Pan Pizza

Last month we had to say goodbye to our beloved Weimeriner.  😢 She was spunky and mischievous but she sure left a void in our house.  It's amazing how quiet it is without the unnerving clamor of slamming bathroom cabinets while she repeatedly tried to sneak into the trash.  🙃 

Since we've decided to remain pet-less for the foreseeable future, we've "adopted" the neighborhood donkey.  This Jerusalem donkey's name is Hector and I've never met a donkey quite so friendly.  He loves visitors and the feeling is mutual.  We love watching him run to the fence to greet us when we walk down to visit him.

This donkey loves his snacks.  (And we love to bring him special treats.)  Corn cobs, apples, watermelon and bananas are his favorites.  He's also made it abundantly clear that zucchini, cucumbers and squash are not his favorite treats.  Hector and I have a lot in common. 😅#fruitsaremyfavorite  🍎🍌🍉  

This donkey is quite skilled at eating his snacks too.  We've watched him peel and eat a banana with his teeth.  We've also seen him walk away from an unpeeled orange until I removed the peel for him.  This donkey knows what he likes.  🍊 

Much like Hector, when it comes to food, I know exactly what I like too.  Specifically pizza.  I'm a self-proclaimed pizza snob. 🍕 I want a delicious crispy, crust topped with fresh herbs and vegetables and the very best cheese on the planet. 

I really like to make homemade pizza because - well, pizza snob. 💁🏻‍♀️ I have a lot of great pizza recipes but when I ran across this Pan Pizza recipe - I couldn't help but be intrigued.  The recipe much more closely resembled a loaded focaccia than a traditional pizza with sauce and mozzarella but I needed to give it a try.   

Pan Pizza
2 3/4 cup bread flour
​2 teaspoons sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water 
​4 teaspoons salt
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pound cherry tomatoes
3 cups while milk mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon oregano

Combine flour, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer.  

With mixer running, slowly add water and knead 5 minutes.  Let rest 10 min.

Add salt and knead for 5 minutes longer.

Coat a bowl with 1 T. oil.  Add dough and flip to coat all sides.  

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 4-5 hours. 

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and then brush with 1 T. oil.  

Scrape dough onto center of sheet and let rest 20 minutes.  

Cut tomatoes into quarters.  Gently mash.  Strain over a bowl. 

Gently push dough to the corners of the baking sheet.  

Drizzle tomatoes with 1 T. oil.  Scatter over dough.  Let rest 30 minutes. 

Sprinkle cheese over pizza.  Sprinkle with oregano, pepper and salt.  

Bake 18-20 minutes at 500.  

Slice and serve.

This pizza was sooooooo good.  (High praise, coming from a true pizza snob.)  I still think it's more of a focaccia bread than a true pan pizza but I don't want to get into the semantics.  Choose the toppings that you love and create your own unique pizza creation.  Enjoy!!  

​Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe