Cracker-style thin crust pizza
My father’s favorite pizza is thin and crispy with loads of pepperoni. As he was visiting us this weekend, I decided to make a thin crust pizza in his honor. For a while I had wanted to try a recipe from Pizzamaking.com which looked very similar to the Pizza Hut thin crust pizza recipe.
Here are the ingredients I used in the dough:
16 oz hi gluten flour
3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
As this dough mixed, I became worried that it looked too dry. In fact, the dough was crumbling and forming small shards of dry dough inside of the breadmaker. I allowed it to go for about ten minutes before taking it out in an attempt to salvage the dough ball. I kneaded it by hand, trying to shape it, but there was no hope. The dough ball was quite dry and lumpy barely able to be balled and placed in the bowl for retarding.
Not confident at all about the look of the dough, I decided to make another batch with slightly more water and oil.
The following is the thin crust pizza dough recipe that I used for the second batch:
16 oz hi gluten flour
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Both balls were allowed to retard in the refrigerator for 24 hours. When I removed them there was no improvement to the first batch of dough. It still looked quite dry and lumpy. The second ball, however was quite nice and very extensible. Despite the looks of the first dough ball, I decided to try stretching it. This proved to be a futile attempt as the surface of the dough was dry and very tough. The second ball, however, proved to be quite pleasant to roll with a rolling pin. I was able to roll the dough out to create a 16 inch pizza.
The second hitch that I ran into was the lack of a cutter pizza pan. These pans have a sharp edge which cuts the dough as you roll it leaving a clean round pizza crust blank. The closest I had was a metal pan which I normally use for a serving tray. This pan served well for cutting the dough. It also appeared to work well for baking. However, when the toppings were browned and I used the peel to remove the pie, I noticed that the bottom had not browned at all and that the pizza had stuck to the pan!
I an attempt to salvage the pie, I carefully scraped it off of the pan and transferred it onto my screen. I baked the pie for a few more minutes, allowing the bottom to brown sufficiently.
After all of this, the pizza, topped with leftover blended plum tomato neapolitan sauce, pepperoni and mushrooms, was ready for eating! In fact, it tasted very good. The texture of the crust was very appealing. It could hold its form (not droopy) but had a bit of a chewy bite to it. Overall we really enjoyed this flavor.
I learned a few hard lessons while making this dough. Firstly, I have to go back and double-check the recipe on pizzamaking.com to see why my first batch just wouldn’t combine at all. There must be some explanation for the difficulty I had.
Secondly, I have decided that I can’t use a pizza pan and no pizza stone. I think that the metal simply couldn’t transfer enough heat to bake the bottom of the crust. I also think I will be purchasing a cutter pan before I return to this recipe which may also help.
I have not given up on this recipe! It was quite good and I’m sure will only get better as I learn the way of the thin. Stay tuned, more to come…
March 4th, 2005 at 1:12 am
You are so right. I just used that recipe and there was way too little liquid, I had a dry, powdery mess. I have used a parmesan thin crust recipe previously that was great, and I, too, prefer a stone
March 4th, 2005 at 8:56 pm
Hi would that be recipe for wood heated ovens as well We wish to get one for our kitchen in spring Somewhere I heared water amount added can consist of half hot and half fridge cold water is this going to improve the base
Thank you very much
October 27th, 2005 at 8:32 am
Can you tell me what Pizza Hut does to get their tasty Pan pizza?
October 30th, 2005 at 9:53 pm
Well, Robin, I’d say the flavor of the pizza hut pan pizza comes primarily from the fact that they use a lot of vegetable oil in the pan before placing the dough in. A large pan had 3 huge squirts of oil in it. This oil actually frys the crust bottom while it’s in the oven giving it a great taste. Also, it is proofed in the pan which I always thought made a difference.
December 16th, 2005 at 1:43 am
can you please tell me what pizza huts double crust pie was called back in the 80’s.
April 10th, 2006 at 7:58 pm
I worked at pizza hut. The dough SHOULD BE too dry to ball up. It needs to sit in a closed plastic bag for 4 hours (good for 8 hours) @ room temp before pressing and rolling it.
July 25th, 2006 at 2:42 pm
I just read somewhere that the secret to a thin, cracker-like crust is DON’T add sugar to the dough. The yeast will feed on sugar and proof.
I have to give that a try.
July 25th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
Here is some other info for you from Pizza Quarterly:
Cracker and Thin Styles
Pizza Hut made the cracker style crust popular back in the 1950’s and they are still identified with this style. The dough is under-mixed according to Tom Lehmann with the American Institute of Baking. It is mixed until you can still see some of the white flour (only about five minutes). This dough needs to be fermented for five or six hours and must be sheeted to obtain its layered, cracker-like texture. On the other hand, a thin crust style is mixed until it is smooth and then stretched by hand. The texture of a true thin crust is crispy on the outside, yet soft inside. These styles of pizzas have been traditionally found in taverns and bars because they allow the customer to eat without being filled up on dough. The toppings and cheese are modestly applied and not piled up high and a thinner sauce usually works best.
August 26th, 2006 at 8:19 am
all yous are fat pizza eating bastards!!!!
but then again so am i, so i cant laugh to hard. woo hoo eagle boys pizza is the BEST!!!! aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi!!!
October 15th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
Thanks so much Josh! I finally figured out how to make a cracker like crust. It is just like Pizza Hut’s thin crust. I have been trying to figure this receipe out for quite a while and thanks to the guy who worked at Pizza Hut and left that comment! He is absolutely right. Put the dough in a plastic bag for eight hours. Make sure you roll it out and add flour. Then fold over and repeat this process over a dozen times, rolling the dough thin. Also I reduced the salt down a bit. I thought the crust was a little too salty. Oh yeah, rolling the dough and adding flour makes the dough crispy.
February 11th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
That two crust Pizza Hut thing – that was called the Priazzo. Man, it was good, we used to have it every Friday night… One night we went in and they told us that they didn’t make it anymore. It’s never been the same for us *weep*
March 29th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
where do you purchase the gluten flour??
I live in Pittsburgh
thanks
Carole
October 24th, 2007 at 5:04 am
HEY MAN! pizza Hut thin crust pizza has 2 cups of 105 degree water. and 3 tablsspoons of oil. NO WONDER IT WAS DRY! lol
and Just Use CAKE FLOUR.
looks here is the whole thing K?
2 cups of 105 degree water
1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
4 cups of REG FLOUR
1/2 CUP of CAKE FOUR
3 TBS Olive oil or you can use vegi oil or canola. ( also you need some more oil for the pans but not a whole lot k?
mix this all up – kneed it for 10 minuts – put it ina blowl and let it raise up and punch it back every so often – do that for at least 12 hours if not 24. ( you can put a damp towel ovet the top of the bowl to keep the humidity up and stuff out)
Now grab that stuff and roll it out buddy! You got a winner now. LOL My Fav – you can roll this so thin its crazy, roll it for a 10″ pand and toss it to the sz of a 16 EXTRA THIN! get a rip? patch it!
October 25th, 2007 at 3:09 am
Lodge cast iron cookware offers a variety on sizes on cast tron pizza pans now, they are great
October 30th, 2007 at 4:57 am
I am new at this site but here is the recipe I use. I have included the
type of Priazzo lists ingredients for finding your favorites. It is 2:20 am
in the morning here but I have just typed my personal recipes for it.
FYI: There is an intermediate layer of dough in the Priazzo Torte.
It is also important to note that layering is strictly important.
Separating the cheese layers with meat before adding the wet ingredients
(i.e. peppers, mushrooms, or what have you) will improve texture. Try to use
fresh vegetables too. It prevents hydration of dry ingredients that can
occur. For added flavor try fire roasting any vegetable that will be used.
Also an improvement to the sauce is to make a big batch and let it cook for
six hrs or more. GOOD SAUCE TAKES TIME.
I prefer the 6 Cheese Medium blend on average.
I also do a Greek style Priazzo (which I call Chariot) that has Feta, Gyro
meat, tabouli (finely chopped parsley, mint, tomato, scallion, lemon juice,
black pepper, cinnamon, and allspice), spinach, onion, and olives. It uses a
green tomatoes, tzatziki and olive oil sauce. It is very enjoyable.
I use the heatsink you will want to experiment with the technique without
one. Maybe try pre-baking the vegetables and meat and then layering them
while still warm, adding the cold cheese in-between the layers.
I tried adding 2 different links to where I bought the equipment but got
this message:
Sorry, Guests and New Members are not allowed to post messages containing
hyperlinks.
Anyway let me know how you enjoy it.
Priazzo
Types of Priazzo
Priazzo (classic 2-decker – 1 inner layer of fillings)
Priazzo Torte (3-5 decker – 3 inner layers of fillings)
Deutsche (sliced knockwurst and sauerkraut)
Roma (pepperoni, beef, pork, onions, mushrooms, Italian sausage)
Milano (pepperoni, beef, pork, Italian sausage, bacon bits)
Verona (sliced meatballs, onions, green peppers)
Florentine (five cheeses, regular cheddar, mozzarella, ricotta, Romano, and
parmesan – combined with ham and spinach)
Napoli (four cheeses: mozzarella, cheddar, Romano, and parmesan – topped off
with a layer of freshly sliced tomatoes)
Portofino (Italian sausage links, onions, green peppers)
Chariot (Gyro meat, tabouli, olives, spinach, onion, mushroom)
Various Cheese Blends
Classic 3-Blend (Mozzarella, Regular Cheddar, Monterrey Jack)
Mild 3-Blend (Mozzarella, American, Loraine Swiss)
Medium 6-Blend (Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Provolone, Parmesan,
Romano)
Sharp 4-Blend (Sharp Cheddar, Edam, Romano, Parmesan)
Priazzo Equipment for Priazzo:
2 Chefs Planet #598 Deep Dish Pizza Pan 2 Piece Set – Rustica (traditional
Italian) Pan w/ Trimming Lid
2 AmNow #HS-999 Baking Heat sinks 40 pins 9″ (22.9 cm) Point to Point. For
14″ – 16″ pizzas
Pizza Sauce for Priazzo
4 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
1/2 cup Italian Chianti or any other red wine heated to 100 degrees
1/2 cup water
4 Tblsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tblsp honey
1 Tblsp anchovy paste (optional)
1 Tblsp onion powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
Mix all ingredients and let sit at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day before
using, stirring occasionally, and refrigerated if allowed to sit more than 1
hour. Makes enough sauce for two 12″-14″ Priazzo
Italian Herb Mix for Priazzo Crust
2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Dried Rosemary
1 tsp Dried Thyme
1 tsp Dried Sage
2 tsp Dried Parsley or Cilantro
Store mixture in air-tight container until used
Cheese Mix for Priazzo
3 3/4 cups shredded Mozzarella
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar
1 cup shredded Provolone
3/4 cup tablespoons grated Parmesan
3/4 cup grated Romano
Store mixture in air-tight container until used
Priazzo Crust
2 pkt Dry yeast
1 2/3 cups Warm water
2 tsp Sugar
2 1/2 cups Cold water
3 Tblsp Corn oil
2 Tblsp Sugar
1/3 tsp Garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Dry Italian Herb Mix
6 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
2 cups Corn Meal
Soak corn meal in separate bowl 20 minutes in 1 cup of warm water prior to
use.
Soak Italian Herb Mix in 1/8 cup of water prior to use
Sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir in the sugar. Let stand about 5
minutes or until very bubbly.
Combine the remaining ingredients with about half of the flour, beating to a
smooth batter.
Combine yeast mixture, cornmeal mixture and the Italian Herb mixture.
Beat in the yeast mixture. Then with a sturdy spoon work in remaining flour
until you can toss it lightly on a floured surface and knead it until it
feels elastic in texture.
The kneading may require about 3/4 cup additional flour, which you will be
coating your hand with as you knead the dough. Don’t let the dough become too
stiff.
Place it in a large plastic food bag or bowl. Be sure to spray inside with a
cooking spray or wipe the inside of it with oil and place the ball of kneaded
dough to rise until doubled in bulk. Be sure the plastic bag or bowl is large
enough that it will permit the dough to double. You can place the bag or bowl
of dough on a warm, sunny spot on the table or kitchen counter which helps it
to rise.
When dough has doubled, punch it down and shape it. Form the dough into a
ball about six to eight inches wide.
Using both hands, one on top of the other, press from the center outwards on
it to start stretching it out, turning the dough a bit on each push. You can
also pick up the dough and squeeze the edges of it while turning it like a
steering wheel. This allows the weight of the dough to stretch it.
Once the dough is about 1/2″ thick all the way around, use a rolling pin to
flatten it out to about 1/4″ thick. Run the pin over once or twice, flip the
dough over and give it a quarter turn and roll it again to make it even. Roll
it till there is approximately 1/4 inch over lapping the pizza pan edge
Take a fork and put puncture holes all over the dough. This keeps it from
bubbling up while cooking. Transfer dough to the Deep Dish Pizza Pan that has
been greased and dusted in cornmeal. Press over the bottom and up the sides
of the pan.
In a frying pan, brown any meat and vegetables you will be using in the
Priazzo.
Start stacking the ingredients starting with a layer of meat, sauce, then
vegetable, then cheese, then meat, etc. Midway you can add a thin layer of
crust half the size of the outside crust, being sure to coat it lightly with
oil to limit moisture absorption. Proceed to continue the layering process
until you reach the top of the pie. Cover each pie with dough that has also
been punctured all over with a fork; crimp edges to seal.
Add the sauce and topping ingredients, spreading each ingredient evenly over
the dough. Let this rise about 20 minutes in a warm place and then bake at
375, about 45 to 60 minutes, putting one Priazzo at a time on center rack of
the preheated oven.
December 12th, 2009 at 4:32 am
If you purchase a cutter pan, look for one that is non-stick but, more so, one with a dark surface (likely, if it’s non-stick, it’s dark). This will up your chances of getting a crispy crust.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:30 am
Hey, an old pizza hut driver checking in. we also docked the dough on a thin crust. it lets the steam out so that it is crispy. We would put a big wad of dough through a sheeter, lay it over the pan, and then using a roller, trim the edges off. Next, we used a dough docker and went around the pizza in a circular motion, and then docked the center. The dough was kept in big plastic bags, inside those big grey industial garbage type cans.
September 20th, 2010 at 9:01 am
For 16 ounces of bread flour (2 cups), 3/4 cup of water probably won’t be enough to properly hydrate the dough (higher protein flours require more water)–I would use at least one more TBS, maybe two, depending on the age of the flour, humidity, etc. I always use all-purpose flour for cracker crusts–bread flour makes the crust far too dense and chewy, which defeats the whole purpose of the cracker crust. I would use a bit more yeast, too, unless you’re going to have a very long rise. I think too many people are slaves to measurements and weighing, which is wrong, because flour responds very differently to different environmental conditions).
If you use more oil, you wont have to worry about layering, etc.