This pizza is the main event.
The topping possibilities are endless when you make your own pizza so why not take it to the next level and make your own deluxe stuffed crust pizza.
The pizza itself is loaded with all the things you can expect from a deluxe pizza. Mozzarella, pepperoni, peppers, onions, mushrooms and ham. It’s a true heavyweight in the world of pizza, but it doesn’t end there. When you’re just about finished the first slice, there’s a very pleasant surprise as you take your next bite. Hidden within that puffy rim of the crust is pepperoni, bacon, green onions, cheddar and mozzarella cheese. It truly was meant to be.
What about the dough?
Just like any pizza, the crust is the backbone. Sometimes you can cheat by buying a preformed crust or using a parbaked crust. Those can be a great timesaver but In this case you can’t use them. Because the dough needs to be wrapped over the stuffing, you’ll need to work with actual dough. If you want to make your own dough, I have a great recipe right here. Homemade Pizza Dough. Otherwise you can generally purchase a dough ball from some specialty food retailers.
What you need to make this pizza
- 1 large dough ball suitable for large pizza
- ½ – ¾ cup of tomato sauce
- 2 cups of grated mozzarella
- ¾ cup of thinly sliced green pepper
- ¾ cup of thinly sliced red pepper
- ½ cup of thinly sliced red onion
- 4 sliced cremini mushrooms
- 4 sliced large green olives
- approx. 40 slices of pepperoni
What you need to make the stuffing
- 1 cup of grated mozzarella
- 2 tbsp of mayonnaise
- ½ cup of grated cheddar
- 2 green onions chopped finely
- 2 slices of chopped cooked bacon
Here are some useful links
There is a lot going on here, so I’ve included some links to some other posts for quick reference.
Getting started
Just like any recipe you will need to gather materials. If you’re making this from scratch, I’m not gonna lie, it will be a project you want to tackle when you have a free day. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t be cooking all day like you would with, say, Christmas dinner. But the preparation is a bit time consuming. At this point you might think that takeout is certainly easier. You know what? Takeout is easier but I can guarantee it won’t be the same. If you’re looking for a greasy boxed pizza go for it. If you want a true artisan pizza with hand picked fresh ingredients let’s get started.
Step 1: Lets revisit the dough
I like to start my dough at 10:30 on Saturday morning. This pizza dough recipe has never failed me. I let it rise in a warm environment for the first hour. At this point, gently stretch it, folding it several times and form it into a dough ball. Lightly oil it, put it back into the sealed bowl. You can leave it alone for the rest of the afternoon. If your house is cool, put the sealed bowl in the oven and turn on the light. This will offer just enough warmth to give a really good rise.
Step 2: The Sauce
While the dough is rising is a good time to prep the sauce. There’s a few options for this. This tomato sauce recipe is very good. You can also go with a prepared sauce. With the pandemic and all, we haven’t been able to get San Marzano tomatoes so we’ve gone down a different path. Super simple. In a medium saucepan combine a 19oz can of tomato sauce with a 5.5oz can of tomato paste. Add 1 tbsp. basil, 1 tbsp. oregano and a grated garlic clove. Simmer for 5 minutes until it starts to blurp and your done. This quick sauce makes enough for 5 large pizzas. The presence of tomato doesn’t get lost on the pizza and its not watery. A watery sauce will cause the moisture to pool in the centre of the pizza while cooking and give a soggy crust.
Step 3: The toppings
This is pretty straightforward. Peppers, mushrooms, grated cheese, olives, cooked bacon, onions, a couple of slices of deli ham to shred on top of the finished pizza. Sometimes we’ll get some fresh mozzarella to chunk on the top as well. We like to get this all prepped in advance. While you’ve got the grater out, you might as well grate enough cheese for the stuffing as well.
Step 4: The stuffing
The stuffing is actually the same mix we use for our cheese and bacon crostini. We simply make a smaller batch with a bit more cheese and less mayo. The mayo acts as a binder and softens the crust around the rim of the pizza. Just mix the cheddar, mozzarella, bacon bits and green onions, mayo in a small bowl. That’s it. Grab a beer or glass of wine and wait for the dough to finish rising.
Step 5: Preparing the crust
It’s early evening, and your dough is ready to stretch. The kitchens cleaned up and all the pizza makings are ready to roll. Put your pizza stone in the oven on the centre rack. I’m saying this because I’ve forgotten. It’s a bummer when you’ve preheated the oven only to realize you forgot to put in the stone. Then you have to cool off the oven and start over. You don’t want to put a cold stone in a hot oven. Preheat the oven to 425℉ and let it maintain that heat for about an hour before cooking the pizza.
Cut a piece of parchment paper into a large enough square to accommodate the pizza and dust it in flour. Try to use a quality parchment paper with a rating of at least 425℉. This makes a 14-15″ pizza. Dust your hands in flour and place the dough on the parchment paper. Gently flatten the centre and with your fingertips push out towards the edge. Leave about half an inch around the perimeter. Flip the dough over and do the same. You can stretch the dough by holding the rim at 10 and 2 o’clock. Let it hang and the weight of the pizza will stretch the dough. Another method is to drape the dough over the back of both hands and gently stretch and rotate it into the size. The dough should be thin but yet thick enough to support the toppings.
In the event of a tear, just patch it with a piece of dough. Place your newly shaped pizza dough on a well floured peel. If you find the dough is excessively springy, cover it with a tea towel, let it rest for 5-10 minutes and re-stretch.
Putting a deluxe stuffed crust pizza together
Slice approximately 10-12 pieces of pepperoni in half and lay around the perimeter of the pizza crust.
Spread the stuffing mixture equally around the perimeter on top of the pepperoni. Next, fold the pizza dough over the mixture rotating the pizza as you go.
Add the tomato sauce, next the cheese, and finish with the toppings. If there’s a bit of cheese left over, add it to the top of the finished pizza.
The Bake
Oven preheated to 425℉ for 1 hour on “BAKE”. These times are based on our gas range.
Trim any loose parchment paper from the front of the pizza that will slide into the oven. Leave enough on the backside to grasp when you pull it out. The reason I do this is because at the 6 minute mark, I slide out the parchment paper from between the pizza and the stone. You want the pizza to cook directly on the stone, and with a pizza this heavy, if you don’t use paper, it will stick to the peel.
When you’re ready, slide the pizza, paper and all onto the stone.
After 6 minutes, grasp the parchment paper and give it a gentle tug. Slide the paper out from under the pizza. You might have to hold the pizza in position as you pull out the paper. Try and be quick, you don’t want to lose a lot of heat from the oven.
Give it another 5 minutes and then rotate the pizza 180 degrees.
Set your timer for 5 minutes again. When it times out, the pizza should be ready. Adjust the times accordingly to your own oven if need be. If it looks like it needs to dry out a bit, shut off the oven and prop the door open at the first notch.
In conclusion
So all you have to do now is cut it into slices and eat. I mentioned earlier that homemade pizza can be a bit of work but it’s definitely rewarding. Have it with salad, wings or just by itself. It doesn’t matter, I know you’re going to enjoy it.
