Archive
Sep 25, 2012

Review: Domino's - Handmade Pan Pizza

A top-down view of Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza.
Domino's new Handmade Pan Pizza is a bold move into Pizza Hut territory and features fresh dough hand-pressed into a pizza pan before baking. There's not much crust to hold on to as the toppings are sprinkled right to the edge of the pizza.

I picked up a 12" medium pan pizza with bacon and sausage from my local Domino's for $7.99 with a online coupon (without any coupons/discounts, it's $10.99 for a 1-topping pan pizza). There are currently no large or small options for the pan pizza, only medium.

The pizza comes in an eye-catching, glossy black box. Like the rest of Domino's boxes, it's adorned with words touting the virtues of its contents.

The pizza box for Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza.
Domino's pan pizza is thicker than their hand-tossed crust and tapers at the edge like a flying saucer. The crust exhibited a fine crispy layer over the crumb, but without the bubbly, fried, oiliness of Pizza Hut's version. There's a line of crunchiness that runs the very edge of the pizza. Like a lot of pizzas and breads, the crust does soften quite a bit as it cools. There's not a lot of flavor to the crust alone, but there is a slight butteriness.

A close-up of the toppings on Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza.
Inside, the crumb had a moist, just slightly chewy quality similar to mochi or rice flour. There's a slight buttery flavor to it, but there's no butter involved if you're wondering.

A close-up of the crust edge of Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza.
The pizza might be covered with two layers of cheese, but I didn't really note anymore cheese beyond what is typical for Domino's.
A close-up of the cross-section of Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza.
Domino's bacon might be my favorite among the fast food chains. It crisped up quite nicely in the pizza oven and yields a very tasty flavor and smokiness that I always enjoy. It is much better than the tiny bits they used back when I was a kid. The sausage wasn't anything special, but was tender and a decent seasoned flavor. The combination of the two is a bit salty and I regretted not going with a meat/veggie duo, but only a little.

The bottom of the crust of a Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza.
Is it better than Pizza Hut? Well, that depends on your preferences. I'm not a huge fan of Pizza Hut's pan so it's an unequivocal 'yes' for me. I like it better because it's nowhere near as oily as Pizza Hut and the crumb is moist whereas Pizza Hut's pan pizza tends to be drier. I enjoyed the soft crumb and thin layer of crispness. In fact, I like the new pan crust better than Domino's recently revamped hand-tossed pizza crust. Overall, Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza is a winner in my book.

Nutritional Info - Domino's Pan Pizza - 12" pizza - crust only (505g)
Serving Size - 1 slice (63g)
Calories - 190 (from Fat - 60)
Fat - 7g (Saturated Fat - 3.5g)
Sodium - 150mg
Carbs - 26g (Sugar - 1g)
Protein - 5g

24 comments:

  1. I might try this once to satisfy my curiosity (I don't think I've ever had a pan pizza before), but I doubt it will be replacing their regular hand tossed pizza for me (if only because it's much, much cheaper).

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  2. I'll probably skip this one... too greasy.

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  3. The pan pizza is good but patrick doyle makes the claim that they have worked on this product for 3 years . I worked for domino's in 1992 and we made this pizza just like they are doing today.

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  4. I agree 100% with this review. Overall, I would say that the pizza was good. It's not a grease bomb like Pizza Hut's pan pizza, but my biggest complaint by far was the lack of cheese. They might as well stop advertising it as having 2 layers because that's simply not true based on the one I tried.

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  5. Ordered a Domino's Pan Pizza with pepperoni and sausage. Very good! Probably better than Pizza Hut plus I can order Coke products. My only complaint is that it was a bit low on the sauce but that is minor and easily fixed by ordering a side of sauce.

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  6. Definitely enjoy this more than Pizza Hut's version. While maybe not for everyone, I love toppings to the edge & I definitely noticed the extra cheese. However, it is easy to miss. They actually put a layer of cheese directly on the crust before applying the sauce. Since the crumb is moist, the cheese almost melds with it & becomes hard to distinguish. I always order my pizzas with extra sauce & this worked out great on the Domino's new pan.

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  7. Definitely will be ordering this pizza again! It was really delicious. I never ate their pizza bc I never liked it I always got wings and my son at pizza. I'll pass on the wings next time and share pizza with my son =D

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  8. In this review...The word "crumb" is used frequently. What part of the pizza is that

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  9. The "crumb" is the inside part of a bread. Here, the white part inside the crust.

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  10. hey i work for domino's, i'm not a big fan of this new pan pizza, but we do put a buttery oil in the pan so it won't stick, to me its wayyy too buttery and salty

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  11. This is a good pizza. Haven't been a fan of dominos in the past... we only used to buy it to feed the family, but they have done something very right with this pizza. I might even order it again tonight!

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  12. Dominos sucks and so do you doggie. Just sayin.

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  13. Horrible Pizza. Gave me Diarrhea. It's good when you eat it but after a couple of hours... no.

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  14. Since this came out, it is the only pizza I will eat. I can also tell you, the pizza in the pictures is incorrectly prepared. It should be flat. Not tapered at the edge. Also the entire bottom of the pizza should be brown and crispy. The center should not be white and doughy like the one in the pictures. I know this, because ive made over a hundred of them in the past month.

    Overall, it's an accurate review. Though, as the other Domino's employee posted, there is butter involved. It is incorporated into the crust as well as lining the pan when being prepared.

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  15. dominos pan pizza sucks!
    Don't get fooled by the tv ad......SUCKS!

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  16. It is the best pizza I have ever tasted from a pizza chain. It reminds of the type of pizza I would be willing to pay upwards of $15-20 for. When I first tried it I had it everyday for the next 10 or so days, it never got old. However, I can tell by your picture you got a bad one or maybe just not top notch the entire bottom of the pizza should have a light crisp rather than the doughy white middle section you see. I got one like thay and only ate the outer edges of the pizza. Every other time though it was beyond perfect!

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  17. eating this domino's so called pizza was an education for me. I don't regret the experience,because I learned from it. It reminds me of an experience I had when I was 10 years old. I peed on an electric fence hot wire. I learned, and I never did it a second time.

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  18. I just got one today It was really good one of the best pizza's Ive had in awhile not much of any grease very good taste and fresh !

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  19. I've always been skeptical of this for some reason, I don't know why. I guess the way it looks. It doesn't draw me in. I've seen it advertised and the one things that comes to mind is that it looks like any ordinary pizza you can get at the grocery store, just under the Dominos brand. But I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover. The small size of only 63g per slice doesn't help. Thank you very much for the review.

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  20. Dominos doesn't know how to make pan pizza. You do not press it into pan. You should roll it out and place into oiled pan and then place in a proofer to allow yeast to activate so crust can rise. By pressing it out in the pan you have killed its ability to rise fully

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  21. this homemade pan pizza is way better than their original greasy garlic hand toss . it is something about the crust that i fell in love with and there is an extra layer with cheese i believe . i can never go back to pizza hut

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  22. This pizza SUCKS!! I ordered the pan pizza with extra cheese and extra sauce and it had hardly of either on it. My biggest complaint is it was VERY doughy in the center. I thought it needed more cooking time. I put the pizza back in the oven another 10 minutes and it was still doughy. Not sure what this is all about but I won't be ordering it again. Papa John's blows Domino's out of the water.

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  23. ProudGGDOfAConfederateSoldierThursday, December 12, 2013

    I've been eating these with bacon (& sometimes onion too) since Dominoes first introduced them. They are my favorite pizza. You're making me hungry for one right now. LOL

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