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If you’ve never stepped inside a Mellow Mushroom, pause right here and put it on your must‑try list. Their crust is unlike anything you’ll find at a typical pizza joint—rich, slightly sweet, and absolutely perfect with mushrooms (though it plays well with just about any topping you throw at it).
The secret behind that signature flavor is a touch of molasses worked right into the dough. It gives the crust its depth, its color, and that unmistakable Mellow Mushroom vibe.
Below is one of the best copycat versions out there. Give it a spin the next time you’re craving homemade pizza and see how close you can get to the real thing.
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 1/2 cups (318g) hot water (I try to get my water between 95-105)
2 1/2 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 packets of instant yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp if you buy your yeast in bulk)
3 1/2 cups (520g) bread flour
2 tsp salt
Finishing:
cornmeal or flour (used for dusting your parchment paper)
melted garlic butter to brush on the crust after cooking
Parmesan cheese crumbs to sprinkle on the pizza
Directions:
In a measuring cup, combine water, olive oil and molasses. TIP: Measure out the olive oil first and then the molasses. That way the molasses won’t stick to the spoon.
In a mixer bowl, add the flour, salt and instant yeast together.
If kneading by hand, mix the ingredients and make a well in the middle of the flour When the yeast mixture is ready, add to the well.
In a mixer, use the hook attachment and run mixer on medium for about 10 minutes. Your dough ball should be slightly tacky but not sticky.
If kneading by hand, knead for 10 min.
Form dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight to rise. Or you can let it rise on the counter top for 2 hours till doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 500°F with your pizza stone inside on the very bottom shelf. Once your oven reaches 500°F, you need to preheat the stone for another 30 minutes before placing your pizza in the oven.
For Thin Crust Pizza: Take the dough and cut the dough into 2 equal parts. Take each piece and place it cut side down on your counter. Use the palm of your hand to smash it down a little. Then start to fold the sides in on itself to create a ball. Cover with a tea towel and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Repeat with other dough half.
For Pan Pizza: Take dough, on a sheet pan, press it down to push the air out and spread across pan. Cover with a tea towel and let it rest for 30 min.
After your dough has rested for 30 minutes, you can start to form it into your pizza crust. I like to form my dough on parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal or flour.
Baking:
Thin Crust - Top your pizza with your desired ingredients and place it in the oven for about 7-9 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown.
Pan - In a 500 deg oven, prebake for 5 min, remove & top your pizza with your desired ingredients and place it in the oven for 18-20 min.
Remove pizza from oven and brush crust with melted garlic butter immediately. Then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cut and serve.
Notes:
Updated: 2/24/26
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