Three Cheese Pan Pizza

Homemade pan pizza featuring an easy and flavorful thin crust, plus three varieties of cheese!

Three cheese pan pizza recipe from @bakedbyrachel

Have I told you how much I love pizza and thus pizza night? If not… I do. And I hope you do too because there’s tons of pizza to love around here.

From thin crust to thick, deep dish, saucy, gourmet and classic.

There’s something for everyone. I love them all almost equally. Because we’re all allowed our favorites, but usually I swear the newest is always a favorite. It’s true.

Three cheese pan pizza recipe from @bakedbyrachel

My youngest is pretty hard to please food wise somedays and since his birthday was this week, I had to come up with something for dinner I was positive he’d enjoy. Pizza. Clearly.

The kid loves pizza. Who could blame him?

Enjoying pizza and ice cream cake, I almost wished we could have birthday celebrations every night. I’m sure eventually it’d get old, but at the moment it sounded like a brilliant idea in my head.

Pizza forever. There are so many varieties and options, how could you possibly ever get bored with pizza? It seems impossible.

Three cheese pan pizza recipe from @bakedbyrachel

I switched up my standard pizza making to include a round cake pan this time, creating an ultimate homemade pan pizza. Kick the oven temp up a bit. Change up the cheese. Heaven for dinner. Seriously.

The crust is the perfect amount of crisp and chewy. As much as I adore big chewy outer crusts, this one is amazing without it. Toppings practically all the way to the edge! You won’t miss the big crust handle on this pizza at all!

And the cheese… ahh the cheese. There may be no going back after trying this combination. You’ll have to trust me and try it for yourself.

Dust off your cake pans and whip up this easy and flavorful homemade three cheese pan pizza for dinner! You’ll be glad you did.

Looking for more pizza ideas? Check out my recipe index for even more pizza recipes! There’s something for everyone!

Three cheese pan pizza recipe from @bakedbyrachel

Three Cheese Pan Pizza

Homemade pan pizza featuring an easy and flavorful thin crust plus three varieties of cheese!
Prep Time1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Dinner, Pizza
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 3/4 C water
  • 1 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1 3/4 C all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2-3 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4-1/2 C pizza sauce
  • 1 C sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 C whole milk mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 1/4 C Parmesan cheese
  • Ground black pepper
  • Thin sliced pepperoni

Instructions

  • Heat water to 115°F. Dissolve yeast and sugar in water, allow to proof.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, combine flour and salt. With mixer running on low, slowly add yeast mixture. Increase speed, adding olive oil, mixing until dough comes together. Lightly grease your hands, shape dough into a ball, transfer to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise a warm location until doubled in size, roughly 60-90 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 500°F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with olive oil.
  • Divide dough in half, shaping to fit the bottom of each prepared pan and 1/4-inch up the sides. Allow dough to rest for several minutes if it snaps back.
  • Spread 2-4 Tbsp sauce per pizza. Divide cheese between prepared dough. Lightly sprinkle with ground black pepper and additional toppings, such as pepperoni.
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes. Slide pizza out onto a cutting board, slice and serve warm.

Notes

Recipe serves 6, yields 2: 9-inch pizzas.
An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

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51 Responses to “Three Cheese Pan Pizza”

  1. #
    1
    Beth @ The First Year — September 12, 2014 at 7:57 am

    Rachel, you make some AMAZING pizza. I’ll hire you to be my personal pizza maker.

    • #
      1.1
      Rachel — September 12, 2014 at 12:53 pm

      Thanks Beth! :)

  2. #
    2
    kita — September 12, 2014 at 8:18 am

    I so wanna be at your house for pizza night.

    • #
      2.1
      Rachel — September 12, 2014 at 12:53 pm

      That would be amazing :)

  3. #
    3
    sally @ sallys baking addiction — September 12, 2014 at 8:18 am

    Absolutely must try! I loved personal pan pizzas growing up. Haven’t had one in so long!

    • #
      3.1
      Rachel — September 12, 2014 at 12:54 pm

      You really must! :)

  4. #
    4
    Deborah — September 12, 2014 at 9:10 am

    We make pizza A LOT but I’ve never done pan pizza. I definitely need to try this because it looks great!

    • #
      4.1
      Rachel — September 12, 2014 at 12:54 pm

      You definitely do! And thank you :)

  5. #
    5
    Suné Moolman — September 12, 2014 at 9:29 am

    It’s Friday, and in my book that means pizza. I’m a total sucker for cheese, the more the better. Two thumbs up for this recipe. Yummy!

    • #
      5.1
      Rachel — September 12, 2014 at 12:54 pm

      Thanks so much :)

  6. #
    6
    Michelle @ Healthy Recipe Ecstasy — September 12, 2014 at 9:38 am

    Your pizza always looks ridiculous. I love that you made it in a cake pan!

    • #
      6.1
      Rachel — September 12, 2014 at 12:54 pm

      Thanks Michelle!

  7. #
    7
    Eric Jacobson — September 12, 2014 at 9:39 am

    Pizza looks good, you make no mention of the pan?what do you use?

    Thanks

    • #
      7.1
      Rachel — September 12, 2014 at 12:55 pm

      The recipe specifies to use two 9-inch round cake pans.

  8. #
    8
    Laura (Blogging Over Thyme) — September 12, 2014 at 9:45 am

    These are some pretty spectacular looking pizzas!!! Wish I could have one for breakfast right now!

    • #
      8.1
      Rachel — September 12, 2014 at 12:55 pm

      Thanks Laura!

  9. #
    9
    Jaren (Diary of a Recipe Collector) — September 12, 2014 at 11:54 am

    I just love the cake pan idea!! These are some great looking pizzas! Pinned!

    • #
      9.1
      Rachel — September 12, 2014 at 12:55 pm

      Thanks Jaren!

  10. #
    10
    Matt Robinson — September 12, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    Love these, so easy to make and exactly what I need tonight!

    • #
      10.1
      Rachel — September 13, 2014 at 7:26 am

      Thanks Matt!

  11. #
    11
    Amanda — September 12, 2014 at 1:24 pm

    This looks awesome!

    • #
      11.1
      Rachel — September 13, 2014 at 7:27 am

      Thanks Amanda!

  12. #
    12
    Luci {Luci's Morsels} — September 12, 2014 at 2:46 pm

    mmmmmm. A carb lovers Paradise! This looks great and I like the cake pan option instead of rolling out the pizza stone every time. And tons of toppings for me!! What a treat!

    And yes to ice cream cake!!

    • #
      12.1
      Rachel — September 13, 2014 at 7:27 am

      Thanks Luci! :)

  13. #
    13
    Angelyn @ Everyday Desserts — September 12, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    pan pizza is my absolute fave! I’m so craving some pan pizza now! mm!

    • #
      13.1
      Rachel — September 13, 2014 at 7:27 am

      I’ve done my job then. Thanks Angelyn :)

  14. #
    14
    Rebecca @ Hello Creative Blog — September 13, 2014 at 12:29 am

    I love pizza. Period. These look amazing!

    • #
      14.1
      Rachel — September 13, 2014 at 7:28 am

      Thanks Rebecca!

  15. #
    15
    Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet — September 13, 2014 at 7:41 am

    Our kids love homemade pizza too! The more cheese – the better! This looks fantastic! Pinned!

    • #
      15.1
      Rachel — September 14, 2014 at 10:29 am

      Thanks Anna!

  16. #
    16
    Jane — September 14, 2014 at 1:00 pm

    Looks awesome! Did you use shiny cake pans or dark?

    • #
      16.1
      Rachel — September 14, 2014 at 6:41 pm

      They’re heavy duty pans more along the lines of dark coated.

  17. #
    17
    Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes — September 14, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    I love that you used a cake pan for these. My kids do love pizza. My oldest turned 8 this week, and I bought pizza for her party last night. It was terrible. Now I am wishing I had made these beauties! pinning for next time.

    • #
      17.1
      Rachel — September 14, 2014 at 6:39 pm

      Happy birthday to your daughter! I hope you enjoy the pizza as much as we did when you try it. :)

  18. #
    18
    Melissa @ Bless this Mess — September 15, 2014 at 11:49 am

    These look fabulous! And I love that they just use cake pans… no special pan needed!

  19. #
    19
    Angie — September 7, 2015 at 7:00 pm

    Can this dough be made if I don’t have a stand mixer?

    • #
      19.1
      Rachel — September 8, 2015 at 7:09 am

      Homemade dough takes a bit of elbow grease but it’s totally doable. Just have some patience and determination. Be sure to watch the consistency and make sure it’s not too dry or wet while kneading by hand.

  20. #
    20
    Janelle C. — February 20, 2016 at 7:28 pm

    Used your recipe to make our pizza tonight and it was great! I did have to use more flour though than your recipe called for.

    • #
      20.1
      Rachel — February 21, 2016 at 2:42 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! As with most bread recipes, the flour amounts can vary depending on many factors, always adjust as needed! :)

  21. #
    21
    Kelsey — February 24, 2016 at 11:04 am

    Hi Rachel – Can this dough be frozen? And at what point would that be done? We love, love, love this dough and consider it our go-to, but sometimes we don’t have 60-90 minutes for it to rise.

    Thanks in advance!

    • #
      21.1
      Rachel — February 25, 2016 at 7:17 am

      I haven’t personally frozen this dough before, but it should work just fine. Allow it to rise fully, punch down and shape into a ball before wrapping well and storing in the freezer. Alternately, you can prepare the dough the night before and allow it to sit in the refrigerator covered. Be sure to bring it to room temperature before using.

  22. #
    22
    MeganM — May 17, 2016 at 6:58 pm

    I just made the crust for this recipe and it was fantastic! I do not have a standing mixture. I simply used a whisk and spoon to stir, and it was still easy to do. This is my new go-to crust recipe for homemade pizza! Thank you so much for sharing this! :)

    • #
      22.1
      Rachel — May 18, 2016 at 7:05 am

      So glad you enjoyed it, Megan!

  23. #
    23
    Faisal — September 5, 2016 at 10:54 pm

    Hey Rachel – looks very delish!

    Instructions read: “allow to proof”. How long does it take to proof? Is this something I can see or just a matter of how long it needs to stand?

    Thanks!

    • #
      23.1
      Rachel — September 6, 2016 at 7:34 am

      Proofing is simply allowing the yeast to sit and activate. The timing can vary but it’s typically between 5 and 10 minutes. You absolutely should see some change to the mixture, especially on top. If you don’t, then your water may have been too cold or too hot. Good luck!

  24. #
    24
    tchris — February 8, 2018 at 2:04 pm

    What kind of pizza sauce do you use? I can’t wait to make this!!

    • #
      24.1
      Rachel — February 11, 2018 at 6:11 pm

      I use store bought. You can make your own or purchase your favorite store bought as well. :)

  25. #
    25
    Julie E — August 13, 2018 at 7:38 pm

    I’ve made this pizza 3 times now and it turns out perfectly every time. I’ve always been nervous to make my dough but now I love it. Thanks!

    • #
      25.1
      Rachel — August 27, 2018 at 7:59 am

      So glad you’ve enjoyed it!

  26. #
    26
    Allyson — October 5, 2022 at 11:49 pm

    I usually grill my pizzas or use the pizza stone in the oven. It was rainy tonite so the grill was out and I didn’t feel like waiting for the stone to heat up so I tried the pan pizza (I had previously made a King Arthur pizza dough recipe). Two thumbs up! It came out crispy and perfect! I will be making this regularly from now on!

    • #
      26.1
      Rachel — October 7, 2022 at 4:29 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it!

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