Quad City Style Pizza
intro
A beloved regional pizza from the Iowa-Illinois Quad Cities, with a chewy malted crust, spicy tomato sauce, crumbled sausage, and signature strip cut.
Ingredients
Steps
Mix and proof dough
In a large mixing bowl, combine 180ml warm (110°F/43°C) water, 7g active dry yeast, and 1 tsp granulated sugar; let rest 5 minutes until the surface appears foamy. Add 320g bread flour, 2 tbsp plain malted milk powder, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 15ml olive oil. Mix to form a shaggy dough, then knead on a lightly floured counter for 7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and let rise in a 75°F/24°C warm spot for 60 minutes until doubled in volume.
Prepare spicy tomato sauce
In a medium bowl, stir together 400g unsalted crushed tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp garlic powder, and the remaining ½ tsp kosher salt until fully smooth and combined. Do not cook the sauce; set it aside at room temperature until ready to use to retain the bright, tangy profile traditional to Quad City pizza.
Stretch dough to pan
Preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C) and lightly coat a 12x17 inch (30x43cm) rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Punch down the proofed dough firmly to release trapped air, then transfer it to the center of the prepared pan. Gently press and stretch the dough evenly across the full pan surface, working slowly to avoid tearing, until it reaches all pan edges and forms a thin, even base with a ¼-inch raised lip around the border. Let the stretched dough rest 10 minutes to prevent shrinkage during baking.
Layer traditional toppings
First, sprinkle 225g shredded low-moisture mozzarella evenly across the dough surface, leaving the ¼-inch crust lip bare. Next, crumble 225g uncooked spicy Italian sausage into pea-sized pieces, distributing them evenly over the cheese (pre-cooking sausage is not traditional, as it cooks fully through in the high oven heat). Spoon the prepared tomato sauce in 1-tablespoon dollops across the sausage, leaving small gaps so cheese peeks through; do not spread the sauce into a thick, solid layer.
Bake pizza until crisp
Place the baking sheet on the middle oven rack of the preheated 475°F (245°C) oven. Bake for 14-16 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees at the 7-minute mark to ensure even cooking, until the crust edge is deep golden brown and crisp, the sausage is fully cooked with slightly crispy edges, and the sauce is gently bubbling across the top. Remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest 3 minutes on the pan before cutting.
Cut into signature strips
Transfer the rested pizza to a large wooden cutting board. Instead of traditional triangular slices, cut the pizza lengthwise into 3 equal long sections, then cut crosswise into 2-inch wide strips to create the iconic Quad City strip cut. Serve immediately while the cheese is stretchy and the crust is crisp.
Tips
2.Do not over-sauce the pizza: Quad City style uses scattered, thin sauce dollops rather than a thick spread to keep the crust crisp and let the nutty malt flavor of the crust shine through.
3.Use plain, unflavored malted milk powder (not chocolate or vanilla flavored) in the dough to get the signature subtle, nutty, toasty crust flavor that defines this regional style.
Grew up in the Quad Cities and have been chasing that perfect pizza taste since I moved to Florida 10 years ago. This recipe is SPOT ON. The malt in the crust gives that exact nutty, slightly sweet bite I remember, and the crumbled sausage layer is just how my favorite local spot used to make it. Cut it into strips like we do back home and my whole family devoured it at Sunday dinner. 10/10 no notes.
Wait, hold up — the recipe says medium difficulty and I was nervous going in, but it was way more doable than I thought! Only issue I had was my crust got a little too crispy on the edges the first time, but the flavor was insane. That spicy sauce is a game changer, I will never use jarred pizza sauce again.
Made this for my neighborhood block party potluck last weekend and people were begging for the recipe before I even set the platter down! I was worried the strip cuts would be weird for people but they were perfect for grabbing and snacking while standing around. Even the picky teens went back for thirds.
Does anyone know if the dough freezes well? I want to make a double batch this weekend so I can pull one out for quick weeknight dinners when my kids have soccer practice. Tried a test pie last night and it was SO good, my kids loved it — I need this in my regular rotation stat.
I’m super picky about pizza crust — like, I’ve driven 2 hours for good pizza level picky — and this crust recipe did not disappoint. The malt powder gives it such a unique, toasty flavor that regular pizza dough just doesn’t have. Pro tip: sprinkle a little parmesan on the crust edge before baking, thank me later.
Wait, do you really put the sausage on raw? I was fully convinced I’d end up with undercooked meat when I put this in the oven, but I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfectly? The crumbly, thin sausage layer is so much better than chunky sausage toppings, who knew.
Made this for date night with my partner last night and we both agreed it’s better than half the pizza places within 30 minutes of us. We paired it with a local lager and spent the whole meal arguing over who got the last strip. 10/10 will be making this every Friday from now on.
I haven’t made this yet but it looks incredible! Does anyone know if the crust works with a 1:1 gluten free flour blend? My husband has celiac and I’ve been searching for a fun pizza night recipe that doesn’t taste like cardboard. This looks too good not to test out!
I added an extra teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the sauce and a drizzle of hot honey after baking and OMG it was life changing. The sweet heat pairs so perfectly with the savory sausage and nutty crust. If you love spicy food, do not sleep on that addition.
I’m a broke college student with a super tiny apartment oven and I was able to pull this off! Total cook time was right around what the recipe said, even with my janky oven that runs 25 degrees hot. Used store bought bulk sausage from the campus grocery store and it still slapped. 10/10 for beginner cooks who don’t want frozen pizza anymore.
I’m used to making thick crust Chicago style pizza so I was skeptical of the thinner, malted crust on this, but my whole family went crazy for it. Even my 82 year old dad who swears no pizza outside of Chicago is good said this was a keeper. Will be making this for our next family game night for sure.
I swapped the sausage for sautéed mushrooms and banana peppers for a veggie version and it was still so good! The crust and sauce are so flavorful they carry the whole pie even without meat. My meat-eating roommate stole two slices and didn’t even notice there was no sausage until I told her.
Wait, I messed up the first rise on my dough — I forgot about it and let it sit for almost 3 hours instead of the 1 hour the recipe says. Is it ruined? It looks all puffy and bubbly, I don’t want to waste all the ingredients I bought!
Pro tip: the leftover strips are SO good cold straight out of the fridge the next day. I packed a couple for my work lunch today and my coworker offered me $10 for a slice, no joke. This pizza hits different even when it’s not piping hot.