Pizza

[Apple]

Ok. I used to work at a pizza place and one thing I love to do is play with toppings and get real creative. Here are some topping ideas

--apple (me
Message #63
04/13/10 09:18 PM

When I'm running really short on time (when am I not?) I'll just use either a prepared crust (Boboli sp? two packs on sale, or jiffy has a pizza crust mix, or used to, that I could find 2/$1 at the dollar store, not bad). Pizza is one area where you can just be really creative and throw almost anything on it. So...

Roasted red peppers--place several red peppers on a cookie sheet, bake at 400 degrees until collapsing and skins start to get black spots. Put in a container with a lid to cool (the steam will get trapped and make the skins easier to pull off). When cooled (they can still be a little warm), pull out stems, pull off skin, scrap off seeds (they will probably split open in a few areas) then slice into desired size, cover the peppers with oil (I think we used eeo, but that can be expensive so I think any light oil will work) and store in the fridge in an airtight container.

Roasted potatoes--season red potatoes with italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder, roast/bake with a little oil until soft or you can use left-overs.

Chicken--use leftovers or cook some up in a skillet with italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper or any other seasoning.

Broccoli--I think you call it "blanching"? Boil some water and then in some broccoli for only a few seconds. It will soften and turn bright green.

Okay, here are some combos, but really, just get creative, if it sounds like it might be good, it probably will be. Any specific cheese I mention is just a topping, not the cheese meant to cover the whole pizza.

Roasted potatoes, red onions, chicken and shredded parmesan cheese. This is good using alfredo sauce instead of pizza sauce.

Roasted red peppers, shredded parmesan, chicken.

Artichoke hearts, chicken, roasted red peppers. (also good with red onion and alfredo sauce instead of pizza sauce)

Pepperoni, chicken, bacon pieces, gorgonzola cheese.

Thin sliced corned beef and sauerkraut (juices squeezed out) with 1000 island dressing as the sauce.

Taco meat, onions, bell peppers and then add tomatoes and doritos or other tortilla chips (this is really good if you can find a way to add cornmeal to the crust). Add the chips after the pizza has been baked.

Pizza places add grated parmesan cheese before baking because it absorbs the grease and makes the pizza look more appetizing.

You can also brush the crust with oil seasoned with garlic powder, this adds a lot of flavor.

Also try baking the pizza with the tomatoes already on it. Roma tomatoes are pretty good on pizza.

[Apple]

seraph316
Message #65
04/14/10 05:49 AM

I think I got this pizza dough recipe from one of these boards a while ago; don't remember who to give credit to for it but it's now my favorite. It comes out good, is quick to put together, and doesn't need to rise long.

Pizza Crust

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 pkg yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 Tbsp cornmeal

Mix flour and salt. Dissolve yeast in water and add. Let rest 5 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal on pan and pat dough out toward edges. That's it; I do use my Kitchenaid with dough hook to mix, but you could do it by hand.

[Apple]

searching4truth
Message #69
04/15/10 11:25 AM

In case anyone would like some sauce for their pizza I'm including the recipe my mom gave to me. She got it, I think, from the Time-Life Italian cookbook from the 60s. The taste is complete unlike the tasteless premade stuff you get at the store. This is the real thing!

3 T. Olive Oil
1 c. Onions, chopped (I do this in the food processor for a smoother texture)
1 T. garlic, minced
4 c. tomatoes, fresh, with skins removed and seeded, or canned (I use whole, canned tomatoes and whirl them separately in the food processor for a smooth texture)
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 T. oregano
1 t. basil
1 bay leaf
2 t. sugar
1 t. salt

Cook onions in olive oil 8 minutes or until transparent but not browned. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes more. Add rest of ingredients. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer and hour, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
Makes enough (for us anyway) for 5 to 6 13" round pizzas. Enjoy!

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

I used to make pizza all the time - My crust dough recipe is almost identical to yours, but I never had a really good sauce recipe - This one's going in my book Apple - Thx. Do you store the sauce in a glass jar in fridge once it's made?

[Apple]

I so rarely use "real" pizza sauce that I have lost my own recipe--this one was provided by "searching4truth". Whenever I did have leftover sauce I would refrigerate it, but only up to a week. I think it would freeze just fine, I know mine did.
Good luck! Sauce can be frustrating trying to find one that is "just right".

[Deleted]

I'll separate out the sauce into "serving sizes"in ziplock bags and freeze. Then just pull out what you need at the time.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Apple: I forgot to also ask, do you use a stone pizza slab in your oven or a metal pan, and at what temp do bake the pie ? I used to sometimes use a cookie sheet to make square pies and bake at about 375-400.

[Apple]

I usually bake the pizzas at 450 and start checking it around 8 minutes, usually it's done in 10-15 minutes.
I have a large round metal pizza pan that my old boss let me take when I left the pizza place (he was closing it down in a few months). It's just plain old pan but I love it. I've actually never used a pizza stone before.
I'll dig up another pizza recipe I saved from EE. I can't remember how they do the crust, but the recipe for the toppings looked really good.
ETA: Ok, I looked at a couple other recipes (like the one below) and they say if you use a pizza stone to pre-heat it at 500 degrees.

[Apple]

www.foodpeoplewant.com/pesto-pizza-with-roasted-garlic-potato/

Pesto Pizza with Roasted Garlic and Potato

INGREDIENTS:
24 ounces homemade or store-bought pizza dough, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, for dusting
About 1 cup homemade pesto (or store-bought)
2-3 cups grated mozzarella/provolone cheese
1 cup roasted or confit garlic cloves (recipe below)
4 red skinned potatoes, very thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning Olive
oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes

METHOD:
Place a pizza stone in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 500°. Allow the stone to heat for at least half an hour before baking pizzas.
Allow the pizza dough to come to room temperature. On a lightly-floured work surface, form the dough into two large balls, collecting the sides and tucking them under to create a smooth outer surface. Cover the dough with a damp towel and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, blanch the potato slices in boiling water until just cooked through, anywhere between 1 – 2 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly before drying the slices with paper towels and coating them with a touch of olive oil, a pinch of Italian seasoning and kosher salt.
Generously dust a wooden peel or the back of a sheet pan with flour or cornmeal. With lightly-floured hands, press the dough with your fingertips to form a flattened disk. Lift the dough up and use the back of your knuckles to stretch and thin-out the dough into a circle with a diameter of 12-inches. Be careful to preserve the edge of the dough if you want a light, chewy crust. Carefully position the stretched dough onto the prepared peel or baking sheet.
Using a large spoon, spread an even layer of the pesto onto the dough and carefully spread it to within 1/2-inch of the edge, being careful to leave a sauce free edge. Top with an even layer of the grated mozzarella/provolone cheese followed by slices of parboiled potatoes and roasted garlic cloves. Top with a light sprinkling of a bit more mozzarella, season with salt to taste and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Lightly brush the exposed crust with a bit of olive oil (or leftover garlic) oil to promote browning.
Carefully slide the pizza onto the preheated stone and bake until the crust is crisped and golden and the cheese is bubbling and just beginning to brown, about 6-7 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and allow it to rest for a few minutes before slicing.
Makes enough for 2 pizzas

Roasted or Confit Garlic
In this recipe I like to confit the garlic cloves as opposed to roast them whole in an effort maintain the integrity of the garlic. If you have some roasted garlic cloves laying around or prefer to roast a head of garlic wrapped in foil, feel free to do that instead.


INGREDIENTS:

1 or 2 head of garlic, broken down into individual cloves and peeled Olive oil 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning Kosher salt METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 300. Add the peeled garlic cloves to a small saucepan and pour in olive oil until just barely covered. Add a pinch of Italian seasoning and Kosher salt and roast in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Remove the saucepan from the oven and allow the garlic confit to cool. Remove garlic cloves and store infused oil in the fridge for up to a week for another dishes.

Net photo of this pizza:

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Thx for the tips. I couldn't remember about temp. because I haven't made one for quite a while. I think I'll see if I can find a deep dish pie pan next time I'm out, or large round cake pan. I like trying different combinations with toppings, and might add a bit more oregano/garlic to the sauce for some extra zip.

[Apple]

And one from Later with refrigerated dough...

laterbloomer
Message #7
05/07/09 10:26 AM

I used the pillsbury dough and followed the instructions, including baking it at 400 degrees with no toppings for 6 minutes. Then I brushed it with Caesar salad dressing instead of using tomato sauce. Sprinkle a bit of your mozzarella cheese, chopped chicken breast (that has been cooked and coated in Caesar salad dressing) onion and tomato, the rest of the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake as instructed, switching to broil for the last 5 minutes. Take it out of the oven and slide it off the cookie sheet immediately so the crust quits cooking as it cools.
Oh man, I just made myself hungry again!

[Cookies Galore]

Mmm, when i worked in a pizza place I would make my own pizzas and strombolis. My favorite was my buffalo pizza. Just cover the dough with wing sauce and cheese, when it's done cooking put some blue cheese dressing on it. Yum and so bad for you! It's just a buffalo chicken pizza without chicken.
For a stromboli I like cheese, sauce, roasted sweet peppers, and mushrooms. When it comes out of the oven wipe the top with some oil and sprinkle with grated cheese and Italian seasoning.

[The J]

I do a buffalo chicken pizza -- roast or saute the chicken breasts, cut into small chunks. Toss with buffalo sauce (I make my own from 1 part melted butter, 3 parts Franks Red Hot [it's a hotter sauce this way -- mild is equal parts butter and hot sauce] with a little garlic and onion powder). Spread a thin layer of blue cheese dressing on the dough, top with chicken and cheese (I use a mexican blend with some cheddar).

When I bake pizza, I set the oven to 500+ and let it cook quickly (generally done within 10 minutes).

[Apple]

One reason pizza places sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on the pizzas before baking is to absorb the grease, but it really adds flavor. The best pepperoni doesn't have a lot of "fillers" in it, it's more meat, but that also makes it more expensive (sorry, don't have any names of brands since I don't usually buy it).
They have "pizza cheese" in packages--you can look at the ingredients to see what they use, but I usually use mostly mozzarella with a little bit of cheddar, colby jack, or pepper jack for added flavor.
I just use my metal pan, but some people really like pizza stones.

[Deleted]

Wow apple! you save my recipe! Exalt

[Apple]

Snerdly--it's been a while since I made my own crust, but one thing that I remember is if you grease the pan it ends up sliding back in from the sides so if I could get away with it I didn't grease the pan. I never used a rolling pin, but pushed it around with my hands. You might try the method in post #8...

Generously dust a wooden peel or the back of a sheet pan with flour or cornmeal. With lightly-floured hands, press the dough with your fingertips to form a flattened disk. Lift the dough up and use the back of your knuckles to stretch and thin-out the dough into a circle with a diameter of 12-inches. Be careful to preserve the edge of the dough if you want a light, chewy crust. Carefully position the stretched dough onto the prepared peel or baking sheet.

Glad you're experimenting and liking the results.

[Apple]

Feb 2, 2011 16:18:53 GMT -5 @justaposter said:

Wow apple! you save my recipe! Exalt

Thanks I still have a ton of recipes saved from the old boards, I need to start posting them again...

[Apple]

Last pizza we made we used ranch dressing for the sauce then put leftover boneless chicken wings on it. Turned out yummy.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Pizza Crust recipe (for happyprose, who was asking):

Jay's Signature Pizza Crust

[Deleted]

Sun dried tomatoes, garlic, artichoke, cartelized onions and spinach... Yum...

eta: carmelized onions... Nice autocorrect

[chiver78]

bumping this thread to ask if any of you use fresh yeast in your pizza crusts. I'm finding lots of recipes for fresh yeast doughs that use weights in their measurements, and at the moment I do not have a functioning food scale. if I can avoid buying one, I'd like to. just wondering if it's possible to convert to volumes.

[Deleted]

Wild Tomato pizza sauce, fresh Italian sausage, roasted red pepper, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, brushed with spicy red pepper oil