Stuffed Crust Pizza

Name: Stuffed Crust Pizza
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 325g (1 cup 7 tbsp) warm water (110ºF); 5g (1 1/2 tsp) Caputo Dry Yeast; 500g (3 1/4 cup) Antimo Caputo “00” Pizza Flour; 10g (1 tbsp) Jacobsen Kosher Sea Salt; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning; 1 can Ciao San Marzano Tomatoes, crushed by hand; 1 tbsp pesto; 12 (12 oz) mozzarella cheese sticks (think string cheese); 16 (2 oz) large thin sandwich style pepperonis; 8 oz low-moisture mozzarella cheese, grated; 48 (3 oz) small cup pepperonis; Pepperoncinis, to taste; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 2 tbsp Reida Farm Kansas Wildflower Honey; Urban Slicer Mojo White Seasoning

May 07, 2024 • Tom Jackson

Immerse yourself in the ultimate comfort food experience with this Wood-Fired Pepperoni Stuffed Crust Pizza recipe. Savor the taste of nostalgia but leveled up in your own backyard. Crafted with precision and passion, the dough is lovingly prepared using premium ingredients, ensuring a perfect balance of texture and flavor in every bite. The secret lies in the meticulous process of layering and assembling the pizza, from the delicate stretch of the dough to the decadent stuffing of mozzarella cheese sticks around the crust. Topped with a rich homemade sauce bursting with the vibrant essence of San Marzano tomatoes and a medley of savory seasonings, this pizza promises to tantalize your taste buds and transport you to a realm of culinary bliss. Finished with a drizzle of honey-infused butter and a sprinkling of zesty Urban Slicer Mojo White Seasoning, each slice is a symphony of taste sensations that will leave you craving for more.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE

The honey-butter crust brush is the detail that makes this pizza feel special: Melting unsalted butter with Reida Farm wildflower honey and brushing the stuffed crust edge before baking produces a golden, slightly sweet, lacquered finish that no plain water or egg wash can replicate — it's the visual and flavor cue that tells you this isn't a standard homemade pizza.
Layering two types of pepperoni produces two different textural and flavor results in the same pizza: The large thin sandwich-style slices under the cheese create a crispy, slightly rendered layer that flavors the cheese from below; the small pepperoni cups on top curl at the edges in the high-heat oven, creating pools of rendered fat and crispy edges — neither alone produces what both together do.
The stuffed crust technique is genuinely accessible with a few careful steps: Dividing the cheese sticks in half, positioning them around the perimeter, brushing the edge with water before folding, and pressing firmly to seal are the four moments where the technique either works or doesn't — the directions walk through each one.
This recipe earns the wood-fired oven equipment investment: The 450–500°F cook at high heat with rotation every few minutes is what produces the leopard-spot char on the bottom and the bubbling, slightly blistered cheese surface — a home oven can get close but the Yoder Wood Fired Oven is the tool the recipe was designed around.

Stuffed Crust Pizza

Tom Jackson

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Cuisine

American

Servings

8

Prep Time

2 hours

Cook Time

10 minutes

Calories

711

Prepare to embark on a flavor-packed journey with our mouthwatering Stuffed Crust Pizza recipe, guaranteed to delight pizza lovers everywhere. Begin by crafting the perfect pizza dough: a blend of warm water, Caputo Dry Yeast, Antimo Caputo “00” Pizza Flour, and Jacobsen Kosher Sea Salt, resulting in a pillowy base with a satisfying chew. Meanwhile, whip up a tantalizing pizza sauce, blending extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning, hand-crushed Ciao San Marzano Tomatoes, and a touch of pesto for a burst of herbal freshness. Assemble your masterpiece by stretching the dough thin and encasing a decadent surprise within—mozzarella cheese sticks lining the crust's perimeter. Douse the dough with the vibrant sauce, then layer with large thin slices of pepperoni, a generous sprinkling of low-moisture mozzarella, and a cascade of small pepperoni cups for an extra kick. Brush the crust with a tantalizing mixture of unsalted butter and Reida Farm Kansas Wildflower Honey, enhancing its golden hue and adding a hint of sweetness. Sprinkle with Urban Slicer Mojo White Seasoning for a zesty finish. Slide the pizza into your preheated Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill turned Wood Fired Oven, spinning it every few minutes until the crust is golden and the toppings are bubbling with flavor. Complete this culinary masterpiece by topping with sliced pepperoncinis, adding a tangy kick that elevates each bite to new heights of deliciousness. Get ready to savor every cheesy, pepperoni-packed bite of this Stuffed Crust Pizza—truly a symphony of flavors that will leave you craving more.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

325g (1 cup 7 tbsp) warm water (110ºF)
5g (1 1/2 tsp) Caputo Dry Yeast
500g (3 1/4 cup) Antimo Caputo “00” Pizza Flour
10g (1 tbsp) Jacobsen Kosher Sea Salt

Pizza Sauce

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning
1 can Ciao San Marzano Tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 tbsp pesto

Pizza Toppings

12 (12 oz) mozzarella cheese sticks (think string cheese)
16 (2 oz) large thin sandwich style pepperonis
8 oz low-moisture mozzarella cheese, grated
48 (3 oz) small cup pepperonis
Pepperoncinis, to taste

For The Crust

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp Reida Farm Kansas Wildflower Honey
Urban Slicer Mojo White Seasoning

View Cart (0) Checkout

Directions

To make the dough:

Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the flour, then the salt. With the mixer fitted with the hook attachment, mix on medium-low (2nd gear on the KitchenAid) until a ball is formed, about 1 minute. Once all ingredients are incorporated and a ball is formed mix 8 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size. Turn out onto a floured surface and divide into 2 equal portions. Roll each half into a ball, place in an oiled container. Cover. Refrigerate at least half an hour before use. On a floured work surface, stretch the dough thin.
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 500ºF, with the Yoder Smokers Wood Fired Oven installed.

To make the sauce:

Drain canned whole tomatoes in a strainer. Place the tomatoes in the blender. Add pesto, extra virgin olive oil, Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning and garlic. Blend until smooth.
Slide the pizza dough onto a well-floured pizza peel.
Roll the dough out with a rolling pin. Divide cheese sticks in half and position around the perimeter of the dough.
Wet the edge of the pizza dough, brushing with water. Roll the dough over the cheese sticks and press to stick the dough to itself, enclosing the cheese.
Add about one half cup of pizza sauce to the dough and spread evenly.
Cover the sauce with about 8 large thin slices of pepperoni.
Cover the pepperoni with about one cup of low moisture mozzarella.
Top the mozzarella with small pepperoni cups.
Melt the butter and honey together. Brush the mixture onto the top of the crust, taking care to not let it drip onto the peel, which would cause the pizza to stick.
Sprinkle the Urban Slicer Mojo White Seasoning over the crust and toppings.
Turn the grill temp down to 450ºF. Launch the pizza into the wood fired oven.
Spin every couple of minutes until browned on top and bottom, about 9 minutes. Top the pizza with optional sliced pepperoncinis.

Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

What is the history of stuffed crust pizza?
Stuffed crust pizza emerged as a mainstream product in 1995 when Pizza Hut introduced it nationally in the United States. The concept — encasing a ring of mozzarella cheese within the outer crust — quickly captured widespread attention and became one of the most imitated innovations in the pizza industry. The idea transformed a previously ignored part of the pizza into a feature, and over the following decades stuffed crust variations appeared in pizzerias worldwide, cementing its status as one of the defining pizza innovations of the modern era.

Do I need the Yoder Smokers Wood Fired Oven to make this?
No, but it significantly impacts the result. A home oven preheated to its maximum temperature (usually 500–550°F) with a pizza stone or steel on the top rack for at least 45 minutes will produce a good stuffed crust pizza. What you lose is the live-fire char, the radiant heat from the oven dome, and the ability to spin the pizza for even cooking. Rotate the pizza manually using a peel every 2–3 minutes to compensate for hot spots.

Why use Caputo "00" flour instead of all-purpose?
Caputo "00" flour is milled to a finer texture and has a lower protein content than bread flour, producing a more extensible dough that stretches thin without tearing. It also produces a lighter, more tender crumb at high heat rather than the dense, bready texture that all-purpose flour can develop. For a wood-fired or high-heat oven application, "00" flour is the correct choice.

How do I prevent the stuffed crust from leaking cheese?
Two steps are critical: brush the edge of the dough with water before folding it over the cheese sticks (the water activates gluten and makes the dough stick to itself), and press firmly along the entire sealed edge to fully enclose the cheese. Any gap in the seal becomes a leak point at baking temperature. After sealing, run your finger along the entire perimeter and re-press anywhere that feels loose.

Why brush the crust with honey butter before baking rather than after?
Brushing before baking allows the honey to caramelize on the crust surface during the cook, producing the golden, lacquered appearance in the finished pizza. Brushing after baking produces a glossy surface but no caramelization — it tastes different and looks different. The pre-bake application is what produces the signature color and slight sweetness in the crust edge.

Can I make this indoors?
3 out of 5 — Works indoors with adjustments. A home oven at 500–550°F with a preheated pizza stone or steel produces a very good result. The wood-fired char and radiant dome heat of the Yoder Wood Fired Oven are the elements you lose, but the stuffed crust technique, the layered pepperoni, the honey-butter brush, and the homemade sauce all translate fully to a kitchen oven.

Recipe Highlights

Let the yeast activate in the warm water before adding flour: Directions Step 1 says to sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, stir, and let sit 5 minutes before adding flour. This proofing step confirms the yeast is active and alive before it's committed to the dough. Water that's too hot (above 115°F) kills the yeast; water that's too cold (below 100°F) doesn't activate it. 110°F is the target — warm to the touch but not uncomfortable.
Refrigerate the dough balls at least 30 minutes before stretching: After dividing and balling the dough, the recipe calls for refrigerating in an oiled container for at least half an hour. Cold dough is stiffer and holds its stretch better than room-temperature dough — it's easier to work thin without it snapping back or tearing when you position the cheese sticks around the perimeter.
Turn the grill down to 450°F before launching the pizza: Directions Step 11 specifies turning from 500°F to 450°F before launching. The initial 500°F preheat thoroughly heats the oven floor and dome; dropping to 450°F to bake prevents the bottom from burning before the cheese has fully melted and the crust has set. This two-temperature approach is a standard wood-fired oven technique.
Don't let the honey butter drip onto the pizza peel: Directions Step 9 explicitly warns against letting the honey-butter mixture drip onto the peel surface. Honey is extremely sticky and will cause the pizza to bond to the peel, preventing a clean launch into the oven. Brush carefully along the raised crust edge only, and if any drips reach the peel, flour that spot immediately before launching.