Mini Deep Dish Pizzas
by Heather H.
Let’s be real, I really hate preparing big meals for people, especially when I have loads of homework, stress, and whatever else college brings on (no one seems to understand how college is in my house).  Making food in my house is always a challenge due to the fact that normally dinner consists of a couple meals. It annoys me greatly how picky my family is, especially my brother. He CAN NOT eat things unless it it to his perfection, hence the couple meals for dinner (which is kinda impossible since he finds something wrong with EVERYTHING. He literally would not eat spaghetti one night because “he did not like that type of noodle).  Unfortunately, my mom is pretty much a slave to her workplace and by the time she arrives home, she is exhausted and does not want to cook dinner, which really gets my brother mad. Therefore, I can make this to make sure my mom relaxes, but pleasing my brother may be the real challenge of the project.
Ingredients:
Ingredients from left to right: 1 jar of Mantia’s meat sauce, olive oil, baking powder, pepper, all-purpose flour, pepperoni, milk, and cheese
Pizza Dough:
1 â…“ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
½ cup whole milk
2 Tbsp olive oil
Pizza:
Olive Oil (for pan)
½ pound of dough
½ cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni
Flour (for rolling out dough)
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 jar of marinara sauce
    To solve this, I thought to myself, “how can he not like pizza?!”. I know he enjoys pizza, he orders it almost EVERY NIGHT (must be nice). I normally make homemade pizza for my family while he is gone but I have never made deep dish. Pizza is also my favorite kind of food because it can be changed to fit my mood and it is one of the quickest yet most filling types of food around (unless there is pineapple, then you could FORGET IT!). Pizza and the sweet juice from the pineapple do not mix in my book. I do have some Italian heritage due to my father, so it is a possibility that pizza is the safest bet to ensure that EVERYONE is happy. This recipe is also inspired by my high school foods class. My teacher, Mrs. Fredricks (LOVE HER) would have the freshman classes make homemade pizzas for the seniors and the seniors would love to be the judges of them (especially my senior class since free food is a pretty great thing). I remember my freshman year, my group of three other girls made pizza with alfredo sauce and cheese. We placed second out of thirty groups. It was a very rewarding accomplishment because now I do love making homemade things.
Instructions
Pizza Dough:
In a mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Stir in milk and olive oil until a soft dough forms.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10 times.
Shape dough into a ball
Cover dough with an inverted bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Separate dough and cut each piece into 6-inch pieces.
Image of: Prepped dough rolled into a ball
Pizza
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Lightly brush each muffin cup with olive oil.
Fill each cup with one 6-inch piece of dough, gently pressing to the bottoms and sides.
Season with salt and pepper
Sprinkle each dough cup with 1 Tbsp. of cheese and sauce.
Cut each whole pieces of pepperoni into fours and add to each cup to to desired amount.
Bake until golden brown; 12 minutes
Let cool for 2 minutes before removing from pan,
Image of: Dough cut and put into the pan to be filled with sauce, cheese and  pepperoni
Image of: Pizzas made and ready to go into the oven!
Links to the recipes
Dough: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/244638/no-yeast-pizza-crust/
Pizza: https://www.marthastewart.com/315712/mini-deep-dish-pizzas
  I am so excited to create this dish, I think the cupcake size pizzas will be adorable. I might get stuck making these often if my lovely brother (sarcasm) likes them enough or maybe I will teach him how to make them (which he will not enjoy learning from a nineteen year old).
  I picked a Martha Stewart recipe because I have heard of her and I like some of her other recipes, like her chocolate chip cookies and macaroni and cheese. I chose  Missy’s dough recipe because it seems quick, efficient, and cheap (Broke college student here). This is a little different that the dough I learned how to make in high school, but if you do not challenge yourself, what is the point?
 Image of: Pizzas fresh out of the oven  (looks delicious)
  Making these were a piece of cake, except I found that next time I will most likely double the dough recipe. I also think the cheese was way too much because it eventually melted into a mess but I do love a lot of cheese. I had to figure out how to cut the dough into circles for the pan, so I used the top of a cup that was about six inches in diameter. It worked perfectly. One of my major worries before putting them into the oven was that the dough would raise tremendously and it would end up caving in, luckily that was not the case. I also found out that I had to reduce the time in the oven because it did not take 12 minutes, it took about 6-8 minutes depending on how golden you want the crust. It was super easy to get them out of the pan once they cooled a little. Overall, I would make these again in a heartbeat.
 Image of: Little mini deep dish pizzas (2) out of pan
  My family LOVED these. My brother demanded I make more, but I had to leave shortly after making them. My parents said it is a perfect appetizer or midnight snack. I could sit here and eat them all day. It had just the right amount of crunch because of the golden crust and the sauce was not dried out. When you bit into them, the cheese was gooey, what more could anyone want in a little pizza!
