First Pizza Hut Pan Attempt

[rcbaughn]

Well, this is about the fourth pizza style I have attempted since joining the forum, and it is probably my second favorite one to date, only behind the Mellow Mushroom clone attempts. The crust was so much like Pizza Huts, that fried texture on the bottom and slight chew in the crumb. I have to say that the recipe that is on the front page almost nails a PH clone perfectly. I didn't have any nonfat dry milk, so I dug up a post where Peter had converted a Godfather's clone pie to use evaporated milk, and I think it came just about as close as the nonfat dry milk could have.

The only downfall of the pie was that I let it over proof a bit and the edge had began to fall when I was topping it, but it still puffed back up a bit when it went in the oven at 475, but not as puffy as a real pan pizza from the 'Hut. Oh, half the pie was topped with honey barbeque/tomato sauce base, red onions, fried barbeque chicken poppers, Kraft Italian 5 Blend Cheese, a dash of feta, and fresh hickory smoked bacon pieces. The other half, as with tradition with my Pizza Hut past, was Pepperoni and Cheese with my homemade pizza sauce under it.

I cook my sauce for about an hour, so I don't know how close that is to the real PH, but I sure do like it on all my pies. I hope it turned out okay in the pics though, and I wish I could've got a picture before I dicided to gobble half of it up! Neapolitan style attempts with my oven in self clean mode soon to come BTW.   Just gotta get a dough formula knocked out.

P.S. - Has anyone tried the Kraft Shredded cheeses with the touch of Philadelphia Cream Cheese logo on it? It makes for such a smooth melt and stays that way even when cooled. Not one slightest but of rubberiness when cool. I am in love with it for a pre-shredded cheese, good flavor too.

[norma427]

Cory,

Your first Pizza Hut attempt looks very good!  You sure are going though different styles of pizzas fast.  I like how you describe the pizzas you made and what you thought of them.  Those slices sure look tasty.

Good luck on all your pizza adventures! 

Norma

[chickenparm]

That looks better than PH! Im sure it tastes better since its home made too.
 

[rcbaughn]

Haha I know Norma, the possibilities seem absolutely endless! I still think that I like the Mellow Mushroom clone the best, but right now I have my new starter in the fridge cold fermenting for a night. I have no idea how it is going to turn out, I haven't baked anything with a starter before, much less began one from scratch. Hopefully the yeast will produce good flavor and also give me a good amount of rise.

I had no guide on how much levain to use or even a basic crust recipe for a pie, but I think I got it about right as far as feel goes. I guess we will see, but it sure does smell sour. (Yay!)

Thanks chickenparm! Honestly I think the dough could've used a touch more salt, but it was as good if not better than a Pizza Hut pie and it even overproofed! Goes to show you that with a little bit of work and thought you can crank come good stuff out of a home kitchen. I love this site though, so much. I think we all think pizza rules though! -Cory

[norma427]

Cory,

If you plan on using a starter in the near future it will be a learning experience for you.  You might not like a sour taste in the crust and might want to use the starter when the smell is milder.  That is something you will find out about how your tastes are.  Many members posted about starters before, so if you just look at their posts you will learn more about using starters.

Maybe you will even incorporate a starter into Pizza Hut formulation in the future. 

Norma

[rcbaughn]

Well the starter dough I made hasn't risen really at all, but that may be because it has been refrigerated since it was mixed. I only added 40g of the starter to the whole pie recipe, so that may be contributing to the lack of rise too. I am going to let it go one more night refrigerated and then let it proof up at room temp tomorrow to see if I can get some lift. Here's to hoping!

And I really like the idea of a starter based PH pan recipe Norma, I bet the richness of the Pizza Hut dough would be amazing with that sour kick from a really healthy starter. I may have to try that when I get a good starter going. -Cory

[norma427]

Cory,

Sometimes if you aren’t sure how active you starter is/or if it is a starter that isn’t really mature there can be problems in getting to ferment.  You might have better luck if let your dough room temperature ferment for awhile.  A test that some members use is to take some of the starter and place a small amount of the starter in some water.  If it floats it probably is ready to be used.

Good luck! 

Norma   

[rcbaughn]

I made a fresh batch of dough just now Norma with the starter, and it did float in the water. Thank you for that tip. Tonight will be the night I see if the home grown starter is worth keeping or if I just need to chunk it. Ha.