Old Forge Double Crust “Stuffed” Pizza is Easy to Make at Home!

Old Forge Double Crust White Pizza is something native to Northeast Pennsylvania. NEPA (Where I’m from) has so many different types of pizza. One style that I receive many recipe requests about from readers is this cheesy crusty delight.  Also known as “Stuffed Pizza” to some, this pizza is essentially a giant (and delicious) grilled cheese sandwich!  It is flavorful to the extreme, great for gatherings and parties, and very versatile.  It also happens to be very easy to make from simple ingredients from the grocery store.

In the video and recipe below, I will walk you through the ingredients, tools, and steps you need to take to create one of these delicious and cheesy pizzas.  My instructions are geared for everyone, even those who have never made pizza before.  They are also adaptable for the most experienced pizza makers to build on and make it their own.

NEPA Double Crust White Old Forge Pizza
A peek through the golden brown crust looking at some gooey cheese!

Tools Needed

Ingredients

  • 2 pieces of premade Pizza Dough 16 oz each – you can make your own, really any recipe can work for this.  The amount of dough you use will depend on the size of your pan and the desired thickness.
  • Cheese 16 oz to 32 oz – I prefer any combination of brick, mozzarella, cheddar, and cooper cheeses shredded and blended in equal parts.  Some like to use American, muenster, and other cheeses.  Your imagination is really the limit here!  Use as much or as little cheese as you like, but I wouldn’t recommend going over 2 lbs as it will be difficult to eat!
  • Olive Oil 2 to 3 tablespoons – Olive oil is used to coat the top crust to give it some extra flavor, color, and crispiness.
  • Seasonings – I like to season the cheese inside with granulated garlic, black pepper, and oregano.  I generally use the same granulated garlic, black pepper, and oregano on top as well but always add ground/crushed rosemary to add aroma and flavor that works perfectly.  You can use any seasoning you like.
  • Crisco, Lard, or Butter – this is used to coat the pan before making the pizza so that it doesn’t stick, has more flavor, and is crispy.  If you have a non-stick pan and want to skip this for health or preference, you don’t really need it.
  • Toppings (Optional) – thinly sliced onions placed on top of the crust is the most popular topping on this pizza.  You can add really anything inside the crust.  Broccoli, tomato, onions, spinach, peppers, steak, sausage, pepperoni are all great to add.
A golden brown crust, aromatic seasonings, and gooey cheese blends are signature attributes of a great double crust white pizza!

How to Make the Double Crust White Pizza

Here are the steps to making the pizza. If you’re a more visual learner, I do demonstrate and explain the entire process of making the pizza in the 2 videos below as well!

Prep the Pan and Dough

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Grease the pan with shortening, lard, or butter.  I like solids, not oils because they are more tacky and helps pin the dough in the corners and sides so the dough doesn’t “snap back” and shrink.
  3. Roll Out the first Dough and Put in the Pan.  Always use room temperature dough for this step.  Take it out of the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes before using.  You can use your hands or a rolling pin to press out the dough on the counter to a size just a tiny bit smaller than the size of the pan.  Carefully lift up the dough and fit it to the pan, pressing it lightly and evenly into the sides and corners of the pan.  If the dough shrinks and pulls away from the sides of the pan, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 15 minutes, then come back and press it out to the edges.

Get Cheesy and Add Second Crust

  1. Add the Cheese.  You’ll want to add a generous amount of cheese into the pizza.  Although amounts will differ by pan and preference, I like to have a 1 inch high flat pile of cheese uniformly spread across the pizza leaving about 1 finger-width (1/2 inch or so) from the edge of the pan.
  2. Season the Cheese.  Using the seasonings from the list above, sprinkle seasoning on the cheese.  This is an important step as it provides flavor to what will be a very thick and heavy pizza.
  3. Roll Out the second dough and cover the pizza.  Using the same process as in step 3, roll out the dough to just about the size of the pan and lift and set on top of the cheese.  Pull out the corners of the dough and stick them to the bottom dough first.  Then pull out the sides and stick them to the bottom dough going around the whole perimeter until the whole top is stuck to the bottom dough.  Pinch a hole in the center of the top crust to allow air to be released.  Use the handle of a pizza cutter (or serving spoon, or other similar kitchen tool) to press down the edge crust as shown in the video below.
  4. Brush with Oil and Season. Drizzle oil oil on top and spread with clean hands or a basting brush.  You want to use just enough to where the whole crust is covered and shiny, but there should not be any excess pooling of oil.  Sprinkle seasonings on top.

Bake and Enjoy

  1. Bake at 450 degrees.  Many recipes post the baking time for pizzas, I choose not to because I find every oven is different and the size and thickness of the pizza you will be preparing will vary.  This pizza will take somewhere between 18 and 22 minutes to bake, but I look for 2 things to ensure that it is done: 1 – the crust has a deep golden brown color; and 2 – cheese can be visibly bubbling through the small hole that you pinched in the top of the crust in step 6.  Rotate the pizza after 10 minutes of baking to ensure that it browns and cooks evenly.
  2. ENJOY!

Video Guides to Making Double Crust Pizzas

I have produced two videos on how to make a double crust pizza.  The first shows you the traditional white pizza as I described in the recipe above.  The second demonstrates how to take the same process and create a cheesesteak pizza, which is a very popular variation on double crust pizza.  You can use these processes to make whatever creations you’d like!

Following the recipe above and watching these two videos will give you a good idea not only how to make this pizza at home, but how they are actually made in many pizzerias!  Don’t forget, I worked in pizzerias for a long time before changing careers and starting this blog!

This Cheesesteak Pizza uses the same process of the double crust white pizza recipe, but adds a Philly twist by adding some steak and other ingredients!

How to Reach Me for Pizza Help

I hope you find this article and related videos helpful.  If you have any questions, the best way to reach me is through my facebook or instagram pages.  You can also drop me an email at nepapizzareview@gmail.com, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!  Thanks for reading and good luck with your pizza!

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