Stuffed Pizza on a Stick

The Iowa State fair had over 40 dirrefent foods-on-a-stick, but no pizza!  I wanted a way to eat my pizza at the fair as conveniently as any of the other food available, now anyone can carry their pizza wherever they go!

I took an entire night and my extensive pizza baking knowledge and dedicated them to making this work.  The result was, undeniably, a pizza-on-a-stick!

The best part is that anyone can do it! It is much simpler than it sounds and you can have a lot of fun, so don't be afraid to give it a try.

If you have a good crust you like to use for pizza go ahead and skip to step 5.  I like the crust here because it is firm enough, after baking, to hold onto the stick and support the weight of the pizza.

Step 1: Gathering the Materials

Just as in any other recipe you want all the ingredients on hand before you start, here is what you will need:
"Hardware:"
-Counter space( i have very little counter space and it makes this process challenging)
-Two mixing bowls(one large and one small, or two large, well, it doesn't matter as long as one is large)
-1 cup. I used two, one for water and one for flour.
-1/4 cup
-1 teaspoon
 "Software:"
Crust:
-Whole wheat flour, just to make it healthier and taste great
-active, dry yeast
-honey, I used one with a honeycomb in it so it had some extra particulates
-salt
-warm water,warm to the touch, around 90 degrees if you want to measure it.
Toppings:
-Sauce of your choice
-cheese of your choice
-other toppings that you like
-I used tiny pepperonis for astetic purposes, mozarella and mild cheddar cheese and Chef Boyardee pizza sauce

Step 2: Preparations

The first thing we want to do is make sure we have a clear counter to do most of the work. 
Then we start soaking the sticks that you are using in water, if they are wood. I used skewers because I had extras that I rarely use, I cut off the sharp ends to make them safer for pointing towards your face.

Step 3: Crust: Mixing

Recipe:
6-8 cups of flour
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

 First dissolve the yeast and water in the smaller mixing bowl and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Mix 2 cups of flour with the salt. 

When ten minutes have passed add the honey and the yeast/water mixture to the flour/salt mixture. Stir until all ingredients are combined thoroughly, this mixture will be thick and lumpy but it will be too runny.

To make it thick enough to work with, add more flour slowly until the dough forms a ball in the middle.  Powder the counter with some more of the flour and dump the ball onto the flour.

Step 4: Crust: Kneading

After you get the dough onto the counter you need to knead it to make it the right consistency, yes it still needs to be thicker.

Cover your hand and the top of the dough with flour and start the process by pushing down in the middle of the dough with your palm then folding it in half.


Continue to do this until the dough is firm and hard to push down.  You will know it is done when you push your finger into the dough and it bounces quickly back.  It wont  regain its original shape but you will see a definite spring back.

Step 5: Crust: Portioning

Now that you have the dough just the way you want it, you need to cut into pieces small enough to fit on a stick. 

I cut mine into about 2 oz balls, you can change this depending on the stick you are going to use. 

To get the dough into balls you can tear the dough, this is not suggested, or use a pizza cutter or dough knife to cut it into pieces.  Cutting is easier and more accurate, you will be done a lot faster this way.

You should get about 12 balls out of this recipe.  If you get more that is fine, but you will need an even number since every pizzas has two layers, you can make an extra single layer  pizza for a snack if you get an odd number.

Let these sit for about an hour to rise, you can skip this step but the result tastes a lot like cardboard, I know, I tried.

Step 6: Crust: Rolling

Now would be a good time to start the oven, depending on how quickly yours heats up.  You will want it to be 450 degrees.

Roll out one dough ball into about a 5 inch circle and another slightly smaller than the first.

There are many ways of getting the stick in the pizza, I tried two:

1)Put it in just before the pizza goes in the oven, this works well with the skewers I used.

2)Put the stick in at this step, I believe this option works best for flat sticks and it also creates a better hold onto the pizza, definitely the way I will do it from now on.  Shake off the stick when you take it out of the water but don't dry it off, the extra moisture will help you seal the stick to the crust.  Here I just set the stick on the crust and rolled it.  Make sure to leave about half an inch from the top, I didn't do this so it was harder to add the top crust and it didn't look as good finished.

Step 7: Bottom Crust

On this crust you will add most of the toppings.  You will be able to judge about how much you should put on after you try the next step, so for the first time use your best judgement and read ahead one step to get an idea of how much to put on.

I started with 2 teaspoons of sauce, a sprinkle of tiny pepperonis and a good portion of cheese.  You will be able to stack higher when you get more confortable with the next step.

The sauce should go out to the edges, this gets a little messy but it creates a good seal when you "braid" on the top crust.

Step 8: Top Crust

This should be smaller, with about an 1/8 inch around the entire edge.  I had to make this one a little smaller. To "braid" the crusts together, start by folding a small section of the edge  onto the top of the pizza.  It's okay if you fold a little of the top crust in too.  Then repeat, overlapping the folds until you get all the way around the edge. 

The last "braid" will be tricky since you have to lift up the first fold without undoing the first "braid" and "braid" the last and first folds together.  Just do your best and don't worry if it is a little ugly, you will be a pro by the time you finish the last pizza.  To get around the stick,when I put it in early, I folded each side toward the other, it looks a little sloppy but it works.

To kep the crust from un-"braiding" in the oven I sealed it by rubbing a little extra sauce around the "braid" with my finger. 

After the "braiding" is done you have to put some holes in the top so it doesn't explode in the oven. 

If the stick isn't in yet, gently push it into the pizza until you can feel it push on the other side of the crust.  If your stick is round, try twisting to get the stick in easier.

Add about 1/2 tsp sauce and more toppings.  Not too much sauce or it wont cook right.  You can add as much other toppings as you want but remember it has to stay on the pizza when you hold it upright.

Step 9: Baking

Place on the baking sheet or whatever flat baking surface that you have available that will accomodate your pizza and stick, I had to use a glass pan.  The oven should be to temperature by now.

Cook the pizza for 10-15 minutes depending on how well done you like your crust.

Step 10: Enjoy

You will have to wait at least 15 minutes or more so that the crust has time to firm up and hold the weight of the pizza.  Too many toppings will make it too heavy.

The only downside to pizza-on-a-stick: You can't eat it hot! But I still think that it is worth it.

Step 11: Other Recipes and Tips

You can use ranch dressing, chicken and bacon bits.  I really like this pizza.

Refried beans, ground beef with taco seasoning and olives make a good taco pizza.

A tongue depressor would work well as a stick.

Balance the pizza the best you can, put the stick in the middle of the crust and spread the toppings evenly on either side of the stick.