeling College and later working in the area, he claims there are slight variations of flavors at different locations. I cannot distinguish.) I haven’t traveled much, but no matter where I’ve been, I’ve had good pizzas but I usually finish by saying, “But it’s NOT DI CARLOS!”
Hi Jane. I’m glad this post can bring back such nostalgia for you!
I grew up in small town Carrollton, OH in the 80s and early 90s and got thinking about DiCarlos tonight after a discussion with friends about regional pizza and I somehow ended up here. Fun article. I want this so bad now.
Hi Sherri, I too grew up on DiCarlos as a kid in the 70’s and 80’s. Loved it! I’ve since moved to California. Back in the 90’s when the economy was booming I actually tried to get them to send me a frozen DiCarlos pizza to California and said I’d pay any extra costs – LOL. They were nice about it and said they’ve been trying to think of ways to do it, but I don’t think they ever did. However, my Aunt gave it a shot and did send me a couple of frozen boxes for Christmas and it was actually still pretty good – although, I believe it was Giannamore’s pizza – oops!
I’ve been back a few times since but their pizza (at the time I was there ~early 2000’s) was not the same DiCarlos Pizza I remembered – it was bland. I know this is sacrilegious to say to the hard core pizza people in the valley but Giannamore’s Pizza is how I remembered DiCarlos Pizza tasting as a kid – it had that red sauce and pepperoni tang I remembered.
Don’t know if the folks who took it over changed the recipe or not – I heard they did, or something changed in management at one point. This was a long time ago though, so can’t say for sure if it’s still that way or if I just got a bad batch. Plus at the time they had more pizzerias opened. I used to go to the one in Weirton as a kid, but when I went back to visit I went to the one in Steubenville up on the hill – so maybe it was just that one pizzeria? Either way, I still associate good pizza with the original DiCarlos and compare every pizza out here to them.
I’ve been wanting to know their basic ingredients to try and make it here at home – for nastalgia – but not sure which one’s they use. Mark gave a hint above about the Trump flour – which I must try. I’ve wondered what pepperoni they use too because the pepperoni in my area is not the same at all. It’s meatier and has a more savory profile, and lacks that special tang that Dicarlo’s pepperoni had. The provolone is unique too – softer, fresher, and tastes better than what I get out here.
Anyway, good memories. Thanks for sharing your ideas – wow 5 years and still getting comments.
Ok Sherri, after posting here, I was inspired by your DiCarlo’s tribute recipe and the other posts (out of nostalgia for home food) thinking I’ve got to try to make a DiCarlo’s style pizza since I can’t get it out here on the West Coast.
I’ve read through some of the posts trying to find any authentic ingredients used by DiCarlo’s. The “special” sauce recipe which I just found above and perhaps the provolone cheese brand are the only two ingredients I haven’t tried yet. But I did find the margherita pepperoni online through Amazon. I got the pre-sliced. It’s good, better than the meaty junk at the store here, but I still feel like it’s a slightly different taste than I remember – but then again it’s been a long time.
I am also one who likes to “nail it”, but right now I am just experimenting little by little. I hate to admit, but Mark was right about the All Trumps flour. It makes the best pizza dough! I used my wife’s bread maker – and the pizza dough recipe in the manual to make the dough – yeah I know, I know. However, after about three tries I slightly adjusted and got the recipe and dough thickness just right. Their’s calls for some wheat flour but I tried it just All Trumps flour and it holds up just a bit better the next day. So we got one of the main components figure out.
Also, I found a jarred sauce that isn’t too bad (again…I know…the shame is overwhelming). It’s just a substitute until I find try the secret sauce recipe’s above – Rao’s Homade Pizza Sauce. I also blended in mozzarella and Provolone cheese along with the provolone with great results.
Anyway I landed on a combo that my wife really, really loves so I at least have a starting recipe that we both like. So we now have pizza Sunday’s. I see I missed a few posts with good info above that I will try along with your sauce recipe when I have time.
Correction…I used Shredded Provolone, fresh provolone sliced into bits, and parmesan…not provolone.
I grew up in Weirton WV and the downtown Marios/DiCarlos is my all time favorite. Nothing like pizza and a Mario’s salad. I live in Missouri now and rarely get back to Weirton so I plan to celebrate New Years with your recipe. One question – where is the video link that shows dough consistency ? I could not find it anywhere in the article.
Can you clarify the amount of warm water for dough ? In ingredients list it states 1/4 C for activating yeast then an additional 1 C when flour is added. However, in the description it states 1 C then a sentence later it’s 3/4 C. Thanks. I prepared the dough using 1/4 + 3/4 Cups and the texture seemed about right.
You should be good Tom. So long as the dough isn’t sticking to your hands. It should be smooth and slightly tacky.
I’m living in cartersville ga for the last several years. Have downtown weirton pizza religiously when I’m in. Sure will try your recipe
This recipe totally nailed it and I never get a recipe right the first time ! I made it tonight and the crust came out perfect. The sauce seemed just a little different but that may have been due to putting it on a little heavier than normal. I used Pomi strained tomatoes and the sauce was velvety smooth. Also, I did the 2 day cold ferment in the frig. As you said in description I used 3/4 of the dough in a 15×10 pan and it was the perfect thickness. I had to pop a few bubbles in the dough during the first bake but it’s just like the guys at DiCarlos do ! Thanks and Happy New Year !!!
Hi Tom. Thanks for trying the recipe. I’ve since switched my tomato sauce brand to Six in One Tomatoes. I have to order a case out of California from a place called Taylor’s Market but it’s so worth it. You might have the brand local and should try it if you can. I keep the sauce as simple as possible now. And yes, too much sauce can change the outcome. I also use a mix of mozzarella and provolone cheese. It comes close enough when I need a DiCarlo’s pizza fix.
Happy New Year!
I am from Martins Ferry and grew up eating DiCarlos and Steve’s pizza, I currently live in Hilliard,Ohio and we have a DiCarlos in Hilliard and I eat it at lunch once a week in my car! People in central Ohio don’t understand the cold cheese. I am going to try your recipe!
Hi Sherrismiles – I’ve been looking for a bread recipe that produces an “airy” loaf with a really hard crust. Do you think your dough recipe for the pizza could produce that kind of bread ? I’ve read that adding a little steam to the oven can give me the hard crust that I want. Thanks.
Tom, sorry for the late reply… I personally think this would make a great bread dough recipe. You can add water/steam to the oven when baking or try a heavy cast iron dutch oven & baking with a lid. That’s normally how I bake my bread.
Thanks for sharing! I used to work at one of the competitors back in the day. Our sauce was 4 industrial size cans of dicarlos crushed tomatoes purchased from their warehouse…not even sure that still exists….mixed with a can of water….it cooked all day and was used the following day. We used vegetable oil in the sauce and to grease the pans as olive oil was too expensive. We also used garlic powder sorry to say. We mixed mozzarella and provolone 50/50. We didnt use sugar in the sauce. We stretched our dough after the first rise and refrigerated until the next day. I notice that it sitting on an oiled pan overnight made it crunch a little more. I tried your recipe and liked it very much. Thanks again!
Thanks for commenting Rob. I actually do use a 50/50 mozzarella and provolone blend now. I like it better that way. And for the sauce I use a brand called Six in One crushed tomatoes and add very little to it. Just salt, hot pepper, garlic salt and a pinch of sugar. I’ve changed up my recipe a bit since when I’ve first posted this. Maybe I’ll update it to reflect that. This is definitely one of my post popular recipes on my blog.
Again, thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your experience and connection with the pizza.
Just finish making this recipe for the 2nd time. I made one change and used 100% Provel which is very popular in the St. Louis region. It’s a combination of Provolone, Cheddar, and Swiss. It was very tasty but way too oily. Net time back to Provolone and Mozzarella. Also, the dough came out a little different. While crispy it seemed a little tough. I’m guessing the difference might be due to the much higher humidity air in June from the dry air in January. Any thoughts on how to compensate ? It did seem to take a lot more additional flour during knead to get past the sticky stage.
Hi Tom. Sometimes dough can be tough if it’s overworked. I’ve found over the years since I’ve posted this recipe that the less I handle the dough, the more tender it is. While adding water to the flour, I’ll add it slowly because the humidity in the air actually does effect how much water the flour will need. I usually add enough water until the dough is craggy and jagged. Then I knead it just until everything is incorporated, about 5 minutes. Then I’ll drizzle a bit of olive oil over the dough and cover it and let it sit on the counter for about 24 hours to ferment and develop a really good flavor.
Dough is something you get a feel for the more you make it. Hope that helps you a bit.
I am from Calcutta, Ohio, Ralph’s and Bruno’s pizza is what I grew up on. I currently live in Olympia, WA. Now I am able to make the great pizza from the Ohio valley. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome Harry.
I miss Bruno’s. I lived in Newell for 15 years. I loved their garlic pizza.
Sherri,
Can you make a new post or update this one with your current recipe?
Sorry for the late response. I can maybe do an update. Admittedly, this post is a little long and somewhat confusing. I have a tried and true dough recipe that I use that’s easy but I use 3 different flours and use 6 in 1 tomatoes for the sauce that I have to specially order from a market in California. Whenever we have guests, they always requests my pizza.
I’m from Ohio and love valley pizza! Especially Bruno’s pizza in east Liverpool. DiCarlos has opened a store in Myrtle Beach where I live now! We now plan on going there at least once a month since we live about 45 minutes from it.
DiCarlos does not cook the sauce and toppings on the pizza. They are put on after the crust is baked and warm up from that alone.
It is one of the defining features and does make a difference in the pizza.
I just returned from Bellaire, visiting my folks. Love love love Dicarlo’s 💕
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I would like to make this recipe, especially during these quarantine times.
I have read thru all the posts. Are there any additional tips?
Thank you! And, I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe😊
Hi Sherri, thank you for posting this, we’re going to give it a go today or tomorrow, just waiting on a couple ingredients to arrive. My wife and I grew up in the Wheeling area and now reside in San Diego and there is nothing even close to Di Carlo’s pizza out here. Anyway, fingers crossed and can’t wait to taste it. On a different note, not sure if you’re familiar with The Roosevelt in Bellaire, OH but it’s a must have when we go back to visit. Their spaghetti is simple and amazing (and cheap). When you walk in, there is pasta hanging, multiple sauce pots going, it’s truly a hole in the wall and hidden gem. I would love to hear your take on the recipe.
Hi Ken. I hope you enjoy my interpretation of the recipe. I’ve never been to Bellaire, so I’m not familiar with The Roosevelt, but if I’m ever in that area, I’ll be sure to check it out. I’m going to look online and see if I can find any articles of what the buzz is all about 🙂 Sounds like my kinda place!
trying this tonight
This was great! Thank you!
You’re welcome.
I have the recipe for the dough but it only comes out right when I make a whole batch which uses 50 lbs of flour mixed in a commercial mixer. I have never had luck reducing the recipe. The seasoned pans and oven make a huge difference too. Our ovens were between 500 and 600 degrees. There are only 4 ingredients in the dough: high gluten flour , yeast, salt and water. Refrigerated over night or for up to 3 days. The 3rd day was the best though.
tomatoes are 6 in one and cheese is provolone.
Go light on the sauce when you bake it then add more sauce when it’s done baking. The high temperature evaporates all the liquid from the sauce so you have to add more but if you put too much on while it’s baking the dough doesn’t raise evenly and it still dries out.
Great tips Rich. Thanks!
Maybe LA VALLE D.O.P. from Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. in Pittsburgh for the sauce 🤔 Cento is close but doesn’t have the citric acid at least not on the label but both are San Marzano tomatoes. And Pittsburgh is an obvious supplier to Steubenville. And yes I was born and raised in Steubenville and DiCarlo’s is my favorite pizza on earth! Still you have to get the garlic, onion, oregano and green pepper just right but the basil is already in the can.
TRY DELALLO PRODUCTS WE ORDER ONLINE—SINCE MY WIFE TRIED THEIR PRODUCTS THAT IS ALL SHE USES
Tell your friend he wasted $5000.
And I was told the cheese is 80% Provolone and 20% Mozzarella from someone who paid $5000 for the recipe. The dough/crust I don’t know and am in the process of working that out.
I do use a mix of Provolone and Mozzarella. I don’t like how the straight provolone melts and I love the taste of mozzarella mixed with provolone.
If I could just get Wedgewood pizza’s recipe in Austintown/Youngstown then BOOM!
Hi Evan. You won’t believe this one, but after we moved from Steubenville we settled in Austintown, OH. I lived right off of Raccoon Rd. on Burkey Rd. Literally less than a mile from Wedgewood pizza. We ordered it all the time growing up and used to walk to the shop often. Definitely one of my favorites. How about Briar Hill pizza? Love that pizza as well!
I took my husband back to Wheeling for a high school reunion a few years ago. Straight to the Elm Grove location which is now called Patsy’s. Called in to get our number and ate it in the car in the parking lot. One bite and he understood. He just ordered everything and we are going to try your recipe. My brother lives near us in Northwest Arkansas so it will be a DiCarlos party. In desperation I’ve tried to get it shipped frozen from Elm Grove….but at $180, we will try your recipe instead! Thanks for posting for us!
Hi Sherry. It’s impossible not to eat at least a slice in the parking lot! Thank you for trying the recipe and comment. $180 to get a pizza shipped! Wowza! I guess it depends on how badly you want the real thing and if you have the extra “dough” lying around. I hope you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
The recipe isn’t even remotely close to DiCarlo’s Pizza. We didn’t allow this person to post any photos of our brand or trademark. This is merely an uneducated opinion of a person looking for views.
* Yawn…. ALL photos are mine. What started out as a tribute and honor to your brand/trademark has shown your poor character as a person and business owner in my opinion. Now go find someone else to Trademark bully and be misogynistic towards. This post was over 7 years ago, why you so salty still?
Sherri, I absolutely love your recipe. I’ve made it many times. And plan to make it today. And I think you did an excellent job honoring the pizza of the Ohio Valley. It’s sad that DiCarlos can’t see what you’ve done as a compliment. To be honest, I prefer Giannamore’s Pizza in Wintersville over them anyway. 😉
Hi Chrisy. Thanks for such a nice comment. It really was a compliment to their pizza I don’t know why they feel so threatened over a small food blogger reviewing and then giving my OWN interpretation of the recipe. About 30-50 people view this blog per day. Even after 7 years I’m still getting grief from them. Drama! LOL. Thanks again and I’m glad you enjoy the recipe.
I find it rather amusing that the DiCarlo’s call others who opened up cold cheese pizza shops copy-cats, when they in fact admit that Primo took the concept from Italy. Things that make you go hmmmm.
They most certainly deserve accolades for opening up one of the first pizza shops in Ohio and making an outstanding pizza. No argument there.
All I’m saying is don’t be a hypocrite and look down on others for taking an idea that you also took from someone else to create a successful business. You can tradmark your name and logo, but not an idea.
I have the original recipe (I worked there in college) if you want it… if not I’ll just give you a few tip its provolone cheese that they use no mozzarella, only crushed tomatoes no other kind, there are green peppers in the sauce and they only use Wesson oil to line grease the pan.
Hi Janet. Thanks for the tips!
Can you email it to me?
I’d like to have the original recipe
I would love to have the original recipe as I moved back to the West coast and miss this pizza!
I also would love to have the original recipe!! I was born in Steubenville where my mom is from while my dad was still in the Marine Corps. It’s always the first pick-up after the four and a half hour drive!
DiCarlo’s in Newell, W VA used to add Italian Sausages to the sauce while it cooked and remove it before using the sauce.
Hi Cindy, thanks for your comment.
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Just curious, have you ever been to Frankie’s Pizza in Miami, and if so, how does it compare? I’ve heard it’s a DiCarlos copycat. Thanks for posting this recipe, by the way!
Sean, it’s funny you ask that, because I just recently realized that there was a Frankie’s Pizza in Miami and the next time I’m in that area, I’m going to check it out. It’s definitely on my list of things to do here. I’ll report back when that happens.
I’m going in June, so I’ll report back.
For whatever it’s worth I saw a cento can behind elm grove location about a year ago employees were using for an ashtray. Lol
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This is the best! Thank you so much for posting, I made it and think it’s perfect and close enough to my favorite pizza from Wheeling WV.
Thanks for visiting my site and trying the recipe and leaving feedback. Much appreciated. And yes, close enough is good enough for me. I love this pizza so much!
do you have the ordinal recipe from December 15, 2013, that crust was better
Hi Tracy. I don’t think I have the original recipe. I did a really horrible video that I found on one of my first YouTube channels and I didn’t list the ingredients or directions. I was new to recipe videos then. My best advice would be to eliminate the 00 (Tipo) flour and use 2 cups of bread flour and one cup of all purpose flour or you can simply use 3 cups of bread flour (high gluten flour) It is hard to work with so that is why I use the other flours.
You kind of have me wondering if I need to test this recipe out more and maybe go back to the higher ratio of bread flour. I might just do a kitchen test recipe and film the experience.
Hi Sherri! Thank you for posting this recipe. It looks a lot like the pizza my aunt, who grew up in Mingo Junction and lives in Brilliant, makes(and she makes THE BEST pizza!! I grew up in an Italian family). Disregard the negative comments on here my friend. I definitely want to attempt this recipe when I get the time. Thanks again 🙂
HI John. Thanks so much for reading and commenting. Much appreciated. I’d be willing to bet your aunt knows some of my family members and vice versa! Small town and small world. 🙂
I grew up in the steel valley and Ray’s (Wintersville), also Shast’s in Follansbee, WV and Giannamore’s (also Wintersville) seem to all come from DC’s. I noticed a small chunk of mushroom in a slice from the Wellsburg, WV DiCarlo’s shop. Not to say there were many but maybe like the green peppers, they’re mainly strained? Also the guy that owned Shasta’s in the 90s was a long timer at Ray’s. I can’t remember his name…maybe Todd. He said he used provolone but whether he meant blended, I’m not sure.
I stated this recipe wasn’t remotely close to DiCarlo’s Pizza and that I don’t appreciate our name being attached to your article. I didn’t say your recipe was disgusting nor was I misogynistic.
Please remove our name from the title of your article. I wouldn’t know you exist if this didn’t appear in Google search using our name. There are an abundance of “Ohio valley style pizza” brands. This has nothing to do with DiCarlo’s.
Thanks
Is this dough recipe remotely close?
50 LBS All Trumps flour
3/4 LB cake yeast
4 3/4 gallons of water
2 cups salt
Mix for about 15 minutes in a commercial mixer then divide into 3 1/2 lb balls and refrigerate over night. Thanks in advance!
David,
Why not say that you appreciate everyone that loves DiCarlo’s pizza and steel valley or Ohio valley pizza that the original recipe is very different and suggest everyone here to keep trying.
Imitation is the best form of flattery 😉
Wtf? This woman is paying respect to your pizza and even states that DiCarlo’s is the best pizza that she’s ever had, and you have the audacity to tell her to remove your name from her site? Do you think that maybe this article/recipe will generate business for you? Why can’t you just let it go and be appreciative? Did you show any appreciation at all? Many people grew up and love DiCarlo’s (I grew up on Wally’s in Cambridge…very similar style), but cannot get it because they’ve moved out of the area. Also, good job at stating your name…now everyone will know what kind of person you actually are.
I know my comment is years later than your post but I just have to say I also adore DiCarlos pizza! I’m from California but my mom grew up in Follansbee and I lived there for 2 years in HS. We always made a point to have pizza every visit. I even had a friend bring it on a plane when she came to California. 30yrs later I was traveling from NY to California by car and wanted to stop in Steubenville but the two days I could be there they were closed. (I cried) then I discovered they had opened a shop in Knoxville Tenn. I was so excited. Unfortunately it snowed the night before and literally the entire town was shut down except one bar. Then I saw someone at the DiCarlos shop. I ran over. We had to wait 2 hours for him to be ready. I went back to his surprise 😂 I finally got my pizza! It tasted exactly like the original! I was one happy lady!!! The employee was really great and we had a long talk. I hope the people in Knoxville can appreciate this wonderful pizza and not get hung up on not having 500 toppings. They do have a to-go kit. I tried to bring it home but a week in the car cooler and hotel refrigerator didn’t work. 🤷🏻♀️ So Thanks for the recipe. I can’t wait to try it.
Sherri!!! thank you so much for this post!!! Weirton native here…Long time DiCarlo’s lover…Prefer the 3 springs drive location…I’m a professional chef and professor at a university and have been doing research recently on this particular style of pizza…I have VAST experience working with dough, pizza styles and different oven/cooking mediums…I have worked on formulas and recipes for indoor ovens, outdoor ovens, wood fired ovens, grills, smokers, BBQ pits, and have researched high, low, and moderate moisture content dough(s) using multiple styles of pizza…I plan to test two different sauces and 2 different doughs this weekend…Looking forward to seeing how close we can get this to the “Original…” Thanks so much for (re)working and presenting the results and suggested improvements regarding your version…I have spent most of my morning reading all of these posts and re-reading other sites’ information as well…Am excited to arrive at a result that will lessen my road trips back to WV in order to buy trays to bring back to PA…
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