BY DENISE GREER PHOTO JOSH KEOWN tuffed-crust pizzas isn't a new idea. Pizza Hut has been one-upping its stuffedcrust pizza since it debuted in 1995. The pizza chain has rolled out bacon and cheese, grilled cheese and pepperoni stuffed versions. But it was a hot dog stuffed crust pizza that nearly broke the Internet in 2012. But the tradition stretches (pun intended) long before Pizza Hut put its stamp on the technique. Let's look at three recipes with three different ways to stuff the crust. Star Pizza A star-shaped pizza is a stunner. Just browse the #starpizza hashtag on Instagram. It's a simple technique with a knockout presentation. The origin of this beauty traces to D' Attilio's alla Carnevale pizza in Naples, Italy. It's been on the pizzeria's menu since the 1940s. We tried our own version of the star pizza in the Pizza Today Test Kitchen. Here's the recipe: The Pepperoni Star 1 18-ounce dough ball 6-8 pepperoni ½ tablespoon minced garlic ½ cup whole milk mozzarella ¼ cup ricotta 4 ounces tomato sauce 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan Basil, chiffonade 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Coarse sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper to taste Stretch dough to 12- or 14-inch circle. Take a knife and make a 2-inch cut at the edge of the dough in 8 symmetrical places (where you would typically slice a finished pie). Spoon a dollop of ricotta halfway in between each cut line and 1 inch from edge. Sprinkle Parmesan, salt and pepper over each dollop. For each dol- lop, lift up the cut corner of the dough on both sides of the dollop and bring them together to form a triangle over the ricotta. Then fold the joined dough pieces down and over the dollop. Press to seal the stuffed triangle and press down the inside dough that overlaps. Repeat for remaining slice edges. Brush olive oil over triangles. Ladle and spread tomato sauce to where the triangle meets the inner pizza, followed by mozzarella evenly. Add small dollops of ricotta and distribute pepperoni around pizza. Bake until crispy and the crust is golden. Finish with dried oregano, basil and sea salt. Cut slices in between stuffed triangles and serve. Chicago Stuffed Pizza This is a classic Chicago-style stuffed pizza from the late Pat Bruno. It's not to be confused with Deep Dish. This is basically a double crust with toppings and cheese in between the layers and the sauce on top.http://hotrocksoven.com http://hotrocksoven.com