Pan Pizza Phenomenon | Knead To Know

Why and How to Consider a Pan-style Pizza for Your Menu

Pan-style pizzas are my first loves. Focaccia and Sicilian were the first styles to make me feel like I was mastering a technique on my own.

Mastering any physical skill – such as opening and stretching a dough ball – requires practice through repetition, and muscle memory is important. The timeline to mastering a technique is different for everyone, and I always felt like pan pizzas were a little more forgiving … until I was humbled again and again and again. Alas, pan pizzas are some of my favorites, and they are just as diverse as non-pan pizzas.

Pan Pizza Styles

Detroit and Sicilian pizzas seem to be all the rage right now, but here’s a list of pan pizzas, some of which you may not have encountered:

• Chicago Deep Dish
• Cast Iron
• Roman in Teglia
• Grandma
• Old Forge
• Bar Pies
• Midwestern Pan
• Pizza al Molde (Argentinian-style pizza)

As you can see, there are many pan pizzas to choose from. All of them are extremely different, and there are probably some I’ve missed. From their finished look to the flour used to the desired hydration, fat content and method, these pan styles are as regional as they come – but also just as artisanal and elaborate as a contemporary Neapolitan pizza.

A pan pizza is a great addition to the menu at any pizzeria. In terms of diversifying your menu, pan pizzas can be easier to incorporate than it may seem. Yes, there’s a cost to buy the pans – but if treated right, they will last a lifetime.

Some Light Reading

Before baking anything, I would recommend researching each style. What is your goal? Thick or thin? These days, there are flours blended for Roman-style pizza and other styles. Some of these flours might already contain preferment, and some might be malted. Take this into consideration when creating your dough formulas.

The cheese, sauce and toppings you’ll want to use for a pan pizza might be different if you’re currently making round pizzas on the stone.

For thicker styles, such as Chicago Deep Dish, everything is a little different. The dough is traditionally made with a low-protein flour and sometimes blended with a little cornmeal – or, the dough can be rolled out in cornmeal to add some texture.

Since deep-dish pies cook low and slow, whole milk mozzarella is not really the best choice. Yes, it can be done, but for a pizza that needs to cook for at least 25 minutes, whole milk mozzarella contains too much moisture and butterfat. The pizza comes out with a layer of fat floating on top, which is why a part-skim or cheese blend is wise.

Sauce and Hydration

Meanwhile, the thicker the pizza, the more robust sauce it can handle.

For a Sicilian pizza, for example, a thinner San Marzano sauce might not be complementary. I’m not saying you can’t do it, but a thin sauce might get lost, whereas a thicker sauce with a small amount of purée in it might hold up better and stand out against the thick, spongy dough.

Dough formulas vary, but most pan pizza styles traditionally use lower protein flours and lower hydrations except for Roman, which has a higher hydration in the ballpark of 85%. I advise some research because depending on who you ask, opinions can be polar opposites.

Rustic Roots

To me, the “traditional” way of doing things is always going to be the more rustic route. Like a lot of traditional foods, pizza was created by the poor to be the best food possible made from what was available. That means traditional recipes for Chicago Deep Dish are going to call for lard because it was more accessible than olive oil – as well as a whole lot cheaper. A lot of deep-dish recipes still call for lard, but for other recipes that require a fat, you are more likely to see olive oil listed – it’s still pricier than lard but way more accessible.

For the past few years, hydration has been the hot topic and boundary pusher for pizza makers. You couldn’t attend a single pizza event without hearing talk about pushing hydration limits for all styles. This is very much a new-school idea and not wrong, but it indicates a more modern take on a style.

Take the Detroit, for instance.  When you go to the OGs, such as Buddy’s, Cloverleaf, etc., the pizza is the most simplistic version of what you find on menus now. The original is not exceptionally thick, doesn’t have a profound amount of cheese, sauce or toppings and is delicious but doesn’t blow you away. Today, meanwhile, you cannot scroll Instagram without seeing a frico that touches the sky – also delicious but a way amped-up version of the original.

To Par Bake or Not to Par Bake?

Whether or not to par bake is the question most people want answered – and ultimately, the answer is to each their own. For high-volume locations, I would not recommend baking a thick Sicilian-style pizza from raw. It can drag the ticket time down just like a deep-dish pizza does.

With proper menu labeling and staff training, a long ticket time isn’t a deterrent. Think about that lava cake or souffle on some menus. People flock to them, and there usually is a note on the menu to alert your server about your order at the beginning of the meal, as they usually take upwards of 25 minutes or more to cook. You never know, the long cook time could just be your next big marketing tool!

All in all, if you’re not making pan pizzas, you’re missing out. Give it a try! You might have just stumbled on the thing that sets you apart and drives business. You may not even need to change your dough recipe! Wink, wink.

LAURA MEYER is the owner of Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley, California.