Sourdough Pizza

In my husband’s opinion this is the most important sourdough recipe I’ve made… pizza and tacos are his love language.
We’ve been having pizza night every week while I’ve been perfecting this recipe and as much as I like variety, I think we’ll keep up the tradition still.
I like to make the dough at least 2 or 3 days ahead so the flavor really develops. There was a pizza place we went to when I was a kid, Uncle Milt’s. We rarely ate out so it was quite a treat for our family of 7. They had an arcade room and a giant pipe organ. They played silent movies and someone played the music for it on the organ. They had a disco ball too, I think? Oh, and some poor employee wore a pink panther costume occasionally! They closed it down years ago and while I in no way can reproduce the atmosphere the pizza as I remember it had a sourdough flavor. So whether I’m recalling the flavor correctly or not this is definitely the way I’m making pizza crust from now on! Both flavor and texture are exactly where I want them!

I like to heat my steels at 475 degrees but you can go up to 500. I also like placing my steel on the middle rack but play around with that and adjust as desired.

After the first proof at room temperature you can see the dough has risen double.

Don’t be alarmed if your dough has fallen while refrigerated. This dough has been chilled for over 3 days and is ready to use!

I am fortunate enough to have double ovens. (It would be really hard to not have them anymore!) I have 2 large rectangular baking steels after many broken pizza stones and I love them so much more! So I can bake 4 pizzas at a time now.
By putting each crust on parchment paper it makes it much easier to slide them onto the steel. (and no clean up!) I’m also able to get all the pizzas ready to go and toppings on them while the steel is heating up.
The dough is much easier to shape while cold but as it warms up it will get more and more sticky and difficult to work with.
I used to parbake the pizza crust for pizza parties but you just don’t get the same crust as the unbaked dough hitting that hot steel! This makes things so much easier using the parchment!

Grilled Pizza with Roasted Garlic Chicken and Citrus Vinaigrette

 

This is one of those meals I could make every week and not get tired of it.  I love homemade Naan bread, but this grilled pizza definitely makes the cut as well.  Using the leftover garlic infused oil from the roasted garlic paste just made sense.  Why not?  It adds a subtle garlic taste without being overwhelming.

The vinaigrette is a perfect pairing, it really lightens it up and adds a fresh citrus flavor.  We’ve also made the salad with red leaf lettuce instead of the spinach, and I think romaine would be good as well, or even a mix of greens.
Serve the pizza with the chicken and salad and let everyone make a kind of taco or wrap out of it, adding the vinaigrette to the salad beforehand, or serving on the side.

Grilled Pizza with Roasted Garlic Chicken and Citrus Vinaigrette

For the pizza:
1 batch pizza dough
reserved garlic oil, or olive oil

Raise dough as usual in recipe.  Separate into 8 balls.
Roll out each dough ball on an unfloured surface to about 8-10 inches across.  Brush with garlic oil.  Grill over medium heat (I used a grill pan).

Cook for a couple minutes on each side.  It’s ready to flip when it starts to bubble.

Brush with the garlic oil.
Keep warm in a tortilla keeper if desired.

For the Chicken:
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 1/2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
4 T roasted garlic paste

Coat the chicken with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Grill over medium heat (again using a grill pan or outdoor grill) for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.   Spread with garlic paste and et rest.  Cut into strips.

For the Salad:
8 cups baby spinach
1 1/2 cups diced mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups tomato wedges
1/4 cup red onion, slivered
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Toss together.  Toss with vinaigrette or serve on the side.

For the Citrus Vinaigrette:
2 lemons (about 1/3 cup juice)
1 orange (about 1/3 cup juice)
1 shallot, diced
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Juice the lemons and orange.  Combine in a blender with shallot and salt and pepper.  With motor running, add the olive oil in a thin stream until creamy.  Adjust seasoning if needed.

Recipe adapted from Michael Chiarello

 

 

 

 

Naan Pizza

 
So… this really isn’t a recipe so much as an idea.  We LOVE naan bread, especially homemade
If nothing else, for the price tag alone!  I love making an extra big batch of naan to serve with dinner on a Friday night, and then during the weekend we can make these for lunches or a quick dinner when we are busy but still want to sit at the table for meals and enjoy each other.
Have fun getting creative with toppings, just dig through the fridge and each person can make what they like even.  It’s a great way to use up leftovers as well, we’ve even made them with leftover BBQ sauce, shredded cheese, and leftover pulled pork.  Any way, it’s a winner!
 
NAAN PIZZA
naan bread, homemade or store bought
desired toppings*
 
Put toppings on Naan bread, then bake on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until browned and bubbly.  You can also bake these on a pizza stone as well.
 
*our favorite is to make “white” naan pizza, using no sauce and a little shredded mozzarella and Parmesan,  some thinly sliced good quality ham or salami, and adding fresh basil after cooking.
But you can do any old topping, including different sauces, cheeses, meats, veg, etc. 
 
 

Mini Pizza Calzones

 
It’s almost 5 pm, and I’m just now posting my Wednesday post! I try to post every mon, wed, and fri, and usually I have it ready to go and scheduled to post… but life has been a bit crazy lately! I really want to expand the site to include homeschooling, autism tips, crafting and quilting… etc.  But the idea of all those changes make me super nervous! I really have no idea what I’m doing and definitely don’t have a ton of time to sort it all out. (Any web designers out there that want to get paid in baked goods?) : )   If anyone has any advice, I’m listening!
I’ve been wanting to share this recipe with you for awhile, it’s a really fun dinner for getting everyone involved.  You can put out a bunch of toppings and let everyone choose their own filling.  Which is my favorite kind of dinner.  The kitchen is crowded, everyone is having fun and getting their hands dirty.  These are great leftovers as well, they freeze pretty well for lunches (although leftover pizza doesn’t last long around my hubby!) : )
 
MINI PIZZA CALZONES
shredded cheese ( we usually do mostly mozzerella with a little cheddar)
desired toppings, I used pepperoni, cooked Italian sausage, chopped onions
1 egg, beaten with 1 T water (for egg wash, optional)
 
Divide dough into balls and roll out in a circle.(I made mine about 8 inches across)
Spread half of circle with sauce and toppings (or mix sauce and toppings all together first)
Fold circle in half and crimp edges closed.
 
Place on greased cookie sheet.
If desired, brush with an egg wash.
Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 15-25 minutes.
(How long is going to depend on how big or small you made them.)
 

Hawaiian Supreme Pizza

 
It’s the last pizza for pizza week to post! I’m ending with one that I based on a favorite of my hubby’s at a chain pizza restaurant. I made our own version at home and wouldn’t you know, he likes mine better! And much cheaper to boot! So, are you having your pizza night this weekend? : )
 
HAWAIIAN SUPREME PIZZA
 
Layer on pizza dough in following order:
Shredded Cheese (We like a mix of mozzarella and cheddar)
Ham, sliced (Canadian Bacon is fine, I also use leftover ham from holidays that I freeze)
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Red onion, thinly sliced
Pineapple chunks
 
Cook on pizza stone for about 8 to 12 minutes, until done.
Add After cooked:
chopped tomatoes
thinly sliced green onions
 
 

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This pizza is only as good as the BBQ sauce you use, I actually just used a store bought variety since I had some on hand.  Just be sure that corn syrup isn’t the first ingredient at least.  
 
BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA
 
BBQ Sauce
Shredded cheese (I used a mix of provolone, mozzarella, and cheddar)
Cooked chicken, cut in strips
Red onion, thinly sliced
chopped pineapple, optional
 
Layer ingredients on pizza in order listed.
Bake on a pizza stone for 8-12 minutes.
 
 
 
 

Italian Garlic Pizza

 
That’s right, it’s STILL pizza week! My hubby really like this one, the spice in the pepperoni and sausage are balanced with the creaminess of the sauce. It’s good with red sauce as well though, if you prefer.
 
ITALIAN GARLIC PIZZA
 
Layer in following order on pizza crust:
Shredded Cheese (We like a mix of mozzarella and cheddar)
thinly sliced (or minced) garlic
Pepperoni
Italian sausage, cooked
sliced mushrooms
 
Cook on pizza stone until done, check after 8 minutes.
 
Add after cooked:
chopped tomatoes
thinly sliced green onions

Taco Pizza

 
This is a really fun pizza to serve.  You can either pile all the topping on the whole pizza, or serve the base and all the toppings on the side, letting everyone build their pizza like they would a taco.
 
TACO PIZZA
 
LAYER IN FOLLOWING ORDER BEFORE BAKING:
Refried beans (thin with a little water if needed)
shredded cheese, Mexican blend
ground beef, cooked with chopped onions
 
AFTER COOKED:
taco chips
shredded lettuce
sliced olives
chopped tomatoes
fresh cilantro
green onions, thinly sliced
sour cream
 
 
 
 

White Pizza

 
 
It’s still pizza week! This is such a delicious pizza.  It’s a great alternative to breadsticks as well if you like having that with pizza. So simple too!
 
WHITE PIZZA
 
Olive oil
Mozzarella, shredded (or sliced fresh mozzarella)
fresh herbs, I use Basil and Thyme
Garlic, thinly sliced
 
Bake on a pizza stone for about 8-12 minutes.
 
 

Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza

 
You MUST make this pizza. It’s a big favorite in our house.  We really love garlic around here, but roasted garlic especially. (Come to think of it, I like roasted just about anything).  Even if you’re not a huge garlic fan, you might be surprised how much you’ll love this. 
 
ROASTED GARLIC CHICKEN PIZZA
 
shredded cheese, I use a mix of mozzarella and cheddar
chopped fresh rosemary
chicken, cooked and sliced
green onions, sliced
We sometimes put whole cloves of roasted garlic on as well

 
Spread the roasted garlic on the crust
 
Then the sauce
sprinkle on the cheese
 
then the rosemary
then the chicken
and lastly the green onions (or add after baking)
Bake on a pizza stone for about 8 to 12 minutes.

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