If it's New York-style, you might fold it in half. If you're in Chicago, you're digging in with fork and knife. But if you're in Orlando, you're holding your pizza as if it's a waffle cone.
Even cooler? You're not making a mess.
Introducing Kono Pizza. The stand-alone kiosk is just outside the entrance to Dillards inside the Florida Mall. Using special equipment, their pizza dough is slightly pre-baked into a cone shape before it's stuffed with ingredients — from pepperoni and sausage to Nutella and strawberries.
"The dough is imported from Italy," says James Saliba, president of Kono Pizza Florida. "This is real Italian — good stuff!"
Savory or sweet, you can build your cone however you want. Saliba recommended the chicken parm "Kono." It gets a layer of low-moisture cheese, smokin' hot pizza sauce, and cubed chunks of breaded chicken. It's layered that way several times over until it rises just above the brim.
Below, Saliba modified the recipe to make it user-friendly for us at home. (At Kono Pizza, they have a custom oven that rotates the cones for 3 minutes, 20 seconds). You'll also learn how to make your pizza cones using actual ice cream cones.
Let's cook!
Kono Pizza Chicken Parm (homemade) recipe
Ingredients:
3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups water at 110°F
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
Fillings:
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Pizza sauce
Home made Chicken Parmesan (cut into cubes)
Directions:
1. Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of oil. Beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
2. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.
3. Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, and add the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.
5. While the dough is rising, cover 5 to 10 ice cream cones with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray. These will be used to reinforce your pizza dough into a cone shape while baking.
6. Once the dough is finished rising, cut it into strips or semicircles to begin covering the foil-covered cones. Start by folding the dough over the bottom of the cone, and work your way up to the top, smoothing the dough over the entire surface and creating a minimal overlap to ensure all seams are covered.
7. Place the cones open side down on to an unlined baking sheet, and cook at 450°F for 6 to 8 minutes, until you see the cones begin to solidify their shape and the color is slightly starting to brown.
8. Remove the cones from the oven, and carefully remove the foil-lined ice cream cones from the inside of your pizza cone. Now begin to fill each cone. Layer fresh mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce and chicken parm. Repeat until you fill to the top. Top the cone with extra mozzarella. Make sure not to stuff too much to prevent overflowing of ingredients.
9. Place your filled pizza cones in an oven-safe mug, glassware, or a specialized rack that can hold them upright, and bake for an additional 4 to 5 minutes on 450°F, or until the cheese is melted and cones are golden brown. Serve hot.
10. or Taste the original Kono Pizza at the Florida Mall.