I remember when Pizza Hut introduced pan style in the early 80’s. They let the dough rise in the special pizza pans for several hours. Resulting in a wonderful, chewy 1 1/2 inch or more thick bread for their pizza.
It was a bit of trouble for the restaurant to make. They often ran out of pan style because the restaurant only had so many thick style pans and the dough had to be made hours ahead of time. Giving it time to rise is the secret behind great pan style pizza.
Pan style went down hill pretty quick. It quickly became thick style crust. Very little time was spent letting it rise. I eventually gave up ordering pan style from pizza chains.
Papa John’s just introduced pan style again. We gave it a try last night. It was ok. They had let the dough rise a little. It was about 3/4 inch thick and chewy. A nice change from their standard crust.
I’d still love to find a really good pan style with a chewy thick crust. Any recommendations?
I really miss vintage pizza hut. Used to be the best pizza available. Pizza got me through college. it was my special treat after a long afternoon studying. Then they went downhill in the 90’s. We got pizzas so bad that we walked out without finishing them. I got GI upsets several times. We’ve refused to eat at Pizza Hut since 1997 or 98?.
I don’t like a lot of tomato sauce on pizza. I tried Chicago style pizza while there for a conference. It had a thick, thick layer of tomato sauce. I went with coworkers and choked down two slices to be polite.
Uno is good but it’s not what I’d call traditional pan pizza. The old pan pizzas had lots of crust and then the toppings, unlike Chicago style which is lots and lots of cheese on medium crust. Not that there’s anything wrong with cheese.
I wish I could still get good Pizza Hut pan pizza. It was so good but now it just gives me a tummyache that’s not worth it.
Life is short, and the number of pizzas we eat is finite.
Don’t waste your allotment by buying pizza from chains.
Even if you don’t live in the blessed municipalities of Brooklyn, New Haven, or Chicago, where the pizzamen have the magic hands, you can get good pizza from the independents. I’ve had memorably tasty pizza in coastal Maine, in North Palm Beach, in eastern Washington state, and in the tiny town of Wisdom, Montana.
Sure, Pizza Hut pan pizza used to be better (wasn’t everything?), but I still like it fine and it’s still my favorite chain pizza. Surprisingly, Little Caesar’s Deep Deep Dish pizza comes in a very close second.
Never heard of Buddy’s, but Jet’s pan pizza is fantastic. It’s an infrequent treat (we usually get a somewhat healthier thin crust veggie pizza from Papa Murphy’s) but when we feel like being bad, Jet’s pan pizza is a heavenly crunchy-chewy delicacy.
Yep, that is exactly how Pizza Hut pan crust is made, speaking as a former employee. I had no idea Detroit had it’s own take on the food of the gods. Learn something new every time I come to the Dope.
I agree about Buddy’s. Love the place. Any time I go through Detroit, it’s a must-stop. I don’t particularly like bready, doughy pizzas, but this one just hits the spot with its crunchy, fried bottom, it’s chewy but not too dense interior, and the caramelized cheese along the edges. Yum!
I haven’t tried Jet’s yet–there are a couple locations here in Chicago and the surrounding area, but none right by where I live. I’ve been meaning to.
Little Caesar also offers a Detroit style in addition to their regular pizzas. They call it Deep!Deep! No idea what it’s like, as I haven’t had LC’s since I was a kid. I am curious to try it, though. In the pictures, it at least kind of looks like a Detroit-style pan pizza.
And, yes, Chicago style deep dish is distinctly different from a regular pan pizza. Pan pizzas have a fairly thick layer of dough; maybe up to an inch or so. Think of the pizzas in pans you might find at Italian bakeries or what is sometimes known as a “Sicilian pizza.” Chicago deep dish does not have a particularly thick bottom layer. As mentioned, it’s much more tomato-y and I would say cheesier as well. Though it is cooked in a pan, it’s not what I think of when I think of “pan pizza.”
Also, Detroit-style pies are traditionally square–something to do with them originally being baked in square industrial parts trays, or something. Also, the order of construction is a little bit different, with the sauce going on last (on top of the toppings and cheese) instead of first. The mix of cheeses, at least at Buddys, from what I remember is Wisconsin brick cheese and white cheddar, not mozzarella. The cheese at the very edges, where it touches the dough and the pan, crisps up into a crunchy, brown, concentrated umami goodness.
And, looking it up, my comparison to Sicilian pizza seems to be correct. Buddy’s is based on a Sicilian pizza/sfincione.
Little Caesar’s pan pizza is decent, although I always feel like they are going the cheap way with too much bread and too little toppings. But you may like it.
Well, given that the OP’s initial post was all about looking for alternatives to Pizza Hut’s pan pizza (since he doesn’t like theirs any longer), I think it’s safe to say that he has.
