We’re pizza people around here. I usually do my best to plan ahead and make my own pizza dough, but life isn’t always planned out so nicely and sometimes I just want to go grab a pizza. A Papa Murphy’s Pizza opened near us a little while ago and I immediately loved the concept. It’s a take-n-bake place, meaning that we could wait until we are ready to eat and bake it fresh at home.
That was about the extent of my knowledge of the process until I was invited to come get a behind the scenes peek last week. Being 39 weeks pregnant and offered to come learn about and eat pizza? Was this a dream?
Though I was pumped about the free pizza, I really enjoyed learning more about Papa Murphy’s process; it’s much fresher than you might guess! They use this big daddy mixer to make their dough, FRESH, everyday.
Fresh was important to me because it means the dough only contains what dough should- flour, water, yeast, etc. One batch makes 65 pounds of dough, which makes roughly 55 family sized pizzas.
Everything is weighed and portioned out to ensure quality control. And gluten-free friends, I received word that a gluten-free version is in the works!
I was stoked when we got to make our own pizzas, then became a little overwhelmed. Everything is very precise and I quickly realized that working there would take some real upfront training until you learned the correct amounts of each topping for each pizza.
Sauce, cheese and toppings are weighed to make sure things stay consistently delicious. 7 ounces of sauce and 14 ounces of cheese go on a family sized pizza.
And if you order pepperoni on your family size pizza, count them- there should be exactly 60. Who knew??
There are charts showing how much of each topping goes on each pizza and while we are chatting toppings, there are NO freezers at Papa Murphy’s. They wash and chop all their toppings fresh, shred their own cheese and do everything from scratch.
I asked about fan favorites and it turns out the Herb Chicken pizza and the cowboy (pepperoni, sausage, mushroom and olives) are two of the most popular orders. However, the possible combinations are endless. I was told a story about a customer that comes in occasionally and orders a pizza with every. single. topping. Truly, every topping. That’s just impressive.
I opted to make a thin curst with half veggie and half herb chicken. I was quite pleased with my choice, especially when I realized I wouldn’t have to share. You see, they have these awesome little kits for kids called the Mini Murph.
It includes a small crust, sauce, cheese and a tattoo. Hailey was pretty stoked about making her own pizza!
She took adding sauce pretty seriously, but the cheese was by far her favorite part. I was relieved they included two containers. Papa Murphy’s must know that one container makes it on the pizza while the other immediately becomes the appetizer.
A few minutes in the oven and then Hailey gobbled it up!
Thanks Papa Murphy’s for letting me come check out the pizza making process!
Where do you grab a pizza from most often?
Have you had Papa Murphy’s pizza before?
What are your favorite pizza toppings?
John J. says
Thanks for the tip about this place. I’ll remember it when I come see you and Baby Dixon – SOON!
Brittany Dixon says
A Papa Murphy’s for our Papa John!! Hope to see you sooner than later! C’mon baby girl…
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
How fun! We had Papa Murphy’s in Columbus and my family and I would get it fairly often. I haven’t seen one in Richmond but I’ll have to keep an eye out!
Danielle @ LMYR says
What a great idea! I’ll have to keep an eye out for a Papa Murphy’s.
We live a block away from a pizza place, so I’m a bit embarrassed to admit how often we order pizza. But then again, there seems to be a pizza shop on every block here in Chicagoland!
Kaitlyn (Keeping up with Kaitlyn) says
This place sounds amazing! Wish we had one close by!
Beth says
We had a Papa Murphy’s nearby when we lived in Indiana and loved it! The veggie pizza was our “go to” order. Unfortunately, there are none in the ATL area. Boo, hiss.
Jaclyn @ Bumpsweat says
We have a Papa Murphy’s just 5 minutes away. We love it, especially the freshness and the fact they’re always sending coupons in the mail.
christina says
Wow, impressed by this! You look so cute making the pizza. No freezers…that’s pretty awesome!
Emily Watson says
Their Herb Chicken Mediterranean is amazing! Love it.
Staci says
I haven’t been to Papa Murphys in forever, its a little out of the way, but it sounds so much better than grabbing a frozen pizza to cook at home! I’ll have to go back and grab a small one this weekend! Thanks for the reminder about how great they are!!
Ali says
We love Papa Murphys. David and I used to eat it during football games like once a week! There $5 special can’t be beat. I feel like the ingredients are much better than some of the other chain pizza places. Now that I don’t eat gluten, it’s one of the biggest things I miss!
Sabrina says
THAT FACE! Hailey makes the BEST faces, especially about food!
Heather says
We’re big Papa Murphy’s fans at our house! I didn’t realize it was really all that fresh, though. Makes me feel better about ordering there, and definitely makes me want to pick up a thin crust for dinner. We love the chicken garlic pizza and the chicken bacon artichoke delite best.
Maria says
I’m impressed by this place and honestly, just thought it was another pizza place. Kind of like Papa John’s. I had no idea it was take in bake AND they used fresh ingredients. I looked it up and there’s one down the street from me – whoop! Good to know!
What a cute photo of you!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
How FUN! And you are just the cutest! Love that photo of you making your pizza. We are totally pizza people too! YUM!
Becky@TheSavedRunner says
I am a fan of Papa Murphy’s pizza, but I had no idea about their process! I think that’s so cool that they invited you there. The fact that all of their ingredients are fresh every day makes me love them even more!
Jamie says
I love Papa Murphys and my son loves the mini Murph. We get one for him every time we go because my husband and I like the Delite pizzas and he isn’t much of a fan.
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I LOVE Papa Murphy’s pizza! The taste is fantastic, I love that it is FRESH, and their veggie pizza is pretty much to die for 🙂
Joanna @ Midwestern Bite says
We have Papa Murphy’s around here (and I’m pretty sure one of them is right on my husband’s way home from work). I will have to give them a try!
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
Your pizza looks delicious and what a great photo of you making it!
Matt @ Runner Savvy says
I actually don’t like Papa Murphy’s that much!
Domi @ Eat, Pray, Lift says
First of all, how cute are you?!
My family has loved Papa Murph’s for a looong time. A family size “Chicken Bacon Artichoke” is our go to…and when I’m home for dinner, clearly the artichokes are my favorite part. 😉
Amanda says
There used to be a papa Murphy’s by our house like ten years ago…. It stayed open for less than a year and closed 🙁 now it’s a little caesars—- YUCK.
Chantal says
I LOVE Papa Murphy’s and have been eating there for YEARS… except when we don’t live near one, obviously. I miss it. It’s the best pizza.
Marci says
We just got one by us too. I tried it a few weeks ago. Love there aren’t freezers and ingredients are fresh daily. We thought the dough was better than expected. Fun idea! Also want to deliver it to families with new babies when I bring dinner.