Three Recipes for Easy but Decadent Homemade Pizza
I LOVE to cook, but I'm a terrible food planner. My grocery shopping style dramatically changes based on how hungry I am, and I usually just buy things I like to eat - whatever they may be - without a meal plan for the week in mind.
Throw in frequent trips to our local produce market around the corner (because all the good stuff's in season right now!) and you've got yourself a recipe for a fridge full of odds and sods. You've also got yourself a recipe for some of the most delicious pizzas... ever.
THE DOUGH:
This dough recipe makes two large personal pizzas. I double the recipe if we're having company, and we end up with some for lunch the next day (hurrah!).
1 tsp - instant yeast
1 tsp sugar (we use raw cane sugar)
dissolve in
1 cup - warm tap water
Let stand.
Meanwhile, mix together:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt (regular salt works, but sea salt is yummier)
In a food processor/mixer fitted with a dough hook (or plastic blade), slowly add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients, until a soft ball forms. If you don't have a mixer, make a well in the flour and pour the liquid into the center. Slowly work with your fingers, gradually adding the dry ingredients into the well.
Remove from the bowl and knead on floured surface to prevent sticking.
Drizzle olive oil into the bottom of a bowl, then place your dough inside. Cover with a tea towel and sit it in a sunny spot for approx 30 min (the dough should double in size).
THE PREP:
Preheat oven to 400F
Once your dough has risen, cut it in half, and roll out very thinly on a lightly floured surface.
Sprinkle cornmeal onto your baking pan, then lay down your dough.
THE TOPPINGS:
I've never been a huge fan of tomato sauce, and since we're not big pasta eaters we never have it in the house. But guess what? Pizza with sauces other than tomato are freaking amazing. And, you can pretty much just clean out your fridge, which most likely needs doing anyway.
As for your toppings, why settle with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese? Get inventive! Haul all those jars of pickled things out of the back of your fridge, find those weird looking strawberries that don't look nice enough to eat raw but would be DELICIOUS on pizza, and have fun. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Here's our three pizza topping combos (from top to bottom):
PIZZA ONE:
Sauce - Wild Blueberry Jam
Toppings - Caramelized Onions, Blueberries, Avocado, Feta Cheese
PIZZA TWO:
Sauce - Raspberry Jam
Toppings - Caramelized Onions, Peaches, Fried Bacon, Soft Goat Cheese
PIZZA THREE:
Sauce - Garlic Scape Pesto (regular ole pesto will do, but garlic scape pesto has that extra ZING!)
Toppings - Beefsteak Tomato Slices, Garlic Stuffed Green Olives, Fried Bacon, Green Onions, Feta Cheese, Basil
FINISHING TOUCHES:
Now here's the REALLY IMPORTANT PART...
Once you've loaded your pizzas up with all those delicious toppings, drizzle them with balsamic vinegar and olive oil (pretty much our go to condiments for just about everything..). Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked peppercorns.
Pop them into your preheated oven, and take them out when the crust starts to look golden brown (about 10 min).
Enjoy! I'd love to hear what topping combos you come up with (:
