Shakespeare's Pizza and Mail Order Pizza

How to Cook a Shakespeare's Pizza

We sell two kinds of pizzas that you can cook at home:

1. Half Bakes (Take-n-Bake)- Half bakes are generally made to order at the restaurant with whatever toppings you want, but we don't bake them.  They are given to you cold (not frozen). They are intended to be cooked and eaten within a few hours, or maybe the next day at most.  If you wait too long (like days), the sauce and the raw dough stew together and you get a real mess.
2. Frozen Pies - Frozen pies keep for weeks or months or maybe even a whole spool of dental floss, as long as they are kept frozen. We keep a couple of varieties available at the restaurants and at local grocers.  We can also make any topping choice you want on special order.  E-mail us if you would like to get your very special topping choice.  If you order by the case, you get wholesale pricing!

Here's how to do it:

1. Microwaving your pizza: NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.  We will not be responsible for the gooey mess you end up with.  If you want to try microwaving, you are on your own.  You wouldn't microwave your pet, would you?  Don't microwave our pizza.  Doing either will make you, and us, cry.
2. If you have a frozen pizza, let it thaw a bit, like while the oven is preheating.
3. PREHEAT your oven to 350.
4. Cook the pie about 10-30 minutes.
5. Look at the pizza, not the clock.
6. The pizza is in the oven, not the on the clock.
7. Cook till you have a nice browned pizza.  The most common error is undercooking. 
8. Look at the bottom and the top.  You want a nice deep golden brown bottom.  (If the top is good but the bottom is still white, put the bottom near the element or flame and turn up the oven so the bottom catches up with the top.  If the bottom is done but the top is still rare or raw, turn the broiler on and put the pie near it so the top catches up.)

To help, here's some pics straight out of our training manual...

Raw to very rare:

• Cheese is white.  Melted, maybe, but still white.
• Veggies are warm maybe, but not seared
• Meatballs are pink or light brown, and certainly pink inside if you break one open.  (Eat raw sausage and you'll meet Mr. Trichinosis and go for a ride on the porcelain bus.)
• Crust is white to light brown, and soft.  Maybe even still dough-y and cold in the middle.

 

Just Right:

• Cheese is Golden Brown.
• Veggies are seared on the tips, but not shriveled, and still juicy in the thick parts.
• Meatballs are a nice deep brown, but still juicy
• Crust is a nice golden brown. (Some parts may be darker and some lighter)

 

Well Done to Burned:

• Cheese is dark brown, butterfat is separating from cheese solids, pizza appears greasy.
• Veggies are shriveled, dry and brown, not juicy.
• Meatballs are dry and dark brown. Pepperonis are cupping.
• Crust is dark brown and hard as a rock.

 

 

Sound good? Buy a 3-pie mail-order package (or two or five) and become the Chez of the block.