Sheet Pan Pizza

 

Last year, one my Christmas gift requests was a subscription to Cook’s Country magazine.  My mom purchased it for me and the magazine is always full of helpful hints and tasty recipes. I love Cook’s Country. I love the show, watch it every time it’s on, and I watch reruns! They never get old. I plan to try a lot of their recipes on this blog.

I came across this pizza recipe in one of their issues and have wanted to try it for a while. Pizza is one of my favorite Friday night meals to fix and I love trying different pizza recipes. This recipe is a simple sheet pan recipe that doesn’t require a pizza stone. The pan requires a lot of olive oil so that it “fries” the crust and gives it a crisp, browned exterior. Combine that with a simple homemade sauce, rich mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, fresh basil and the toppings of your choice and you have one satisfying piece of pizza.

 

Sheet Pan Pizza

Cook's Country-Issue: April/May 2013

Dough:

1 3/4 cups warm water (110 degrees)

1/2 cup plus one tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sugar

5 cups all-purpose flour

4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 teaspoons salt

Sauce and Toppings:

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Salt

1 1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) of parmesan cheese, grated

12 ounces (3 cups) mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Toppings of your Choice (I used Italian Sausage) or leave it plain!

1. Dough: Combine water, 1/4 cup oil and sugar in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, yeast, and salt on low speed until combined. Increase speed to medium low, add water mixture, and knead dough for 3 minutes or until uniform in texture. Transfer dough to bowl greased with one tablespoon of olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature* until doubled in size, 1-1 1/2 hours.

2. Brush 1/4 cup of olive oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough in a 16x12 inch rectangle. Transfer dough to cookie sheet and press dough into corners. Brush dough with one tablespoon olive oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise for approximately 20 minutes.

3. Sauce and Toppings: While dough rises, heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook garlic, oregano and pepper flakes for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste and cook until light brown, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer until reduced to three cups, about ten minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Uncover the dough and make small indententions all over, using your fingers. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese and bake for 7-10 minutes or until cheese begins to melt. Remove crust from oven. Spoon sauce over crust leaving a 1-inch border. Bake until sauce is deep red and steaming, 7-10 minutes.

5. Remove pizza from oven, Sprinkle with Mozzarella and remaining Parmesan cheese and top with desired toppings. Bake until cheese is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Top with freshly chopped basil and serve.

*Speed up the rise time by preheating your oven to 150 degrees. Once it reaches temperature, turn off the oven and open the oven door to let some heat escape. Once the oven has a cooled a bit, place your bowl of dough onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven. This creates a warm environment to accelerate the yeast. Be careful the oven is not too warm, hot temperatures can kill the yeast.