Scarr's Pizza owner shares 2 recipes from debut cookbook: Pepperoni, hot honey pie and calzone

New York City is famous for its pizza scene, and every so often, one crust rises above the rest in the culinary category, making its mark on the map and transforming the way diners think about a slice.

In 2016, Manhattan native Scarr Pimentel did just that when he opened Scarr’s Pizza on the border of Chinatown and the Lower East Side, after years of working in some of the city’s most iconic pizzerias and restaurants.

A fresh pizza being made at Scarr’s Pizza in New York City.

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Pimentel set out to put a healthy spin on the classic slice using organic ingredients, milling his own flour for the fresh dough and making sauce from scratch.

To celebrate the launch of his debut cookbook, “The Scarr’s Pizza Cookbook: New York-Style Pizza for Everybody,” Pimentel joined “Good Morning America” on Monday to share two recipes for his iconic dishes and explained more about how growing up with family and friends in the food industry inspired his love of restaurants.

Scarr Pimentel, owner of Scarr’s Pizza in New York City.

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The cookbook highlights all-natural, organic ingredients and includes 30 recipes with step-by-step photos to help guide home cooks in their pizzaiolo endeavors, teaching the techniques needed to create a great pizza at home.

The Scarr’s Pizza Cookbook: New York-Style Pizza for Everybody

Check out the full recipes below for Pimentel’s famed Hotboi pizza and a calzone.

Scarr’s Hotboi Pizza Recipe

“The Hotboi is one of the most popular pies in the shop — all-beef pepperoni, sliced jalapeños, and Mike’s Extra Hot Honey. This is an ode to the hot chile-infused honey made by our friend Mike. Other people make hot honey too, but his is the best. We’ll drizzle it on any slice for you if you’re eating in, but this is the one pie where it’s part of the recipe. It’s a simple, three-topping combination, where everything really works well together — the sweetness of the Extra Hot Honey contrasts with the savoriness of the pepperoni, and its sharp sting complements the fresh jalapeño flavor.”

“Our customers ask for the Hotboi in all styles, so instructions for all three are here: classic round, Grandma-style square, and Sicilian-style square.”

A corner edge of the Hotboi from Scarr’s Pizza.

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Makes: One 12-inch round pizza or one 13-by-9-inch square pizza

Equipment
Pizza steel (if making a round pie)
Wooden pizza peel (if making a round pie)
Metal pizza turning peel (if making a round pie)
Quarter sheet pan (if making a square pie)
Garlic slicer (optional; if making a Grandma square)

Ingredients

Pizza sauce (Makes just more than 3 1/2 cups or enough sauce for 5 or more pizzas, depending on how much sauce you use)
28-ounce/ 794-gram can crushed or whole peeled plum tomatoes, no salt added
3/4 tablespoon / 8 grams kosher salt
2 1/2 tablespoons / 32.5 grams olive oil
Generous 2 teaspoons / 7 grams finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons / 6 grams fresh oregano, finely chopped
6 to 7 fresh basil leaves, torn
2 1/4 teaspoons / 5 grams black pepper

For a Round Pie
1 dough ball from dough recipe
2/3 cup (150 grams) pizza sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, or more as desired
1 to 2 teaspoons (2 to 3 grams) grated pecorino or Parmesan, or more as desired
Scant 1 cup (100 grams) cheese blend
15 to 20 slices all-beef pepperoni, or enough to top the pie evenly
15 to 20 thin jalapeño slices, or enough to top the pie evenly
Mike’s Extra Hot Honey (or similar chile-infused honey) to finish

For a Sicilian Pie
Olive oil for oiling the pan
1 parbaked dough from Sicilian recipe
Generous 1 cup (125 grams) cheese blend
1 ounce (28 grams) fresh mozzarella, cut into slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, then torn if desired
2/3 cup (150 grams) pizza sauce
15 to 20 slices all-beef pepperoni, or enough to top the pie evenly
15 to 20 thin jalapeño slices, or enough to top the pie evenly
Mike’s Extra Hot Honey (or similar chile-infused honey) to finish

For a Grandma Pie
1 dough ball from dough recipe (page 61)
Olive oil for oiling the pan
3 1/2 ounces (100 grams) fresh mozzarella, cut into slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, then torn if desired
2/3 cup (150 grams) pizza sauce (page 94)
15 to 20 slices all-beef pepperoni, or enough to top the pie evenly
15 to 20 thin jalapeño slices, or enough to top the pie evenly
1 to 2 garlic cloves, peeled
Mike’s Extra Hot Honey (or similar chile-infused honey) to finish

Directions

For the sauce

Combine the tomatoes and the salt in a large bowl and set aside.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring often, for about 1 minute, until translucent. It’s just enough onion to cut the acid of the tomatoes.

Add the garlic, oregano, and basil to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant.

Pour the contents of the pan directly onto the tomato mixture. Then add the pepper and stir everything to combine. If using whole tomatoes, blend until smooth with an immersion blender.

The sauce can be used right away.

For a Round Pie

Following the dough instructions, open up the dough and stretch it into a 12-inch round pie (see page 70). Transfer the dough to a wooden pizza peel.

Ladling the sauce one spoonful at a time onto the center of the dough, take the back of the ladle or a spoon and make circles from the center of the pie outward toward your crust. Make sure to leave about 1 inch of dough uncovered along the edge for the crust. Add more sauce as desired.

Sprinkle the oregano and pecorino directly onto the sauce. Top evenly with the cheese blend.

Spread the pepperoni evenly across the pie, making sure the slices do not overlap too much for even cooking. Scatter the jalapeño slices over the top.

Following the instructions in the baking rounds section of dough (see page 72), bake for 7 to 8 minutes total. Remember to check the bottom, rotate the pie, and transfer it from the steel to the top rack when you need to.

Pull the pizza from the oven and land it on a wooden cutting board. Finish with a drizzle of honey across the pie. Slice and serve immediately.

For a Grandma Pie

Following the dough instructions, open up the dough and stretch it out in a lightly oiled quarter sheet pan (see page 78).

We’re building this one upside down: cheese on the bottom, sauce on top. First, evenly layer on the fresh mozzarella, leaving about 1/2 inch uncovered along the edge of the pan for the crust.

Next, using a spoon or small ladle, drop dollops of the sauce on top of the pie, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Sprinkle the oregano and pecorino directly onto the sauce.

Spread the pepperoni evenly across the pie, making sure the slices do not overlap too much for even cooking. Scatter the jalapeño slices over the top.

For Grandmas, we add fresh garlic too. If you’re using a garlic slicer, shave the garlic as thinly as possible over the top of the whole pizza. Between 1 and 2 garlic cloves should get you 15 to 20 paper-thin slices, enough to top the pie evenly. If you don’t have a garlic slicer, you can slice the garlic in advance using a mandoline or knife.

Following the instructions in Making Grandma Pies (see page 79), bake for 8 to 9 minutes total, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the bake.

Remove from the oven and finish with a drizzle of honey across the pie. Let cool for 2 minutes, then cut and serve.

For a Sicilian Pie

Generously oil a quarter sheet pan and place your parbaked Sicilian dough into it (see page 89).

We’re building this one upside down: cheese on the bottom, sauce on top. First, scatter the cheese blend all over the dough, leaving 1/2 inch uncovered along the edge of the pan for the crust. Evenly layer the fresh mozzarella on top.

Next, using a spoon or small ladle, drop dollops of the sauce on top of the pie, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Sprinkle the oregano and pecorino directly onto the sauce.

Spread the pepperoni evenly across the pie, making sure the slices do not overlap too much for even cooking. Scatter the jalapeño slices over the top.

Following the instructions in Making Sicilian Pies (see page 89), bake for 8 to 9 minutes total, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the bake.

Remove from the oven and finish with a drizzle of honey across the pie. Let cool for 2 minutes, then cut and serve.

Storage

Pizza is best eaten fresh. But if you have leftovers, let cool, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 2 months. Don’t put it in the fridge. It keeps best when frozen fresh.

Reheating

Follow the skillet method and reheat on the stovetop. Or reheat in the oven or toaster oven.

Scarr’s Calzone Recipe

A fresh calzone from Scarr’s Pizza in New York City.

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Makes: One 12-inch-long calzone

Equipment
Pizza steel
Wooden pizza peel
Metal pizza turning peel

Timing

About 15 to 20 minutes from the first stage (opening) to the final stage (cooking).

To start, you’ll need one dough ball rested for at least 12 hours in the fridge — ideally 24 to 48 hours — and then brought to room temperature.

One hour before you plan to bake, preheat the oven to 550 F with the pizza steel in it on the middle rack. (Some home ovens won’t get to 550 F, so preheat to how high your oven will go.) Slide a rack into the top position too, for broiling.

If you don’t have a pizza steel, you can use a pizza stone, sheet pan, or a cast-iron pan turned upside down (see full details in Tools on page 46).

Ingredients
1 dough ball from dough recipe
Scant 1 cup (100 grams) cheese blend, ricotta, fresh mozzarella or a mix of cheeses
Fillings of your choice, in similar amounts as for pizza, for example, 1/2 cup Italian chicken sausage, 1/4 cup roasted red peppers or cremini mushrooms
Sauce for serving

Directions

1. Following the instructions in the dough chapter, open up the dough and stretch it into a 12-inch round pie. Transfer the dough to a wooden pizza peel.

2. Pile up the cheese on half of the round dough. Make sure to leave about 1 1/2 inches uncovered along the edge. This is where you’re going to fold and seal the calzone.

3. Add any additional fillings on top of the cheese. Aim to pile high rather than spread across to make sure you have enough dough on the edge to seal the whole thing.

4. Now fold the uncovered half of the dough over the cheese and fillings. Using your thumb and index finger, pinch and squeeze all the way along the rim to close the calzone. You can also use the end of a wooden stick or a fork to crimp the edges closed. You want to make sure nothing leaks out.

5. Using a fork, and working evenly across the calzone, poke the top a few times so steam can escape during baking.

6. Just like you would a regular pizza, wiggle the calzone on the pizza peel to make sure it can launch properly.

7. Following the instructions and guidance in the baking rounds section of dough (page 72), bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until golden brown. And just like you would a regular pizza, make sure to check the bottom of the calzone as it browns. Use the metal turning peel to check the bottom and also to rotate the calzone during the cooking time so it bakes evenly. Move it to the top rack after the bottom firms up to finish the bake.

8. Pull the calzone from the oven and land it on a wooden cutting board or similar work surface. Slice and serve immediately with the sauce for dipping.

Storage

Just like pizza, a calzone is best eaten fresh. But if you have leftover calzone, let cool, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 2 months. Don’t put it in the fridge. It keeps best when frozen fresh.

Reheating

Follow the skillet method (see page 146) and reheat on the stovetop. Or reheat in the oven or toaster oven. You can flip the calzone over halfway through the reheating process if you want to toast both sides.

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