Love Pizza Hut's pan pizza with its thick, extra-fluffy crust? Your family will too. As a home baker who's perfected this style over years of trial and error, I'm sharing the closely guarded recipe that delivers restaurant-quality results right from your kitchen.
Picture a thick, crispy-yet-soft crust that's spot-on. It tastes just like the real thing—but at a fraction of the cost with fresher, better ingredients. Kids rave about it, and your wallet will thank you. Here's the straightforward recipe we've honed for foolproof success.
For 4 people - Preparation time: 1-2 hours
For thick pizza dough:
- 30 cl of hot water (at 40°C)
- 30g skimmed milk powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 480 g of flour
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 packet of baking powder
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (for the dough)
- 9 cl of olive oil, i.e. 3 cl per tart mould. You can also use another vegetable oil, although this one is less tasty.
For the sauce:
- 1 brick or canned tomato sauce (225 g)
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1. Pour the yeast, sugar, salt and powdered milk into a large mixing bowl (capacity 2 litres).
2. Add the hot water and stir until the liquid is well incorporated.
3. Let this mixture sit for 2 min.
4. Add the oil and mix again.
5. Add the flour.
6. Mix until the flour is incorporated and you get a dough.
7. Put the dough on a flat surface.
8. Knead for about 10 min.
9. Cut the dough into 3 nice balls.
10. Prepare 3 tart molds (20 cm in diameter).
11. Pour 3 cl of oil into each mould, taking care to distribute the oil evenly.
12. Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball of pizza dough into circles about 20cm in diameter. If you don't have a roller, use this trick.
13. Arrange the dough in each pie pan.
14. To have very crispy pizza edges, put a little oil on the edge of the pizza, using a pastry brush.
15. Cover each mold with a large plate.
16. Store the molds in a warm place. Let stand 1 to 1.5 hours, until the dough rises.
17. For the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and let stand for 1 hour.
For a 20 cm pizza
1. Preheat your oven to 250°C.
2. Pour 75 g of sauce in the middle of the dough.
3. Spread the sauce over the rest of the dough, taking care to stop 2 or 3 cm from the edge.
4. Add 15g of grated mozzarella to the sauce.
5. Now add your favorite ingredients to the sauce, respecting the following order: pepperoni/ham, vegetables, meat (cooked sausage meat or ground beef). Add another 15 g of grated mozzarella.
6. Bake the pizza until the mozzarella is melted and the crust is golden brown.
Voilà—your delicious Pizza Hut-style pan pizza is ready! The flavor and texture are incredibly close to the original.
You could serve it in a Pizza Hut box, and no one would know the difference. One of my sons exclaimed while eating it: "Pizza Hut won't be happy when they find out you found their recipe!"
Your family will adore it, and you'll love the savings over delivery. It's simple—no fancy equipment needed—and you control the ingredients: no preservatives, just pure quality.
Customize toppings endlessly: pepperoni, BBQ, Oriental, extra mozzarella. This American-style pizza never gets old!
For an even softer dough, replace the baking powder with baker's yeast. The result? Light, fluffy, and irresistibly crispy.
