Altoona Style Pizza

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Quick Bite

Altoona Style Pizza is a thick, square-cut Central Pennsylvania pizza topped with tomato sauce, salami, green bell pepper, and melty yellow American cheese. It is strange, local, proudly unfashionable, and exactly the kind of food that makes people say, “Wait, that’s pizza?”

History

Altoona Style Pizza is most closely tied to the Altoona Hotel, where the style is generally said to have started in the mid-20th century. The hotel became known locally for a square pizza that did not look or eat like the more familiar mozzarella-topped pies from New York, New Jersey, or Philadelphia.

The defining features are what make it famous and infamous: a thick Sicilian-style crust, tomato sauce, sliced salami, green bell pepper, and yellow processed American cheese. The cheese is the part that gets outsiders talking. It melts differently than mozzarella and gives the pizza a creamy, salty, lunch-counter personality.

The original Altoona Hotel was destroyed by fire in 2013, but the pizza survived through local restaurants, home cooks, and curious food writers. In 2020, Altoona Style Pizza got wider internet attention, and the reaction was exactly what you might expect: confusion, mockery, fascination, and a surprising amount of respect from people who actually tried it.

This is not a pizza trying to win a beauty contest. It is hyper-local comfort food with Central Pennsylvania confidence. A good slice should be soft, salty, saucy, and topped with enough American cheese to make mozzarella wonder what happened.

Fun Facts

• Altoona Style Pizza is traditionally cut into squares.
• The cheese is usually yellow American cheese or a similar processed cheese.
• The classic topping combo is salami and green bell pepper under the cheese.

Where to Try

29th St Pizza Subs & More Altoona, Pennsylvania
A local Altoona spot known for serving Altoona-style pizza and keeping the yellow-cheese tradition alive.

Zach’s Sports & Spirits Altoona, Pennsylvania
A casual local bar and restaurant where Altoona-style pizza has appeared as part of the area’s quirky food identity.

Make it at home, Altoona-style Central Pennsylvania-inspired home kitchen
Because the original Altoona Hotel is gone and the style is very local, home versions are one of the most reliable ways to experience the full salami, pepper, and American cheese effect.

About the Game

This recipe is part of Van Life Challenge, a travel-themed board game from Gray Dog Games where players explore the United States, discover regional foods, and collect memorable experiences along the way.

Each featured food celebrates a real place, a local flavor, and the kind of delicious roadside discovery that makes every trip feel like an adventure.

Recipe

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Home-Cook-Friendly Altoona Style Pizza Serves: 6 Prep: 25 minutes, plus rising Cook: 20 minutes Difficulty: Medium Style: Central Pennsylvania / Altoona-Style Pizza

Ingredients

For the crust

• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the toppings

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ pound sliced deli salami
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
• 10 to 12 slices yellow American cheese
• Olive oil, for the pan

Instructions

1. Make the dough: Mix flour, yeast, sugar, salt, warm water, and olive oil until a soft dough forms.
2. Knead and rise: Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, then cover and let rise until doubled.
3. Prepare the pan: Oil a 9x13-inch baking pan.
4. Press the dough: Press the dough into the pan and let it rise again for 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Heat the oven: Heat the oven to 450°F.
6. Season the sauce: Mix tomato sauce with oregano and garlic powder.
7. Sauce the dough: Spread the sauce over the dough.
8. Add salami: Layer salami over the sauce.
9. Add peppers: Add sliced green bell pepper.
10. Bake first: Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is nearly done.
11. Add cheese: Lay American cheese slices over the top.
12. Melt: Return to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes, just until the cheese melts.
13. Serve: Cut into squares and serve hot.

Traditional note: To make it more traditional, use a thick square crust, tomato sauce, salami, green bell pepper, and yellow American cheese. Do not substitute mozzarella if you want the true Altoona effect.

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