Type A Mommy's Famous Pan Pizza

You've probably noticed on my Menu Plan Mondays that I like to make homemade pizza. I LOVE pizza, it was something I totally lived off of when I was in college. I especially love pan pizza, like Pizza Hut/Chicago-style. Over the years, I've made those little Boboli pizza crusts that you buy at the supermarket, but they're just okay. They're really nothing special. This pizza recipe is. You can add toppings at your discretion, but it's really perfect as is, with just cheese. The only thing that you have to have is a stand mixer - I mean, you can make this pizza without it, but I'm not a huge fan of kneading bread dough, and with the stand mixer, you get to skip that.

Type A Mommy's Famous Pan Pizza
Makes two 9-inch pizzas, serves 4-6 people (depending on how hungry you are and what else you serve)

Printer-friendly recipe

Dough
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup skim milk, plus 2 additional tablespoons, warmed to 110 degrees (but NOT hotter!)
2 tsp sugar
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra to dust the counter with
1 package instant yeast
1/2 tsp table salt

Topping
3 cups shredded skim-milk mozzarella cheese
1 1/3 c pizza sauce

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Spray large bowl with cooking spray. Coat each of two 9-inch cake pans with 3 tablespoons oil.

2. Heat up milk. Mix warm milk, sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in measuring cup. Mix flour, yeast, and salt in stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn the machine to low and slowly add the warm milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium-low and mix about 5 minutes, until dough is shiny and smooth. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter, gently shape into ball, and place in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

3. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and lightly roll each half into ball. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll and shape dough into 9 1/2-inch round and lay in oiled pan. Cover each pan with plastic wrap and place in warm spot (not in oven) until puffy and slightly risen, about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees

4. Remove plastic wrap from dough. Ladle 2/3 cup sauce (or as much/little as you like) on each pizza, leaving 1/4 - 1/2-inch border around edges. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and pepperoni is browning around edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let pizzas rest in pans for 1 minute. Using spatula, transfer pizzas to cutting board and cut each into 8 wedges. Serve.

NOTE: If you don't have a stand mixer, in step 2, mix the flour, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, then pour the milk mixture into the well. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the dough becomes shaggy and difficult to stir. Turn out onto a heavily floured work surface and knead, incorporating any shaggy scraps. Knead until the dough is smooth, about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and follow the rest of the recipe.

Here's the beautiful final product. Are you hungry yet??????



NOTE: Updated 11/4/09 with printer-friendly recipe link!