Artisan Pizza

By : | 27 Comments | On : February 19, 2015 | Category : Bread, Cooking & Baking, Food, Main, Recipes, Yeast Breads

artisan pizza

In advance – Apologies for the horrible pictures! Bad lighting and el cheapo camera! My usual camera is having a tantrum.

With that aside – I made some pizzas the other night that were probably the best pizza I’ve ever had!

I used the French Bread recipe for a crust but I added pepper, oregano, rosemary and basil to the dough.

After the 3rd stretch & fold of the dough, I divided enough to make a large pizza on a baking sheet, and used the rest to make 4 personal sized pizzas. This worked out because there were 4 of us for dinner!
If you plan ahead, make this dough a day or 2 ahead of time and let it bulk ferment in the fridge, the flavors change a lot during a cold ferment.

personal size pizza crusts

After dividing, I shaped them and gently used my fingers to dimple to crust up to the edges, let them proof, brushed the tops with oil, and pre-cooked on the bottom rack at 500F for 5 minutes to prevent any sogginess from the toppings. The baking sheets were first oiled to help the bottom of the crust get crispy.

roasted zucchini, squash, garlic, and spices

I had shredded zucchini and spaghetti squash in the freezer from last years’ harvest. I defrosted it in the nuker and left it to drain in a strainer over a bowl while I caramelized 2 yellow onions.

caramelized onion

Once the zucchini and squash had drained, I squeezed out the excess water. I roughly chopped 2 cloves of garlic. All of this was mixed together with a drizzle of oil, salt, pepper, chili flakes, oregano, basil and rosemary. I spread it out on a baking sheet and put it under the broiler for 10 minutes – mixing occasionally – to bring out the flavors.

steak, italian sausage, and knackwurst

I fried 3 italian sausages, 1 knackwurst, and about 4 oz. of steak and sliced them up.

Everything was left to cool while I sliced up more onion, green pepper and tomato, and grated some mozzarella.

Once everything was cooked, cooled and chopped accordingly, I moved on to assembly while preheating the oven to 475F.
The oven should preheat at least 1/2 an hour.

I used 3 parts pizza sauce:1 part ceasar salad dressing to coat the crust.

Then I layered:

  • mozzarella
  • caramelized onions
  • zucchini/squash mixture
  • fresh cracked black pepper
  • steak, sausage, and knackwurst
  • raw onion, green peppers, and tomatoes (on half)
  • mozzarella cheese
  • oregano & pepper

ready for oven large pizza

WHEW! Straight into the oven at 475F until the crust was brown and the cheese was bubbly. (About 10 – 14 minutes depending on size of pizzas, which rack is used, which pan is used, etc.)

personal pizzas
The personal sized pizzas were baked first.

artisan pizza

If making 2 pizzas, do them consecutively, NOT on different racks in oven.

I used oiled metal sheets as that is what I have to work with. So I used the bottom rack of the oven.

The 4 smaller pizzas took 10 minutes. The large pizza took 13 minutes.
Watch carefully while baking anything on the bottom rack;) After all that work, I watched extra closely!!

The prepared pizzas could also be placed on a sturdy sheet of cardboard and wrapped in plastic and frozen until needed. If the sheet was oiled, and the crust pre-cooked, you should be able to slide them straight onto the cardboard.

pizza3

Serve with a green salad and you won’t be disappointed.
artisan pizza
The crust had just the right amount of crispiness, and you can’t beat the look of artisan pizza!

It was a fair amount of work, but they were so good I know I’ll make them again!

UPDATE:
Yesterday as chance would have it, I came across an ad for a free Craftsy class by Peter Reinhart on making pizzas at home. I watched all the videos before deciding to share them.
The lessons are well done, I love the way Craftsy has everything set up!! (I can’t believe I took so long to discover them!)

You can watch video, take notes, ask questions, and browse course materials. If you’re nervous about trying out pizza making, this is definitely worth checking out!!
Free Craftsy Class – Perfect Pizza at Home with Peter Reinhart

Affiliate Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this endorsement, all opinions are based on personal experience. I receive a small percentage from Craftsy if you join and/or make a purchase. This does not affect cost to you and helps pay for hosting this site.

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Comments (27)

  1. posted by Adelynn Lovellette on February 20, 2015

    YUM

      Reply
  2. posted by susan king on February 25, 2015

    This looks and sounds really good ! I don’t normally go for any but the norm in pizza but I might have to try this. Thank you for sharing !

      Reply
  3. posted by denise low on February 27, 2015

    Thanks for the information. This looks very good.We love pizza

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  4. posted by Emily Endrizzi on February 28, 2015

    This looks super yummy! I would love to try making this.

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  5. posted by Ronald G on February 28, 2015

    We have pizza every Friday night as we watch our favorite shows…it seems that that is the only time we can all get together. However, we never make them..we buy. Yours looks better (and I think you are being too hard on yourself about the photo) than most we experiment with. I shall do my darndest to get us making it one of these nights. thank you!

      Reply
    • posted by admin on February 28, 2015

      Thank you!:) The pictures didn’t at all do it justice, it was so good – and it was gone too quickly to take anymore shots lol. I’d love to hear how it goes for you if you decide to try it out.:)

        Reply
  6. posted by Richard Hicks on February 28, 2015

    This looks like a pizza I would really enjoy!

      Reply
  7. posted by denise low on March 1, 2015

    This looks really good. May have to try this recipe.

      Reply
  8. posted by nicole dziedzic on March 4, 2015

    I love pizza night in our home, everyone gets so hands on with creating the pizzas, this pizza above looks so delish!

      Reply
  9. posted by Jenn Erin on March 4, 2015

    Wow I haven’t tried any pizza like this but I would love to. Yum!!

      Reply
  10. posted by Mai Tran on November 18, 2015

    Looks superb! I could use this brilliant recipe for my weekend party! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  11. posted by alicia0795 on November 18, 2015

    yummmy! i love pizza! thanks for sharing this!

      Reply
  12. posted by melthecrafter on November 18, 2015

    Looks so good! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  13. posted by Sally Wilsey on November 24, 2015

    Even though I make bread alot I have never tried this type. Your recipe looks so appetizing I will have to get a move on and try this bread recipe.

      Reply
    • posted by YogurtHydro on November 27, 2015

      This dough recipe is my go-to for pizza now, everyone loved it. Let me know if you try it out!

        Reply
  14. posted by deannala7500 on December 14, 2015

    Love fresh baked pizza. This dough sounds amazing. I will keep it, and after the holidays, we will be having pizza, home made is always best.

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  15. posted by Judy Thomas on February 22, 2016

    OMG!Yum, I have to make this one :) Thank you!

      Reply
  16. posted by Cristy Ridey on February 23, 2016

    This looks so much better than any pizza I have made.

      Reply
  17. posted by Becky on February 24, 2016

    I may just have to make this; it looks so yummy.

      Reply
  18. posted by Linda Manns Linneman on February 24, 2016

    This sounds so good. Nothing beats homemade pizza. Thank you for sharing this recipe

      Reply
  19. posted by clojo9372 on February 26, 2016

    I have made homemade pizza before and I just love it. This recipe sounds great, I think I will try this! :)

      Reply
  20. posted by krysprincess on February 27, 2016

    Artisan pizza looks so delicious im a pizza lover but this pizza looks delicious

      Reply
  21. posted by Michele on March 1, 2016

    Made something similar but this looks better

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  22. posted by Stephen Lee on March 6, 2016

    Mouth-watering pizza! Thanks very much!

      Reply
  23. posted by Evalena P. on March 14, 2016

    This sounds really good. I’ve never made pizza at home. Maybe I’ll give this a shot. Thanks!

      Reply
  24. posted by Christina Strapp on March 21, 2016

    This sounds and looks so good. I will have to try this. We love making our own pizzas at home.

      Reply
  25. posted by Christina Strapp on March 21, 2016

    This sounds very good and looks good. I will have to try this since we love making our own pizza at home.

      Reply

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