Pan Pizza Pie

All righty, after all the lead up, it's here.

The Pan Pizza Pie

I don't make this sucker often, but I'm considering changing that stance because it's easier than I remember (when I do it in the right order) and it's REALLY good.

So, we take 3 pizza crust pouches (this time I went with Chef Boyardee). I put 2 together for the bottom crust and 1 for the top. Start the oven preheating to 450. I make them according to the instructions, except I add a good dose of oregano / Italian seasoning and some garlic powder. Mix those up, cover their respective bowls so they can rise up a bit, and then I work on the toppings / filling.

For today's, I went with sausage and pepperoni. I belive it was some Jimmy Dean sage sausage, use whichever brand / flavor floats your boat. I didn't toss any pepperoni (Hormel in the resealable pouch) in with it like I did last time (no reason, just laziness more than anything). I also tossed a bit of the oregano / Italian seasoning on the sausage as it cooked. Once it was done, drained it, then tossed it back in the skillet and put a little of the sauce I was using (Prego Meat Sauce) in there to flavor it a little more.

At this point, I roll out the bottom dough until it will fit in the cast iron skillet (not the same one I used for the sausage) with some of it coming out of the top. Once it's in there, I poke some holes in it with a fork (to avoid bubbles) and then dust the bottom with some Parmesan  and mozzarella cheeses. Next is a layer of sauce (amount to taste). Next is a layer of pepperoni. Next is the saucy sausage.

I forgot to get pics before this stage, shows you how out of practice I am. Then I added some more sauce (this thing is a TON of bread, so you will want to add more sauce than you would normally add for a pizza). Next is a good layer of mozzarella and little bit of Parmesan cheeses.

Again, this part can vary by taste. I probably should've gone a bit more cheese, but I'm still relearning this recipe. After you've cheesed it, then you get the top crust, roll it to where it'll fit on top, but not over hang too much. And then you roll the edges together.

I then brushed it with some olive oil, instead of doing an egg wash as you would for a normal pie.

BUT, since it is more pie than traditional pizza, I usually cut some vents into the top crust.

A smiley face for all the readers.

Next we go into the oven. I let it go at 450 for about 10 minutes, then knock it down to 375 for another 30 minutes or so. This is what it looks like when it's ready...

I brushed a little more olive oil around the edges. If you're really into cheese, you could toss some on top of it at this point, then throw it back in the oven for a few more minutes (knocking it back up to the 450ish range) to brown it to your liking. I'd recommend letting it sit for a little bit when you take it out of the oven, gives the insides time to solidify a bit. If you try to cut it as soon as it comes out, it'll ooze everywhere. To each their own. I took this one to work today, and after the 45 minute trip (had it in a Pyrex stay warm pouch), here's what 2 slices look like:

The crust has a good Italian herb-y flavor, the cheese was a bit understated, but tasted good. The sauce was very prevalent and tasty. A great cold rainy day treat. 

Sorry about the tease

I had really intended on returning sooner. And that tease was supposed to be just a little tease.

BUT.

I was making dishes for a Pie themed Christmas party. The entrees were pizzas and then whatever dessert pie you wanted to make. So, I was making my stuffed pizza pie and attempting a chocolate pecan pie for the dessert pie*. As things in life are prone to doing, I got running late, and by the time the pizza was done cooking was when I was supposed to be at the party. Luckily it wasn't too far from the house, so it wasn't a big deal. What was a big deal was me forgetting to document the construction of the pizza AND the finished product. I will say this about it, while not pretty in the least, it was VERY tasty. So, to rectify this situation, I've just gotten done preparing another one, this time for work. I DID happen to get some pictures of the construction of it (excepting the mixing of the dough, but come on, it's dough) and the final product (it's still cooking). So, you will get the pizza post later today, or sometime tomorrow (hopefully).

As for the chocolate pecan pie, I used a Paul Deen recipe, but I wasn't happy with how the chocolate didn't melt and fuse with the rest of the pie goop, so next time (yep, there'll be another of those to make up also) I'll be doing it a hair differently. I'm not a pecan pie fan, so it's not high on my list, but as I still have plenty of ingredients left over (save the pie shell), it'll be happening sometime soonish.

*Reason for making a pie I'm not going to eat...

Edwards (I think it was them) used to make a CBPP (Chocolate Butter Pecan Pie) that most of the people that were going to be at this party LOVED. Then they stopped making it. This was years ago, and they loved it so much, they STILL check the pie isles (in vain) when they go to the store hoping to find the elusive beast. So, as it was a Christmas party, I wanted to give a gift. I was told a couple of people tried it and said it was pretty good, but I want to do better by them and it.