Blaze

Ah, autumn in New England!

The crisp fall air. The crunch of fallen leaves beneath your feet. The brilliant colors of the changing foliage. It’s the perfect time to don your favorite heavy plaid shirt or shawl-collar cardigan, grab a cup of your preferred warm autumnal beverage, and revel in the splendor of the harvest season. Take it all in and enjoy it while you still can, because December will be here in the blink of an eye!

And what better way to celebrate autumn in coastal Maine than with a distinctly New England style of pizza?

@blazebarharborpizzeria serves South Shore bar pizza, a regional specialty from Boston-land, particularly the old taverns around Brockton. Traditionally, these are small, 10-inch pies baked in well-oiled pans, with a thin, almost cracker-like crust and cheese spread all the way to the edges, creating deeply caramelized edges similar to Detroit-style pizza. The cheese often includes cheddar (I suspect Bostonians see a connection between pizza and a baked potato), which gives the pizza a certain richness.

Blaze’s version is on the thicker end of the South Shore spectrum. Baked in a Bakers Pride deck oven, the crust is considerably more substantial than the thin, crisp examples you might encounter around Boston. It’s rich and buttery(!), with a nicely browned exterior and a softer bready interior.

As with a baked potato, Bostonians wanna load that sucker up: Blaze piles on generous quantities of cheese, sausage, mushrooms, and onions onto its 10-inch pies. The result is a hearty, flavorful pizza with plenty of character.

A satisfying capstone to a day spent admiring the foliage and embracing one’s inner Mr. Autumn Man.