My attempt at Giordano's style stuffed pizza.

[Noty661]

Hi all,

Ever since the Giordano's in Tampa closed down I've been looking for a good stuffed pizza. I never found it, so I decided to give it a try myself and found this forum to be a great resource! Using buzz's crust recipe and a springform pan, I got really close to that pie that I loved so much. I see a lot of topics about this but I figured I'd add in my experience as well.

Buzz's recipe is at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,1184.0.html

Some notes on how I did it:

• I doubled the recipe to make enough dough for the main crust and the top crust. (10" springform pan)
• I used 2/3 of the dough for the main crust and 1/3 for the top crust.
• My toppings were 1 lb of cooked Italian sausage and 1/2 package of Bridgeford pepperoni.
• I used 1/2 lb whole milk mozzarella and 1/2 lb part skim milk mozzarella. (Specifically Polly-O, grated myself)
• I didn't use my own sauce...(sorry!) I used a jar of L.E. Roselli's pizza sauce.
• I followed buzz's baking instructions exactly.

The crust was spot on. Not too crispy, not too soft. I thought it was perfect. Attached are pictures of the pizza making steps, and the final product. I seriously can't wait to make this again!

[jeffereynelson]

That looks really good. I'll have to try that. Does the lack of sauce in the main part of the pizza change how the meat cooks?

[Noty661]

That looks really good. I'll have to try that. Does the lack of sauce in the main part of the pizza change how the meat cooks?

I wouldn't think so, but I pre-cooked the Italian sausage anyways.

[Gregg]

I'd gladly serve on the taste test committee for that, nice job!

[mrmojo1]

nice work!!!  how was your top crust?  i find mine on my giordanos stuffed attempts are a little wet, from the steam and the sauce.  did you poke holes in your top crust?  some people parbake to get it crisper but i dont think giordanos does that.  i think if you got a black pan(check your local restaurant supply for used ones already seasoned!!) you will get more of a golden color on your sidewalls!  would love to see some slice shots.  also i dont precook the sausage.  i like the flavors from the fat that comes off when cooking raw italian sausage!  UNREAL 1ST EFFORT!!!  shes a beaut!!!! 

[Noty661]

I'd gladly serve on the taste test committee for that, nice job!

lol! Thanks Gregg. 

[Noty661]

nice work!!!  how was your top crust?  i find mine on my giordanos stuffed attempts are a little wet, from the steam and the sauce.  did you poke holes in your top crust?  some people parbake to get it crisper but i dont think giordanos does that.  i think if you got a black pan(check your local restaurant supply for used ones already seasoned!!) you will get more of a golden color on your sidewalls!  would love to see some slice shots.  also i dont precook the sausage.  i like the flavors from the fat that comes off when cooking raw italian sausage!  UNREAL 1ST EFFORT!!!  shes a beaut!!!! 

The top crust came out fine, I was a bit worried about that after reading some other posts. It certainly wasn't crispy but I wouldn't call it wet, it was soft, definitely cooked through. I made sure to roll the top part very, very thin to try and avoid any issues. I didn't have to parbake it.

I actually forgot to poke holes in it until about 5 minutes into baking when I saw a bubble forming...It was then that I poked the holes during the baking process. Need to make sure I remember that next time. lol

Thanks for the pan tip, and I think next time I might try the raw sausage as well. Since it was my first attempt I was worried it might not cook all the way through so I took extra precautions. Perfect or not I wanted to make sure I could eat this bad boy LOL. I'll post some slice shots as soon as I make it again (I will definitely be making this again!)

Thanks for the compliments!

[Noty661]

would love to see some slice shots.

Here's a slice shot! Made it again today. Love it. lol

[mrmojo1]

that looks just awesome!!  YOURE HIRED!!!!!