Rectangle School Pizza

5 from 2 votes

The hot lunch menu just got even better with this rectangle school pizza recipe that tastes just as delicious as you remember it.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Rest Time10

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Rectangle School Pizza Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 397kcal

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Coat the entire surface of an 18x13 rimmed baking sheet (also known as a half sheet tray) with 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil then sprinkle the surface with the cornmeal to keep the crust from sticking to the tray once baked. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the all-purpose flour, instant nonfat dry milk, salt, granulated sugar, quick-rise yeast and the remaining 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the warm water to your dry ingredients. Start with the 1⅔ cups, then you may need to add a tablespoon at a time, but no more than the 2 cups, to get a pourable consistency to your dough. My dough took a tablespoon or so more than the 1⅔ but did not take the entire 2 cups.
Continue to mix on low for 2 to 3 minutes or until you have a smooth, pourable dough. A few small lumps are fine. It should be the consistency of a thick pancake batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared rimmed baking sheet and gently spread the dough into an even layer that covers the entire surface of the baking sheet. Allow the dough to rest in the pan for 10 minutes.
Bake the pizza crust for 10 to 12 minutes, or just until starting to get golden, on the lower rack of your oven.
While your pizza crust is baking, you can prepare your toppings.

In a large 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and mild Italian sausage for 7 to 8 minutes or until no pink remains. Be sure to break the meat up as it cooks. (That way it looks more like the topping on school pizzas)
Transfer the cooked meats to a paper towel-lined plate and set it aside.
Once the crust has baked for 10 to 12 minutes, remove from the oven and evenly spread the pizza sauce over the top of the crust.
Sprinkle 2 cups of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the sauce.
Next, evenly sprinkle the cooked meat topping over the cheese.
Top the meat with the remaining 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Lastly, sprinkle the dried Italian seasoning over the cheese.
Return the pizza to the oven and bake, on the middle oven rack, for an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Carefully slice the pizza into 12 rectangular pieces.

It’s really important to make sure your water is the right temperature (105°F) so that the yeast is activated.
If you do not have rapid rise (also known as instant) yeast, you can substitute it with a packet of active dry yeast instead. This is a standard yeast that can easily be found at your local grocery store in the baking aisle. You will not add the active dry yeast directly to your bowl of dry ingredients, instead, you will add it to your warm water along with the granulated sugar and allow it to sit for 3 to 4 minutes or until it gets foamy. You will then proceed with the recipe at step 3 for the pizza crust.
Instant nonfat dry milk powder is used for this recipe because it adds richness, and tenderness, to the pizza crust without adding additional liquid to the recipe. The milk also helps with the browning of the crust. The crust for this recipe is meant to be soft and tender, not chewy like a traditional pizza. The instant nonfat dry milk powder is shelf-stable so bakers can keep it as a pantry staple when they want to make tender loaves of white sandwich bread, chewy cookies, or this pourable pizza crust.
To get that authentic look you remember so well from school, spread the sauce almost right to the edge of the crust.
If you have really small children, you can slice the pizza into smaller squares to make it more manageable.