Best Pizza Recipe, Domino’s Style
What’s the best pizza recipe? One that takes you back to a high-school Domino’s run! This pizza recipe is my attempt to recreate one incredible feast, back when a little Southern charm opened the doors to pizza bliss.
I loved running in elections in junior high and high school. I won my first Student Council President campaign at 14 and just kept going. The campaign perks of extra donuts and pizza definitely helped motivate my efforts.
Adapted from “With Manners and Thankfulness, You Can Rule the World” in my cookbook Love Language of the South.
Having a sleepover was always in order for any strategic planning for campaigns. And every sleepover required pizza. Not just any pizza, mind you, but a souped-up Domino’s pizza. Domino’s was always a great pizza place, but somehow the flavor was even better during a sleepover with my friends. One pizza night in particular stands out.
The Best Pizza Ever
One night, I made the call to Domino’s but could barely hear the poor guy that answered the phone to take my order, because of all the shouting, “Pepperoni, pineapple, chicken, extra cheese, lots of bacon!”
“What’s your name? Are you the head pizza maker? What’s your favorite way to make the pizzas?” were some of the endless questions I asked our new friend, Jeff. Can you believe he asked if we’d be interested in coming to Domino’s to make our own pizza?!
Yes! In our PJs and slippers, we loaded up in my friend’s green Honda Accord and made our way to Domino’s pizza. Jeff unlocked the door, and we began making creations that were otherworldly with what seemed like an entire block of gooey cheese, at least a pound of bacon and pepperoni, onions, and everything else available to us.
The results of friendliness, manners, and caring are not just about what you can get. Winning campaigns or creating the best pizza ever is amazing, but this is about valuing the lives of all others. The true reward in making people feel special is knowing you have had a positive impact on the people in your world. That’s actually how you rule! Learning that, and living it, is the Southern Way.
—from my cookbook Love Language of the South
That pizza was the best pizza I’d ever eaten. I wonder where Jeff is now; I’ve spent years learning to make a pizza that was as good as what we created that night, and I would love to thank him for the inspiration he spurred in me through the years by allowing us free rein in Domino’s.
How to Make Domino’s Style Pizza
The other night, hankering for a slice of thin crust pizza, I developed the recipe below. To make your best pizza, you can adjust the thickness of the dough to suit your preference.
A stand mixer with a dough hook is a great time-saving tool for making pizza dough.
Be sure to plan ahead for pizza night because the dough will need to rise in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
Note about Yeast: This recipe works fine with the dry active yeast directly mixed in, but you can give the yeast a boost by mixing the water with the yeast and sugar and allowing it to sit for about 4 minutes before incorporating into the dry ingredients.
Ideas for Pizza Toppings
- pepperoni
- beef
- bacon
- sausage
- chicken breast
- pineapple
- red pepper
- red onions
- mushrooms
- roma tomatoes
- fresh basil
Best Pizza Recipe, Domino’s Style
Ingredients
For the Pizza Dough
- 4 cups bread flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons dry milk
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups ice water
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 cup cornmeal plus extra for dusting the pan
- 1 1/2 cup pizza sauce below
For the Pizza Sauce
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
For the Toppings
- 1 cup provolone cheese shredded
- 8 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese shredded (2 cups)
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated, for sprinkling
- Your favorite toppings: pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, bacon, black olives, peppers, etc.
- Bunch of fresh basil
Instructions
- In a stand mixer with a dough blade / dough hook, pulse flour, sugar, yeast, dry milk, and baking powder until combined.
- With the mixer running, slowly add the ice water; process until dough is combined, about 8 minutes. Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes. Add oil and salt to the dough and process until the dough comes together and isn’t sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer dough to an oiled or oil sprayed counter and knead dough for about a minute, then form the dough into a very tight ball. Oil a large bowl and place dough in it, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours to 4 days.
- Preheat the oven to 500°F for an hour before baking. Dust the countertop with cornmeal. Divide the dough ball into three even pieces and form into tight balls, then dredge into cornmeal. Place the balls of dough at least 4 inches apart and cover loosely for one hour, or freeze dough balls.
- Gently flatten one portion of the dough into an 8-inch disk. Leave the outer edge lightly thicker than the center of the disk. Stretch the disk into 12 inches. Transfer to a lightly greased and cornmeal dusted pizza pan, baking sheet, or skillet.
- Using the back of a ladle or spoon, spread 1/2 cup of sauce in a thin layer over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella and provolone cheese, along with your favorite toppings.
- Bake on the bottom rack of preheated oven for 10 minutes, rotate the pan and cook for another 10, or until the crust is golden and the cheeses are melted. Top with the parmesan cheese.
