Everybody Wants Perfect Pan Pizza

So you want perfect pan pizza, but you end up with insipid crust and over-baked tops. As usual, the problem is not always the recipe. I tried variations on pizza crust ad nauseum with little change in the final result. I added oil, didn't add oil. I added sugar, didn't add sugar. I tried everybody's variation on the crust.

Happiness came when I changed the method. Recipes are the individual variations that please the eater. The method is how the cook execute the recipe. Once the method is learned success naturally follows.

As with most home cooking, the problem lies in the heat. If you have ever looked at restaurant pizza ovens they have thick stone bottoms whose sole purpose is to store heat. The basic problem with pizza is that you have a bread dough smeared with moist ingredients. The bread want to cook into a lovely, yeasty yumminess while all of the pizza sauce and moisture from the cheese slows that down. Water can simply absorb massive amounts of heat. Sometimes faster than we can add it. We have to change our dynamic.

Here is one of my larger iron skillets. It is about 14 inches across and weighs over 8 pounds. This is my pizza pan. It put it into a 450 degree oven about 45 minutes before I want to bake the pizza. All of that iron will cook my crust completely while the topping gently browns.

 Here is my oven set up. I have moved one rack to the lowest position and the other to the highest position to get it out of the way. Rack positioning is critical for most baking. By heating the pan and baking the pizza on the lowest rack, I am maximizing the amount of heat that hits the bottom of the pan and minimizing the amount of heat on the top.

I put a thin crust (with limited toppings) high in the oven.

 Here is the pizza dough "rolled out." You will notice all of the dimpling. Those dimples come from my finger tips. No actual rolling pin was used. This is a fairly "wet" dough that is very pliant.

Sometimes I will stretch the dough out to just the same size as the bottom of the pan and carry the toppings right out to edge. This will give a nice carmelization out on the perimeter that some of my eaters like. Other times I will over size the dough so that when placed in the pan the dough goes up the sides a bit. This gives the dough more holding power to keep more toppings in place.

Just before putting the dough in the pan, I add a little (2 TSP) cold oil and swirl it around. This keeps the dough from sticking and fries the bottom just a bit.

 The dough is now in the pan and it is already cooking before I can even get the toppings added. Bubbles will start to form and the edges will sizzle.

One of the things that I enjoy at this point is placing my fingers on the dough. I can feel the yeast kicking in to overdrive before it dies from the heat.

The Pizza Cooking on the Bottom Rack

Here the pizza is done. The crust color doesn't come out very well in this picture, but it is the same color as the crust below.

The finished bottom. This is a lovely pizza with a great crust and gooey, yummy topping.

Adam's Pan Pizza Crust

Makes 1 12 inch pan pizza

8 ounces of bread flour

1 1/2 cups of water

1/2 tsp of yeast

5/8 tsp of salt

1. Whisk together dry ingredients.

2. Add water and knead until silky and smooth. About 5 minutes with my Kitchenaid Mixer on #2.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

4. Allow to double in size.

This dough gets a better texture if refrigerated before hand and placed cool into the hot iron.

Cook for enjoyment. Eat for life.