Handmade Pan Pizzas: Massive Or Modest?

Pan pizza is a thick-crusted, fried-bottomed, puffy, cheesy delight. It's a take on the classic deep-dish pizza, with a crust that's golden on the bottom and soft and doughy on top. The size of a handmade pan pizza can vary depending on the recipe and the pan used, but it typically ranges from 8 to 16 inches in diameter. The most common size seems to be around 10 inches, which is enough to feed two to four people.

Pan pizza dough recipe

The size of a handmade pan pizza depends on the pan you choose to use. A pan pizza can be baked in a skillet, pie dish, rectangular pan, or any oven-safe pan.

Now, for the pan pizza dough recipe:

Ingredients:

• Flour (all-purpose or bread flour)
• Salt (kosher salt)
• Yeast (active dry or instant/RapidRise)
• Water (room temperature or hot)
• Olive oil

Optional Toppings:

• Mozzarella cheese
• Basil leaves
• Parmesan cheese
• Sauce
• Pepperoni
• Cheddar cheese
• Provolone cheese
• Muenster cheese
• Jack cheese

Recipe:

• Combine flour, salt, yeast, and olive oil in a bowl. You can use a stand mixer or whisk by hand.
• Add water and mix until a loose ball of dough forms.
• Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, either by hand or with a mixer, until it becomes stretchy and smooth.
• Grease a medium-sized bowl and place the dough inside, flipping it over so that the top is also greased.
• Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead out any bubbles.
• Grease your chosen pan with olive oil.
• Press and stretch the dough into the pan, allowing it to come up the sides slightly.
• Top the dough with your desired toppings.
• Bake the pizza in a preheated oven at 450-550°F for 12-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
• For an even deeper crust, let the dough rise for an additional hour or two after placing it in the pan.

Pan pizza baking instructions

Ingredients

• Flour
• Salt
• Yeast
• Water
• Oil
• Pizza sauce
• Mozzarella cheese
• Basil leaves (optional)
• Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)

Equipment

• Digital scale with gram measurements
• Two 10-inch cast iron skillets or 10-inch round cake pans

Step 1: Mix and Proof

Weigh out your flour (400 grams), salt (10 grams), and yeast (4 grams) into a bowl, then add water (275 grams) and oil (8 grams). Mix it up, either with your hand or a wooden spoon. Make sure there's no dry flour left. Wrap it up tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest, anywhere from 8 to 24 hours.

Step 2: Ball the Dough

After the resting period, your dough should look like a big, puffy, lumpy bowl of soup. Sprinkle the top of the dough with some flour, then dump it out onto a floured work surface. Divide the dough into two even balls. Form and roll the dough on the counter using the sides of your hands to create a taut ball with a smooth, elastic top. Use your fingers to pinch and smooth out the bottom side of the ball of dough.

Step 3: Proof Dough in Cast Iron Pan

Pour some olive oil into the bottom of a 10-inch cast iron skillet or a 10-inch round cake pan. If you want to bake both pizzas at the same time, you'll need two pans. Place one ball of dough in each pan and turn to coat evenly with oil. Using a flat palm, press the dough around the pan, flattening it slightly and spreading oil around the entire bottom and edges of the pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

Step 4: Touch Up the Dough

The dough should now have mostly stretched out to fit the pan. Using just the tips of your fingers, poke at the dough, working it into the corners and popping any big air bubbles. Make a quick lap around the edge of the pan, lifting the dough like a blanket to ensure no large bubbles are hiding underneath.

Step 5: Sauce the Dough

You can use any sauce you like, or make your own from scratch. For a thick pie, you'll need a nice thick layer of sauce. Spread around three-quarters of a cup per 10-inch pie. If you like having a rim around your pizzas, leave a little rim. Otherwise, go all the way to the edge with your sauce.

Step 6: Add Toppings

Spread cheese over the top of the pizza, going all the way to the edges if desired. Any good melting cheese will do, but mozzarella is classic. You can also mix different cheeses. Most of the time, it's best to go easy on the toppings, but a pan pizza with a thick, robust crust can handle a heavy load, so go wild!

Step 7: Bake in a Hot Oven

Place the pan in a hot oven. For best results, max out your oven temperature (usually around 550°F/290°C). The hotter the oven, the more micro bubbles will form on the exterior of the crust, giving your pie more crunch and character. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbly, and the bottom is golden brown and crisp.

Step 8: Add Some Post-Bake Flair

Some toppings are best added after baking. Grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top of the pie for a sharp, fresh bite of uncooked Parmesan.

Step 9: Serve

Use a thin spatula to loosen the pizza and check that the bottom is crisp. If it's not, place the pan over a burner and cook on medium heat for 1 to 3 minutes. Cut the pizza into slices and serve immediately.

Pan pizza toppings

The best pan pizzas have a thick and crispy crust that's golden on the bottom but puffy and soft under the layers of sauce and cheese. The thick crust can support a heavy load of toppings, and there are endless combinations to choose from. Here are some classic and creative topping ideas to inspire your next pan pizza creation:

Classic Combinations:

• Pepperoni and lots of cheese
• Supreme: pizza sauce, mozzarella, bacon, onion, beef mince, capsicum, pepperoni, mushroom, and olives
• Hawaiian: pizza sauce, mozzarella, ham, and pineapple
• Margherita: pizza sauce, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, and salt
• Meat Lovers: pepperoni, bacon, cabanossi, beef mince, and ham
• BBQ Chicken: BBQ sauce, shredded chicken, red onion, and smoked paprika

Creative Toppings:

• Alfredo sauce, chicken, bacon, and cheddar cheese
• Spinach, chicken, bacon, and alfredo sauce
• Anchovies, black olives, and capers
• Potato and rosemary
• Garlic butter prawns and chilli
• Prosciutto and rocket
• Squid, chorizo, and rocket
• Spring vegetables: zucchini, artichoke, asparagus, spinach, and pesto
• Caramelised onion, feta, and beef mince
• Spicy salami, capsicum, sliced jalapenos, onions, and hot sauce
• Aussie pizza: bacon, red onion, and a whole egg

Cheese Choices:

For the best pan pizza, opt for shredded low-moisture mozzarella, which keeps the pizza crisp and light. Other cheese options include:

• Cheddar
• Provolone
• Mueller
• Jack
• Young provolone
• Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Blue cheese
• Feta
• Gorgonzola
• Provolone
• Buffalo mozzarella

Remember, the key to a great pan pizza is to load up on toppings and cheese, ensuring that every bite is packed with flavour!

Pan pizza nutritional value

A handmade pan pizza is a thick-crusted, fried-bottom pizza that is puffy, cheesy, and focaccia-esque. It is baked in a cast iron pan in a hot oven, resulting in a crust that is golden brown and crisp. The dough for a pan pizza is typically a no-knead dough, which means that it does not require the traditional kneading process to form gluten. Instead, the dough is mixed and allowed to rest for several hours, during which time enzymes in the flour break down proteins and yeast consumes sugars, creating carbon dioxide gas that stretches the dough and forms gluten.

In terms of nutritional value, a plain slice of Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza contains 290 calories, 15 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbohydrates, and 10 grams of protein. A slice with pepperoni has slightly more calories, at 300, and contains 16 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and 11 grams of protein.

A pan pizza recipe from Serious Eats provides the nutritional information per serving, which is likely a slice of pizza. Per serving, the pizza contains 84 grams of total carbohydrates.

While the exact nutritional values of a handmade pan pizza may vary depending on the specific recipe and ingredients used, it is safe to assume that a slice of pan pizza typically contains several hundred calories and a significant amount of fat, carbohydrates, and protein.

Pan pizza vs deep-dish pizza

A pan pizza is baked in a cast iron skillet or a deep pan. It has a thick crust that is equally thick throughout the pizza. The crunchy edges and soft interior of the crust are emphasised over the toppings. The dough in a pan pizza is stiffer, allowing it to rise to a puffy consistency. This type of pizza is said to be chewier and doughier than deep-dish pizza.

Deep-dish pizza, on the other hand, is cooked in a steel round dish. It has a thick and tall outer crust, but the inside of the pizza is thinner, resembling a pie. The toppings are the star of the show when it comes to deep-dish pizza, as the taller outer crust and thinner inner crust allow for more toppings. The cheese is placed first, followed by the toppings, and then the sauce. The sauce on a deep-dish pizza is typically thicker and chunkier, resembling crushed tomatoes.

While both types of pizzas have thick crusts, the main difference lies in the anatomy of the crust and the layering of the toppings. Pan pizza has a consistent thickness throughout, while deep-dish pizza has a taller, thicker outer crust and a thinner inner crust.

In terms of flavour, pan pizza will have a weightier and fluffier taste due to the emphasis on the thick dough. Deep-dish pizza, on the other hand, will have a tangier, more robust flavour due to the larger amount of sauce and the fact that the cheese is placed directly on the dough.

Both pan pizza and deep-dish pizza offer a unique pizza experience, and the preference between the two will depend on individual taste. If you enjoy a thick crust and the taste of bread, then pan pizza is the way to go. However, if you prefer a variety of toppings and want to savour the different flavours of cheese and sauce, then deep-dish pizza might be more to your liking.

Frequently asked questions