Donatos is a restaurant spreading in nearly over 300 locations in almost 20 states of the United States. It is famously known for its signature pizza lineup of thin crust pizza loaded edge to edge with toppings. Since its launch in 1963, it has introduced several new mouthwatering pizzas, with the most recent menu innovation being the ultimate grilled cheese pizza. Herein is the Donatos grilled cheese pizza review. Delve in
Ultimate Grilled Cheese Pizza
Described by the Donatos CEO Tom Krouse as comfort food with a unique and flavorful twist, this pizza has something to offer to both cheese and pizza lovers. Even though available for a limited time, the menu innovation team of Donatos pizza did a great job transforming two delicious foods, grilled cheese pizza, and mashups, into a delicious pizza.
The uniqueness of this piece is because of the premium ingredients it is made of, besides the signature thin-crust pizza.
Ingredients of the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Pizza
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This thin-crust ultimate grilled cheese pizza combines two top choices of the biggest food trends, the best comfort foods. Additionally, it is loaded with premium quality ingredients and topped with bread crumbs toasted perfectly. The ingredients include;
- Thin crust
- Smoked provolone
- Asiago cheese
- Hardwood smoked bacon
- Fresh roma tomatoes
- Roasted garlic
- Toasted bread crumbs
Size and Price of Ultimate Grilled Cheese Pizza
The suggested prices of the ultimate cheese pizza range from $6.79 for a 7-inch pizza to $16.29 for a 14-inch pizza, but they may vary by location.
Donatos menu also offer other pizza types like Chicken spinach mozzarella, Mariachi pizza and many more in 4 sizes; 9 inches individual, 13 inches small, 14 inches medium and 15 inches large. According to the menu, the price range is $6.29 to $17.29.
What’s Good with the Donatos Grilled Cheese Pizza
With this pizza, Donatos opted for a perfect combination of cheeses. Mild asiago and smoked provolone guarantee its creamy and buttery texture perfect for the cheese lovers.
Besides the cheeses, its exceptional flavor is due to the smoke-flavored bacon, the Roma tomatoes' freshness, and the roasted garlic's amazing aroma. As for the topping, the crispy dimension results from the evenly toasted bread crumbs added on top.
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The edge-to-edge policy of the Donatos pizza is quite evident with this dish because there's not a single piece of the crust that is not covered in toppings. Moreover, the toppings are abundant and hold premium quality ingredients. So if you are to try something new for lunch or dinner or anytime snack, this pizza is a thing worth your try.
This new ultimate grilled cheese pizza can be found in all Donatos restaurants for delivery, pickups, and dine in. You can also hook up with Donatos pizza for a late night snack.
The Downside of the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Pizza
Other grilled cheese comes in a pizza sandwich with cheese inside the crust. As for the ultimate grilled cheese pizza, it has a crust on the bottom side and toasted bread crumbs at the top. Typically, this doesn't resemble a grilled cheese piece. But Donatos restaurant's signature is the famous thin crust pizzas which is difficult or impossible to use with the grilled cheese pizza-making technique.
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Additionally, compared to Donatos Serious Cheese Pizza, there's not much difference besides the added flavor of asiago cheese and the smoked bacon. This slight difference made us feel like the name is misleading even though it has an amazing taste with the most satisfying texture.
Again, it is worrying that even though this pizza is worth a go, it is not a standard part of Donatos menu, making it only available for a limited time.
Other Inclusions
Donatos is famous for the additional plenty of toppings with each order you make, and the case of ultimate grilled cheese pizza is no different. The restaurant also offers three main pizza sizes, which include individual (7 inches), medium (12 inches), and large (14 inches).
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However, this pizza comes with a different eating experience. We are all used to triangle-shaped pieces. But this pizza comes in rectangular-shaped slices with no wires to enable equal distribution of the toppings. This makes it just the perfect plan for many people because there's an assurance that everyone is getting a taste of the premium quality ingredients from the party-cut slices.
Donato Pizza Recipe
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Despite the different pizza toppings, Donatos has a signature thin crust common to every dish. After trying out their pizzas for a while, we got interested in making what would look and taste exactly like a Donatos pizza. Herein is a recipe for a 14 inches pizza. Dig in
Ingredients
- 250g bread flour 115g water
- ½ teaspoon easy bake (IDY)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (Soybean or Canola)
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet dried dairy whey
- 1 teaspoon baker's non-fat dry milk
- 1 egg, large
Directions
1. Mix the non-fat milk with a small amount of the total water. Stir, then scald with a microwave and set aside to cool.
2. In a big bowl, combine the flour, dried dairy whey, and sugar. Whisk to mix, then set aside
3. Pour the remaining water into the stand mixers bowl and add salt. Stir to dissolve
4. Crack the egg and mix well, then add into the mixing bowl
5. Add the liquid non-fat dry milk to the mixer bowl and whisk to mix well
6. Into the flour mixture, gradually add the mixer bowl mixture as you knead until everything is well incorporated, and the dough is formed into an elastic ball pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl
7. Add the vegetable oil. Knead to combine until the dough is even and slightly sticky
8. Shape the dough by hand into a ball
9. Oil the dough ball, place it in a covered container then put it in a refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours
Making the Brand’s Famous Thin-Crust
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1. Remove the dough from the fridge and warm it for 2 hours at room temperature
2. On a floured surface, roll out the dough using a rolling pin to shape it into 14 inches
3. Lightly oil the dough with the vegetable oil
4. Proof in the oven with humidity for ½ hour
5. Pull out the skin and leave it on the counter for a while until the edges get crusty
Pizza Dressing
Dress the thin crust using Donatos' sauce, shredded provolone cheese, and any other best topping combinations of your choice.
Baking the Pizza
1. Preheat the oven with the pizza stone on the lower rack to 450 degrees
2. Place the pizza in the pizza stone and bake for 7 to 10 minutes
3. Transfer to the upper rack and bake for another 5 minutes until the top is more crusty and the bottom is golden brown
4. Remove from the oven and let cool
5. Slice the thin crust pizza into squares or rectangular shapes and serve
How to Prepare Donatos’ Sauce
Unlike other pizza stores, Donatos uses its brand sauce which might be one of the many reasons its pizza is more tasty and unique
Ingredients
- 170g can tomato paste
- 150g water
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon basil
Directions
1. Put together all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Stir to mix well and set aside overnight.
3. Do not cook
Other Donatos’ Products
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When the restaurant was founded in 1963 by Jim Grote, he made the official brand promise of serving the best pizza. The restaurant has kept this promise by continuously launching new delicious dishes, including the hand-tossed pizza crust option in 2009, Donatos take-and-bake pizza in 2004, and NatureCrust in 2015.
Donatos restaurant is also known for its spicy pizza called mariachi beef and mariachi chicken pizza, which is always served with sour cream. Additionally, it offers oven-baked subs, chicken wings, desserts, fresh salads, and shareable sides.
Not to forget the famous large pepperoni pizza boating 100+ pieces of pepperoni. Customers are also allowed to mix and match a variety of 25 fresh toppings hand-cut daily.
Final Thought
The ultimate grilled cheese pizza adding to the variety of Donatos menu is, no doubt, delicious. Delicious thin crust and the abundance of premium toppings met our expectations from Donatos, even though we found the name misleading. In addition, this grilled cheese pizza has something unique to offer to the extra cheese lovers, the smoked provolone cheese and the asiago cheese. So try this flavorful dish, and be sure to return for more
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