Confession: we tried out Pioneer Woman's favorite pizza recipe yesterday and LOVED it. Even my sister, Meri, who's in town visiting was a fan. At first she was a little weary of the eggplant but by the end, she told me that we need to make it again. Soon.
Fine by me.
Here's the recipe, from Pioneer Woman's website (between prep and cook time, this will take about an hour to churn out):
FOR THE CRUST (MAKES TWO CRUSTS):
- 1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast
- 4 cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ⅓ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
FOR THE PIZZA:
- 1 whole Large Eggplant (or Two Medium Eggplants)
- Kosher Salt, For Sprinkling
- 1 pint Grape Tomatoes
- 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 8 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Very Thin
- ½ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil For Drizzling
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Preparation Instructions
TO MAKE THE CRUST:
Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it. ***It’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.
TO MAKE THE PIZZA:
Preheat oven broiler.
Slice the eggplant thinly. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and place into a strainer in the sink. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant lightly in cold water, then pat the slices dry between layers of paper towels.
Slice grape tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss into a bowl with minced garlic.
Slice mozzarella very thinly.
Cut eggplant slices into fourths, and toss with olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and place 8 inches under the broiler.
Broil for 3 minutes, then toss around and broil another 3 minutes. Remove pan from oven and add tomato/garlic mixture. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and set aside. (May do this 1 hour in advance.)
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and use fingers to coat thoroughly. Remove HALF the pizza dough from the bowl. Stretch pizza dough into a large rectangle, pressing with fingers to finish forming. Dough will be very thin.
Lightly drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and use fingers to spread. Lay mozzarella slices over the surface of the dough. Spread vegetables all over the surface of the cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from pan and slice with a pizza cutter. Serve immediately!
wearing our 3D glasses
