Greg Rickaby

Greg Rickaby

Full-Stack Engineer / Photographer / Author

The Perfect Pan Pizza

Posted on | 4 minute read

This recipe is a hybrid between The Pizza Lab’s Foolproof Pan Pizza and Top Secret Recipe’s Pizza Hut Pan Pizza. It’s really easy to make, and a whole lot of fun!

Pan Pizza Dough

  • 4 cups of bread flour
  • 1/4 oz active dry yeast
  • 1 Tbsp of sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups of warm water
  • 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil

1. Add yeast and sugar to warm water. Stir. Let sit for 15 minutes.

2. While waiting, add salt to flour and mix.

3. When the yeast mix is ready, pour it into flour and mix. Add olive oil. Continue mixing until the dough pulls away from the bowl.

4. Knead with a dough hook for 3-5 minutes.

5. Remove and with your hands, turn pizza dough into a ball.

6. Apply a little olive oil to the inside of a large bowl. Set the ball of dough in a bowl, cover it with a towel and let it rise at room temperature for 3 hours. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Re-cover for 1 more hour.

Pizza Sauce

  • 16 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
  • 8 oz can of tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 Tsp salt
  • Oregano (to taste)
  • Basil (to taste)
  • Pepper (to taste)

1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, add everything but the Oregano, Basil, and Pepper.

2. After the sauce has simmered for a few minutes, mix in the spices to taste. Freeze leftovers.

Bake the Pan Pizza

1. Preheat oven to 500F.

2. Pour 2-3 tbsp of olive or soybean oil into the bottom of a cast-iron pan, cake pan, or deep-dish pizza pan. Put the dough in the pan and press it down.

3. Lightly spread olive or soybean oil on the edges. You could also substitute for “butter flavored” Pam (this is what Pizza Hut does).

4. Add enough sauce to cover the dough. The thicker the dough, the more sauce you can add without it becoming soggy.

5. Add mozzarella cheese, and lots of it. Don’t be afraid to put cheese all the way to the edge -that’s how you get that awesome “crusty cheese”!

6. Add pepperoni, and other toppings of your choosing.

7. Place the pan on a pizza stone on the bottom rack, and bake for 10-13 minutes. Keep an eye on it. When it looks “done”, take it out. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pan.

8. Cut. Serve. Enjoy!

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