Thick Cracker Crust. Circa Dr Munchies Salem Oregon

[Warren Montney]

Years ago I had a pizza at a place called dr munchies I think in Salem Oregon. In a nut shell it was for lack of a better description A thick and hearty thin crust. Imagine a thin crust run through a sheeter flower dusted folded in half and run through again. maybe 5-6 times giving it about 30 paper thin layers stacked on each other with a finished thickness of maybe 1/3rd of an inch prior to cooking and 1/2 inch after cooking very little ovenspring.  It was very different . I'm curious if anyone has tried something like thi.s It was heavier than a typical slice of dough ball style pizza like you would get from Domino's but a crackery texture. Any thoughts or sugestions before I try and clone it? The place no longer exists. 

[AimlessRyan]

Anything like this?

[Warren Montney]

Thanks for posting Ryan . but no the layers were maybe 1/4 as thick and there were lots more of them . they were literally stacked like pages in a book.

[SquirrelFlight]

I think I remember Dr. Munchies - that was the one at Lancaster Mall, right?

I've been away from home 10 years now, but if I remember right, their crust was very similar to Pietro's (on Market St) and Papa's Pizza in Corvallis (http://www.papaspizza.net/). The closest recipe I've found on the boards to this is the Malty Laminated Pizza in this thread by DNA Dan (http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13389.msg132548.html#msg132548).

Did you know that it's nearly impossible to find a Taco Pizza anywhere in the Phoenix area?  Making one for myself was my original motivation to find Pizzamaking.com....   

Now that the weather has started to cool down again (it was below 70 when I left for work this morning!), I'll be able to get back to experimenting with it.

[Warren Montney]

Thanks Squirrel

[Chicago Bob]

 (http://www.papaspizza.net/  What's with the 30 $ pizza's 

[SquirrelFlight]

(http://www.papaspizza.net/  What's with the 30 $ pizza's 

It's been a while since I've been there, so it's hard for me to say for sure (although cost of living in Corvallis is a little higher than most of the area around it), but I can take a guess...

You'll notice that the sizes are given in terms of slices, not diameter. If I remember correctly (and it *has* been years), the slices are pretty consistant in width.

Last time I ate there (last year), I got a medium taco, which was split between myself, my wife and an old college buddy of mine.  We still have leftovers... and that was with me stuffing my face, since it'd been many years since I'd had a taco pizza.  I'll hazard a guess that the medium was in the 14-16 inch diameter range.

If my assertion that slice width is the same, then the large is in the 19-21 inch range.

I don't normally get my pizzas that large, so I have no idea how that stacks up with "normal" prices.

[SquirrelFlight]

Interesting.  In trying to jog my memory RE Dr Munchies, I came across this on Yelp:

The next time I'm at the Oregon State Fair, in the Jackman-Long building I believe, I want to see a book about Oregon pizza. My suggestion for a title? "As the Pizza Wheel Turns."

You see, kids, back in the 1970s/1980s there was a revolution in pizza making. No, it didn't occur in Chicago, or New York. It happened right here in the Willamette Valley. And it lives on--but it's a bit harder to find these days than I remember in the past.

I don't really know who all was involved in this revolution. I think it had something to do with Walery's...but there was also Dr. Munchie's, and J.C.'s, Pietro's... Sunshine and Paddington's also, somehow, got the recipe.

The pizza you'll have here is like none other. If you're a WV local, you might take this for granted...and think that all pizza probably tastes this way. Well, lemme tell ya folks, we've got something pretty unique going on here. It all starts with the crust. Thin and crispy, with the sauce spread all the way to the edges! No, it's not gooey. It bakes in for some super-tomatoey goodness. This crust is not New York, it's something different and unique. There's always a crunch, and usually some air bubbles along the edges. Perfection.

Then, there's the sauce. It's there, and it's lending flavor, but it's not dripping all over the place. It's doing it's job, and it's doing it well.

Finally, the toppings. Have you ever heard of "layout?" Well, these pizza places have it. Be assured that some OSU engineering students have determined the exact way to place pepperoni on a pizza. And canadian bacon. And, well, any topping that is served. They've all been passed through some sort of formula, and each piece yields a perfect bite, every time.

So, you just have to go, right? Whether you're in Salem as a first time visitor, or have grown up there. Take advantage of the pizza revolution at place in your backyard.

Also on Yelp, apprently I'm not the only one who remembers the "Oregon-style" as being something different from anywhere else: http://www.yelp.com/list/oregon-style-pizza-ore-keizer, and http://www.yelp.com/topic/portland-oregon-style-pizza

[Chicago Bob]

Ha!     First time I've ever seen a place list # of slices....I thought that was the in. diameter. Oooops, nevermind.....    Those prices are about average.
Looks like a good pizza joint though,eh?

[SquirrelFlight]

Looks like a good pizza joint though,eh?

I like it.  Of course, that may be mostly nostalgia speaking 

If you look at the Yelp reviews I posted, there are almost as many "world's greatest pizza" reviews as there are "world's most horrible pizza" ones (there are a few "meh, it's *okay*" reviews, but there are way more of the other two).  Incidentally, I followed some links and found some pictures (2 or 3 years old) which look almost identical to the "laminated crust" DNA Dan has created.   

[Chicago Bob]

Personally, I never even read review posts like that and you also can't really ever go by the pretty pictures either. They (pics) can give you a general idea of the style they serve...but even then, I've seen strange things happen.  
Glad to see you decided to go with the squirrel pic John, it's pretty cool. Is that a slice of white pie in it's tight little grasp?!  

[SquirrelFlight]

Is that a slice of white pie in it's tight little grasp?!  

Yup   

you also can't really ever go by the pretty pictures either

The pictures I found were taken by a guy who apparently found himself on the same "nostalgia" kick I am; he wanted to show people exactly what it is he was talking about.