Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza: What To Know Before Ordering

There are a lot of varieties of pizza you can get at Domino's. You can get the crunch of thin and crispy crust topped with extra cheese and vegetables to the point you might break the crust in half. You can get load up the Brooklyn Style crust with extra pepperoni and eat it folded up like you're walking down 5th Avenue at lunch hour. You can get some cheesy bread and dunk them in marinara sauce like an abstract version of pizza.

But, let's say that you're in the mood for a thick slice of good old-fashioned cheese pizza, or you've got a craving for some buttery, garlic, golden brown crust. Look no further then Domino's very own Handmade Pan Pizza. But how does it hold up to other pizzas, such as Pizza Hut's original Pan Pizza? Is it any good? Would it be getting a good deal? Fortunately, you can find all your answers to these questions here, to see if this type of pizza will pan out in the end.

Having made its triumphant debut in 2012 , Domino's Handmade Pan-styled crust is the pizza chain's take on the classic deep-dish pizza. Boasting a buttery, golden-brown crust with just the right hints of garlic, Handmade Pan is loaded with two layers of fresh cheese and toppings of such magnitude that they extend directly to the edge of the crust, ensuring that every bite you take is loaded with sauce, cheese, and toppings (via the Domino's website). Every inch of the pizza is ensured to be crammed with flavor.

But, where does the Handmade Pan name come in? Is that just a fancy marketing name like the Ch'king or the Quarter Pounder? Nope! Domino's assures pizza lovers all over that Handmade Pan starts life out as fresh never-frozen dough that is hand-pressed into a well-greased pan and baked to a delicious, crispy, but soft and chewy, doughy delight.

"There is a standard out there for pan pizza that we realized could be better," said Domino's Pizza president and chief executive officer Patrick Doyle. "The reason most people buy a pan pizza is for the crust, and that key component should be fresh, never frozen" (via dBusiness in 2012). Doyle also noted that what the company thought "didn't matter" — what only mattered was what the customer thought of it.

Via Brand Eating's review, the Handmade Pizza is described as indeed having the promised "toppings to the edge" and showing the crispiness of the crust without any oily, bubbly sheen that may be present in other pizza varieties. It boasts a moist, chewy quality to it, and a subtle butter-like flavor, though there's no butter in the recipe. Overall, Brand Eating declared it a "winner in their book" over other deep-dish pan pizzas.

GrubGrade also published a review of the Handmade Pan. They noted that Domino's can go too heavy on their garlic-butter flavoring, which combined with the layering of toppings and cheese to the crust, creates a sort of overload of flavors all at once. They also described that the crust can get a bit oily, which creates a bit of a mess trying to eat it. They did say they preferred the Handmade Pan to other deep-dish pizzas, but noted the large number of flavors makes it hard to tell any difference. 

In short, the Handmade Pizza is a pizza that puts an emphasis on flavor, and making sure you get lots of it, though it may be a bit too much for those who just want something light and easy to snack on during a weekend night.

The Handmade Pan is exclusive to medium-size, so you'll only have to worry about getting a bill for a medium pizza, although the cost seems to change according to what state you're in. According to RealMenuPrices, Handmade Pan Pizza is $7.99, which seems to be just the base cost of the pizza without any geographical locations factored in. FastFoodMenu's prices allow one to see what the cost will be based on your state.

If you live in New York, for example, you'll pay $10.47 for a medium Handmade Pizza, while in Florida, you would pay $8.95 for your pie. Fortunately, the cost of a Handmade Pizza seems to fall between $8-$10 at most, and since a medium Handmade Pizza is able to feed two to four people (via Dominos), it wouldn't be too terribly expensive for a quick dinner. 

For comparison, Pizza Hut's own Medium Pan Pizza costs $8.49, and when selected in New York, where Domino's Handmade Pizza is a bit more expensive, the cost comes out to $15.71 (via FastFoodMenu). Domino's Handmade Pizza beats out its competitor by $5.03.

When you go to Domino's (or any fast food place, for that matter), you know that it may not be the healthiest food in the world. There's no shame in wanting some good unhealthy food from time to time — after all, a good pizza on a Friday night always hit the spot, right?

Nor is there shame in being sensible while you dig in. Using Domino's Calorie Calculator, a slice of plain Handmade Pan Pizza boasts 290 calories. One slice contains 15 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbs and 10 grams of protein (via CalorieKing). A slice of Handmade Pan with pepperoni has 300 calories, 16 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbs, and 11 grams of protein (via CalorieKing)

While not as calorie-heavy as other fast-food items out there (such as a Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple Cheeseburger, at 1,520 calories, per Fast Food Nutrition), Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza will help scratch the human itch we have for some fast food every now and then. (Just don't go overboard on it, okay?)

So, now you know the facts of Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza: its tastes, its cost, how much calories are involved, and what everyone else seems to think of it. The only other question is: Is this the right kind of pizza for me?

The answer to that comes down to a matter of your personal taste. The Handmade Pan pizza is meant to be a small crowd pleaser, topped with layers of gooey cheese and toppings all across a garlic-butter crust. It's not meant to be eaten by just one person (not that you couldn't do it, though it's not recommended); rather, it's meant to enjoyed by all different types of people as one big happy pizza family.

If you don't feel like picking up a medium pizza for yourself, save the Handmade Pan for your next party and enjoy it the way pizza was meant to be enjoyed: with family and friends.