Star Shaped Pizza!

Be The Star Of The Pizza Party!

Looking to make your homemade pizza exciting? A star-shaped pizza is visually stunning as well as a classy way to improve the beloved stuffed crusted pizza. Impress your friends and family by presenting a dazzling star-shaped stuffed crusted pizza. 

Star Pizza, Pizzacraft, stuffed crust pizza, cheese crust, pizza shapes

 

This simple recipe is one that will take your pizza making skills to the next level. Impress your friends, family, children and more. The gooey cheese pockets will keep you coming back to this recipe time after time! You will be the star of the show when you bring this stunning pizza to the table!

 

Star Pizza, Pizzacraft, stuffed crust pizza, cheese crust, pizza shapes

 

Star is Born! 

A star shaped pizza is visually stunning as well a way to class up a stuffedcrusted pizza. To create this look stretch your dough as you normally would. Place the dough on a pizza peel dusted with flour and semolina. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut the outside edge of the dough going toward the center about 2 inches deep on the top, bottom, left and right side of the dough.
Star Pizza, Pizzacraft, stuffed crust pizza, cheese crust, pizza shapes

Star Pizza, Pizzacraft, stuffed crust pizza, cheese crust, pizza shapes

Fold It!

You should have four cuts that divided the outer crust into quarters. Now repeat this again but half way between each cut. You should have eight tabs around the outside of the pizza. Assemble the center of the pizza like normal but make sure to put a little sauce and cheese in the center of the 8 tabs. Make sure you leave a little bit of dough around the outside. Pinch both sides of the tab together. This should seal the dough together while creating a point at the end. Repeat with the remaining 7 tabs. Cook you pizza as you normally would.

Enjoy It!

This week’s PIZZA OF THE WEEK is @jack_nealeigh_dominguez Keep cooking up wonderful pizzas Jack! Cheers!  

Thanks so much to everyone else submitting pizzas! I see you, keep baking. It looks delicious! 

If you maker Pickle Pizza in your Pronto® or in your own oven I would love to see on Instagram @_pizzacraft  or #pizzacraft. Next week will choose our favorite pizza to feature right here on the blog! 

Making Naturally Leavened Pizza Dough

Using Starter- Pizza Dough! 

We all know you can buy pre-made pizza dough and make a lack luster pizza crust. It is time to level up your pizza game and make your own dough using your own starter. We have detailed instructions on how to go from a novice dough maker to a world class pizza expert. Grab your Pizzacraft® gear and let’s get to work on a masterpiece! 

Pizzacraft, pizza dough, pizza starter, dough starter, pizza crust, pizza making

We have a recipe about how to make your own starter and recipes on how to make your own pizza dough, but we forgot to show you how to use your starter in your recipe. Using a starter in you dough can add a lot of character and flavor to your pizza that you can’t get from commercial yeast.

 This recipe was developed to add flavor to the crust without turning it into a sourdough pizza crust. To do this we don’t add a ton of starter and let that starter slowly work its magic. The process is longer than your average dough recipe, but I think once you give it a try you will have a hard time going back to using store bought yeast.


starter, dough starter, pizza dough, Pizzacraft

starter, dough starter, pizza dough, Pizzacraft

starter, dough starter, pizza dough, Pizzacraft

starter, dough starter, pizza dough, Pizzacraft

 

Ingredients-

4 Cups or 20oz 00 Pizzacraft Flour2 Teaspoons or 0.5oz Kosher Salt1 Packet Instant Yeast (0.25oz)13 oz Water.5 oz starter about 2 tablespoons of starter

Instructions-

Combine starter and water in a small bowl. Stir until dissolved.Place flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook on yourmixer, turn on low to combine flour and salt.Slowly add the water and starter to the bowl making sure to scrape the dough offthe sides of the mixing bowl with a silicone spatula. Continue until all flour ishydrated.Once the dough is has a smooth appearance, remove from bowl and cover it withplastic wrap.In a large covered container or bowl leave the dough mixture to rest on the counter for 4 hours before placing it in the fridge for 24 hours.Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into thirds and roll into balls.Dust a baking dish with flour and place the balls in the dish and cover with plasticwrap. Return the dough to the fridge for another 24 hoursBefore cooking pizza remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before trying to stretch it, about 2 hours.
Pizzacraft, pizza dough, pizza starter, dough starter, pizza crust, pizza making

 

 

Pizzacraft, pizza dough, pizza starter, dough starter, pizza crust, pizza making

Our Silicone Baking mat is a great tool to form and shape your dough and measure how large you want your pizzas to be. This large, slip-proof surface has guidelines for making multiple sizes of crust. It is also perfect for rolling pie crusts, cookie dough, or other pastries.

 

For other alternative pizza recipes check out:

Dill Pickle Pizza!Cherry Tomato and Basil Flatbread Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough

This week’s PIZZA OF THE WEEK is @Eddie_nyer! Keep cooking up wonderful pizzas Eddie, Cheers!  

Thanks so much to everyone else submitting pizzas! I see you, keep baking it looks delicious! 

If you maker Pickle Pizza in your Pronto® or in your own oven I would love to see on Instagram @_pizzacraft  or #pizzacraft. Next week will choose our favorite pizza to feature right here on the blog! 

 

Dill Pickle Pizza Recipe

Dill Pickle Pizza is here to stay, maybe. 

Here at Pizzacraft® toppings have always been a super controversial subject. We have the classic pizza eaters who usually stick to original toppings such as pepperoni and onions. Others adventure into the wild side with pineapples, dates and even macaroni and cheese. We saw a rather unusual combination making its way around the internet and decided we had to give it a try. We fired up our Pizzeria Pronto® and made our own version of the infamous Dill Pickle Pizza. 

 

Pickle Lovers Dream 

 The salty brine of the pickles with the garlic cream sauce is a perfect flavor combination. The pickles still have the crunchy bite you would expect from a fresh pickle even though they are cooked. We even suggest trying this recipe with bread and butter pickles for those who prefer sweet over savory. If you don’t like pickles this recipe isn’t for you, Otherwise give it a try. Overall this pizza was a success and we will be making it again in the near future.  

pickle pizza, pizzeria pronto, dill pickle pizza, pizza craft, homemade pizza

Pickles on Pizza?

Our office was split 50-50 between love and hate with this unconventional recipe. This savory pie is one of the most interesting flavor profiles we have experimented with to date. If you like pickles there is no way you won’t like this pizza. We added extra dill after cooking to really make the pickle flavor stand out. 

pickle pizza, pizza peel, dill pickle pizza, pizza craft, dill pizza

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream3 garlic cloves1/2 bunch dill1/3 cup shredded low moisture mozzarella1 cup dill pickle slicesred pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions:

Put the cream, garlic, dill and a heavy pinch of salt into a blender. Blend themixture for 10 seconds. If you blend longer you run the risk of whipping the cream.Stretch your pizza dough and place on a peel dusted with flour. Spoon 3tablespoons of the cream mixture onto the dough followed by the mozzarella andpickles. Cook the pizza and garnish with red pepper flakes. This recipe will make enough cream sauce for multiple pizzas, cream sauce will keep for 1 week covered in fridge.

dill pickle pizza, pizza peel, pickle pizza, dill pizza, pizza craft

 

For other alternative pizza recipes check out:

Cherry Tomato and Basil Flatbread Greek Yogurt Pizza DoughThe Best Vegan Pizza Ever!

This week’s PIZZA OF THE WEEK is @Grayda1! This beautiful looking half pepperoni half cheese is a culinary masterpiece, Cheers!  

 

Thanks so much to everyone else submitting pizzas! I see you, keep baking it looks delicious! 

If you maker Pickle Pizza in your Pronto® or in your own oven I would love to see on Instagram @_pizzacraft or #pizzacraft. Next week will choose our favorite pizza to feature right here on the blog! 

 

 

Cherry Tomato and Basil Flatbread

Fresh Take on Flatbread!

Fall is definitely here, but at Pizzacraft®, we’re trying to hold on to that summer feeling as long as possible. This Cherry Tomato and Basil Flatbread recipe is a taste of summer that will remind you how versatile pizza toppings can be. The combination of the fresh crisp salad and the warm flatbread make for a perfectly complex bite. We heated up our Baking Steel and got to business on this new summer (or fall) favorite. So hit the grocery store and find some of the final fresh tomatoes and basil of the season and get to work on this warm summer delight. 

 Oil with a Twist 

We combine olive oil and sliced garlic to make a zesty infused oil that adds heaps of flavor to the salad as well as the flatbread. The flatbread is hearty enough to eat solo for a light meal. It is also a great way to give your menu a twist when making a bunch of traditional-style pizzas on pizza night.
pizzacraft®, baking steel, pizza dough, flatbread recipe, tomato basil flatbread, pizza stone

Steel vs. Stone

This flatbread recipe is so quick and easy to make, it’s our go-to choice for a healthy weeknight meal. Our Baking Steel is one of our favorite methods for making a pizza on the grill. Baking Steels conduct heat better than a pizza stone, store more heat per unit volume, and stabilize at a lower temperature.
Baking steel, Pizza Steel, Flatbread, Pizza on grill, Pizza on steel

Ingredients

1 portion pizza dough1 cup halved cherry tomatoes¼ red onion julienned1 cup ciliegine sized mozzarella*1 cup torn basil leaves4 garlic cloves¼ cup extra virgin olive oil½ lemon*if you can’t find ciliegine sized mozzarella you can cut any sized mozzarella into½ inch chunks

Instructions

Preheat your pizza steel on your grill with indirect heat or in your oven for 20
minutes. While the steel preheats, slice the cloves of garlic as thin as possible and
combine with the olive oil.

When the steel is done preheating; stretch your dough
and place on your floured pizza peel. Using a dough docker or a fork, prick the dough all over. Drizzle the dough with the garlic-infused olive oil and give it a sprinkle of sea salt.
Make sure to reserve at least a tablespoon of the garlic-infused olive oil.Slide the dough onto your pizza steel. While the dough cooks, combine the
mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and onion in a bowl. Squeeze the lemon over the
tomato mix and add some of the garlic-infused olive oil. Season with sea salt and mix to combine.
Remove the dough from the steel and top with the salad mixture and serve
Flatbread pizza, baking steel, tomato and basil flatbread, grilled pizza, pizza on grill, pizza stone

 Heat up the Steel!

In a 500°F oven, a baking steel will stabilize at around 450°F due to the steel’s radiative properties. It gives constant heat even as it absorbs it, causing it to stabilize at a temperature that’s slightly cooler than the air around it. Even though the steel is cooler than a stone, it is far superior at transferring energy to whatever is placed on top of it.
 pizzacraft®, Pizza steel, baking steel, pizza on grill, grilled pizza, pizza stone, pizza steel

Pizzacraft® Baking Steels are pre-seasoned with vegetable oil. Seasoning helps to condition the steel and prevents food from sticking to it.

Pizza steels are intended for oven use.Only use indirect heat if using on a grill. Do not turn burners on directly under the steel.

 

20% Off The Baking Steel 

This Weekend Only! Use The Code STEEL20 at Checkout!

For More Recipes Check Out:

Homemade Pita Bread Nacho PizzaGreek Yogurt Pizza Dough 

This week’s PIZZA OF THE WEEK is made by Inna @theflourfloozy! Inna made a beautiful pizza this week on her Pizzacraft® Pizza Stone! Thanks Inna!

@theflourfloozy, pizza, pizzacraft®

Thanks so much to everyone else submitting pizzas! I see you, keep baking it looks delicious! 

Share your next pizza creation on Instagram @_pizzacraft  or #pizzacraft. Next week will choose our favorite pizza our favorite to feature right here on the blog! 

Brief History of Pizzacraft

Pizzacraft® was born to be your one-stop shop for a quality set of pizza making tools. Pizzacraft® features an extensive line of artisan quality pizza stones, pizza ovens, tools and accessories for crafting and baking pizzas at home, in the oven or on the grill. Be sure to check out our other products onPizzacraft.com, they’re designed to make you a better pizzaiolo! 

Contact us any time at [email protected]

Green Garlic Cream Pizza Sauce

White Sauce Pizza Recipe 

The internet is full of crazy allegations and outlandish theories. From claiming the world is flat to Justin Bieber being a space lizard. As much as I wish the latter was true its most likely not and some theories on the internet just need to die.So today I will do my part to clean the internet of false claims. Since I’m still not sure about Justin Bieber’s origins I’ll tackle the LIES of white pizza sauce.

All you have to do is a simple google search for white pizza sauce and you will be bombarded with recipes that start by saying, “add flour and butter to a pan to make a roux. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until thickened.”Enough is enough! Besides the fact that these sauces make for a pizza that is heavy and dense, it’s also way more work then you need to do.

The most amount of work you should be putting in is heating up a pot of cream with aromatics and the least should be opening up a carton of cream and using it. White pizzas should be more about the cheese then the sauce. By using cream we are just creating an opportunity for the cheese to melt evenly and become slightly saucy.Although this sauce is simple there are a couple of ways to go about making it.

You can use cream straight out of the carton. I like to do this when I want to showcase a certain cheese. I find this to be really great with vegetarian pies that use a more unique or robust cheese than mozzarella. It can help bring out the flavors of a taleggio or fontina without overpowering it as a flavored cream would.

When it comes to flavoring cream you have two options steeping and blending. Steeping is a great option for earthier flavors. Earthy flavors of rosemary or thyme really come out when heated in cream, as does the savory taste of mushroom stems. There is no need to chop anything just add the ingredients whole and heat the cream to just below a simmer and wait 10 minutes and strain. Blending, on the other hand, is great for bright flavors. I like it with softer herbs like basil or chives. It brings freshness to a white pizza that can lighten up a normally rich pie. It’s one of my favorite ways to make this style of sauce. I put everything into a blender and blend until the cream slightly thickens. A great combination is a green garlic and lemon.It’s got a nice kick of garlic and brightness from the lemon juice.Green garlic is only available in the spring and it pairs really well with all those spring vegetables we have missed during a wet winter.

Green Garlic Cream

Ingredients

One stalk of green garliczest of one lemonjuice of half a lemon1 pint of heavy creamsalt to taste

Combine all ingredients into a blender. Turn the blender on medium speed and blend until the cream slightly thickens. Make sure not to blend the mixture for too long or it will become too thick and turn into whipped cream.

Chicago’s Pizza Pot Pie Recipe

Chicago’s Famous Pizza Pot Pie Recipe 

Everyone knows the Chicago deep dish pizza but I doubt many people have heard of their other famous pie… the Pizza Pot Pie. It’s nowhere near as widespread as the classic deep dish but it definitely has a cult following.  When I stumbled across a video of the pizza potpie from Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. I knew I needed to try and recreate it. 

First off what exactly is a pizza pot pie? Well, it’s a pizza in reverse that’s cooked in a bowl. However, we prefer to use an 8-in deep dish pizza pans instead of potentially staining or ruining a nice bowl. The sauce is also a little different; it’s essentially a meat sauce almost like a ragu or bolognaise. Very, different compared to a more traditional pizza sauce. The cheese, however, is what really makes this pizza famous. It stretches, it’s gooey and most important of all there is a lot of it.

Pizza Pot Pie Recipe

Pizza Pot Pie

Ingredients

2 cups of Ragu1 cup of roasted bell peppers sliced½ cup of sliced olives2/3 lbs of low moisture mozzarella cheese sliced1 portion of pizza dough3 tablespoons of melted butter

Steps: 

Preheat your oven to 400F. Put the ragu in a pot and heat over medium heat. Meanwhile, brush melted butter on the inside of an 8in deep dish pizza pan saving the remaining butter. Line the inside of the pan with slices of mozzarella making sure to go up the sides of the pan as well. Sprinkle the cheese with the bell peppers and olives. When the ragu is hot, pour it into the pan.

deep dish pizza recipe

Chicago pizza recipe

pizza blog

Roll your pizza dough into 10-in wide circle. Carefully drape the dough over the top of the deep dish pan. Place the pan on a sheet tray and transfer to a 400F oven.Cook the pizza pot pie for 20 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown.

pizza pot pie recipe

Remove the pizza from the oven and brush the crust with the leftover butter. Place a plate on top of the crust and using a pair of kitchen gloves hold the plate and the pan and flip over so the plate is down and the bottom of the pan is facing up. Use a spoon to gently loosen the crust all the way around the outside of the pan. Remove the pan and serve.

Try It With Your Own Deep Dish Pan

deep dish pan

 Aluminum Deep Dish Pizza Pans 

For More Alternative Recipes Check Out:

Homemade Pita Bread RecipeChicago Bar Style Pizza Recipe 

This week’s PIZZA OF THE WEEK is made by Andrea @cellarandsalt – She made an amazing looking pie with the Stovetop pizza oven, great work! 

pizza of the week

pizza oven

Thanks so much to everyone else submitting pizzas! I see you, keep baking it looks delicious! 

If you tried out the BAR PIZZA I would love to see on Instagram @_pizzacraft  or #pizzacraft. Next time we will choose our favorite pizza to feature right here on the blog!

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.topthispizzaco.com/?p=377

The Trick To Making Amazing Stir Fry!

What Makes A Great Stir Fry?

Stir fry recipes? I thought this was a pizza blog. Well it is, and that’s what the Pizzeria Pronto® Outdoor Pizza Oven and Pizzaque were originally made for – but we also found they can be used to make amazing stir-fry. The Pizza Oven Wok Kit is an inexpensive way to expand the capabilities of your pizza oven! You may be asking yourself, why we would make a kit for converting the pizza oven into a wok burner? 

We have talked a lot about the high heat that the pronto produces and its ability to replicate authentic flavors that would be found in a wood-fired oven. That intense heat is also needed when stir frying. The burner in our oven has a whopping 15,000 BTUs or in layman’s terms, our oven has a very powerful burner. You can preheat the wok until it starts smoking in less than 30 seconds. All you have to do is remove the lid from your oven and you are ready to cook an amazing stir fry on your outdoor oven! So let’s all say goodbye to mushy stir-fry vegetables and soggy noodles and hello to a meal that is fresher than those to-go orders you have been getting.

Tangerine Beef Recipe

Pizzeria Pronto

Ingredients

2/3 lbs flank, skirt, or butchers steak sliced across the grain
2 tangerines
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
½ tablespoon of brown sugar
3 green onions white and pale green part cut into 1-inch pieces and greens sliced thin and kept separate

Instructions

Peel the tangerine trying to keep the peel in large pieces. Remove as much of the white from the peel as possible. This can be done by using a sharp knife cutting just below the white or you can use a butter knife to scrape it off. Once white has been removed slice into thin slices. Juice the tangerine flesh and add the soy sauce and brown sugar to it. Heat the wok on low and add the tangerine peel, sugar and ¼ cup of water. Cook until the liquid has evaporated but the sugars haven’t caramelized. Remove the peals from the wok and set aside. Clean the wok by adding some water to it and wiping clean with some paper towels. Heat the wok on high until it begins to smoke and add some vegetable oil. Add the sliced beef and let it sit for one minute without moving or until it begins to get some color. Add the whites of the green onion and cook for about another minute tossing a couple of times. Add the tangerine peel and the juice mixture and cook until liquid is thick and syrupy. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with the green onion tops.

Tangerine Beef Recipe

Szechuan Green Beans

Ingredients

1 lb of green beans
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 tablespoon of julienned ginger
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of ground Szechuan peppercorns (can be replaced with 1 tablespoon of 5 spice)
5 small dried chili seeds removed and cut into rings

Pizzeria Pronto Stir Fry

Instructions

Heat the wok on high until it begins to smoke and add a little bit of vegetable oil immediately followed by half the green beans. Allow mixture to sit for about a minute or until the beans get a little color and then give it a toss and allow to keep cooking until they are blistered. Remove the beans from the wok and set aside. Repeat this process with the rest of the beans. When the second set of beans are cooked and removed from the wok turn heat down to medium-low and add a little bit of oil and the ginger and garlic. Cook them 15 seconds and add the Szechuan peppercorns and chilies, cook for 5 seconds before adding the soy sauce. Add the beans back to the pan and cook tossing constantly until the soy sauce has reduced to almost nothing. Transfer beans to a bowl or plate and serve.

Try It With Your Own Wok Kit


 

            Pizzeria Pronto®  Pizza Oven Wok Kit

For More Alternative Recipes Check Out:

Homemade Pita Bread RecipeHow to cook perfect steak in the pronto!

This week’s PIZZA OF THE WEEK is made by Ante @antes-moments! Ante made a great looking pizza this week on his Pizzacraft® Pizza Stone! Great work Ante!

Thanks so much to everyone else submitting pizzas! I see you, keep baking it looks delicious! 

If you tried out Stir Fry on your Pronto® I would love to see on Instagram @_pizzacraft  or #pizzacraft. Next week will choose our favorite pizza or pita to feature right here on the blog! 

Bar Style Pizza Recipe

Long-Standing Pizza Debate

I try to never ask because it inevitably ends in an argument. No, I’m not talking about politics, I’m talking about pizza. Whether you are asking about the best pizza joint in town or the best style of pizza you are sure to hear a lot of opinions that are presented as matter of fact. There’s, of course, Neapolitan, New York, Chicago, and Detroit pies just to name a few. Then there is the side that says deep dish pizza isn’t truly a pizza. I’m not saying I agree so all you Chicagoans don’t go flooding the comments below.

Bar Pizza

What Makes A Bar Pizza? 

I don’t want to make the debate any harder than it already is but I do think that Bar Pizza need a little bit of the spotlight too. Bar pizza also known as tavern pizzas are popular in New England. Two of the more notable establishments would be Star Tavern in New Jersey and Lynwood Café in Massachusetts.You might be thinking “what’s so special about pizza served in a bar? I have been to plenty of pizza spots and had a drink with my slice.”The pizza has a few unique properties. It is rolled out very thin and sauced all the way to the edge of the dough. The pizza is also cooked in an oiled pan.

It’s thought that owners of bars wanted to offer some food to keep patrons in their seats instead of going somewhere else for food. The thin cracker-like crust is believed to have come about because owners wanted to make sure you don’t fill up too much leaving plenty of room for more beverages.As anyone who has worked in the restaurant industry can tell you, beverages are where you make most of your money.

What’s On It? Baked Bean, Salami, Onion?!

The toppings tend to be the traditional run of the mill toppings. The most popular being pepperoni, but let’s be honest it’s the most popular topping on any style of pizza. However, one of the most interesting combinations that I came across was the Bean Special from Lynwood Café. It comes with baked beans, salami, and onion. We couldn’t resist and had to make one ourselves. I was pretty skeptical of the pizza, assuming that it was just a gimmicky item on their menu. Who knows maybe it is, but let me tell you it was surprisingly good. The saltiness of the salami mellowed out the often overpowering sweetness of baked bean, while the onions really pulled everything together. I know it sounds crazy but give it a try.

Make Your Own At Home

Instructions:

1.  Spread 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil on an oven pan or the Aluminum Pizza Pan if you have Pizzeria Pronto® to cook in! Place the dough on the oiled pan.

Oiled Pizza Pan

2. Using a Pizzacraft® rolling pin roll out pizza dough so that is about 1/8 of an inch thick on a floured work surface. Use a Dough Docker to remove all air bubbles! This is not a pizza you want getting all puffed up.  Place the dough on the oiled pan.

dough docker

bar pizza

3. When adding the tomato sauce be sure to go light. The crust is thin and can easily become soggy. Spread the sauce all the way to the edge of the dough and sprinkle with low moisture mozzarella.

4. Add the toppings of your choice. Try bean, salami, onion!

5.  Bake for 7 minutes at 550 degrees F or until the bottom is golden brown and crispy. Serve and Enjoy! 

Tavern Pizza

Try It With The Pizza Pan

Pizza Pan with stand

Pizza Pan

Pizza Pan With Stand For ServingPizza Pan / small, medium, large

 

For other fun recipes check out:

How To Make Homemade Crepes! Cheese Stuffed Garlic Knots!

This week’s PIZZA OF THE WEEK is Jenny @LivingBreadBaker! Not only can she make amazing loaves of bread, but she also has a Pizzaque where she churns out some amazing pizzas like this one! Great work Jenny!

pizza of the week

Thanks so much to everyone else submitting pizzas! I see you, keep baking it looks delicious! 

If you tried out Bar Pizza in your Pronto® or in your own oven I would love to see on Instagram @_pizzacraft  or #pizzacraft. Next week will choose our favorite pizza or pita to feature right here on the blog! 

Homemade Pita Bread Recipe

Homemade Pita Bread 

This week we are taking a break from pizza and really taking advantage of the Pizzeria Pronto® Outdoor Pizza Oven’s versatility. We have cooked steak, nachos, deep dish pizza, flatbread, and over a thousand pizzas in our outdoor oven, but for the first time last week we decided to try a new favorite – homemade pita bread.

Homemade Pita Bread

Homemade pita bread is nothing like your flattened and cold store-bought pita. Warm, fresh, and fluffy this homemade recipe really tastes like something entirely authentic!

For our recipe, we pulled out all the stops. We made two traditional pita bread dips and our own pita dough from scratch before cooking it on high heat on the Pizzeria Pronto®. We removed the top off of the Pronto and cooked the pita directly on the baking stone at around 500 F. This allowed us to watch the pita very closely and make sure the layers of dough separated before flipping to get the classic pita bread air pocket inside.

Dipping Sauce 1.

Labneh with Za’atar Seasoning

Ingredients

32oz greek yogurtCheesecloth6 “ piece of stringOne bunch of fresh oregano2 tablespoons of sumac1 tablespoonof toasted sesame seedsExtra virgin olive oilsalt

Lay cheesecloth on a clean work surface. Scoop the Greek yogurt out of the container and place it in the center of the cheesecloth. Bring the sides of the cheesecloth up so that the yogurt is fully covered. Using the string, tie the cheesecloth into a ball and hang on a large spoon.

dipping sauce

Place the yogurt inside of a pot or bowl making sure that the spoon is resting on the rim of the pot and that the yogurt doesn’t touch the bottom of the container.Place the pot and yogurt in the fridge for 24 hours. Before serving, chop the oregano leaves and combine with the sumac and sesame seeds. Remove the yogurt from the cheesecloth and place in a bowl and season with salt to taste.Sprinkle the herb mixture over the top and drizzle with olive oil.

Dipping Sauce 2.

Traditional Hummus

Ingredients

2 cans of garbanzo beans¼ cup of extra virgin oil2 cloves of garlic1 lemon¼ cup of picked parsley leaves

Strain garbanzo beans reserving one-quarter of the liquid. Peel the lemon making sure not to get too much of the pith and set aside. Juice the lemon into a blender and place the garlic, olive oil, bean liquid and beans reserving ½ cup of beans for later use.Blend the mixture until smooth and season to taste with salt. Roughly chop the parsley, julienne the lemon peel and add them to the reserved garbanzo beans. Stir in some olive oil into the herb mixture.Spoon the bean mixture over the hummus and serve.

Pita Bread Recipe 

Ingredients

3 cups of all purpose flour1 cup of water2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil1.5 teaspoonsalt1 packet of instant yeast

Combine all dry ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook and stir to evenly combine. Turn the mixer to low and slowly pour in the water followed by the olive oil. Turn the mixer to medium and knead until the smooth and elastic. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Let the dough rise for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.Divide the dough into 8 to 10 portions. Roll the portions into balls so that the outside of the balls are smooth.

Pita Bread Recipe

Make sure to keep the seam side down and roll out all of the portions to ¼ of an inch thick. Cover and allow to rest. Remove the hood and top stone of your Pizzeria Pronto®. Heat the stone on medium to medium-high. Alternatively, you can cook on a pizza stone in your oven at 500F. Place the dough on the stone with the seam down until the dough puffs and then flip to cook on the other side, about 2 minutes per side. It may be necessary to adjust heat if the dough is browning too much before the dough puffs up. Cover cooked pitas with a towel to steam while cooking the other pieces.

For perfect pita and pizza at home try our best selling oven or pizza stone. 

 
Pizza Oven

Pizzeria Pronto® Outdoor Pizza Oven 

Pizza Stone

Best Selling 20″ Pizza Stone

Homemade Pita

For other fun recipes check out:

How To Make Homemade Crepes! Cheese Stuffed Garlic Knots!

 

This week’s PIZZA OF THE WEEK is @jimmy-bonfire! Jimmy has been mastering making his dough from scratch before cooking it to perfection on a baking steel!

Pizza of the week

If you tried out pita bread on your Pronto® or in your own oven I would love to see on Instagram @_pizzacraft  or #pizzacraft. Next week will choose our favorite pizza or pita to feature right here on the blog! 

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.topthispizzaco.com/?p=357

Say No To Tomatoes

15 Alternatives to Tomato Sauce

The most important element of cooking is to balance flavors and textures. When it’s done well, eating becomes a true experience. Pizza is a perfect example of this with its crunchy and chewy crust, balanced with a tangy and velvety tomato sauce. Toppings contribute their salty or earthy flavors and the cheese harmonizes the medley as a fatty, and ‘oh so satisfying to chew’ flavor blanket.

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Hungry yet?

It can be hard to imagine a pizza without the classic tomato based sauce, especially if you’ve never had one. In America, commercial pizza restaurants have offered a few alternatives: BBQ sauce, pesto, and the mysteriously named white sauce. These substitutes are pretty common so we have been inspired us to share with you, two pizza sauce alternatives that are unique and delicious.

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pizzacraft
Pizza features the chipotle sauce and includes pulled pork, parmesan cheese, red onions, corn, and fresh basil. 

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Chipotle Me Down for Nap Time

>1 can of chipotle chilies (adjust for spice level)1 large onion peeled and halved1 large tomato1/3 cup apple cider vinegar¼ cup of honey½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon1/8 teaspoon of ground allspiceSalt to taste

Place onion halves and tomato on a sheet tray and place under the broiler making sure the cut side of the onion is facing up. Cook until onion is completely black on the cut side and tomato skin is charred, about 6 minutes. When the onion and tomato are cool enough to handle cut them into quarters and place in a blender. Add the chipotles, honey, vinegar and spices to the blender and blend until smooth and add salt to taste.

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Pizza features the salsa verde sauce and is topped with fresh mozzarella, parmesan cheese, and jalapeño

 

Salsa Verde With Envy

>6 tomatillos with husks removed1 large onionThe juice of 4 limes3 cloves of garlic1 bunch of cilantro roughly choppedSalt to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tomatillos and onion to the pot and boil for 5 minutes or until the tomatillos become soft but not squishy. Using a slotted spoon transfer the tomatillos and onion from the pot to a plate and place in the fridge. When the vegetables are cool place them in a food processor with the cilantro, lime and garlic. Pulse the mixture until almost smooth but making sure to leave a little texture and salt to taste.

15 Alternatives to Tomato Sauce

If you’d like to keep venturing through this delicious world of tomato sauce alternatives we have a handy list here for you:

1. BBQ Sauce

2. Pesto

3. Chipotle sauce

4. Verde Sauce

5. Cheese Sauce

6. Hummus

>7. Heavy Cream Sauce

8. Calabrian Hot Chili Pepper Cream

9. Vodka Sauce

10. Butter Sauce

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11. Garlic and olive oil (also called a Pizza Bianca), garlic oil or other infused oil

12. Honey Garlic

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13. Béchamel or Alfredo Sauce

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14. Teriyaki Sauce

15. Buffalo Sauce

 

For other fun recipes check out:

>Nacho Pizza RecipeCheese Stuffed Garlic Knots!

This week’s PIZZA OF THE WEEK is a Mushroom and Truffle Oil pizza made by Anna Kate @Projectstepmom. She has made some beautiful artisan style pizzas on her well-seasoned Pizzacraft® baking stone.

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If you tried out any of these alternative sauces I would love to see on Instagram @_pizzacraft  or #pizzacraft. Let me know how you change up your pizza sauce in the comments below. Next week will choose our favorite pizza to feature right here on the blog!