Domino’s has launched a deep-dish pizza which contains more than double the number of calories found in its regular pies.
The 12″ pepperoni pan pizza, which features a thick base, slathered with butter, two layers of cheese and toppings, boasts 2,420 calories and 130 grams of fat.
It makes for a dramatic contrast with the nutritional value of its regular thin-crust version, at 910 calories and 47 grams of fat.
The new pie also contains 43 grams more fat than a 40-piece bucket of chicken on sale at the chain and 138 more carbohydrates than an eight-piece bread basket.
It contains 500 more calories than the Original Pan Pizza’s 12″ equivalent (1,920 cals) and 420 more calories than Pizza Hut’s pepperoni thick base offering (2,000 cals).
Papa John’s pepperoni pie has one of the lowest calorie counts at 1,840 per 12″ round and 230 per 1/8 slice.
According to Todd Wilbur, the author of Top Secret Recipes, who has been cloning fast food favourites at home for decades, the pan pizza is made by pressing dough into a well-oiled or buttered pan, which is more similar to a cake pan than a typical pizza pan.
The pan is then covered and baked for up to 60 minutes before being topped and sprayed with a butter-flavoured product which helps achieve a golden crust.
It is the third time Domino’s has attempted to break the $6.4 billion deep pan pizza market dominated by Pizza Hut.
In 1986, the butter-baked creation was introduced by chain but many stores decided not to promote it because they took too long to prepare – the baking process can take up to two hours.
And in 1997 when the pan pizza was introduced for a second time poor sales prompted decision-makers to scrap it from the menu.
More than 5,000 Domino’s stores across the U.S. will be serving up pan pizzas as of today and an accompanying television ad campaign will launch on October 1.