While dining out is a fan-favorite for Valentine’s Day, nothing is more romantic than cooking dinner together.
And, of course, there are plenty of suitable options for an at-home menu. But one tops them all: Heart-shaped pizza, striking the perfect balance of whimsical and delicious.
Plus, it’s a fairly easy option, according to Frank Kabatas, owner and operator of East Village Pizza, which has been serving heart-shaped pizza since 2019.
“It’s pretty simple to make a heart-shaped pizza,” Kabatas tells Appetito. “We use the same ingredients and cooking techniques as our other pizzas for the heart-shaped pies–only the shape is different.”
East Village Pizza’s heart-shaped pies are hand-tossed—and the restaurant likes to send a rose out with each that goes out for delivery.
While the restaurant started making heart-shaped pies to spread love around Valentine’s Day, it now offers the iteration year-round.
“Customers can make moments in their lives just a little more special with the inclusion of a heart-shaped pizza,” he says. “The heart-shaped pies act as a delicious showstopper for any Valentine’s Day celebration, including date night, family dinner, and Galentine’s Day get-togethers. It’s also a great surprise for birthdays, anniversaries, or just as a way to show love and appreciation.”
East Village Pizza shared their recipe and instructions for New York-inspired heart-shaped pizza that can be made at home with Appetito ahead of the holiday.
“For an at-home version, choose your favorite homemade pizza recipe, and form the dough into a heart before baking,” Kabatas says. “Prior to baking, I’d recommend letting your dough rest for an additional 10 minutes or so after it has been shaped, to help the dough keep its shape when in the oven.”
New York-Inspired Heart-Shaped Pizza
2-4
servings30
minutes20
minutesFor the best results, allow the pizza dough to ferment in a cold environment for one to three days. This will allow the dough’s yeast to activate, creating a lighter pizza dough and crust.
Ingredients
1 1/2 - 2 cups 1 1/2 - 2 all-purpose flour
5 grams 5 yeast
1/2 - 3/4 cup 1/2 - 3/4 water
1 tsp. 1 sugar
1-3 tbsp. 1-3 olive oil
1/4 cup 1/4 pizza sauce (for 12 inch pizza)
1 1/2 - 2 cups 1 1/2 - 2 low-moisture mozzarella
a few teaspoons salt
desired toppings (pepperoni, mushrooms, etc)
Directions
- To create a New-York-style crust, combine one and a half to two cups of flour, five grams of yeast, about one-half to three-quarter cups of water, a few teaspoons of salt, one teaspoon of sugar, and one to three tablespoons of olive oil.
- For the best results, allow the pizza dough to ferment in a cold environment for one to three days. This will allow the dough’s yeast to activate, creating a lighter pizza dough and crust.
- Before taking your pizza out to rest, pre-heat your oven to at least 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit for a standard oven.
- If cooking with a pizza stone, the pre-heat time for the stone must be considered.
- Ceramic stones will take around two hours to fully heat. This step is critical in ensuring the stone evenly absorbs the oven’s heat, resulting in an evenly cooked pizza.
- Let the fermented dough rest and come to room temperature at least one hour prior to baking the pizza.
- Dust some flour on a piece of parchment paper or pizza peel to prevent sticking and roll your dough out to your preferred size and thickness. This will make it easier to transport the pizza to the pizza stone once it’s ready to go in the oven.
- Don’t forget to form the dough into a heart-shape for Valentine’s Day!
- Once rolled out, add on desired toppings like pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings. Add just enough sauce to create a thin layer, about one-fourth cup for a 12-in pizza, to prevent sogginess.
- Then add one-and-a-half to two cups of cheese.
- For a New York-style pizza, low-moisture mozzarella is the best.
- Finish with desired toppings like pepperoni or mushrooms.
- Cook the pizza for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the dough.
- Once the dough is cooked all the way through, remove from the oven, let stand for at least three minutes.
- Slice and enjoy!
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