Pizza Hut ranks top in takeout stuffed crust pizza, and you can replicate their technique today thanks to our stuffed crust pizza homemade recipe.
The crust pizza recipe is super easy, and we’ve got you covered whether you’re a cheese or pizza crust person. You only need a few ingredients, like pizza dough, some mozzarella cheese, your favorite pizza sauce, and your favorite pizza toppings!
The best part is that you can throw it together on a whim and crank out crispy-crusted homemade pizzas all day or night, making your pizza night cheaper, easier, and more fun for your kids, and family, or guests.
Instead of waiting hours for delivery, you can have your stuffed crust homemade pizza ready in a matter of minutes and have it for dinner in the middle of the week!
Read on to learn the best way to make homemade stuffed crust pizza from scratch in 15 to 20 minutes!
Don’t forget to check out the step-by-step video for tips and instructions.
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
Stuffed crust pizza starts with pizza dough. You can buy pizza dough at the store and have it on hand, or make your own homemade pizza dough from scratch. If you choose to make your own dough, you’ll need all-purpose or bread flour, olive oil, yeast, sugar, and salt.
Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Mozzarella sticks or mozzarella string cheese are a great hack because they’re already in the perfect size and shape. You only need to remove the plastic wrap with string cheese sticks, and you’re good to go! If they’re unavailable in the house, you can cut down a block of cheddar cheese into sticks.
Butter
You’ll need to melt salted or unsalted butter and brush it around the edges of the crust. Olive oil can also work perfectly and add great flavor.
Garlic Salt
Garlic salt will help enhance the flavor, enable a better rise and produce a chewier pizza crust. You can create a mix at home by combining half garlic powder and half salt or purchase garlic salt from the grocery store.
Video: How to Knead Dough the Tonight We Pizza Way
Choose Your Favorite Pizza Toppings
There’s no such thing as wrong pizza toppings, so don’t be scared to experiment.
Here are some ideas you can try:
- You can go with cooked sausage, pepperoni, diced ham, grilled chicken, or cooked ground ham if you love meat.
- If you want a Margherita-style pizza go for fresh basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella.
- You can go with fresh veggies, cooked spinach, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, black pepper or red pepper flakes, and red onion for veggie lovers.
- If you enjoy Mexican pizza, go with refried beans, corn, cooked taco meat, and sliced jalapenos.
Choose Your Favorite Pizza Sauce
Pizza sauce, like toppings, is all about personal preference.
You can use a pinch of pre-made marinara sauce from the grocery store, plain tomato sauce, or make homemade marinara sauce from some fantastic recipes if you have a bit of time.
It’s super easy and will be ready around the same time as your homemade stuffed crust pizza.
How To Make Homemade Stuffed Crust Pizza
Recipe Portions For One Stuffed Crust Homemade Pizza
- 1 ball of pizza dough
- 7 string cheese sticks
- ½ cup of your favorite pizza sauce
- 1 ½ cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
- Your favorite toppings
- Italian seasoning to sprinkle on top (optional).
Directions
If you already have your pizza dough, you can skip to step 4. If you’re making your homemade pizza dough from scratch, here are some simple steps:
Step 1
Pour a cup of warm water into a bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Stir and let it sit for around five to ten minutes until it gets nice and foamy at the top.
Step 2
Combine the flour, oil, and salt into the yeast mixture and beat until smooth. If you don’t have a stand mixer, it’s no problem.
You can do it by hand until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl.
Step 3
Once you’ve finished mixing the ingredients and have a stretchy, soft dough, let it rest in a warm place.
You can cover it up and store it in the fridge if you’re making your pizza at another time or the next day.
Step 4
Take out your dough and allow it to reach room temperature. The reason is that the pizza dough will be easier to stretch and shape at room temperature.
Prepare a flat surface with some flour or olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Instead of a floured surface, use an oiled surface for a golden cheese crust.
Step 5
Form the dough into a nice round ball and press about 1 inch from the edges of the dough ball all the way around using your fingertips.
You can roll the dough using a rolling pin or stretch it in the air like a pro.
Step 6
Place the dough on a lightly greased saucepan, cast iron pan, pizza pan, or baking sheet, and press the edges of the dough past the edges of the pan by around 1 inch.
It should create an even circle.
Step 7
Take the string cheese sticks, line them up on the edges of your pizza, and roll the dough over the top.
Ensure you tuck the cheese sticks in by pinching the dough to cover the cheese and secure it in place.
Continue all around the edges of the pizza dough and patch any holes by pressing the dough together.
Step 8
With a pastry brush, brush your melted butter and olive oil over the stuffed edges of the dough.
Sprinkle with the garlic salt.
Spread your favorite pizza sauce evenly over the dough, add the shredded cheese, and then your favorite toppings.
Step 9
Place the entire pizza on a hot pizza stone or oven rack in a preheated oven at 350-400 degrees Celsius and bake for around 15 to 20 minutes.
Ensure it cooks until the cheese melts and the crust turns light brown around the edges. You can use a wooden spoon to lift up the pizza and check that the bottom of the crust is golden brown.
Remove it from the oven and let it cool for five minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Cheese Does Pizza Hut Use For Stuffed Crust?
Pizza Hut uses 100% real cheese made from whole milk mozzarella for their stuffed crust pizza.
What Do You Stuff Pizza Crust With?
You stuff the pizza crust with cheese! If you don’t have string cheese sticks, you can pile a ring or half slices of shredded mozzarella around the dough. However, string cheese is the easiest.
What’s The Best Way To Cook Cheese Stuffed Pizza?
You can invest in an aluminum wide-rim pizza pan or pizza wires, which help distribute heat evenly.
You can also use a pizza stone or a cast-iron skillet, which can both hold heat well and bake evenly, guaranteeing a chewy, crispy crust.
You can also bake the pizza like a deep-dish pizza on a rectangular baking sheet if you’re in a pinch.
At What Temperature Should I Cook Homemade Pizza?
Temperatures above 350 degrees Celsius are recommended. It will ensure your stuffed crust pizza bakes nicely and evenly, and any extra cheese gets a chance to melt.
Avoid low or medium heat to ensure the pizza evenly cooks through. using too much cheese or plenty of dough can increase cooking time.
Remember, every pizza oven is different, so keep an eye on your pizza as it bakes and adjust accordingly.
Try this recipe today, and you’ll soon have a delicious beauty worthy of an Instagram post!
Related Read: Fun Facts About Pizza!
