We made this one night for a get-together with a few friends because…why not? We all love pizza, and we all love mac and cheese.  Combining the two into one glorious, cheesy, doughy concoction seemed like a great idea, and it was. The Fella and I teamed up for this creation. I made the dough, and he made the topping. Also, with him having professional pizza-making experience from his teen years spent working at a highly renowned pizza/sub stop/gas station, he also shaped the crust. His skills are a force to be reckoned with.

I’ll tell you like I told our friends, “Break out the fat pants for this one, guys. It’s gonna be a great night.”

Ingredients: 

*Crust –

• 4 level cups bread flour
• 10 ounces (1.25 cups) warm water (I just microwave the water for 1 minute)
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 package dry yeast
• 3 tsp salt

*Recipe for dough adapted from this Little Caesar’s copycat recipe.

Topping –

• 1/2 pound (1/2 box) elbow macaroni
• 1/2 of a large Velveeta cheese block, cubed
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Muenster cheese, shredded
• panko bread crumbs for topping
• salted water for boiling pasta

Preparation:

Crust –

• Mix the salt thoroughly into the flour. (I place my flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl and whisk it well.)
• Combine warm water, sugar, honey, and yeast in your stand mixer bowl (or a separate large mixing bowl if making by hand) and mix well with a fork or a spoon. Set this aside for the yeast to activate. (It will get foamy when activated.)
• Add half the flour into the mixing bowl with the yeast mixture and start mixing with the paddle attachment if using your stand mixer (or mix by hand).
• Add remaining flour and the olive oil and mix well.
• When the ingredients are combined, attach the dough hook to the stand-mixer (if using) and knead for about 5 minutes.
• You may have to add more flour, a Tbsp at a time, until it reaches a smooth consistency. If your dough is sticky or goopy, it needs more flour.
• When the dough is smooth, form into a ball your hands, coat the entire ball lightly with olive oil, place it in a container with a loose-fitting lid (or cover lightly with plastic wrap) and place in the fridge to proof. You need to leave it in there for about 8 hours, or even overnight. It should keep in the fridge for as long as 2 or 3 days if needed.
• When ready to use, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Spread the dough out on a pizza stone or round baking sheet. (You can also use a rectangular sheet if that’s all you have. The shape doesn’t affect the taste, after all.)
• Dot holes all around the dough with a fork for ventilation.
• Bake the crust for about 2 or 3 minutes – just enough for a partial bake.
• Remove from the oven, and add the topping.

Topping –

• Place the Velveeta cubes and cream in a large saucepan over low-medium heat and melt until smooth.
• While the Velveeta is melting, cook (with salted water) and drain the macaroni.
• Place the noodles in the Velveeta mixture and mix until well-combined.
• Place the macaroni and cheese on the partially baked pizza crust, spreading it around evenly.
• Top evenly with Mozzarella and Muenster cheeses.
• Top the whole pizza evenly with a thin layer of panko bread crumbs.
• Bake the pizza at 450F for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bread crumbs are slightly browned. You can broil on high for just a few minutes if needed.
• Let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

This makes one very large mac and cheese pizza. This bad boy is thick. We cut ours into the standard (8) equal-sized pieces. One slice will probably adequately fill the average person. If you have a Hulk-sized appetite, you may be able to eat 2 pieces. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though. 😉 You can definitely cut the pieces smaller if needed. Sprinkle some cornmeal on the pan (which will cling to the bottom of the crust) for a little something extra.

The first time I made this pizza dough was a little frustrating. I had a big, goopy, glue-like mess that just wouldn’t seem to come together. At one point, I wanted to pull my hair out and throw it all across the yard in a fit of rage, undoubtedly making my neighbors question my sanity. Don’t do it. Just keep working with it and adding flour a little at a time. It will come together. (FYI – Patience sometimes isn’t my virtue…woo-sah.) However, the second time I made this, it came out perfectly. The dough formed beautifully, I didn’t have to add any extra flour, and my sanity was spared. What did I do differently the second time around, you ask? I have no freaking clue. Maybe the dough gods were feeling extra merciful.

This was a fun recipe to make (after my dough came together, that is). Our friends (and we) were quite smitten with this one, and it will definitely be happening again in the future. We hope you try it and love it as much as we did.