Balsamic Strawberry Pizza with Chicken, Sweet Onion & Bacon

While living in Crystal City, Virginia, my husband and I would frequently go out to eat. There was a plethora of amazingly diverse restaurants within walking distance to our apartment and it would have just been wrong to not try them out.  ;) But the main reason we’d go out so often was because I worked late almost every night (P.S. It’s an urban myth that teachers work only from 9-3).  By the time I got home it would usually be 7 or 8 PM and I wouldn’t feel like cooking—especially when I was pregnant! One restaurant we would go to periodically was California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) and there was one visit in particular to CPK that I will never, ever forget!

It was the Friday after winter break so it was especially hard getting back into the swing of things, and at the time I was also 6 months pregnant. I had just gotten home late (again) from work and there was no way I was about to stand on my swollen, pregnant feet to make dinner. So naturally we decided to go out. I suggested CPK because it was relatively close (only about 150 yards from our apartment) and they had that yummy Spinach-Artichoke Dip I was craving. We leisurely walked to CPK, hand-in-hand while discussing our day/week. Once we were seated at the restaurant I suggested we share an appetizer and an entrée (something we did quite frequently), I then proceeded to say I was pregnancy-craving the Spinach-Artichoke Dip so I’d pick the appetizer and he could pick the entrée. Without skipping a beat Curtis looked me square in the face and said “No”.

………………Whaaaaat?!?!?!?!?........................

I was like a deer in the headlights! I proceeded to turn and look all around because surely Curtis didn’t say no to me! To date he had said no to me maybe 2 other times…and certainly never while I was pregnant! But I was mistaken, he definitely said no! Once I was able to pick my chin up off of the table and gather my thoughts I probed him for answers. As it turns out, Curtis had just finished his first week of Professional Negotiations and was testing out some techniques he had learned on me…so not cool to do to a pregnant lady! (And to set the record straight, we ended up ordering the Spinach Artichoke Dip and 2 entrees and left with a lot of leftovers.)

Anyhow, this Strawberry Chicken Pizza totally reminds me of something you’d get at CPK (and the unforgettable “no” I received from my hubby while there). The combination of flavors is so right-on and delicious. To speed up the pizza-making process, I suggest picking up a dough ball from your local supermarket. I picked mine up at Safeway, and I know other stores like Trader Joes and Whole Foods sells them as well.

Balsamic Strawberry Pizza with Chicken, Sweet Onion & Bacon

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

½ C strawberry jam or preserves

¼ C balsamic vinegar
1 t sriracha chili sauce, or any other chili sauce(chipotle would be yummy)

For the Rest of the Pizza:

1 ball pizza dough, your favorite recipe or on purchased form the store
1 C diced or shredded chicken breast, from rotisserie chicken or left over chicken of any kind
½ C bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces, cooked until crispy and drained

½ C thinly sliced sweet onion
12 ounces shredded Italian blend cheese
¼ C fresh cilantro, finely chopped
¼ C fresh strawberries, diced

Directions:

Place pizza stone or an inverted sheet pan on middle rack of oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 4-5 minutes, or until reduced to half the original volume and the mixture is thick and syrupy. Add strawberry preserves and sriracha chili sauce and mix well. Set aside to cool.

Pat or roll out pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to approximately a 14 inch circle. Place a piece of parchment paper, slightly larger than your dough on a pizza peel or an upside down sheet pan. (The parchment paper will make your transfer of the pizza to the oven so much easier!) Sprinkle parchment paper lightly with cornmeal. Fold dough in quarters and place on parchment paper, then unfold.

Combine chicken with 2 tablespoons of the balsamic-strawberry mixture and mix to coat all chicken with sauce. Pour rest of sauce onto pizza dough and spread to cover. Leave a 1 inch border all around the edge.

Place about 3/4 of the cheese on top of dough and spread to cover sauce evenly. Scatter chicken, bacon and sweet onion over cheese to distribute evenly. Scatter remaining cheese over this layer.

Slide parchment paper with pizza on top onto stone or cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Watch carefully, at this temperature it is easy to burn the pizza!

Remove from oven and let cool slightly, 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and fresh diced strawberries.

Source: Adapted from this recipe

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday
Menu Plan Monday
Skip to My Lou
Tip Me Tuesday
Today’s Creative Blog

Roman Pizza Series 5 of 5 - Sausage & Roasted Pepper Pizza

There are many things that I love about Rome, but my favorite (by far) are the all the fountains! Rome has more fountains than any other city in the world and these fountains have provided drinking water and decoration to Romans for more than 2000 years. Here are a few of my favorites from my trip:

The Fountain of Triton in Piazza Barberini that dates back to 1643. We'd pass this fountain everytime we went to and fro the Barberini Metro station.

Bees Fountain which serves as the dedication plaque for the Fountain of Triton.

The Fountain of Neptune found in Piazza Navona.

The Fountain of the Four Rivers also in Piazza Navona which was made my Bernini in 1651.

The Pantheon Fountain, 1577.

Even the drinking fountains are majestically beautiful!

This one's my favorite.

I have saved my favorite fountain for last…the Trevi Fountain! Our hotel, Hotel Accademia was located just steps to the Trevi. Every evening after dinner we’d grab some gelato and people watch around the Trevi. They say if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain that it’ll ensure a return visit to Rome. Hopefully this will ring true, because I desperately want to go back!

The beautiful Trevi!

Hoping for a return visit!

Now…onto the pizza! In my opinion, I saved the best pizza for last. Sausage and peppers is a classic combo, and on this pizza it’s divine! I personally like the hot sausage contrasting against the sweet bell peppers, but you can use any type of sausage you’d like.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Roman Pizza Series as much as I have. Buon appetito!

Roman Pizza Series 5 of 5 – Sausage & Roasted Pepper Pizza

Cook’s Notes: Once the dough has been placed in the oiled bowl, it can be transferred to the refrigerator and kept for up to 24 hours. Bring the dough to room temperature, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, before proceeding with step 4. When kneading the dough on high speed, the mixer tends to wobble and move on the counter.

Place a towel or shelf liner under the mixer and watch it at all times during mixing. Handle the dough with slightly oiled hands. Resist flouring your fingers or the dough might stick.

This recipe was developed using an 18- by 13-inch baking sheet. Smaller baking sheets can be used, but because the pizza will be thicker, baking times will be longer. If not using a pizza stone, increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees and set the rack to the lowest position; the cooking time might increase by 3 to 5 minutes and the exterior won’t be as crisp.

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough:

3 C unbleached all-purpose flour

1 2/3 C water (13 1/2 ounces), room temperature

1 1/4 t table salt

1 1/2 t instant yeast

1 1/4 t sugar

5 T extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

Toppings:

1-14 oz can diced tomatoes

4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced and torn into pieces

2 sausage links (hot, mild, sweet…whatever your taste)

1 jarred roasted bell pepper

2-3 large basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1.  Place towel or shelf liner beneath stand mixer to prevent wobbling. Mix flour, water, and table salt in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook on low speed until no patches of dry flour remain, 3 to 4 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Turn off mixer and let dough rest 20 minutes.

2.  Sprinkle yeast and sugar over dough. Knead on low speed until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Increase mixer speed to high and knead until dough is glossy, smooth, and pulls away from sides of bowl, 6 to 10 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, dough will fall back to sides.)

3.  Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to bowl and pour 1 tablespoon oil over top. Flip dough over once so it is well coated with oil; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until nearly tripled in volume and large bubbles have formed, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4.  One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack to middle position, place pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees.

5.  Drain the can of tomatoes over a bowl for 20-30 minutes.

6.  Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the sausage from casings and place in the preheated pan. Break up the sausage as it cooks so it breaks up into crumbles, continue until fully cooked. Drain the sausage of any pan grease and set aside.

7.  Remove the bell pepper from jar and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut the bell pepper into long, thin strips and set aside.

8.  Coat rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil. Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto baking sheet along with any oil in bowl. Using fingertips, press dough out toward edges of pan, taking care not to tear it. (Dough will not fit snugly into corners. If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5 to 10 minutes before trying to stretch again.) Let dough rest in pan until slightly bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Using dinner fork, poke surface of dough 30 to 40 times and sprinkle with kosher salt.

9.  Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.  Take the crust out of the oven and sprinkle with drained tomatoes, mozzarella, sausage, and bell pepper. Return to the oven and cook an additional 5-10 minutes.

10.  Using metal spatula, transfer pizza to cutting board and top with the chopped basil leaves. Let cool slightly and then slice and serve.

Serves 4-6

Source: Dough recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, toppings my own.

I’m linking this post up at:

Metamorphosis Monday

Menu Plan Monday

Skip to My Lou

Tip Me Tuesday

Today’s Creative Blog

Roman Pizza Series 4 of 5 – Eggplant & Parmesan Pizza

Like I’ve mentioned before, we visited Rome during the hottest time of the summer. After being out in the heat and sweating for 3 days straight, we decided that we needed to take a little break from sight-seeing and spend the day at the beach! Luckily before we left for Italy I researched a day trip to the beach that was a little more than an hour away from Rome to a little town called Sperlonga.

Sperlonga is a charming seaside town. The “Old Town” is built on a cliff overlooking the sea with the most amazing views of the Mediterranean. Below “Old Town” Sperlonga is the most perfect beach that stretches for almost 4 miles. I am so sad that I didn’t take a lot of pictures in Sperlonga (mainly because I was getting some much-needed relaxation in), but below are 2 of my favorites, enjoy!

The beautiful white-washed sea-town of Sperlonga.

Enjoying some R & R!

Now, I never actually had an eggplant parmesan pizza while in Rome (or any part of Italy for that matter), but I decided to make a pizza that was inspired by it. I had eggplant parmesan while dining one night in Italy and it blew my socks off. I think this pizza is a great pizza version of it. With all of the grilled eggplant on the pizza, I don’t miss not having meat with this dish.

The Eggplant Parmesan I had in Italy that inspired this pizza creation.

 

Roman Pizza Series 4 of 5 – Eggplant & Parmesan Pizza

Cook’s Notes: Once the dough has been placed in the oiled bowl, it can be transferred to the refrigerator and kept for up to 24 hours. Bring the dough to room temperature, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, before proceeding with step 4. When kneading the dough on high speed, the mixer tends to wobble and move on the counter.

Place a towel or shelf liner under the mixer and watch it at all times during mixing. Handle the dough with slightly oiled hands. Resist flouring your fingers or the dough might stick.

This recipe was developed using an 18- by 13-inch baking sheet. Smaller baking sheets can be used, but because the pizza will be thicker, baking times will be longer. If not using a pizza stone, increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees and set the rack to the lowest position; the cooking time might increase by 3 to 5 minutes and the exterior won’t be as crisp.

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough:

3 C unbleached all-purpose flour

1 2/3 C water (13 1/2 ounces), room temperature

1 1/4 t table salt

1 1/2 t instant yeast

1 1/4 t sugar

5 T extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

Toppings:

1-14 oz can diced tomatoes

4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced and torn into pieces

1 small eggplant (10-12 ounces)

1/2 – 3/4 C shredded parmesan cheese

2-3 large basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1.  Place towel or shelf liner beneath stand mixer to prevent wobbling. Mix flour, water, and table salt in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook on low speed until no patches of dry flour remain, 3 to 4 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Turn off mixer and let dough rest 20 minutes.

2.  Sprinkle yeast and sugar over dough. Knead on low speed until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Increase mixer speed to high and knead until dough is glossy, smooth, and pulls away from sides of bowl, 6 to 10 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, dough will fall back to sides.)

3.  Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to bowl and pour 1 tablespoon oil over top. Flip dough over once so it is well coated with oil; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until nearly tripled in volume and large bubbles have formed, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4.  One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack to middle position, place pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees.

5.  Drain the can of tomatoes over a bowl for 20-30 minutes.

6. Preheat grill to medium-high.

7.  Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Grill, turning once, until marked and softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Let cool slightly, then thinly slice into strips. Reduce heat to low.

8.  Coat rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil. Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto baking sheet along with any oil in bowl. Using fingertips, press dough out toward edges of pan, taking care not to tear it. (Dough will not fit snugly into corners. If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5 to 10 minutes before trying to stretch again.) Let dough rest in pan until slightly bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Using dinner fork, poke surface of dough 30 to 40 times and sprinkle with kosher salt.

9.  Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.  Take the crust out of the oven and sprinkle with drained tomatoes, mozzarella, eggplant, and parmesan. Return to the oven and cook an additional 5-10 minutes.

10.  Using metal spatula, transfer pizza to cutting board and top with the chopped basil leaves. Let cool slightly and then slice and serve.

Serves 4-6

Source: Dough recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, toppings my own

I’m linking this post up at:

Metamorphosis Monday

Menu Plan Monday

Skip to My Lou

Tip Me Tuesday

Today’s Creative Blog

Roman Pizza Series 3 of 5 - Arugula and Prosciutto Pizza

When you visit Rome, two of the must-see attractions are the Vatican Museum and the Basilica of Saint Peter located within Vatican City. These sites can easily take you all day to go through, depending on your speed and how much of the masterful art you’d like to absorb.

To say the Vatican Museum is enormous would be an understatement. I thought you’d simply go in, see a couple of art exhibits before you head to the Sistine Chapel and be in and out in an hour or so, but that SO is not the case! The Vatican Museum is composed of over twenty distinct collections—any of which could be their own stand-alone gallery—that you have to walk through on your way to the Sistine Chapel. The amount of art that is on display is completely overwhelming to the point you are almost “art-ed out” by the time you reach the remarkable ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately the Vatican Museum does not allow its patron to snap pictures of the Sistine Chapel (they have ample staff in the chapel that walk around clapping and constantly reminding folks “no photo”)so I am unable to provide you with a look here. But…here are some highlights of my Vatican experience:

Gallery of Maps: the most amazing hallway I've ever been in.



Raphael's "The School of Athens"



Even the floors were amazing!

I guess they don't want you wearing underware into the Vatican...

Curtis and I in Saint Peter's Square.

After touring the Vatican all day it was refreshing to enjoy what would later be such a memorable piece of pizza. Now that I’m thinking back, the version of this pizza that I had in Rome started my love affair with arugula. I love arugula! The little spicy leaves are so peppery and almost mustardy. I enjoy how the salty prosciutto cuts through the peppery tang of the arugula to create the classic Italian pairing.

Roman Pizza Series 3 of 5 – Arugula and Prosciutto Pizza

Look at those air bubbles in the crust!

Cook’s Notes: Once the dough has been placed in the oiled bowl, it can be transferred to the refrigerator and kept for up to 24 hours. Bring the dough to room temperature, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, before proceeding with step 4. When kneading the dough on high speed, the mixer tends to wobble and move on the counter.

Place a towel or shelf liner under the mixer and watch it at all times during mixing. Handle the dough with slightly oiled hands. Resist flouring your fingers or the dough might stick.

This recipe was developed using an 18- by 13-inch baking sheet. Smaller baking sheets can be used, but because the pizza will be thicker, baking times will be longer. If not using a pizza stone, increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees and set the rack to the lowest position; the cooking time might increase by 3 to 5 minutes and the exterior won’t be as crisp.

Mia enjoying a bite of pizza.

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough:

3 C unbleached all-purpose flour

1 2/3 C water (13 1/2 ounces), room temperature

1 1/4 t table salt

1 1/2 t instant yeast

1 1/4 t sugar

3 T extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

Toppings:

1-14 oz can diced tomatoes

4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced and torn into pieces

1 ½ C loosely packed arugula

2 oz prosciutto

Directions:

1.  Place towel or shelf liner beneath stand mixer to prevent wobbling. Mix flour, water, and table salt in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook on low speed until no patches of dry flour remain, 3 to 4 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Turn off mixer and let dough rest 20 minutes.

2.  Sprinkle yeast and sugar over dough. Knead on low speed until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Increase mixer speed to high and knead until dough is glossy, smooth, and pulls away from sides of bowl, 6 to 10 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, dough will fall back to sides.)

3.  Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to bowl and pour 1 tablespoon oil over top. Flip dough over once so it is well coated with oil; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until nearly tripled in volume and large bubbles have formed, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4.  One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack to middle position, place pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees.

5.  Drain the can of tomatoes over a bowl for 20-30 minutes.

6. Roughly chop the arugula and set aside.

7.  Tear the prosciutto into pieces and set aside.

8.  Coat rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil. Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto baking sheet along with any oil in bowl. Using fingertips, press dough out toward edges of pan, taking care not to tear it. (Dough will not fit snugly into corners. If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5 to 10 minutes before trying to stretch again.) Let dough rest in pan until slightly bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Using dinner fork, poke surface of dough 30 to 40 times and sprinkle with kosher salt.

9.  Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.  Take the crust out of the oven and sprinkle with drained tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula and prosciutto. Return to the oven and cook an additional 5-10 minutes.

10.  Using metal spatula, transfer pizza to cutting board. Let cool slightly and then slice and serve.

Serves 4-6

Source: Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

I’m linking this post up at:

Metamorphosis Monday

Menu Plan Monday

Skip to My Lou

Tip Me Tuesday

Today’s Creative Blog

Roman Pizza Series 2 of 5 - Summer Squash & Zucchini Pizza

Mmmm, Hmmm!

We took our trip to Italy during the month of August, and I’m not so sure I’d recommend going to Italy at that time because it was H*O*T and wicked humid. Most of the sites we toured were outside and a lot of the churches and museums we toured had their lines start outside, so respite from the heat was few and far between (but it did make a quite reasonable excuse for us to have gelato multiple times a day). 

One of my favorite sites we visited in Rome was the Colosseum; I thought it was such an enduring monument to the culture of the ancient Romans. It was built back in 80 A.D. and it’s still standing today. I think my favorite factoid about the Colosseum is that is could be emptied of its 50,000+ spectators in less than five minutes! Seriously, that’s amazing!! How many modern stadiums can say that?!?

The Colosseum

My hubby and dad overlooking the Colosseum.



Curtis and I at the Colosseum.



I don’t know about you, but when I’ve been in the heat and sweating all day, the last thing I want is a piping hot piece of food to eat…but that logic was thrown out the window while walking back to our hotel one afternoon. We passed a little pizza shop that was crowded with local business men and women that displayed the most magnificent looking pies in their window. My husband and I didn’t say anything to one another as we were passing, but when the questions arose “where do you want to go for dinner” we both had the same answer. We headed back to the little pizza shop and had us the most amazing pizza of our lives! I had a pizza with summer quash and zucchini, and this recipe is directly inspired by it. Enjoy!

Amazing Roman Pizza Shop

Roman Pizza Series 2 of 5 – Summer Squash & Zucchini Pizza

This just makes me smile!

A close up of a piece.

Cook’s Notes: Once the dough has been placed in the oiled bowl, it can be transferred to the refrigerator and kept for up to 24 hours. Bring the dough to room temperature, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, before proceeding with step 4. When kneading the dough on high speed, the mixer tends to wobble and move on the counter.

Place a towel or shelf liner under the mixer and watch it at all times during mixing. Handle the dough with slightly oiled hands. Resist flouring your fingers or the dough might stick.

This recipe was developed using an 18- by 13-inch baking sheet. Smaller baking sheets can be used, but because the pizza will be thicker, baking times will be longer. If not using a pizza stone, increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees and set the rack to the lowest position; the cooking time might increase by 3 to 5 minutes and the exterior won’t be as crisp.

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough:

3 C unbleached all-purpose flour

1 2/3 C water (13 1/2 ounces), room temperature

1 1/4 t table salt

1 1/2 t instant yeast

1 1/4 t sugar

3 T extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

Toppings:

1-14 oz can diced tomatoes

4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced and torn into pieces

½ of a summer squash, julienned

½ of a zucchini, julienned

2 large basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1.  Place towel or shelf liner beneath stand mixer to prevent wobbling. Mix flour, water, and table salt in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook on low speed until no patches of dry flour remain, 3 to 4 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Turn off mixer and let dough rest 20 minutes.

2.  Sprinkle yeast and sugar over dough. Knead on low speed until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Increase mixer speed to high and knead until dough is glossy, smooth, and pulls away from sides of bowl, 6 to 10 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, dough will fall back to sides.)

3.  Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to bowl and pour 1 tablespoon oil over top. Flip dough over once so it is well coated with oil; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until nearly tripled in volume and large bubbles have formed, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4.  One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack to middle position, place pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees.

5.  Drain the can of tomatoes over a bowl for 20-30 minutes.

This is what the tomatoes will look like after they've drained for 20-30 minutes.

6. Julienne your summer squash and zucchini. To see a quick little how-to video, click here. Place your julienned pieces in a bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the veggies, set aside.

7.  Coat rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil. Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto baking sheet along with any oil in bowl. Using fingertips, press dough out toward edges of pan, taking care not to tear it. (Dough will not fit snugly into corners. If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5 to 10 minutes before trying to stretch again.) Let dough rest in pan until slightly bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Using dinner fork, poke surface of dough 30 to 40 times and sprinkle with kosher salt.

8.  Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.  Take the crust out of the oven and sprinkle with drained tomatoes, mozzarella, and summer squash and zucchini. Return to the oven and cook an additional 5-10 minutes.

9.  Using metal spatula, transfer pizza to cutting board and top with the chopped basil leaves. Let cool slightly and then slice and serve.

Serves 4-6

Source: Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen