I miss Vincent's Pizza Park!!!

[AlwaysHungry]

Ok so I don't live that far away from one of the best places ever but it's just far enough that I don't get out there often. (3-4 times a year - and trust me that's not even close to being enough ) With in the past 4 months I've been getting into making my own homemade dough. I've been trying to copy Vincent's Pizza Parks crust and I have been extreemly unsuccessful.
I've stumbled on a couple of different ideas for the kinds of toppings/cheese mixes I'm going to try, and I've found a wonderful sauce recipe, but I'm super interested in the crust aspec of it.
Can anyone give me some tips on mimicing Vincent's Pizza Parks's crust/pizza.

Thanks

[Cass]

Pittsburgh, right?

I can't help much, but I do believe they use Labriola's (hot) sausage on their pizzas.

[scott r]

I grew up in pittsburgh eating this pizza, and I still think its one of the best in the US for "normal" pizza.   Of course now we have neapolitan and other high end pizzas that can be quite good, but in the end I still crave a nice vinnie pie.    I would have loved to se guy fietti interview vincent back in the day.   The flour is kyrol (bromated high gluten)  and the sauce is full red pizza sauce by stanislaus.   Vincent was making the dough with a fairly straightforward NY style recipe plus a little molasses, probably around 1% but maybe even less.    The trick to his unusual dough is that it was fully risen at room temperature in bulk, then each smaller dough piece was chopped off of the massive dough ball right when the pizza was made.   I actually can't think of any other pizzerias using this method.  Now that he is gone, and there are new locations, I dont know if this is still the process, but it was back in the heyday.   For me the cheese is quite magical, and the secret is some smoked provolone mixed in with the mozzarella.    Good luck!   

[scott r]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KLobYr1VS8" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KLobYr1VS8</a>

[Jackie Tran]

I've never eaten a Vinnie pie, but it looks fabulous.  The dough and crust looks top notch, some of the best I've seen.  And it must be really hot in that kitchen.   

[c0mpl3x]

stanislaus full red, and escalon allegro are popular sauces in the greater pittsburgh area for mom and pops

[AlwaysHungry]

Thanks Scott R...I've seen you always give great comments ... verry helpful. I need to keep my fingers crossed that this works out. I had tried honey and maple syrup in lew of sugar...I'll give the molasses a whirl. Letting the dough sit all day would explain all the big bubbles. Last time I made I pie I was too anxious and only let the dough rise for 30 minutes (which would explain the tougher/denser consistancy)

I grew up eating from the one that was out in Plum...my partents now live in Latrobe which isn't too far from the one right off the turnpike in Irwin. Ummm...I just had breakfast and I'm ready for a slice of a Vinnie Pie!!!!!

The place out in Plum has a window you can look through to see them making the pies while you wait for your table...and it is still a favoirte memory of mine. There was this large busty italian lady back there flipping the dough, forming it, then slathering a big laddle of sauce around, and then (my favorite part) she would dunk both paws into the barrel of cheese and grab a ball of it the size of my head and all in one swoop cover the dough. The rest of the toppings where thrown on in the same manner. O and if you got sausage she would grab a large pile of it and start pullling off chuncks of it and loading the pie up!!!!! ummmm....I'm really wishing I could get one for the evening.

The best pizza around me is OIP. Which is NO Vinnie Pie but it's decent. I haven't tried every pizza in central PA but this one is a good one. Their bread/crust is the best in town.

Thanks again for all the help!!!!!