Improved Tray Pizza - Round 2
My parents were visiting this weekend so I decided to give the tray pizza another shot. This time I applied a bit more patience to the process and increased the rise time of both rise periods. I allowed the dough to rise for 25 minutes in the bread machine and 30 minutes in the tray. I also used more oil in the tray (it completely covered the bottom with some thickness) and left it in the oven for a full 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Lastly, I used a mixture of mozzarella cheese and white cheddar cheese based on a recipe I found online. All of these things made a huge improvement in the taste of this pizza!
The crust bottom was much more browned and had great flavor. All of the oil was soaked into the very bottom edge (similar to Pizza Hut pan pizza). The blended cheese went very well with the flavor of the crust as well. There were 6 adults and 2 kids eating this pie and everyone loved it. I will continue to play with this recipe, but I think it’s come a long, long way. Here are the pics…
October 18th, 2005 at 2:15 pm
This tray pizza really reminds me of the pizza they serve at schools.
October 26th, 2005 at 2:35 pm
As a Pittsburgher I can tell you that a really fine example of this style is North of the city, in a food court! Sounds funny, but ask your Dad or try it yourself next time you are in town. This is not a franchise, but a one-hit-wonder called Mama Lucia’s, located on the upper level of Northway Mall - McKnight Road, near entrance to North Park - well worth the trip. I’ve wanted to duplicate this dough for years and can’t wait to try your recipe ideas - I’ll follow up with the results soon! Thanks for sharing!!
November 29th, 2005 at 9:05 pm
There’s quite a difference in taste - Even with my recipe. I use far more yeast in the square pizza, it rises in the tray, it’s baked the same day it’s mixed and it’s baked in oil. All of this has an effect on the flavor. Another difference is the addition of white cheddar cheese to the tray pizza. Your best bet would be to try one and let me know!
June 24th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Love the site. I’ve made strombolis for years but had given up on pizza - now I’m inspired to try pizza again! I also worked in a pizzeria (in a former life) and here is how we made our square (Sicilian) pizza. Mix and let the dough rise once like normal. Stretch into a round on the counter and lift into the pan. Then pull the dough into the corners running your fingers along the entire edge to force the dough in. We covered the dough with an oiled sheet of plastic (like a clean trashbag) cut 2 inches larger than your tray to prevent it from drying out. As it is rising we would pull the dough into the corners at least 2 more times until it stays properly. Once risen (until the dough is just puffed over the edge of the pan), we would usually put the whole pan in the fridge, but you can certainly bake immediately. To bake we covered with just sauce and baked for 15-20 minutes. Then we removed it, added just enough extra sauce to make it wet and added cheese and other toppings and baked until the cheese melted.(5-10 additional minutes). I think this 2 part cooking methods helps the crust cook better. Hope that helps future experiments!
February 3rd, 2008 at 8:56 pm
I have been eating Ambridge Pizza since my dad took me there in the early 50’s. I too have been all over the world and have NEVER tasted anything that is even close. I’ve been trying to replicate this for 20 years, and I’ve gotten pretty close. A few things I’ve noticed… use REAL yeast, not in the little packets. It adds that little beer like taste. Also it seems to me that they pre bake their crusts and add the sauce, etc at the last minute, so I stretch the dough out on a well greased flat pan, and let it rise like you do, in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. The I heat the oven as hot as it will go, and bake for 8 - 10 minutes. Then I take the crust out, flip it upside down, and bake it another 8 minutes. Then I put it back in, right side up, add the sauce and a little cheese and bake another few minutes. This is a pain but it makes that crunch that you only get in Ambridge PA.