Impossible Pizza Pie with a Golden Crispy Crust

A pizza pie that builds its own crust while it bakes sounds too easy to be good, and every golden slice proves otherwise. Seasoned ground beef and crisp-edged pepperoni sit under a blanket of melted mozzarella, and a simple batter of baking mix, milk and eggs puffs up around them into a tender, golden crust. One skillet, one bowl, one pan, and dinner is on the table in under an hour.

Impossible pies earned their name decades ago because the crust seems to appear from nowhere: you pour a thin batter over a filling, and as it bakes the batter separates into a bottom crust while the filling sets above it. This version turns that trick into pizza.

The beef layer browns while the oven heats, the pepperoni and mozzarella go straight over it, and the batter pours on last so it can soak down between the layers and set into something sturdy enough to slice.

The pan goes into a hot oven, comes out puffed and deeply golden, and rests just long enough for the cheese to stop stretching and hold its place. What lands on the plate looks like a slice of deep-dish pizza, tastes like one, and took a fraction of the effort.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

The method works because of how the thin batter behaves in a hot oven. Baking mix already contains its own leavening and fat, so when it meets the milk and eggs it rises quickly, and the eggs set around the flour to form a crust that is tender but firm. Pouring the batter over the filling instead of mixing it in means it flows into every gap between the cheese shreds, then bakes into a single connected layer that grips the beef below and the cheese above.

Order matters as much as the batter. Browning the beef first builds the savory base and drives off water that would otherwise steam the crust from below, and draining the fat keeps the bottom from turning greasy.

Layering pepperoni over the beef puts its edges near the hot pan surface where they curl and crisp. The mozzarella goes on top of the meat rather than under it, so it melts into the batter as it rises and forms that glossy, stretchy top layer in the finished slices.

Notes and substitutions

Use an all-purpose baking mix, the shelf-stable kind sold beside the flour, not pancake batter or cake mix; the leavening and shortening already in the box are what make the crust puff and brown. Whole milk gives the richest set, though two percent works fine.

Shred the mozzarella from a block if possible, since pre-shredded cheese carries anti-caking starch that can slow the melt. Choose 85 percent lean ground beef: leaner than that and the filling turns dry, fattier and the crust below turns soggy.

A 9-inch metal pie pan is the right vessel; it conducts heat well and browns the crust evenly. Glass works but bakes a few minutes slower. A 10-inch skillet is large enough to brown a pound of beef without crowding, which matters because crowding steams the meat instead of browning it. If the filling looks sparse in a deeper dish, a 10-inch oven-safe skillet can take the whole recipe in one pan, though the crust sets a little softer around the edges.

• all-purpose baking mix: Whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tbsp cold butter cut in fine crumbs; the self-raising batter sets the same way.
• ground beef: Ground Italian sausage gives a spicier pie; brown it the same way and drain the rendered fat before layering.
• pepperoni: Sliced hard salami or fully cooked Italian sausage rounds work; they crisp in the oven just like pepperoni.
• shredded mozzarella: A blend of mozzarella and provolone melts smoothly and browns a shade deeper on top.

Equipment

• 9-inch round pie pan
• 10-inch skillet
• Medium mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon
• Pie server
• Fork