Gluten Free Pan Pizza was originally posted on Feb 7, 2020 and has been updated with new pictures, a new updated video, and plenty of new tips and tricks.
This is hands down the BEST Pizza hut gluten free pan pizza copycat you will ever have! Just like the thick crust almost-fried-on-the-bottom pan pizza we used to get back in our days of delivery!!
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Ya'll are not gonna be-LIEVE how good this pizza is!!!! It seriously took me back to a time when I was able to order delivery pizzas from Pizza Hut. Back when everything was so much simpler, especially when I just.didn't.feel.like.cooking.dinner! Am I right?
I heard a while ago that certain Pizza Hut locations were coming out with their own gluten free pizza, but of course my area wasn't part of those. We do have some delivery gluten-free options here, but they all use Udi's gluten-free crust. If you're anything like me, you'd rather eat cardboard than Udi's.
As much as I love to cook and bake, there will always be times when I wish someone would make ME dinner! I hope someday the city I live in will have more gf options, but for now I have to cook all my own meals. At least if they taste like this pizza, I can handle it on my menu on the regular! Plus, there's no worry about cross contamination in my own kitchen.
what you'll need to make this pizza
- Gluten Free Focaccia Bread Dough -- this dough is the perfect base for a Pizza Hut gluten free pan style pizza, just like what we remember.
- Sauce -- you can use store bought, but it's so easy to make your own pizza sauce and it's worlds better than anything you'll find in a can or jar.
- Olive oil -- you can use vegetable oil or canola oil instead, but I really like the flavor that the olive oil imparts.
- Gluten-free toppings -- you can go crazy with whatever you normally like on your pizzas. Some ideas include cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, Italian sausage (or regular pork sausage), grilled chicken, peppers, red onions, roma tomatoes, Jalapeno peppers, bacon, spinach, mediterranean black olives, banana peppers, etc, etc. You can even make this dairy-free and, therefore, vegan by using water and olive oil in the dough and vegan cheese on top.
How To Make Pan Pizza?
When I first made my gluten free focaccia bread and it came out beautifully, I had an immediate hunch that it would also work perfectly as the crust for a pan pizza. And that hunch was spot on!
It all begins with the dough. It's so easy to mix up in the morning and be ready to go for dinnertime, or even within 4 hours! Half of the dough will fill a 12-inch cast iron skillet. You can also use the whole recipe and fill two skillets. Or you can use a large baking sheet (17 by 11 inch) and make one large rectangular pizza. Another option is to make mini (personal) pan pizzas! These are great for when you want just enough to feed yourself. For that, you'll need a small 8-inch cast iron skillet (affiliate link) or an 8-inch round cake pan (affiliate link).
- Pour olive oil into a cast iron skillet (affiliate link) (or pan as above) and dump the dough right on top. Add a little more oil on top of the dough and, using your fingers, spread the dough to the edges of the pan. It's fine if there are holes in the dough as they'll fill in when the dough rises and bakes.
- Cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes. You won't be looking for the dough to double in size, just be slightly puffed.
- While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Carefully add the sauce so you don't deflate the dough (try my Pizza Hut copycat sauce recipe!). If you're using a baking sheet, just add the sauce without heating on the stove.
- Then add the cheese and any other toppings of your choice.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
pan pizza FAQs
Certain participating Pizza Hut restaurants do have a gluten free pizza option made with Udi's gluten free crust. However, as of this date, they do not offer a gluten free pan style pizza.
As the name suggests, pan pizza is made in a pan, but that's not the only difference. Usually pan style pizza is thicker than a regular (New York or hand tossed) pizza and has an almost u0022friedu0022 bottom, making it crunchy on the bottom and soft and bouncy in the middle.
No, there are several common household pans that will work great for making pan style pizza. A cast iron skillet, ¼ sheet pan, round cake pan, or any oven-safe skillet are plenty of options.
more gluten free pizza ideas
Make this pizza tonight for dinner! Your whole family will love it, even the gluten eaters 🙂
Pizza Hut Gluten Free Pan Pizza
Ingredients
- one recipe gluten free focaccia dough (recipe follows)
- ½ cup (60-120ml) olive oil
- copycat Pizza Hut pizza sauce (or your favorite recipe or brand)
- shredded mozzarella cheese or several slices (about ½ pound) white American cheese
- any other toppings of choice
Focaccia Dough
- 3¼ cups (455g) Kim's gluten free BREAD flour blend
- 1 tbsp plus 1 teaspoon (29 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 2½ cups (600ml) whole milk
- 4 tbsp (56g) butter, melted
Instructions
- NOTE: This entire dough recipe makes 2 12-inch pizzas, but if you only want one pizza, you can either halve the dough recipe or store the other half of the dough in the fridge until the next time.
- In a large bowl, weigh bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Whisk to combine. Using a stand mixer with the beater blade or a handheld mixer, turn on low and slowly pour in the milk and butter. Increase speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and place in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. You can use it immediately after rising, or refrigerate the dough for up to 7 days.
- Divide most of the olive oil between the two 12-inch cast iron skillets, 2 ¼ sheet pans (9 by 13 inch), or any oven-safe skillets (or use half the amount for only one pizza). Divide the dough between each skillet and add the rest of the olive oil on top. Using your fingers, gently spread the dough out to the edges of the pans. It's okay if the dough is dimpled from your fingers.
- Cover with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 400° F. The dough won't look much different, but will be slightly puffy when fully risen.
- Carefully add the sauce and cheese and any other optional toppings. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. The baking time will depend on your skillet size and your oven, so begin checking at 20 minutes, but it may take as long as 35.
- Allow to cool slightly before cutting and serving.
Vivian
I tried this yesterday and it was incredible!! Thank you so much for the recipe! I made focaccia for the family and a pan pizza for me 😉 it was absolutely delicious!!!
Kim
Thank you, Vivian! I'm so glad you liked it. It's one of my family's favorites 😍
Peter B
Been experimenting with a few GF pizza doughs and this one is AMAZING! Shout out to the flour mix! 2 questions though: 1. is it supposed to be the stickiest substance known to man? Even if I cover my hands in oil it sticks to me and instead of spreading it across the pan it just comes off onto my fingers.
2. It seems to rise and puff a lot for me as I heat the pan pre-oven. This coupled with the aforementioned stickiness has lead to a little too thick and breast of crusts. I am using active yeast instead of instant and blooming it in water (factored into amount of milk I use) could this be why? Again LOVE this recipe thank you!
Kim
Hmmmm. It IS supposed to be rather sticky (did you watch the video?) but if I pour olive oil over it, it doesn't stick to my fingers and instead spreads in the pan. I think it depends on the size of your skillet as to how thick the crust will be (mine is a 12-inch cast iron skillet). If you have a smaller skillet, it may be too bready so I would either use a larger skillet or not dump the entire amount of dough into your skillet.
As far as the super stickiness, did you substitute anything within the flour blend itself? Sometimes substitutions can cause less than great results. That's where I'd start first in figuring out your dilemma.
Elyse Hahn
This is something my family begs for and I’m the only celiac/GF person in the house. Tonight I made the full batch and I’m going to attempt some Pizza Hut copycat breadsticks too. Thank you for always having the best recipes!!
Kim
Awe, thank you so much, Elyse!! I really appreciate your kind words 😍😍😍
Mary Bannan
My husband and I just finished enjoying my first attempt at your recipe. it was AMAZING. I followed the recipe directions to the T including the initial about 3 to 4 minute pan fry over medium heat. (On a gas stove top) I did bake the crust for 10 minutes without toppings following the 30 minute final proof in a 12 inch cast iron skillet. After adding the sauce and cheese I baked for another 10 minutes or so. The crust had perfect texture and chew with perfect air pockets that you would expect to see in a thick crust pizza. For those wondering about the size of the skillet the 12 inch skillet is the right size. It’s the best pizza we’ve had since my husband was diagnosed with celiac disease 18 years ago. Thank you!!!
Kim
Awesome, Mary! So glad your husband could enjoy pizza again 🙂 Thank you so much 😍
Alex
Instructions here are SOO CLOSE to the mark.
Since the dough is more like a batter, you should give it time to bake by itself before topping (in lieu of the stovetop suggestion). Also, using cast irons means longer retained heat, but also slower up to temperature times, meaning you should preheat the cast iron before pouring in the batter. I did 7 minutes of dough alone, take out to add toppings, finish for 10 min. I did use a sheet tray so this may be an added variable, but it was still soggy in the middle. The upside was that I finished the bottom of underdone slices in a stovetop skillet and got an insanely nice crisp on the bottom. The crux here is that the hydration point is so high that as long as you are in the 17-23 min range of total bake time, you don't need to worry about burning the bottom, and will basically always be erring on the side of soggy. Also, 10 min was just about the perfect amount of time for toppings to get golden brown.
*I know a lot of ppl are keen on this already, but throwing extra cast irons you have laying around in the oven while preheating and baking is a great way to retain high heat.
**Also small critique on the batter. If you use milk straight out of the fridge, it takes a lot longer for the yeast to get active. Bring it up to room temp/lukewarm to save time.
K thanks for the recipe, Kim.
Denise
Another perfect recipe!! I am an experienced GF baker and this has probably been my favourite pizza crust I've made, and I don't even usually love pan pizzas! Crispy bottom, fluffy middles- SO good. FYI, instead of using a cast iron skillet I used a 1/4 sheet pan, baked for 23 minutes, and it came out perfect. Thanks so much for sharing your amazing recipes, Kim!
Kim
Awe, thanks so much, Denise! I'm so glad you liked it!!
Kim L
I'm not a fan of thick crust pizza can you make this thin crust and bake on a pizza stone?
Kim
I have a New York style pizza crust on the blog! Here's the link: https://www.letthemeatgfcake.com/amazing-gluten-free-pizza-crust/
Mary W
The pan pizza was dinner tonight. It was so good that I burst into tears. Seriously. Finally, a gluten-free pizza that doesn't feel like a punishment!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I can't wait to try your other recipes!
Nancy Hudgins
Made your cinnamon rolls recipe this morning after refrigerating the dough overnight. First cinnamon rolls I have been able to eat in 10 years & it was soooo good!! Now I am copying lots of your recipes to try. I made lots of yeast breads breads prior to Celiac but after so many flops gave it up. Staying at home with less gluten free available in my online / pickup grocery shopping decided to try baking more once again. Thanks for the great recipes, confidence builder, and a very happy boost in these difficult times!! You have made my Holiday weekend great & my hubby says Thanks too.
Kim
Thanks so much, Nancy! So glad you liked them and can't wait for you to try other recipes 🙂
Peggy
Can you tell me the carb count for this crust? I'm doing keto.
Kim
Hi, Peggy! Unfortunately, I have no idea what the carb count is. The nutrition information is an extra cost for me on the recipe plugin. I think there might be online tools you can use to find out, by putting in the recipe information. Sorry, Peggy 🙁
Joy
Just as an FYI for any future keto dieters: the bread flour blend used for this recipe has about 57g carbs per 1 cup of flour. Since this recipe calls for half of 3.5 cups, so 1.75 cups, that is almost 100 grams of carbs for the whole pizza.
The best keto safe pizza crust recipes are either "fathead dough" made from cheese and almond flour etc, or cauliflower crust or ground chicken crust. But for just gluten free, this is a great recipe!
Jeannine Campbell @rockonj
So this AH-MAZING #glutenfree #panpizza happened tonight
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❤️🍕❤️
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Thank you @letthemeatglutenfreecake for your amazing #glutenfreeflour blends and #glutenfreerecipes
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Typical of me, I didn’t read through all of the instructions BEFORE setting out to make this recipe. Once I saw that this was recommended with Kim’s GF English Muffin dough recipe, my heart sank. I had made the GF Artisan Bread dough two days prior (the bread was wonderful!) and wanted to use the remaining dough I left “fermenting” in the frig for tonight’s pizza crust. 🤦🏻♀️
Well I decided to forge ahead with her pan pizza recipe and hope that this dough worked out somewhat “edibly”and it turned out perfectly for our tastebuds. I think it may have been thinner than what the original recipe suggests but that helped it get nice and crispy on the bottom (with a touch of bite in the center) the way we like it.
Kim, you have earned QUEEN STATUS in our house this week! Thank you for sharing your beloved recipes and wisdom with all of us!
Kim
Oh my goodness, Jeannine!!!! You are too kind 🙂
Dana Delaney
Update: I made this again tonight and tried the step of putting the skillet on the stove top while putting the toppings on. Terrible idea. The bottom burnt and the middle is doughy. I did not have that problem the other times I’ve made it. So I will go back to the other way...skipping the stove top step. Still a great recipe though!
Kim
Oh no! That's a total bummer!! I wonder why it works so well on my stovetop and not yours (although maybe it's the high altitude thing?) I found if I didn't start it on low on the stove, it would be doughy when I took it out of the oven.
Dana Delaney
Goose bump inducing deliciousness. I have made this several times and it comes out delicious every time. For some perspective, My husband and I met at Domino’s Pizza in the 80’s and went on to become franchisees in the 90’s. Ending up GF from Celiac in 2014 has turned my world upside down.
The first couple of times I used half the dough recipe for one pizza. After that, I was scrimping on the dough to stretch it out and actually liked a quarter of the recipe a little better. I use a 10” cast iron skillet and bake it for about 20 minutes. I live in the mountains of Virginia, just in case altitude matters.
Kim
I love the "goose bump inducing deliciousness" description, haha! That is awesome!! We all (my husband, son, and I) usually have something just as pleasantly descriptive to say every time I make this pizza.
Thanks for the high altitude tips. I will keep them in mind if anyone else asks. I also live in Virginia, but at the beach. I hope you and your family are doing well through this current crisis.
Dorothy
This is really yummy! I’m not even celiac & it was soo good!
Mars
YUM!!!!!! So good - airy bready yeasty soft gluten free pizza! Tastes great even compared to a gluten filled pizza. Definitely worth the wait of 6 to 8 hr rise time:) Maybe I own a smaller cast iron skillet, but I found I only need a quarter of the English muffin dough per pizza. Thank you for another astounding recipe!
Kim
Thank you, Mars!! I should have specified what size cast iron skillet. I think mine is a 10 inch, but I'm not sure. Now you can make something else with the leftover dough 🙂
Llee
Hi, I like this recipe! Unfortunately, the center comes out pretty doughey, though. What size pan do you use? Maybe I’m using the wrong size. Thanks!
Kim
I'm so sorry yours came out doughy! I should have put the pan size I use. I use a 12-inch cast iron skillet, but here is another suggestion. Start it out on a medium low stove top with a lid on it, just the dough (no sauce or toppings) for just a few minutes. What the lid would do is kind of create an oven, allowing it to "bake" sans toppings and hopefully prevent it from being too doughy.
Please let me know how if you try it and how it turns out 🙂
Elizabeth Raptis
Hi Kim, I made this pan pizza tonight and it is fabulous! I was worried at first because my dough was so sticky after it rose. I added a little more flour mix to it but it didn't really help and I didn't want to ruin the recipe by adding more. Once I used the olive oil, the dough didn't stick to the pan and it came put beautifully. Is it normal for this dough to be so sticky?
Chervin Daniel
spread the sauce and cook it on a stove for approx 5 minutes (don't burn it) before putting it in the oven.