Roasted Tomato Pesto Pizza
You need only 3 ingredients for the topping on this flavorful vegetarian thin crust pizza. Homemade pizza has never been so easy!
yield: 2 10-INCH PIZZAS
Ingredients:
For pizza dough:
- ½ teaspoon active yeast
- 2/3 cup (155ml) lukewarm water
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups (250gr) bread, or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Corn meal for dusting
For topping:
- 8oz (250gr) mozzarella cheese
- 1 ½ cups (8oz/250gr) cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup pesto
- Ground black pepper
Directions:
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast into 1/3 of cup (80gr) of lukewarm water. (Don’t use hot water, or it will kill the yeast.) Add the sugar and let it proof for 5 minutes. The mixture will start foaming, which means the yeast is alive.
- In a large mixing bowl with dough hook attachment, combine flour, salt, yeast mixture and the remaining 1/3 cup (75ml) of lukewarm water on low speed. (Alternatively, you can make this dough by hand.) Once the dough start coming together, add the olive oil. Keep kneading the dough for about 10 minutes. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Transfer onto a counter and cut into 2 equal parts. Form each dough into a ball, generously oil them and put them into separate ziplock bags. Refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, bring the dough out of the fridge. Let it rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F (250°C).
- Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Grate the mozzarella cheese on a box grater. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise.
- On a lightly floured surface, gently flatten each dough and stretch them into 8-10-inch circles, leaving the edges slightly thicker. Transfer the dough onto a baking sheet, lightly dusted with corn meal. Spread the pesto evenly on each pizza crust. Divide the tomatoes on both pizzas equally and top with grated mozzarella cheese. Bake each pizza for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. If needed, broil the pizza during the last minute for additional browning. Remove from the oven and let it rest for couple minutes, before cutting.
