Home Cookin’ Test – Red Baron Fire Baked Pizza – Burgers, Dogs and Pizza, Oh My!

Red Baron Fire Baked Pizza

From deep in the frozen pizza capital of the U.S., Marshall, Minnesota (????), comes this new offering from the Red Baron Brand, part of the Schwan’s Food Company. The “Fire-Baked Original Crust Italian Style Meat Trio” is one of a plethroa of new types of pies the frozen pizza industry has introduced of late.

Red Baron posts their new offering is “the authentic pizzeria style taste that comes from cooking the crust in a fiery 800°F oven – tender on the inside, and crispy on the bottom. Topped with all the finest vegetables, meats and 100% real cheeses.”

Red Baron Fire Baked Pizza

The 22 oz meat monster is topped with ham, sausage and pepperoni, though “contents may settle during shipping”, and you will note in this pic, that you will have to do a little remodeling between removing the pizza from the box and placing it in the oven.

The product calls for fairly standard baking instructions, and the box provides you with directions to obtain a crispy crust, or a softer one, depending on whether you place the pizza directly on an oven shelf, or on a cookie sheet. I often wish manufacturers would also provide a set of instructions for cooking on a stone, but realize I am in a clear minority of people who employ that method at home.

Five minute prior to the end of the baking cycle, the pie looks as depicted below. Although not suggested by Schwan’s, I usually finish off my frozen pies under the broiler for a moment or two. I like the effect that ‘heat blast’ has on the cheese.

Overall, I liked this offering. The sauce is mildly-spiced, the meats have fairly good flavor, the pepperoni doesn’t cup or char. The ham and sausage pieces could be bigger. Red Baron comes in a mid-price range for frozen pizzas, around $4 or $5, but often on sale.

Schwan’s “Tony’s” brand seems to be their low price offering, with their Freschetta lable hitting the higher end of the spectrum (but still not as much as California Pizza Kitchen or Wolfgang Puck.

My conclusion is that this pie is as good as any in its segment, and the ‘fire-baked’ treatment does make for a more pleasurable crust experience.

The frozen pizza industry is busy trying to lure consumers with new choices, or at least new descriptors – ‘artisan’, ‘pizzeria-style’, ‘home-style vegetables’ and so on. A number of brands have even started selling frozen slices.

I previously took a look at other Schwan’s offerings from their frozen pizza line, Tony’s “Garlic Cheese Bread,” and their “Crispy Crust Party Time Pizza. ”

Red Baron Fire-Baked Pizza

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