I made a huge pizza last night that, I must say, was quite delicious. I’m going to call this one a “thick crust” pizza because, for the dough, I used two pounds instead of one. What a difference.
I love pizzas that have thick crusts. Back when I was a kid, my friends and I would ride our bicycles down the road to a local pizza place, where we’d enjoy some really good pizza. We also played a lot of video games, but that’s not important. While the pizza place we frequented offered some really great thin crust options, my favorite was always the Sicilian styled alternative. Sicilian, if you’re not aware, usually comes in rectangle pieces and has a crust that’s about four times thicker then the regular slices. It’s awesome and I still love it. I just wish I could find a pizzeria outside of New York that knows what it is. This is a huge problem. It seems that no one else in the universe, outside of our little NY town, knows what Sicilian pizza is. I find that astounding.
The Recipe
This pizza recipe includes all the right ingredients. You have to be an onion lover though. If you don’t like onions, don’t make this pizza. But if you do like onions, you’re going to love the caramelized sweetness of these that are mixed with mozzarella cheese and olives. The thicker crust offers something to chew on while everything else offers tons of flavor. This is the type of pizza that you can actually hold in your hand – well, a slice of it anyway. Because the dough calls for virtually no kneading, the crust isn’t as chewy as you’d expect for a pizza. It’s also pretty firm. You can actually break the crust if you wanted to. It’s so good.
Ingredients
Makes: 1 16-Inch Pizza
For the Dough
2 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Teaspoons Salt
For the Pizza
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Large Sweet Onions, Thinly Sliced
12 Ounces Mozzarella Cheese, Cut into Small Cubes
1 Can Pitted Black Olives, Halved
3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Chopped
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
I’d like to thank Martha Stewart for the crust recipe and my gigantic Vegetarian cookbook for the actual pizza recipe. Both were delicious and I’m very appreciative.
Make the Dough
Add 1 1/2 cups of warm water to a large bowl and then sprinkle the yeast on top of the water. Wait five minutes and then add in the sugar, salt and oil. Whisk these ingredients together thoroughly. Finally, add in the flour and hand mix (with a wooden spoon) everything just enough so there are no dry spots in the flour. The dough should be sticky at this point.
Place a piece of plastic wrap tightly over the bowl and let it sit out for at least an hour in a warm environment. The dough should rise and double in size over this time. After that, pull the dough out of the bowl onto a floured spot on your counter top and knead it just a few times, so it takes some shape. This will give you a two pound pizza dough.
Pre-Heat Oven
Arrange your oven racks so one is in the center position and then pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Caramelize the Onions
Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to it and then add in the onions too. Continue to cook and stir the onions for about 15 minutes or until they are beautifully golden brown. Sprinkle a few pinches of salt and pepper on this onions as well.
Assemble the Pizza
With your fingers, spread the dough out on a 16-inch round pizza pan. You can use a bit of olive oil on the pan if it helps. Once the dough is in position, touching the edges of the pan, spread the onion across the surface, leaving about an inch border around the entire dough. Then, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the onions and the olives over the cheese. Finally, add the parsley to the surface as well and drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of oil across everything. Your uncooked pizza should look something like this below.
Cook the Pizza
Add the pizza tray to the center rack of your oven. Then, let the pizza back for about 20 minutes. At that time, take a look at it. If the crusts and cheese have browned, then it’s finished. If they haven’t, keep the pizza in the oven for a few minutes longer until the do. When finished, remove the pizza from the oven and turn off the heat.
Plate & Serve
Using a pizza slicer, cut the pizza into eight pieces. Season with salt and pepper if you wish and serve. Enjoy!
The Final Onion & Black Olive Pizza
Each piece of this work of art is substantial in itself. It’s a filling pizza, so don’t overdo it. I ate two pieces worth last night and I was stuffed. It was so good though. I think it may have been worth it. If you decide to give this recipe a try, please let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!
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