Lunchlopnik: DIY pizza

Kinja'd!!! "The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123" (mattp123)
02/28/2015 at 14:25 • Filed to: None

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Like any red blooded American man, or any human for that matter, I got hungry. So I decided to make a pizza. The result was not super authentic, but delicious and convincing enough to impress guests. Here's how...

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I take a lot of short cuts. It's not always laziness, but sometimes genius. For the crust I used some naan I got from Costco. Ragu meat flavored sauce is far from my favorite and even further from authentic, but it is good enough. Especially when you don't want to open up your good sauce for two tablespoons. Store brand Italian blend (NOT "pizza" blend) cheese tastes much better than straight mozzarella or "pizza" blend. I also cut some slices off of the chunk of fresh mozzarella. That's right. I cut the cheese and I'm not ashamed of it.

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I have this real nifty counter-top appliance called the Pizza Pizzazz. Works great for all sorts of other frozen appetizer type things. I assembled the pizza as it cooked. First I let the heating elements warm up a bit. Then I put on the non-pizza-crust naan "crust" and let the top part which will come into contact with the sauce warm up a bit. Once it is warm I spread two tablespoons of sauce onto the crust and let it it warm up to the point that you can see it steaming a bit. I did not do this the first time I made one, and the sauce was a bit too liquidy and the cheese slid around a bit too much.

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After that I spread out a thin layer of the shredded cheese. Once that is on, I lean back, brace myself, and cut the cheese. Get out your calipers and cut the fresh mozzarella into thin slices, precisely 3/16 inch, plus or minus 3/16 of an inch. Fresh mozzarella can be tricky to cut. So small cubes or whatever weird shapes happen to break off will work just as well.

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Once the mozzarella is starting to melt nicely, I like to dust it with some garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and grated Parmesan-Romano blend.

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Then let it finish. But slow down there Mr. Hungry. You don't want to be a goddamn hipster and eat the pizza before it's cool. I like to put mine on a paper towel and stick it in the freezer for a a few minutes to cool it off pretty quick cause I'm impatient. The paper towel helps avoid getting a soggy crust. And finally, enjoy.

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DISCUSSION (5)


Kinja'd!!! E. Julius > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
02/28/2015 at 14:27

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Oh my gosh I would eat one of these warmed up and salted every day when I got home from work last summer. Great for pizzas too!


Kinja'd!!! m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
02/28/2015 at 14:39

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I am now convinced that I need one of those interestingly strange ovens.


Kinja'd!!! Agrajag > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
02/28/2015 at 15:28

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This has been my lazy pizza for the past few months. I don't have that same type of cooking contraption that you do. I just put it in the oven at 425° for 12 minutes.


Kinja'd!!! The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > Agrajag
02/28/2015 at 16:25

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Have you tried making them ahead of time and refrigerating or freezing for later?


Kinja'd!!! Agrajag > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
02/28/2015 at 21:42

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No, I haven't. Hmmmm....