Saturday night is homemade pizza night at our house, which is always a crowd pleaser. We like to keep it fairly simple too, so although there can be a few dishes at the end, it is not a big cooking night. We have gotten pretty good at this fun- for- the- whole- family specialty over the years, but it is limited to weekends in the winter months when we can comfortably gather in the kitchen with the oven cranked to 550 degrees!
For that reason, we thought we’d share some of our home- made pizza tips and toppings before it gets too hot to be in a kitchen at all.
Dough:
Heron Bay Market Place carries an excellent frozen pizza dough called Papa Sal’s in both white and the healthier alternative, whole wheat. It comes in a frozen ball that when defrosted, can be rolled out to make one 15” pizza or two smaller ones (we like a thin crust).
Using a combination technique of gently stretching with your knuckles in the air and rolling on a floured surface, prepare the dough evenly to the desired size. Place the dough on a pizza pan, (we use ones sold at International Imports’ Chef Shop). Brush with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with very finely chopped garlic and sea salt. Pre-bake the dough at 550 degrees for about 5 minutes until it is slightly cooked and just starting to brown. Now your dough is ready for toppings and wont’ get soggy.
Toppings
When we have guests or the kids come by for supper, we chop up a variety of toppings and lay them out in little dishes so everyone can make their own. Not only is this part of the entertainment, but it leads to a great deal of lively conversation during dinner about whose is the best.
Generally on offer for the customized pizza: green pepper, cherry tomatoes, onion, black olives, capers, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, pepperoni, jalapeno peppers, chourico, packaged (Kraft or Sargento) shredded mozzarella and/or Italian Six Cheese Italian and fresh mini mozzarella balls. You almost can’t go wrong with any or all of the above, but here is our favourite combination of toppings:
Pizza sauce (we use store bought)
Sliced mushrooms
Medium spicy chourico, sliced and baked in the oven first.
Pepperoni slices
Chopped artichoke hearts
Capers
Sargento Six Cheese Italian
Fresh mini mozzarella balls, halved
Bermy Fresh microgreens
Spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce over dough, spread toppings evenly, top with grated cheese and mozzarella balls. Season to taste with Italian seasoning and ground pepper, and bake at 550 degrees for about 10 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Garnish with Bermy Fresh micro greens.
