Pizza Hut's Stuffed Crust

There's nothing more I enjoy on a weekend lunch than a delicious, hot and cheesy pizza. This pizza recipe tastes almost identical to Pizza Hut's Stuffed Crust, probably even better! The crust is nice and crispy, and the inside is so soft and chewy. The recipe may seem long, but in the end it is all worth it. Trust me. This recipe makes one medium sized pizza. I hope you will try out this amazing recipe! Feel free to browse through the photos I took :)

For the pizza dough

- 150mL warm water

- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

- 1.75 cups or 220 g of flour + more for flouring the surface

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon sugar

- 2-4 cheese strings (depending on how big your pizza is)

OR

- 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (depending on how big your pizza is)

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For the toppings (These are just suggestions for toppings. :D)

- 3/4 cups tomato sauce (175 mL)

- Cheese

- Pepperoni slices

- Italian sausage

- Bacon

- Bell peppers

- Onions

- Tomatoes

... There's so many more! Feel free to use your favorite toppings :)

1. The first step is to proof/bloom the yeast. Combine the warm water with the sugar and add the yeast to the water. Stir, and let it sit for about 10 minutes in a warm area (I covered the mixture with a lid in the oven to help keep warm) or until the yeast starts to bubble and foam on the surface. If your yeast does not bloom, most likely your yeast is expired or the water was too hot.

2. Combine the flour and salt and mix until thoroughly combined. Add in the yeast mixture and mix until a dough begins to form. If you have a machine, it will be easier, but if you do not, you can use your hands.

3. Once the dough is all combined, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes, or until the dough springs back up when you poke it.

4. Lightly grease a big bowl with oil and put the dough in it. Make sure the dough is covered with oil all around, or else it will dry out. (You can also place a piece of tinfoil over it.) Let rise in a warm area for at least 2 hours, but I would recommend to let it rise for 24 hours for the best texture of the crust.

5. Next, after your dough has risen, knead for another 5 minutes, then rest the dough for at least another 30 minutes.

6. Lightly flour the dough and shape it out into a thin circle.You can do this by using a rolling pin, or you can do it by hand by tossing it up in the air with your hands for a more "traditional" feel :)

7. After you have rolled out your dough, place your dough on a lightly floured cutting board, or something you can use to slide the pizza off into the oven.

8. The next step is to dock the pizza. You can do this with a fork, chopsticks, or something pointy. You want to poke little shallow holes in the dough. This prevents air bubbles from forming under the crust.

9. Also, if air bubbles form on the crust, don't pop it! If you leave these air bubbles, the top of the bubble will be thin and crispy, and it will enhance the taste of the crust.

10. The next step is to stuff the crust. You want to put the shredded cheese/cheese strings on the outside, and you should leave a little part of the dough to fold over the cheese.

11. When you're folding the dough over the cheese, make sure to press firmly down, otherwise during the baking, it will come apart, and it will be a huge mess.

12. You should preheat your oven to 450 °F, or even hotter if you'd like

13. In addition, slide in a pizza stone or a baking tray to preheat along with the oven. This ensures that your pizza will not be soggy on the bottom, and the pizza crust will be a lot crispier.

14. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the dough and add as much cheese you'd like

15. After the oven is done preheating, slide the dough onto the baking tray and add your toppings. Make sure to work quickly otherwise the baking tray will cool down a lot.

16. For the toppings, you can add any toppings you'd like. Some suggestions can include:

• Pepperoni
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Sausage
• Bacon
• Extra cheese
• Black olives
• Green peppers
• Pineapple
• Spinach
• Italian Sausage
• Bacon

Again, feel free to add your favorite toppings, it doesn't have to be just from this list :)

17. For the finishing touches, add a few dashes of salt.

18. Bake the pizza at 450°F or 230°C

19. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and crispy, or for longer if you would like an even crispier crust.

20. Let the pizza cool down for 5 minutes, then enjoy!