A perforated metal pan is ideal for cooks who want a round pan, but still crave the crispier crust generally provided by a pizza stone, according to the food website Epicurious. Metal pans without holes deliver doughier crusts. For truly deep-dish style pizza, replace the shallow pizza pan with holes for a specialty deep-dish pizza pan or an oven-proof skillet. Some specialized deep-dish pans do have perforations, however, which allow for thick dough that still has some crispness at the bottom.
Dough
The dough you make depends less on the pan or stone on which it will bake as the type of pizza you are making. Use a basic dough when working with most perforated pizza pans, unless you are using a deep-dish pizza pan with holes. A basic pizza dough involves dissolving yeast in warm water, then mixing the yeasted water with flour and salt. Most pizza dough requires about 2 cups all-purpose flour. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, if doing it by hand. Place the dough into an oiled bowl and let it rise for 90 minutes. Divide the dough in half, roll onto a floured surface and leave the dough to rise for an additional 60 minutes.
Setting in the Pan
If you have a store-made pizza dough, oil your perforated pan and set the dough into the pan. If you’ve made homemade dough, roll in out onto a floured surface. Once you’ve achieved a circular shape of about 6 inches, use the rolling pin to continue stretching the dough to the size of your pie pan. Rotate the dough as you roll to create an even disc. Carefully transfer the dough to your oiled pan. If you prefer, roll the dough out to a 6-inch circle, then transfer to the pan and use your hands to continue patting the dough into shape within the perforated pan. Don’t bother putting cornmeal or other non-sticking dry ingredients used in stone-baked pizza at the bottom of the pan; they will fall through the holes. Oil is the best bet for keeping pizzas baked in perforated pans from sticking to the pans.
Baking
Preheat the oven to the temperature specified by your recipe. Top the pizza with sauce and other ingredients, which typically include cheese, vegetables and a protein, such as chicken, shrimp, ham, pepperoni or sausage. Epicurious recommends leaving a 1-inch border between the edge of the sauce and the dough itself, then covering with cheese, allowing for a 2-inch border between the cheese and the edge of the dough.
Other Uses
Perforated pizza pans are useful for reheating frozen or cold pizza, according to “Pizza!” author Jean Pare. If you have a pizza recipe that calls for partially baking the dough, then setting a the dough and toppings in a pizza pan for the final stages of cooking, pizza pans with holes are also ideal.
Preparation and Care
If your perforated pizza pan is made from aluminum, wash the new pan with soap and warm water, then place the dried, oil pan in a heated oven to season it. Always oil pans after washing them. Aluminum pans must be hand-washed, but tin pizza pans with holes in them may go in the dishwasher, if the manufacturer specifies. To avoid rusting, don't place them in a refrigerator, and always dry them quickly after washing.
References
- Epicurious; Our Pick of the Best
- Homemade Pizza Made Easy: A Pizza Pan for the Home Pizza Chef
- Pizza; Jean Pare; 1999
- Design and Equipment for Restaurants and Foodservice; Costas Katsigris and Chris Thomas; 2008
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