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Friday, June 8, 2012

my little pizzeria

i love making pizza.
and honestly, my pizzas keep getting better and better!

here are my most recent tips for making an awesome pizza:

1. get a pizza stone
(i just used one for the first time - pretty sure it will change your life)

2. let your dough sit for 30 minutes prior to baking
(this ensures it has time to rest and will stay in shape once you roll it out)

3. pierce dough all over with a fork before baking
(this keeps it in place, as well as adds small pockets of air for perfect crust!)

4. drain your tomatoes/other juicy veggies!
(one of the main issues i run into is ending up with a soggy middle of my pizza due to juicy tomatoes!
draining fresh sliced veggies ensures no sogginess! yay!)

5. brush edges of the crust with olive oil right when it comes out of the oven
(keeps the crust moist and locks in freshness)

 this week, we tried the following...
roasted veggie pizza
tomato basil feta pizza
pepperoni-mozza pizza
(all recipes via cooking light)

feel free to use these basic instructions and just go with whatever ingredients inspire you :)

roasted veggie pizza

ingredients
1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough
1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1 (4-ounce) zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices
1 (4-ounce) yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices
1 small red onion (about 7 ounces), cut into 12 wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup lower-sodium marinara sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced and torn into pieces

directions

1. preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2. remove dough from refrigerator. let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

3. place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven. preheat oven to 500°
(keep pizza stone or baking sheet in oven as it preheats)

4. flatten bell pepper pieces with hand.
arrange all the vegetables in a single layer on a large cutting board or baking sheet;
brush both sides with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. 
arrange vegetables on grill rack coated with cooking spray,
and grill for 3 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender and grill marks appear.
remove from grill. coarsely chop bell pepper.

5. roll dough into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface,
and pierce entire surface liberally with a fork.
(think like 100 times, not 10)

6. carefully remove pizza stone from oven.
sprinkle cornmeal over pizza stone; place dough on pizza stone.
bake at 500° for 5 minutes. remove the partially baked crust from oven.
spread sauce over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
arrange the vegetables over dough, and sprinkle evenly with salt and crushed red pepper.
top evenly with cheese. carefully return pizza to pizza stone.
bake at 500° for an additional 12 minutes or until the crust and cheese are browned.
brush edge of dough with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil.




tomato basil feta pizza

ingredients
 1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough
4 plum tomatoes, sliced
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cornmeal
4 ounces feta cheese
1 ounce pitted kalamata olives, halved (1/3 cup)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

directions

1. let dough stand at room temperature, covered, for 30 minutes.

2. arrange tomato slices on a jelly-roll pan lined with paper towels;
top with more paper towels. let stand 30 minutes.

3. place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven.
preheat oven to 500° (keep pizza stone or baking sheet in oven as it preheats).

4. combine tomatoes, 2 tablespoons oil, and garlic.
roll dough into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface,
and pierce dough liberally with a fork.  carefully remove pizza stone from oven.
sprinkle cornmeal over stone; place dough on stone.
arrange tomato mixture on dough. crumble cheese; sprinkle over pizza.
bake at 500° for 19 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is lightly browned.
remove from oven; top with olives and basil.
brush outer crust with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil.

 



pepperoni-mozza pizza

ingredients
1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough
1 tablespoon cornmeal
2/3 cup lower-sodium marinara sauce
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1/4 cup small fresh oregano leaves

directions

1. let the dough stand at room temperature, covered, for 30 minutes.

2. place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven.
preheat oven to 500° (keep pizza stone or baking sheet in oven as it preheats).

3. roll the dough into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface,
and pierce entire surface liberally with a fork. carefully remove pizza stone from oven.
sprinkle cornmeal over pizza stone; place dough on pizza stone.
spread sauce over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border; top with cheese.
bake at 500° for 14 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is lightly browned.
remove from oven; brush outer crust with olive oil.
arrange pepperoni over pizza; top with oregano.


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