We had a little pumpkin carving party with the Lewis’s and the Wilee’s. And although it was a sad attempt at carving pumpkins (I think 3 yr-old Gaby’s was the best), the pizzas were a hit! (I mean, I didn’t get the title ‘pizza queen’ for nothing). I used Niki and I’s (Niki’s) summer-time-award-winning pizza dough recipe and whipped up a few of the all-time favorites. The fig, brie and prosciutto is always a crowd pleaser. I just wish I took some pictures – but the pizza was gone before I could blink!
Pizza Dough
makes 1-2 12-inch round crusts
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1.5 cups warm water
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2.5 cups flour (whole wheat or white)
Instructions
Mix yeast and water, add sugar, olive oil and salt and stir until blended. Add flour and mix until not sticky. Begin to knead dough for about 2-3 minutes. Let dough rise (make sure to coat with flour as it rises quickly and fully and will stick to the bowl). Once risen (about 30 min), punch down and separate into balls and begin to stretch to dough.
Pizza 1: Sausage, Peppers and Onions with Fresh Mozzarella
Ingredients
- 2-3 small vidalia or sweet onions
- 2-3 colored peppers
- 2-3 sausages (I used Italian hot, but you can use any variation)
- fresh mozzarella
- fresh basil
- 1 cup tomato sauce (go for the homemade)
- shredded 4-cheese italian blend cheese
- hot pepper flakes
Instructions
Cook sausage in links and chop into small pieces. Saute onions and peppers and add sausage to it. Coat pizza crust with tomato sauce, sprinkle with basil, cover with onions, peppers and sausage. Top with fresh mozzarella, regular or soy, and sprinkle with italian blend cheese. Sprinkle hot pepper to taste.
Pizza 2: Fig Jam, Prosciutto and Brie
Ingredients
- Fig Jam, a couple spoonfuls
- 3-4 slices prosciutto
- 1 triangle of soft brie, cubed or chunked
- 5-10 asparagus (or any green veggie in season), sauted
- 1-2 sweet vidalia onion
- olive oil
Instructions
Saute onion in olive oil and smother onto pizza crust. Saute asparagus and lay onto pizza like spokes on a wheel. Sprinkle with cubed brie cheese and prosciutto pieces. Top with 1/2 teaspoons of fig jam over top.
Pizza 3: BBQ Chicken with Corn and Smoked Gouda
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- BBQ sauce
- Corn (i prefer roasted which you can get at Trader Joes frozen section)
- 1 red onion
- 1 bunch cilantro
- smoked gouda cheese
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- olive oil
Instructions
Cook chicken breasts in a pan until tender, cube and smother in BBQ sauce. Saute red onions in olive oil. Lather pizza crust with tomato sauce and extra BBQ sauce and top with cubed chicken, sauted red onions, roasted corn, cilantro (to taste) and shredded smoke gouda cheese
Pizza 4: Traditional Margherita
Ingredients
- 1-2 cups tomato sauce
- fresh tomatoes, diced
- fresh mozzarella, regular or soy
- fresh basil
- shredded italian 4 cheese blend (optional)
Instructions
Lather crust with tomato sauce. Sprinkle with diced tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and top with shredded cheese.
Bake all pizzas on the grill or in oven at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.
*Tips for pizza making: Pizzas are cooked best on a pizza stone. I also like to cook my pizza dough first before topping with any toppings to create some structure, especially with this dough recipe which is very dough and fluffy! If you cook the crust for about 5-10 minutes it will give it a good sturdy base before you lather it with the sauce and toppings.
mangia!
