Classic Personal Pan Pizza
If you were a child (or had children) in the US in the 90s, odds are you remember Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! initiative, a program that started in 1984 where kids read books in exchange for a free personal pan pizza. Now, whether you’re feeling nostalgic—or missed out on the craze but still love a pie you don’t have to share—then you’ll want to try out our version of that tasty and classic personal pan pizza. It’s got a thick, airy interior, golden crispy edges and a bubbly cheese top, made just for you.
For a stronger crust, we like to make our dough with bread flour and a bit of butter for a lovely, rich crunch to the finished product. Covered in crushed tomatoes, dried oregano and shredded mozzarella, this pizza is simple and satisfying without frills. All you need is high-quality ingredients and an overnight dough rest (believe us, those extra hours will add a depth of flavour that’s tough to achieve in less time!)
The final touch is a fresh grating of Parmesan for a tasty bite and an extra pop of flavour. Perfect for hanging with friends or weeknight dinners, this pizza is made for a good time—no books required.
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Method
Note
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1
For the dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if mixing by hand) combine the water and yeast and whisk until the yeast is dissolved. Set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Add the flour mixture and butter to the water mixture and mix on medium-low for 4 to 6 minutes or until smooth. If mixing by hand, combine the ingredients thoroughly with a wooden spoon or your hands. Once combined, remove the dough from the bowl and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
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2
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let rest for 1 hour. After 1 hour, lightly wet your hands with water and begin to gently lift the edge of the dough and fold it over the centre. Do this on all 4 sides, like folding an envelope, then cover and let rest for 1 hour. Repeat this process 2 more times.
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3
After the third fold and rest, place your dough on a lightly floured counter and use a dough scraper to divide it into four 220-gram dough balls—we recommend using a digital scale for accuracy.
Tip: If you have a small amount of dough left over after making your dough balls, don’t worry! You can make one of your dough balls slightly larger or use it for some herby pizza dough flatbread!
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4
Grease your pans with softened unsalted butter, then place dough balls in the pans, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
Tip: You’ll need to pull your dough out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before you want to cook, so plan accordingly!
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5
The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator, press it out to the pan's edges and let it rest for about 2 hours or until it’s relaxed and slightly bubbly.
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6
For the pizzas:
In the meantime, mix the crushed tomatoes, salt and oregano in a medium bowl until well combined.
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7
Once your dough is ready, preheat the oven to 600 °F (315 °C), using an infrared thermometer to quickly and accurately check the temperature of the stone. If cooking on an Ooni Volt, balance the heat to 70% on the stone.
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8
When the oven is up to temperature, place the pan in the oven and parbake the dough for 4 minutes or until it is lightly browned.
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9
Run an offset spatula or a butter knife around the edges of the dough to help it release from the pan after the final bake.
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10
Top the dough out to the edges of the pan with ¼ of the sauce and ¼ of the mozzarella, plus a sprinkle of parmesan. Place back in the oven for 6 to 7 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the edges of the pizza are crispy and a deep golden brown in colour.
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11
While the pan is still warm, use an oven glove and a butter knife or offset spatula to release the pizza from the pan (the cheesy edges are the trickiest part to release—just be gentle and patient as you run your knife around the edges, the pizza will come out).
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12
Place the pizza on a cooling rack to stay crispy, then slice and enjoy! Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
For the dough:
- 350 grams (1 ½ cups + ½ tablespoon) lukewarm water
- ½ teaspoon (1.8 grams) active dry yeast, or ⅓ teaspoon (1.1 grams) instant dried yeast or 1 ⅓ teaspoon (3.4 grams) fresh yeast
- 500 grams (4 cups + 2 tablespoons) bread flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons (15 grams) kosher sea salt
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50 grams) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
For the pizzas:
- 300 grams (1 ¼ cups) crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea salt
- ½ tablespoon (1 ¼ grams) dried oregano
- 600 grams (5 ⅓ cups) shredded low-moisture mozzarella
- Parmesan, to taste
- Stand mixer (optional)
- Whisk
$21.00
- Four 8-inch (20-centimetre) nonstick circular pizza pans or high-sided 8-inch (20-centimetre) cake pans
- Offset spatula (optional)
$50.00
- Cooling rack
