The idea to make pizzas came from an obsession with Broccoli Cooked Forever and my family's deep love for pizza and cheese. If you've never made pizza dough from scratch, I promise it's worth the effort. This dough is easy to stretch (much more so than the stuff you buy from the store), and the crust tastes better than a lot of pizza you'd get delivered! The Broccoli Cooked Forever makes a "sauce" for the pizza that's both creamy and even a little sweet, while the soft, melty fresh mozzarella is the perfect complement. The mushrooms lend the pizza some earthiness. The second pizza was born from another one of my (and Cynthia's) favorite pairings - fontina and roasted tomatoes. Roasted tomatoes topped with fontina cheese - so good! The Canadian bacon adds that salty, meaty bite. One could also make a case for using smoky bacon pieces instead. I certainly wouldn't argue! Bake this as a leisurely weekend meal, or make the dough and/or broccoli ahead of time to make this a quick weekday meal.
Read More: The Shared Pizza and Salad
Time: 45 minutes
Yield: Two 14" pizzas (serves 6)
For Pizza #1:
Pizza dough (see recipe below)
Cornmeal (to prevent sticking)
1 cup Broccoli Cooked Forever
1/2 pound fresh Mozzarella, 1/4 - 1/3" slices
1/2 cup cremini or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)
For Pizza #2
Pizza dough (see recipe below)
Cornmeal (to prevent sticking to pizza peel/stone) or Olive Oil (is using a pizza pan)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound fontina cheese, shredded
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
1/2 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
6 oz Canadian bacon
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)
If you have a pizza stone, place it on your oven's middle rack. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit or as high as it will go. Let heat for 30 minutes or more (1 hour would be better).
If using a pizza stone, sprinkle cornmeal liberally on a wooden pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet. If using a pizza pan or baking sheet, sprinkle the pan liberally with cornmeal. Stretch rested pizza dough into a 14" round. Not being an experienced pizza tosser (and lacking good hand-eye coordination), I flatten a ball of dough into a disc. Then stretch the dough out from the middle, using my knuckles and backs of my hands - as to not poke holes in the dough with my fingernails. As it begins to stretch further, I concentrate on evenly stretching the edges. When the dough is close to the correct size, I put it on the pizza peel (or pizza pan) and continue to stretch and shape the dough until it is roughly 14" and covers almost the entire pizza peel (or pizza pan).
For Pizza #1: Spread Broccoli Cooked Forever evenly over the pizza crust. Place fresh mozzarella slices evenly over the broccoli. Next distribute the mushrooms and red onion over the top. Lastly, sprinkle the grated parmigiano-reggiano.
For Pizza #2: Brush olive oil lightly over pizza crust. Evenly sprinkle fontina, Canadian bacon, tomatoes, red onion, and parmigiano-reggiano cheese over the crust in that order.
If using a pizza stone, transfer the pizza from the pizza peel/back of a baking sheet to the stone. (If using a pizza pan, place pizza in the oven.) Bake for 10-15 minutes. Pizza is done when cheese is melted with a few golden spots and crust is brown and crispy. Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley (optional), and serve.
Pizza Dough
Notes: This pizza dough is very forgiving. If you don't have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour for a chewier crust. If you don't have time to let the dough rise to double in size, let rest for at least 30 minutes before continuing. If you'd like to make it ahead, just put the dough in the fridge and let it rise slowly for several hours. If it rises too much, you can just poke a hole in the dough to deflate it. You can freeze the dough before or after letting it rise, just make sure to defrost and come to room temperature before proceeding with the next step of the recipe.
If you don't have a stand mixer, you could also use a food processor. Simply add the water and oil mixture with the processor running, until it forms a ball (less than a minute).
To make the dough by hand, make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, and pour liquid mixture into the well. Combine with your fingers or a fork, to make a shaggy dough. Then turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead dough until you have a smooth, slightly tacky dough.
Time: 20 minutes (plus 1 hour and 10 minutes inactive time)
Yield: Pizza dough for two 14" pizzas
4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons (or 1 envelope) instant yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)
1 1/2 cups warm water, 110 degrees F
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to grease bowl
Whisk together flour, yeast, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook.
Combine water, honey, and olive oil. With the mixer running, slowly pour liquid into the flour mixture. Beat until a dough ball forms. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour one tablespoon at a time. If the dough is dry, add additional water one tablespoon at a time. Dough will form a ball and feel slightly tacky when done.
Scrape dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough for 1 or 2 minutes. Form dough into a ball, transfer to a large, greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm place like a sunny window or an oven with the light on, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Divide dough evenly into two pieces and form into two balls. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel, and let rest at least 10 minutes before proceeding to make pizza.