Pizza Casserole Using Freezer to Oven Dough: Your Next Entrée Item
Most pizza restaurant owners fear being the restaurant that “only has pizza.” Sometimes it’s just not enough. Your customers want more. So brainstorming about things you can make with your retail pizza dough, you first consider the obvious: panzarotti, stromboli, and calzones. But when you want to start offering something really different, offer pizza casserole!
Pizza casserole is simply a layered pizza that you bake deep-dish style rather than thin or regular crust. Start by sprinkling a bit of cornmeal in the bottom of a deep-dish tray so the dough doesn’t stick. Then just layer your freezer to oven dough on top, and the toppings of your (or your customer’s) choice on top of that.
Now you’ve just built a pizza, but place another layer of dough on top of the toppings, and start all over again. Do the entire layer again, including sauce and toppings. Top with cheese and you’ve got a casserole pizza!
Baking a casserole pizza is not like baking a traditional pizza. Because the pie is so thick, it will take a while for the ingredients – including the crust – to bake all the way. Start by baking the pizza casserole at the same temperature as your pizza crust. If you find the crust starts to burn, lower the heat by 50 degrees.
Pizza casserole is just one item that will make you stand out in the pizza-filled crowd. And when you want to take your pizza casserole to the next level, order the dough from us here at DeIorios!