{Copycat} Pizza Hut Deep Dish PIzza & Cheese Bread

We are HUGE fans of Pizza Hut pizza at our house! Growing up we all loved pizza night. My parents usually bought our pizza from a little hole-in-the-wall pizza joint called Choices. Idaho Falls residents, did you ever go to Choices? My family loved that place! But every now and then we received a rare treat of Pizza Hut pizza. If one of us had a Book It to turn in for pizza, my parents ended up getting pizza for the rest of the family as well. (Remember Book It? Wow, that was awesome.) We're all about Pizza Hut! And now Pizza Hut can be recreated at home! It's a big hit!

{Copycat} Pizza Hut Cheese Bread
image and recipe via Joshua Trent
serves 4-8

• 1 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. non-fat dry milk
• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 3 c. flour
• 1/2 c. melted butter (Half of it will be used for the bottom of the pan and the other half for the top of the bread sticks.)
• 8 oz. package mozzarella cheese
• garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to sprinkle on top (to taste)

Directions

1. In your mixer bowl or a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add sugar, milk, and salt to the yeast. Then add enough flour to make a soupy texture. 
3. Then add the rest of the flour to form a moderately stiff dough. Knead the dough until smooth. (I like to do this in my KitchenAid with the hook attachment.)
4. Roll the dough into the size and shape of your 9x13 baking pan.
5. Spread half of the butter onto the bottom of the pan then place the dough right over it. Cover it with a towel and let it rise for 15 minutes. Then spread the rest of the butter on top of the dough.
6. Top the dough with the cheeses, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. If you're just making garlic bread sticks and not cheese sticks, use everything but the cheese. 
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown. Cut into bread sticks and serve with your favorite marinara sauce or the sauce recipe below.

{Copycat} Pizza Hut Deep Dish Pizza
image and recipe via CDKitchen
makes three 9-inch pizzas

Pizza Dough

• 1 1/3 c. warm water (around 105 degrees F)
• 1/4 c. non-fat dry milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 c. flour
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 package dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Sauce

• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp. marjoram
• 1/2 tsp. dry basil
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Other Ingredients

• 2-3 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded 
• desired toppings
• 9 Tbsp vegetable oil (3 Tbsp per pan, or less if desired)
• butter flavored cooking spray

Directions

1. First, make the dough. Put yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk in your mixer bowl or a large bowl. Add the water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit for two minutes. Add the oil and stir again. Add the flour a little at a time and stir until dough forms and the flour is absorbed.
2. Turn the dough out onto a flat surface (with flour sprinkled over it) and knead for about 10 minutes. Divide the dough into three balls. Put 3 Tbsp of oil in three 9-inch cake pans, making sure it is spread out evenly. Use a rolling pin to roll each dough ball to about a 9-inch circle. Place in the cake pans.
3. Spray the outer edge of the dough with cooking spray and cover with a plate. Place in a warm area and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 
4. Time to make the sauce! Combine the tomato sauce, oregano, marjoram, basil, and garlic salt. And there you have it! Sauce is done. 
5. Now let's bake these pizzas. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Spoon 1/3 c. of sauce on the dough and spread to within 1 inch of the edge. Sprinkle 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese over the sauce. Place the toppings of your choice over the cheese in this order: pepperoni or ham, then vegetables or pineapple, then other meats (cooked ground beef or sausage). Top with 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese (or your desired amount). Bake until the cheese is bubbling and the outer crust is brown (about 10-15 minutes).