Sasha's Kitchen: Spectacular White Pizza Variations

I've long prided myself on my pizzas, but lately my pizza making has really taken it up a notch. I have a crust that is absolutely to die for and have perfected my technique with shaping the pizza crusts to get them just the way I love my pizza. Lately, I've tried a couple different variations on white pizza, both of which I will share here. I used a combination of lowfat mozzarella, monterey jack and cheddar shredded cheese which are my favorite for white pizzas (I personally don't care for ricotta on my pizza, and neither does Brad, my husband). These variations include the use of ShopRite's new basting oil, which is filled with a delicious blend of herbs, a great new product that I received for free to review. Initially i was skeptical about using this on pizza, rather than to, say, baste a turkey. But it was spectacular. I mixed it in with the shredded cheeses and it added a lovely blend of herbs to the pizza, kind of like a garlic bread feel. So, I tried that on one of the pizzas below. Also, I found that pimentos are not just for southern cheese, they are absolutely perfect on a white pizza!

Sasha's Pizza Dough

1 cup warm water
2 packages dry active yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

Sasha's White Pizza Variation One

two red onions, sliced into rings

organic turkey bacon from Applegate Farms (best turkey bacon ever!), cooked before adding to pizza

Fresh/dried Oregano and Basil to season

1 package shredded part skim milk mozzarella cheese

1 package shredded cheddar/Monterey Jack mix

Sasha's White Pizza Variation Two

two red onions, sliced into rings

3 T ShopRite basting oil

pimento peppers

1 package shredded part skim milk mozzarella cheese

1 package shredded cheddar/Monterey Jack mix

To prepare the dough, combine the warm water, dry active yeast and sugar in a bowl.  Allow to sit for about ten minutes until the yeast mixture is bubbly and frothy.  This indicates that the yeast has activated.  Combine in bowl, or in your stand mixer (I used my mixer for this) with the olive oil, flour and salt, until it forms a dough.  Place in an oiled bowl (sprayed with PAM, for example) and cover with a damp cloth.  Allow to rise in a warm place for one hour. I used to let it go longer, but I found that one hour makes a better crust that is not over-puffy.

Cook the bacon, or prepare the other toppings depending on which variation you are making. If you do the second variation, mix in the basing oil with the cheeses.

Stretch the pizza dough onto a pizza stone which is lightly coated with cornstarch. Top with the cheeses or cheeses with basing oil mixed in and add the other ingredients to top.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. If there's any excess oil, you can get rid of it using a paper towel.

Sasha's Kitchen: Spectacular White Pizza Variations

Emily's Kitchen in Seattle: Beer, Pizza and Meditations on Yeast

While living in Jerusalem I got into pizza making because there is not a good pizza to be found in that city. Now that a pizza stone has been introduced to my cookware family, I have been in a bit of a pizza frenzy. That, combined with an inherited bread machine, means I could make the stuff every night. Next project: making my own mozzarella. Stay tuned.

I have two pizza crust recipes that, so far, bring down the house. The first one is a winner because it doesn't need kneading or rising time - perfect for instant pizza gratification. The second one is my new favorite because it calls for beer. I swear, I am going to market it as a dating tool for women looking for husbands. What is closer to a man's heart than pizza and beer? And the two combined into one dish, topped with inches of melty cheese? Before you know it we'll all be saying, "E Harmony who...?" Top that baby with some fresh garlic and, voila, insta-aphrodisiac.

For another very delicious-looking version, check out Sasha's pizza and pizza commentary.

Instant Gratification Pizza Dough
Makes one thick crust or two thin crust pizzas

1 cup warm water, about 110 degrees
1 package yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 tsp. sugar/honey/agave

2 1/2 cups flour (I mix white and wheat, but do not use all wheat)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. of any or all of the following: garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes...use your imaginative taste buds

Preheat the oven to 450.

Add yeast and sugar to the warm water, stir and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

If you get nervous, like I do, about getting your yeast water to be the perfect lukewarm temperature, mix 1/2 cup cold water with 1/2 cup boiled water. The yeast should proof, meaning that you should see the top layer of the mixture turning foamy and rising. If the mixture does not do this in 10 minutes, start over. It is important, when dealing with yeast, to maintain a positive attitude. I tell you, yeast knows when you're not in a mood to cook and it won't rise just to spite you. It's like a teenager: tend to it, care for it, and let it go its own way. When you turn back to it it will have met all your expectations and your heart will be warmed. If not, well, there was nothing you could have done anyway.

While ignoring the yeast, mix the flour, salt, olive oil and spices.
Add the proofed yeast mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add more flour if the dough is too wet.
For best results, let the dough sit for about 10 minutes. But if you have no patience at all, just go ahead and roll it out. Divide it into two for a thin crust result. Top with desired toppings. I like to make an improv sauce of tomato paste, crushed garlic, red wine, sugar, salt and spices and mozzarella rounds, or a white pizza topped with crushed garlic, spinach and feta.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are crispy and the cheese is starting to brown.

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Beer-and-Pizza-Lovers' Beer Pizza Dough
Also known in my house as "What am I going to do with this case of Miller High Life? Pizza Dough"

This recipe is made for bread machines, but I propose directions for a manually made crust below. However, I have not made it yet, so please, someone try it and let me know. Based on this recipe on recipezaar.

1 cup flat beer (room temperature)
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 3/4 cup flour (all purpose or a white-wheat blend) + about a 1/4 cup
1 package yeast (or 2 1/4 tbs.)
Spices, as desired

Enter the ingredients into the bread machine mixing bowl according to the manufacturer's instructions (with the paddle already inserted - not like the time I thought I made a whole round of dough without remembering to put it in).
Set the machine to the pizza dough cycle and go on with your day.
When dough cycle is complete, set the oven to 450. The dough may be sticky, so knead a little flour into it until it is nice and flexible. Roll it out onto the pan, top with desired toppings and make for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crust is crispy and cheese is starting to brown.

Alternatively, mix instant dry yeast in with the flour, sugar, salt and spices. Add the beer and oil, stir to combine. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for, say, 7 minutes or until the dough is pliable and not sticky. Add enough flour to sticky dough to make it smooth. Place dough in a bowl, cover and let rise for an hour in a warm, draft-free place. After an hour, or after dough has doubled in size, turn out onto the pan, top and bake. **Note: I have only tried the breadmaker version, not the manual version. Make pizza at your own risk.**

Emily's Kitchen in Seattle: Beer, Pizza and Meditations on Yeast

Sasha's Kitchen: Pizza With Yellow Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, Asparagus, Zucchini and Red Onions

I finally purchased a pizza stone with the intent of improving the crust quality on my pizzas.  My initial plan was to follow Alton Brown of Good Eats' advice and purchase quarry tile from my local hardware store to make my own pizza stone.  This is an economical option (probably less than $10), and would have been a fabulous idea if either of my local hardware stores carried tile in the first place; they did not.  Thus, rather than carry a heavy slab of quarry from a more distant hardware store, I simply elected to purchase a $17 pizza stone from Tarzian West, my local cooking supply store.

A pizza stone is, as Brown's advice highlights, a flat piece of stone that is used for baking pizza that facilitates the even distribution of heat throughout the entire pizza crust during the baking process.   It mimics the effects of cooking pizza the traditional way, in a masonry oven.  Quarry or stone has increased thermal mass compared with metal or glass, while the porous nature of the stone helps absorb moisture, resulting in a crisper crust.

I have experimented with a couple different crust recipes, including whole wheat pizza crusts.  The recipe below is a basic crust recipe that I like.  However, this doesn't meant that I won't experiment with some different crust variations in future pizza posts.  This recipe makes two medium sized pizzas, baked separately on the pizza stone.  In my experience this is enough pizza to serve four adults, or in our case, allows for leftovers.

Pizza Dough
1 cup warm water
2 packages dry active yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt


Sasha's Pizza With Yellow Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, Asparagus, Zucchini and Caramelized Red Onions
1 1/2 pints of yellow cherry tomatoes
2/3 of a zucchini, sliced into pieces and cut in half
3 asparagus, cut into pieces
2 small red onions
2 tsp sugar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 containers of crumpled goat cheese

Pizza during the prep stage

To prepare the dough, combine the warm water, dry active yeast and sugar in a bowl.  Allow to sit for about ten minutes until the yeast mixture is bubbly and frothy.  This indicates that the yeast has activated.  Combine in bowl, or in your stand mixer (I used my mixer for this) with the olive oil, flour and salt, until it forms a dough.  Place in an oiled bowl (sprayed with PAM, for example) and cover with a damp cloth.  Allow to rise for about 2 hours.

Form into two medium sized pizza crusts (similar size to your pizza stone).  The dough should have risen and increased in size, and should be stretchy to the touch.  Stretch and contort it to form pizza crusts in the desired shape and thickness.  In the meantime,  place the stone (without any pizza on it) in your oven at 400 degrees to hear the stone to an even temperature.  Make sure to sprinkle the stone with cornmeal first.

In my opinion, the trickiest part of making pizza using a stone is getting the pizza from your cutting board or counter top, while you prepare it, onto the hot stone in the oven.  It definitely takes some skill (I'm working on it), but I managed to transition the pizzas alright.  This process is much easier if you have a pizza peel board, but it can be completed without one, as I did not use one.

To prepare my pizza recipe, cut the yellow tomatoes in half and mix with two tablespoons of olive oil.  Cover the pizzas with the tomatoes.  Add the asparagus and zucchini.  Sprinkle the goat cheese on top.  To prepare the caramelized onions, cut the red onions into circles and saute for a few minutes in two teaspoons of sugar and a bit of canola oil, until softened (no need to fully brown).  Place the onions on top of the pizza.

Carefully transfer the pizza from the cutting board where you prepared it onto your stone, as best you can.  Even if you lose a few ingredients, you can fix the pizza arrangement once you have it from the counter to the stone.  You also could quickly add the ingredients to the top of the transferred pizza pie once you have the dough on the stone, if that makes things easier.  Bake on the stone at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the pizza is lightly browned.

I was very pleased with the crispy quality of the crust on the pizza, and I liked the selection of ingredients that I chose for this pizza - they complemented each other nicely.  The yellow tomatoes are less acidic than red tomatoes, which is easier on the stomach.  They also have a lovely color combination, of green, yellow and purple.

Sasha's Kitchen: Pizza With Yellow Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, Asparagus, Zucchini and Red Onions