Pizza Rustica (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia was hosted by Emily of Capital Region Dining and Raelynn of The Place They Call Home: Pizza Rustica.  I'm not sure where this got its name.  Rustic it is, pizza it's not.  It's more like a quiche, but heavy on the cheese and light on the eggs.  The base of the filling is ricotta cheese.  Then you mix in some mozarella and romano cheeses, some parsley, and some prosciutto.

I didn't have any fresh parsley on hand, so I subbed in 2 teaspoons of dried parsley.  Also used cooked bacon instead of proscuitto, and asiago cheese instead of romano cheese.  Sometimes a quiche tastes to "eggy" for me, so this "pizza" was more appealing to me.

There were some mixed opinions among the group about the pie crust, which was very sweet.  I decreased the amount of sugar in it, just a bit, based on comments that it was too sweet.  In the end, I'm not sure if I liked this savory and sweet combination.  I think cutting the sugar in half with this recipe would be absolutely fine.

I thought this was a pretty good dish; my husband not so much.  He would not eat more than one bite :( He usually isn't very picky, either.  So, this is unfortunately probably the first and last time I'll make this one.... in its entirety at least.  I'll probably make the pie crust recipe again, as this is the first one I've ever made that I didn't have huge problems with and it was delicious :)

Thanks to Emily and Raelynn for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs here and here.  Make sure you check here, too, to see what everyone else thought of this non-traditional pizza.

Barbeque Chicken Pizza

This month's Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen by Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums: Pizza! This challenge is dedicated to Sher of What Did You Eat? Sher was set to co-host this month with Rosa, but tragically passed away in July from a heart attack. It was originally Sher's idea for homemade pizza to be what the Daring Bakers made this month.


I was excited to try this recipe because while I've made pizza at home several times (with my own sauces and toppings), I've never made pizza dough from scratch.

If you decide to try this recipe, make sure you plan ahead. The flour needs to be chilled and the dough requires an overnight rest in the refrigerator before baking. (The dough can be frozen for later use to save some time.)


I don't know what happened to this month, but before I knew it, the posting date for this challenge had snuck up on me. I just got back from my vacation on the 25th, so I barely had enough time to complete this. I almost decided to sit this one out, but ended up throwing together a Barbeque Chicken Pizza.


The real challenge this month (at least for me) was to actually toss the dough instead of rolling it out. I had every intention of doing this - at least trying - but in the end it just wasn't in the cards for me. After allowing the dough to rest on the counter for two hours, it was way too soft to toss. I think my mistake was that I overlooked the part of the recipe that indicates that the flour needs to be chilled first. Consequently, my dough was too warm by the time I had finished kneading it. Regardless of my mistake, the pizza still tasted great (the dough was just really hard to work with).

Thanks Rosa, for choosing pizza for this month's challenge and honoring Sher. I hope that next time, I can follow the instructions a little better and actually get it right! The recipe for the pizza dough can be found below; if you'd like the recipe for the Barbeque Chicken Pizza you can find it here. Make sure you visit the Daring Bakers Blogroll to see how hundreds of others fared with this challenge!

Basic Pizza Dough
from The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter).

Ingredients:
4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled - For Gluten Free (GF): 4 ½ cups GF Flour Blend with xanthan gum or 1 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup corn flour, 1 cup oat flour, 1 ½ cup arrowroot, potato or tapioca starch + 2 tsp xanthan or guar gum
1 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast - FOR GF use 2 tsp
1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugar - FOR GF use agave syrup
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

Method:
1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.
The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

Or

2. FOR GF: Add the oil, sugar or agave syrup and cold water, then mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil (a few tablespoons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

Or

8. FOR GF: On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the number of desired dough balls from the refrigerator. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with a gluten free flour. Delicately press the dough into disks about ½ inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil. Lightly cover the dough round with a sheet of parchment paper and allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

Or

10. FOR GF: Press the dough into the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough).

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.
During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping.
In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.
You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

Or

11. FOR GF: Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

Or

12. FOR GF: Place the garnished pizza on the parchment paper onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes (I baked mine for 10 minutes).

Or

13. FOR GF: Follow the notes for this step.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.

If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

Helpful Tossing Links:
http://www.wikihow.com/Toss-Pizza-Dough, http://www.vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?f … D=35480534, http://www.ehow.com/how_2066953_toss-pizza-dough.html, http://www.classic-hand-tossed-pizza.bl … hands.html, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhcTKeslAmk, http://www.ask.yahoo.com/20050222.html

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

This was another quick and easy weeknight meal. I'm sure this would be even better if you make your own homemade pizza dough and homemade red sauce, but if you're looking for something you can throw together after a long day at work, this is so easy and convenient.

Yellow onions actually have more sugar in them than "sweet onions," making them ideal for this recipe. When you caramelize onions, you are actually converting the sugars within the onion into caramel. As the oil heats up, the water from the onions evaporates, allowing the temperature of the sugars in the onions to rise. Once the sugars reach a temperature of 310°F, they begin to caramelize, and the onions change from light tan to golden, and then eventually deep brown.

The onions do get a little burnt around the edges while the pizza cooks in the oven, so next time I may wait until the last 3-5 minutes of cooking to add them to the pizza.


The combination of caramelized onions, goat cheese, and sun dried tomatoes is excellent. I imagine it would have been even better if I had some basil on hand. I love sun dried tomatoes, so I doubled them in this recipe. Even if you don't love them as much as I do, I'd still recommend adding a little more than what is indicated in the recipe, maybe 1/3 cup instead of 1/4 cup.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza
from Cooking Light


2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion, separated into rings (about 1 onion)
1 (1-pound) Italian cheese-flavored pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1/2 cup bottled pizza sauce (such as Contadina) (I used Prego roasted garlic and herb)
1/4 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves (I used 1/2 cup)
2/3 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I omitted this - didn't have any on hand)
Preheat oven to 450°F.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook for 11 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. (After I uncovered the skillet, I turned the heat down to low-medium to avoid burning the onions.)

Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet. Combine the sauce and tomatoes. Spread sauce mixture over pizza crust. Top with onion and cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with basil. Cut into 6 wedges.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I'm not a big pizza eater, but from time to time, I will crave pizza. My favorites include Supreme, Thai Chicken, Caprese, and BBQ Chicken. I had never made my own pizza at home, but one day I was inspired to re-create one of my favorites -- the BBQ Chicken Pizza. It was fairly simple to throw together, and after it turned out so well, I wondered why I hadn't tried making it myself sooner :) I make it regularly now, and we rarely have any leftovers :)

We like everything spicy, so I always add either some chili paste or crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce! Occasionally I will top it with sliced jalapenos instead, but I rarely have those on hand. Eventually, I'd like to try this recipe with some homemade pizza dough, but we'll save that for another day, after I'm brave enough to bake with yeast ;)

I admit that today I was in a bit of a rush, so I only sautéed the onions until translucent and cooked through; I did not fully caramelize them. This isn't a pizza that photographs very well, but I promise it tastes much better than it looks!

BBQ Chicken Pizza
from my own kitchen!

1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 red onion, sliced (I only had yellow onions on hand today, which was fine)
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I typically use KC Masterpiece, but have been meaning to try Sweet Baby Ray's)
2 tsp honey
1/2 to 1 tsp Sambal Oelek chili paste, or crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
store bought pizza dough, i.e. Pillsbury
1 to 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, boiled and diced/shredded
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté onions on low heat, stirring frequently, until golden and caramelized (you can heat them on medium low heat until slightly golden around the edges if you are short on time). Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the BBQ sauce, honey, and chili paste.

Unroll pizza dough onto baking sheet or pizza stone. Spread BBQ sauce over the pizza dough, top with chicken, caramelized onions, then shredded cheese. Sprinkle cilantro over the top if desired.

Bake for 13-18 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden.

*Alternatively, you can bake the pizza dough alone in the oven for 8 minutes, then add the sauce and toppings and bake an additional 6-11 minutes, or until golden.