My Three Favorite Pizzas

Brace yourself for three super delicious, non-traditional, non-red-sauce pizzas.  These are definitely my faves.    

PIZZA #1: ROASTED GARLIC & CHEESE 
Who knew so few ingredients could be SO tasty? Sometimes less is more.
  

• pizza dough 
• olive oil
• Kosher salt
• roasted garlic, a how-to here 
• fresh mozzarella
• shredded mozzarella

Heat pizza stone in a 500 degree oven.


Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper.


Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.


Mash the cloves of roasted garlic on a plate and spread evenly over the crust.


Top with chunks of fresh mozzarella and then some shredded mozzarella.


Bake for 8-10 minutes or until bubbly and brown.



PIZZA #2: CHICKEN, ROASTED GARLIC, & SPINACH PIZZA
Roasted garlic plus some extras.  It was an experiment gone great.  

• pizza dough
• olive oil
• Kosher salt
• roasted garlic, a how-to here 
• red onion, thinly sliced
• baby spinach
• shredded chicken
• fresh mozzarella
• shredded mozzarella

Heat pizza stone in a 500 degree oven.

Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper.


Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.


Mash cloves of roasted garlic on a plate and spread evenly over the dough.


Top dough with red onions, spinach, and shredded chicken.


Top with chunks of fresh mozzarella and then some shredded mozzarella.


Bake for 8-10 minutes or until bubbly and brown.

PIZZA #3: HAM, CARAMELIZED ONION, & GRUYERE PIZZA
Trader Joe's has a flat bread similar to this that I was trying to recreate.  Mission accomplished!  So. So. Good. 

• pizza dough
• olive oil
• butter
• Kosher salt
• onion, thinly sliced 
• ham, sliced or small chunks
• gruyere or emmental cheese, shredded

Heat pizza stone in a 500 degree oven.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil on low heat in a medium-sized pan. 

  

Add onions, sprinkle with a small amount of Kosher salt, and cook on low heat for at least 20 minutes (or longer) until the onions are dark and caramelized. 

Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper.

Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt. 

Top dough with caramelized onions, sliced ham, and shredded gruyere.  

Bake for 8-10 minutes.  

Pizza Crust

I've been on a pizza kick lately.  I've been making the dough from scratch since I no longer have access to Trader Joe's and their pre-made dough.  And actually, it seems silly that I thought I needed pre-made dough since this is such an easy, EASY recipe.  Really.  I've always been a little nervous about using yeast, but you really can't mess this up.    

PIZZA CRUST

• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Stir yeast and sugar into hot water and let stand for 15 minutes or until foamy.


NOTE #1:  Water should be hot, but not so hot that you can't put your finger in it.  If the yeast does not grow, the water was either too hot or not hot enough.  


While yeast is proofing, measure out flour and salt and place in food processor.


With food processor running, pour water and yeast mixture into the bowl and let run until a ball forms.


NOTE #2:  You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook if you don't have a food processor.


NOTE #3:  If a ball does not form or all flour is not incorporated, add a few extra drops of water.    


Turn dough onto floured surface (I use my Silpat mat) and knead into a smooth ball.


Let dough rest for 10-15 minutes on a floured surface.


Divide dough in half.


Roll half of the dough out onto parchment until thin and then top with desired toppings.


Source:  Megan Porter

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

These little pepperoni pizza puffs are perfect! (How's that for alliteration?!)  Kids love them, but they're impressive enough to wow adults as well.  You might want to double this recipe unless you're serving them to a very small crowd.  Trust me, double it.  I always wish I had. 

 PEPPERONI PIZZA PUFFS

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup pepperoni (about 5 ounces), cut into small cubes, see note below
• marinara sauce, for serving
• fresh basil, chopped

Note on pepperoni:  Go to the deli counter and ask for a chunk of pepperoni so that you can cut it into small cubes.  You'll need about 5 ounces for one cup of small cubes.  I removed the outside casing before cubing it. 


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.


In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, milk, and egg.

Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. 

Bake until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with basil and serve with marinara if so desired. 


Source:  A Bountiful Kitchen

Potato Leek Pizza

I LOVE this pizza.  I love the thinly sliced potatoes.  I love the bacon and the leeks cooked in the bacon grease.  Mmmmmm.  I love the goat cheese.  I love that there's not red sauce (not my fave), only a drizzle of olive oil.  I love the combination of all the flavors.  Mmmm, mmmm, MMMMMM.  I'd kill for a slice right now.

 

POTATO LEEK PIZZA

• pizza crust (I buy the pizza dough from Trader Joe's.  I'm a little lazy on this step.)
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• thick cut bacon, 10 slices, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4-5 leeks, rinsed well, thinly sliced (see note below on leeks)
• 3-4 small red or Yukon gold potatoes, sliced paper thin
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
• grated Parmesan cheese
• freshly ground black pepper

Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 500 degrees.


Roll out the dough on parchment paper.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.


Cook the bacon over medium heat.  Fry until cooked, but not crisp.  Remove the bacon from pan and set aside.


Pour off most of the grease.  Do not clean the pan.  Turn the heat to medium-low. 


Add the leeks to the pan and saute over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside.


Using a very sharp knife, slice the potatoes very thin.  Don't do this ahead of time because the potatoes will brown quickly. 


Arrange the potatoes in a single layer all over the crust, slightly overlapping the edges.  Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt. 


Lay the mozzarella slices in a single layer on top of the potatoes. 


Then add the following toppings is this order:  leeks, bacon, goat cheese, Parmesan cheese, freshly ground pepper. 


Bake for 8 to 11 minutes until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. 


NOTES:

• If you're new to leeks, a few pointers might be helpful.  Cut off the green tops.  You should be using the bottom where it is mostly white.  I slice them the long ways in half and then thinly slice each side.  Put them in a collander and rinse thoroughly to get all the grit out. 
• Rolling the dough on parchment makes it easier to put the pizza into the oven. 
• I would recommend using the Trader Joe's dough to make two smaller pizzas.  When I've made one big pizza, it's been hard to transfer it from the pizza peel to the stone and back out when it's finished cooking.  I've lost toppings trying to do it. 
• Don't get the mozzarella too close to the edge.  Gets a little messy. 

Source:  Pioneer Woman (modified slightly)