Ask Paul: What is a Grandma Pizza? Is it what I think it is?

We’ve received this question more times than you can imagine since we introduced our Grandma Pizza Pans earlier this year. More than likely, a Grandma Pizza is what you think it is. Something your Grandma used to make and bake from scratch. They are great square pies most resembling Sicilian-style pizzas.

However, since everyone’s Sicilian Grandmother was different, this is a category that lacks tightly defined parameters. This allows pizza makers to take the Grandma Pizza-style concept and make it their own. When doing this, you should follow these three general guidelines.

• A square or rectangular shape
• A thinner crust than traditional Sicilian-style pizzas
• A “backwards” construction with the cheese going on first (often as slices), then sauce and lastly some fat in the pan, such as olive oil.

With these parameters, let’s focus on the baking of Grandma Pizzas. For these types of homemade, thinner and crispier pies, a solid bottomed pan is needed to avoid leaking oil. The pan should be shallow as well, and have great heat transfer, both in conduction and infrared. Why? These crusts need to achieve browning and crisping in all oven types.

We tested quite a few pans in developing our Grandma Pizza Pans and the best performing pans were constructed of a heavy gauge aluminum. Our pre-seasoned, easy-release finish also allowed for easy release without creating a mess in the pan.  We also created a nesting version to save storage space.

We’re really proud of these pans and their performance in deck, infrared or conveyorized convection ovens. They give an excellent bake right out of the box with easy depanning and will last a long time.