Andy Montoya
Pizza Hut's stuffed crust pizza has been a beloved menu item for over two decades, but there is some debate over whether Pizza Hut was the first to invent it. The chain debuted its famous stuffed crust in 1995, and it has since become a staple in households across the globe. The soft, golden crust is stuffed with warm, gooey cheese, typically mozzarella, and has been a huge success, generating more than $300 million in sales in its first year. While Pizza Hut has faced lawsuits from people claiming to have invented the stuffed crust, the chain has ultimately been found to not have infringed on any patents. Today, Pizza Hut continues to be famous for its cheese-stuffed crust, with many customers citing it as their favourite menu item.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Calories | A large hand-tossed Pizza Hut pizza with marinara, pepperoni, and cheese comes in at 300 calories per slice. Adding a stuffed crust to a pepperoni pizza only increases the calorie count by 40 calories per slice, making it 340 calories per slice. |
| Cheese | Mozzarella string cheese. |
| Dough | Hand-tossed dough flavored with beer, brown sugar, garlic, and onion powder. |
| Baking | Bake pizzas in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) until the center is set and the crust is crispy, for about 30 minutes. |
| Availability | Pizza Hut introduced stuffed crust pizza in 1995 and it has been available ever since. |
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What You'll Learn
Pizza Hut's Original Stuffed Crust Pizza
The Original Stuffed Crust Pizza is available at all traditional Pizza Hut locations, although product availability may vary. Pizza Hut is known for its easy ordering options, including its user-friendly app, mobile site, and even Amazon and Google devices. You can also earn points on every order through its loyalty program, Hut Rewards.
The Original Stuffed Crust Pizza has become so iconic that Pizza Hut even released a limited-time offer where customers could purchase a large pizza with up to three toppings for just $11.99. This deal was in honour of the 25th anniversary of the Original Stuffed Crust Pizza, celebrating a quarter of a century of its game-changing impact on the pizza landscape.
Over the years, Pizza Hut has also introduced variations of the Original Stuffed Crust Pizza in different countries. For instance, Pizza Hut Japan offered a crust stuffed with shrimp and mayonnaise, while Pizza Hut Germany served the "German King" with a sausage, bacon, and cheese-stuffed crust. Pizza Hut Australia took it a step further by stuffing miniature meat pies into the crust! These innovative creations showcase Pizza Hut's commitment to delivering unique and mouth-watering experiences to its customers.
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The history of stuffed crust pizza
The concept of a stuffed crust pizza has an interesting history. While Pizza Hut popularized the dish in 1995, there is some controversy surrounding its invention. Food scientist Patty Scheibmeir is often credited with creating the stuffed crust pizza for Pizza Hut, but there are claims that others invented it before her.
Scheibmeir, then an entry-level food scientist, was inspired to create the stuffed crust pizza after hearing a man in a focus group complain about "pizza bones", or crusts, that he would feed to his dog. She sought to make the entire pizza appealing so that none of it would be wasted. She bought some string cheese and started rolling it into pizza dough, and after refining the recipe for a few years, Pizza Hut took the product to market. The stuffed crust pizza turned out to be a huge success, with record sales and other pizza chains following suit with their own versions.
However, New Jersey pizza maker Anthony Mongiello and his family claimed that they had invented the stuffed crust pizza and sued Pizza Hut for $1 billion in 1995. They had a patent for the idea from 1987 and alleged that they had even approached Pizza Hut with opportunities to license their innovation. Pizza Hut denied any violation of patents and ultimately won the case in 1999. The judge stated that the plaintiff did not have a product patent and that its method patent was not infringed upon simply because the final product was similar.
Despite the controversy, the stuffed crust pizza became one of Pizza Hut's biggest brands and has since been stuffed with various cheese combinations and other ingredients, such as meat, Marmite, and even cheeseburgers. Pizza Hut branches in different countries have also offered unique stuffed crust pizzas, such as the "German King" with sausage, bacon, and cheese-stuffed crust in Germany, and a crust stuffed with shrimp and mayonnaise in Japan.
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How to make Pizza Hut's stuffed crust pizza
Pizza Hut's stuffed crust pizza has been a beloved menu item for over two decades. The soft, golden crust is stuffed with warm, gooey cheese—usually mozzarella string cheese—and it has taken on a life of its own with various unique combinations and variations across the globe. If you want to make your own version of Pizza Hut's iconic stuffed crust pizza, here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:
Ingredients:
- Dough: Hand-tossed dough flavoured with beer, brown sugar, garlic, and onion powder.
- Cheese: Mozzarella string cheese, or a substitute of 2 cups shredded cheese.
- Toppings: Sauce, meat, vegetables, and cheese of your choice.
- Oil: Butter-flavoured oil for brushing.
Instructions:
- Prepare the dough: Start with a ball of hand-tossed dough and pull the edges past the cooking tray.
- Add the cheese: Place the string cheese along the edge of the dough, and then fold the dough back over the cheese.
- Toppings: Add your desired toppings, such as sauce, meat, and vegetables, being careful not to overload the pizza.
- Baking: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Place the pizza in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the centre is set and the crust is crispy and golden.
- Finishing touch: Once the pizza is baked, brush the crust with butter-flavoured oil to give it a glossy finish.
Your very own Pizza Hut-inspired stuffed crust pizza is now ready to be served and enjoyed! Feel free to experiment with different types of cheese and toppings to create your unique combinations.
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Nutritional value of stuffed crust pizza
Stuffed crust pizza is a popular dish, especially from Pizza Hut, which debuted the style in 1995. The nutritional value of this pizza will depend on the ingredients used and the size of the pizza. Typically, a stuffed crust pizza will contain cheese, often mozzarella, in the crust, with other toppings on the pizza itself.
For example, Papa John's offer a spicy garlic epic stuffed crust pizza, which includes pepperoni, sausage, salami, banana peppers, and a three-cheese blend, as well as the mozzarella stuffed into the crust. This pizza will have a high fat content due to the various meats and cheeses, as well as a high salt content.
Pizza Hut has also offered a hot dog stuffed crust pizza in several countries, which will have a different nutritional profile to a cheese-stuffed crust pizza. This pizza will likely be higher in protein due to the addition of hot dogs, but also higher in salt and fat.
In addition, Pizza Hut Japan offered a crust stuffed with shrimp and mayonnaise, which will be higher in fat and lower in protein than a cheese-stuffed crust.
Overall, a stuffed crust pizza will be higher in calories and fat than a regular pizza due to the additional ingredients in the crust. The specific nutritional values will depend on the ingredients used and the size of the pizza. It is important to note that nutritional information may not be available for all ingredients, and those with specific dietary requirements should consult a doctor or dietitian.
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Variations of stuffed crust pizza worldwide
Pizza Hut is credited with popularizing stuffed-crust pizza in 1995. Since then, many variations of stuffed-crust pizzas have emerged worldwide, both within the Pizza Hut chain and beyond.
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut has experimented with various stuffed-crust pizzas internationally. In Japan, the chain has offered a crust stuffed with shrimp and mayonnaise, Camembert, or sausage and mozzarella. Pizza Hut Germany introduced the "German King" pizza with a crust stuffed with sausage, bacon, and cheese. Pizza Hut Australia featured a unique twist with a crust stuffed with miniature meat pies. In Hong Kong, Pizza Hut created a "Cheesy Lava"-stuffed crust pizza with abalone sauce. In 2012, Pizza Hut introduced a hot dog-stuffed crust pizza in several countries, including Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US.
Other Pizza Chains
Other pizza chains have also joined the stuffed-crust trend. Papa John's, for instance, launched its Epic Stuffed Crust pizza infused with Special Garlic Sauce. The crust is stuffed with cheese and the same garlic sauce, served with a garlic dipping sauce. In 2020, Papa John's expanded its offering by introducing a cheese-filled stuffed crust pizza. Little Caesars and Pizza Pizza also jumped on the bandwagon by introducing their versions of stuffed crust pizzas in 2023.
Regional Variations
While Pizza Hut may have popularized the concept, regional variations of stuffed-crust pizza have existed prior to its debut. In Naples, Italy, a pizza has been popular since the 1940s that features a stuffed crust in the shape of points on a star rather than a continuous loop.
Homemade Versions
For those who enjoy making pizza at home, there are recipes for creating copycat versions of Pizza Hut's stuffed crust. These recipes often involve substituting shredded cheese for string cheese and baking the pizza in an oven preheated to 400°F (200°C) for about 30 minutes.
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Frequently asked questions
You can order it online or in-store from Pizza Hut.
The cheese stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut is made of mozzarella string cheese.
A slice of Pizza Hut's pepperoni pizza with cheese stuffed crust contains 340 calories.
Some alternatives to Pizza Hut's cheese stuffed crust pizza include Domino's hot dog stuffed crust pizza and Pizza Pizza's stuffed crust pizza.
To make Pizza Hut's cheese stuffed crust pizza at home, you can use dough flavoured with beer, brown sugar, garlic, and onion powder. For the cheese, you can use mozzarella string cheese or substitute it with shredded cheese.
