School Lunch Cheese Pizza

A rectangular slice of cheese pizza, part of a complete meal in 80s and 90s schools in the US

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City/Region: United States of America

Time Period: 1988

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Food in US schools from when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s were, to put it mildly, not the healthiest. Either there was actual fast food available, or many meals mimicked fast food favorites, like this cheese pizza.

One bite of this pizza brought back a flood of memories. It is almost exactly how I remember it from middle school, and I highly recommend making it to anyone who has rectangle pizza nostalgia. I chose to make it with the pourable crust because I was intrigued, but after tasting it, I’m convinced it was the same one that my school used.

“Pourable Pizza Crust

Ingredients
Active dry yeast (see note)...1/2 cup
Warm water (110 °F)...1 gal
All-purpose or bread flour…6 1/4 qt
Noninstant, nonfat dry milk…1 qt
OR
Instant nonfat dry milk…1 qt 3 3/4 cups
Sugar…1 1/4 cups
Salt…2 1/2 tsp
Vegetable oil…1/4 cup
Cornmeal…1 cup

Directions
For best results, have all ingredients and utensils at room temperature.
1. Dissolve dry yeast in warm water. Let stand 4-5 minutes.
2. Place flour, milk, sugar, and salt in mixer bowl. Using a whip, blend on low speed for 4 minutes.
3. Add dissolved yeast and oil. Blend on medium speed for 10 minutes. Batter will be lumpy.
4. Oil five sheet pans (18”x26”x1”). Sprinkle each pan with 1 oz (approximately 3 Tbsp) cornmeal.
5. Pour or spread 3 lb 6 oz (1 1/2 qt) batter into each pan. Let stand for 20 minutes.
6. Prebake until crust is set: Conventional oven: 475 °F for 10 minutes. Convection oven: 425 °F for 7 minutes
7. Top each prebaked crust with desired topping or use Pizza With Ground Beef Topping recipe (see D-31), or Pizza With Cheese Topping recipe (see D-30).
8. Bake until heated through and cheese is melted: Conventional oven: 475 °F for 10-15 minutes. Convection oven: 425 °F for 5 minutes.
9. Portion by cutting each sheet pan 4x5 (20 pieces per pan).

Pizza With Cheese Topping

Ingredients
Pizza dough in pans…5 sheet pans
Dehydrated onions…1 cup 2 Tbsp.
OR
Fresh onions, chopped…1 qt 1 1/4 cups
Garlic powder…1 TBS 1 1/2 tsp
Black pepper…2 tsp
Tomato paste…1/2 No. 10 can
Water…3 1/2 qt
Seasonings
Flaked basil…1/4 cup 2 Tbsp
Flaked oregano…1/4 cup 2 Tbsp
Flaked marjoram…1/4 cup 1 Tbsp
Flaked thyme…1 Tbsp
Mozzarella cheese, shredded 3 1/4 gal

Directions
1. For pizza dough, use Pizza Crust recipe (see B-14) or Pourable Pizza Crust recipe (see B-15).
2. Combine onions, garlic powder, pepper, tomato paste, water, and seasonings. Simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle 12 oz (3 cups) shredded cheese evenly over each pizza crust.
4. Spread 1 qt tomato mixture over cheese in each pan.
5. Sprinkle 1 lb 12 oz (1 3/4 qt) shredded cheese evenly over tomato mixture in each pan.
6. Bake until crust is lightly browned. Conventional oven: 475°F for 15-18 minutes. Convection oven: 450°F for 15 minutes.
7. Cut each pan 4x5 (20 pieces per pan).”

— Quantity Recipes for School Food Service by the United States Department of Agriculture, 1988

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Ingredients:

Crust

• 2 1/2 tsp (7 g) active dry yeast
• 1 2/3 cup (375 ml) warm water (110°F/43°C)
• 2 1/2 cups (320 g) all-purpose or bread flour
• 3/4 cup (55 g) instant nonfat dry milk
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (15 g) cornmeal

Toppings

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons (12 g) minced dried onion
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (160 g) tomato paste
• 1 1/3 cups (330 ml) water
• 5 1/4 cups (565 g) shredded mozzarella*

*For the ground beef version, replace half of the cheese with just under 1 pound of ground beef that you’ve cooked before topping the pizza with it.

Instructions:

1. For the crust: Preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C). For a convection oven, preheat to 425°F (220°C).
2. Stir the yeast into the warm water until it’s mostly dissolved and let it sit for 5 minutes to become foamy.
3. Combine the flour, dry milk, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with the whisk attachment on low for 4 minutes. I’m not exactly sure why the mixing time is so long here, but it’s in the historical recipe.
4. After the dry ingredients have mixed, add the yeast mixture and the vegetable oil and mix on medium speed for 10 minutes.
5. While the batter mixes, coat a half sheet pan with oil, then sprinkle it evenly with the cornmeal.
6. Once the batter is ready, spread it evenly into the prepared pan. If you’re having trouble getting it to spread, let it sit for a few minutes, then try again. This allows the batter to relax and become more spreadable.
7. Bake for 10 minutes in a regular oven, or 7 minutes in a convection oven. It should only be partially baked at this point, and it’s time for toppings.
8. For the sauce: In a saucepan, stir together the seasonings with the tomato paste and water. Bring to a simmer, then continue to simmer for about 10 minutes.
9. To assemble: Reduce the oven temperature to 475°F (245°C) for a regular oven, or 450°F (230°C) for a convection oven.
10. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups (160 g) of the cheese evenly over the parbaked pizza crust.
11. Spread the sauce evenly over the cheese. The sauce and cheese will likely end up mixing together, and that’s okay. The most important part is to make sure the sauce is spread evenly over the whole pizza to the edge of the pan.
12. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the pizza, all the way to the edges.
13. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it browns on top.
14. Slice the pizza into however many slices you want, I did 9. Serve it forth with your favorite nostalgic school lunch staples like chocolate milk.

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