Sarah had made a pizza with wonderfully seasonal toppings and asked what her readers like to top their pizzas with. well, in this 'house' we have pizza at least once a week but i'm talking homemade everything pizza. some favorite combos include a riff on our favorite flatbread's pizza: tomato, olive, chevre, rosemary, garlic oil, red onion, fresh mozzarella. or a new favorite: tomato sauce, tomato, coppa, olives, fresh mozzarella, rosemary. or a summer version of grilled pizza dough with fresh avocados, chevre, shallots, cherry tomatoes, arugula, and a drizzle of simple vinaigrette.
but i'm getting carried away! because what i really want to tell you about is a cold weather pizza standby that has just 3 toppings. so Sarah, for you, one of our favs:
Pizza Alsacienne
(meaning a pizza from the Alsace region, adapted from this recipe)
this measurements are very 'ish', meaning only a vague guide really
- equal parts sour cream and cottage cheese (maybe 1/2 c. each for a 2 person pizza)
- fresh ground black pepper and sea salt
- several slices bacon, chopped (maybe 3 american slices but the maple version is not really suited for this recipe. stick to classic, smoked bacon)
- 1/4 c. red onion, shallot, really whatever onion you have, thinly sliced
mix the sour cream and cottage cheese and add a splash of sea salt and a hefty dose of black pepper to taste. go easy on the salt and a little goes a long way for some reason in this mix. slather this on top of your rolled out pizza dough and top with the bacon then the sliced onion/shallot. cook in a blasting hot oven until bubbly and beginning to be golden in spots.
enjoy!
My favorite Pizza Dough(adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipe)
makes 2 medium thin pizzas
- 1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
- 2/3 corn meal
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon raw sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
-3/4 c. warm water (between 105°F and 115°F)
in a small bowl mix yeast and sugar then stir in the warm water. add the olive oil and let sit several minutes until foamy.
in another bowl mix the flour, corn meal, and salt, forming a well in the center. when the yeast mixture is ready, add that to the well in the flour and incorporate the flour by pulling in small amounts from the sides of the well, eventually forming a smooth dough. knead the dough several times in the bowl until it is thoroughly mixed and a bit springy. set aside in a warm place covered with a towel to rise until doubled. depending on the room temp, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. when i need to hurry it along, i set the oven to warm for just a few minutes, turn it off, and pop in the bowl of dough.
once doubled, you can divided it in two and freeze one half or use it all at once.
- tips -
i've found that the best to get a crispy crust in a conventional oven is i put my sheet pan in upside down (someday, someday i'll have a pizza stone!) and turn the oven up to full whack. meanwhile i prepare the dough and topping and when the oven and pan are good and hot i pull it out, brush some olive oil on the pan, sprinkle with corn meal, spread the crust on the pan, layer the toppings and get it back into the oven tout de suite!
