Friday, May 1: Sheet Pan Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella

Friday night pizzaaa! Groundbreaking, I know ;-). This was seriously one of the best pizzas I’ve ever made, and I wish I knew what I did differently?! I used an adapted version of How Sweet Eat’s pizza dough recipe as always — the crust got SO airy and crispy throughout. And I added cubed up fresh mozz, melty and delicious, plus a sprinkle of parm. Gah, so good!! (See original pizza dough recipe here, or my version below. Note: For the flour, I did a total of 2 cups of AP flour and 1 cup white whole wheat flour.)

In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup + 2 TB warm water (100-110 degrees), 3 tsp active dry yeast, 1 TB honey, and 1 TB olive oil. Let sit until foamy (about 10 minutes), then add in 2 1/2 cups flour and 1 tsp salt, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Turn out dough onto a floured surface, then work in an additional 1/2 cup flour (a bit at a time), kneading it for a few minutes until the flour is incorporated and the dough becomes a smooth ball. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1-1 1/2 hours.

When you’re ready to bake the pizza, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Punch down the dough and dump it onto a half sheet pan (approx 18” x 13”) that you’ve brushed with olive oil. Using your hands, push and stretch the dough to fill the pan. Brush dough with olive oil, then cover and let rest for about 10 minutes. Spread on your favorite pizza sauce (I just used a jar from Whole Foods), then sprinkle on some grated pecorino, focusing on the outer crust. Finally, top with about 8 ounces (or more, as desired) of fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is melted and starting to brown and bubble!