Will Freeze Dried Cheese Melt on Pizza?

  If you interested in food storage you have probably wondered the same thing. 

Let's be honest.  As much as I love powdered cheese, it just won't work on my pizza.  I need real mozzarella cheese, in a pinch I can use cheddar on my pizza, but I absolutely can not use powdered cheese. 

But will freeze dried cheese melt on pizza? 

Yes it will.  But first you are going to rehydrate it. 

How to Rehydrate Freeze Dried Cheese:

• •  Measure the amount of freeze dried cheese that you want to rehydrate.
  •   If you want 1 cup fresh cheese then you need 1 cup of freeze dried cheese
  • While stirring, slowly drizzle water over cheese until the cheese won’t accept it anymore. 
  • If the water starts to puddle on the bottom of the bowl you have added too much, don’t worry just pour it off.
  • You want the cheese to be moist but not soggy.   Don’t drowned your cheese just moisten it.
  • After the cheese is moist, store in an air tight container, like a zip lock bag, then refrigerate it for 1 hour or overnight. 
  •   I like to rehydrate what I think I will need for one week and keep it in the fridge.

Back to the pizza. 

My husband LOVES pizza hut pan pizza.  I am generally too cheap frugal to buy it. So when I found this recipe I was excited to see if we liked it.  The crust is made from food storage ingredients, and if you use sauce from your food storage and freeze dried cheese and sausage, this is a 100% food storage recipe.   Bottom of Form

Printable Recipe

100% Food Storage Pan Pizza

Makes:  3 pan pizzas

1 1/3 cup warm water (105 degrees F)
1/4 cup non-fat dry milk (or ½ cup instant dry milk)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for dough)

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

9 ounces vegetable oil (3 ounce per pan)
butter flavored cooking spray

Pizza Sauce:  I used canned Hunt’s 3 Cheese.  If you want to make your own,  I like this pizza sauce recipe  made from tomato powder. 

2 cup Mozzarella Cheese  (2 cup freeze dried mozzarella cheese rehydrated)

Put yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk in a large (2 qt.) bowl. Add water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit for two minutes.  Add oil and stir again.  Add flour and stir until dough forms and flour is absorbed.  Knead for about  3 minutes in your Kitchen Aid or 10 minutes by hand.    

Cover with saran wrap and place in warm area.  Allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until double.  

Or you can do a quick rise is a warm oven.  Heat your oven to the lowest temperature.  In my oven that is 175 degrees, then TURN THE OVEN OFF.  Place dough in the oven and let rise for 20 minutes, or until double in size.  

Or if you are in a super hurry you can skip the rise.  The pizza won’t be quite as good but it will still be fine.  If you are skipping the rise be sure to let the dough rest for 5 minutes after you need it before you roll it out.

Divide dough into three balls.

In three 9" cake pans, put ¼ cup oil in each making sure it is spread evenly. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9" circle. Place in cake pans.  It is okay of the circle of pizza dough is slightly smaller than the pan.  When it bakes it will fill up the pan.

Spray the outer edge of dough with cooking spray.   Lightly dust the crust with garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F

For each 9 inch pizza:

Pizza after dough has baked 10 minutes and sprinkled with spices.

Bake pizza without topping for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and carefully add toppings. 

•  Spoon 1/3 cup sauce on dough and spread to within 1" of edge.
•  Distribute 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese on sauce.
• Place toppings of your choice and then top an additional 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese. 

I did add more cheese after the sausage. 

 Return pizza to the oven and cook until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown.

Recipe adapted from:  Pizza Hut Original Pan Pizza