In honor of National Pi Day, this year, I decided to go savory and make a “pizza pie.” And you can’t get more savory than this recipe: Deep Dish Pan Pizza. Unlike regular pizzas that have a thin crust and are circular, this one is a deep-dish, pillowy, cheesy, saucy delight.
Die hard pizza fans will insist on using brick cheese and a real deep dish pan (10″ x 14″), but if you’re not one of those (and I’m not), you’ll get along fine with regular ole shredded mozzarella cheese and a 9″ x 13″ pan you probably already have. Also, die-hard fans may want to make the dough from scratch, but for a newbie like myself regular store-bought dough was the key to pulling this together on a busy school night.
I stared by taking out that dough from the fridge and stretching it as far as it will go on a 9″ x 13″ baking pan. It was cold, so the dough put up a fight and tried to snap back into shape. In the picture below, I didn’t get very far. I simply covered it and let it sit for about 30 minutes to get to room temperature so it would be more pliable.
Meanwhile, I made the sauce. This is the only part of the recipe where I needed to cook. I warmed up the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes until fragrant, then added the crushed tomatoes, spices, sugar, and a bit of salt. It is really important to use high-quality crushed tomatoes.
When that sauce had been simmering for about 30 minutes and reduced slightly, I went back to the dough and stretched it out again. This time, I was able to make the dough touch the edges.
Then, I started layering. I did sauce/cheese/pepperoni. Like the dough, make sure all ingredients, especially the cheese, go to the edge. This will help build a golden, cheesy, crispy crust that gives this dish its signature crust.
And then I added an extra layer of cheese and sauce on the top. It’s a bit different from the usual round pizzas where the pepperoni are on top. I sprinkled a bit of oregano and a few more red pepper flakes, because I like it spicy.
Then I baked for 12-15 minutes. Because of the extra layers, I baked mine for 15 and it turned out perfectly.
You can see how the edges are burnt and crispy. The cheese goes all the way to the end, making for the perfect cheese crust.
To enjoy this dish best, cut up into servings and serve immediately. You want to enjoy this while it is piping hot and the cheese is melty.
You Might Like These Too!
Deep Dish Pan Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 (17 oz) prepackaged ball of pizza dough
- Spray oil
Sauce
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes plus more for topping
- 1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp granulated garlic powder
- 1 tsp granulated onion powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
Toppings
- 5 cups shredded mozzarella
- 2 (7 oz) bags of sliced pepperoni
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees and put the rack in the lower portion of the oven.
- Using a can of spray oil, spray either a deep dish pizza pan or an 9' x 13" baking dish, preferably aluminum or tin.
- Take the pizza dough and gently start molding it to the bottom of the tin. It will not stretch all the way, just try to get it as far as you can. Set it aside to warm to room temperature to relax the dough.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and minced garlic, oregano and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add in the tomatoes and spices, salt, and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes or until slightly reduced.
- After 30 minutes, stretch out the dough again, removing air bubbles as you go. Make sure the dough touches the edge of the pan. Do this by stretching it past the pan, so that it shrinks to size.
- Add a layer of sauce, spooning over the entire pizza.
- Add a layer of pepperoni evenly over the top.
- Add a layer of cheese. Make sure that the cheese extends the entire pizza and touches the edges of the pan.
- Add another sauce/pepperoni/cheese layer. (Optional.)
- Spoon more sauce over the top in three rows. (Optional.)
- Add a light sprinkling of oregano and red pepper flakes (if you want the pizza to be a little spicy.)
- Transfer to oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly, and the edges are black and crispy .(If you have more layers, err towards a longer time.)
- Transfer to a cold stove top or trivets. Using a spatula or knife, loosen the edges of the pizza. Then use a pizza cutter to cut even squares.
- Serve immediately.
Recipe adapted from Food Network.
Leave a Reply