Whole wheat pizza on a garlic & brown-butter crust
By Tali Simon | July 24, 2012
Looks like a pretty average slice of pizza, right? That’s what it wants you to think!
But it’s just being modest.
I’m willing to bet that when you normally make pizza (can I assume you normally make pizza?), you don’t have a little pot of brown butter sizzling on the side.
And you probably don’t infuse that butter with minced garlic and a pinch of thyme, and then brush it over every last inch of crust.
This pizza that results from just one or two extra minutes of prep work has an extra-special kick. You offer someone a slice, they take a bite, and they know there’s something incredible going on but they can’t quite tell what that might be. They just know it’s good.
Well, you can tell them it’s the garlic. And the browned butter. And the homemade tomato sauce, which I hope you’ve used, probably didn’t hurt either.
Oh, and don’t mind the mushrooms. Any savory topping will do. I had a can lying around, so that’s what I went for, but it could just as well have been any one of a dozen other things.
Also, don’t be sad if you don’t have a pizza wheel. Free-form is cool, too.
And I know you have a baking sheet.
You know what I’m going to say next, right? That you’ve got to make this pizza because it’s the Nine Days and you’re scratching your head over what to make for dinner aside from chicken?
No, I can’t do it. I’ve said that about so many things already, and it’s getting old.
Instead I’ll just enthusiastically suggest that you make this pizza, pronto. You don’t need a reason.
Ingredients Directions 1. In a small bowl, combine yeast, water, and sugar. Let sit five minutes (it should get a bit frothy). 2. Mix flours with salt, then add yeast mixture and oil. If it seems too dry, add a little water. (Did you add too much water? Even it out by adding some flour.) Once you reach a good, workable consistency, knead dough for about five minutes. 3. Get a clean bowl (make it a big one) and spray with cooking spray. Gather dough into a ball, roll it in the greased bowl so that it becomes lightly coated with oil, and then let it rise under a damp towel for one hour. 4. Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C. 5. Sprinkle some cornflour over your pizza wheel, if using. If you’re making free-form pizza, you can either cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or sprinkle that with cornflour. Lightly flour (with all-purpose or whole wheat, this time) your work surface and rolling pin. Divide dough in half and roll out to fill the pizza wheel or to desired thickness. 6. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, brown the butter, stirring more or less constantly. Once it has completely melted, it will continue to break down and then froth up in bubbles. Next it will subside — and then within a few seconds, small brown bits will start appearing at the bottom of the pot. It’s done! Turn off the heat, stir well, and whisk in garlic and thyme. Enjoy the aroma. 7. Brush butter mixture over the entire surface of both crusts. Cover with a layer of sauce, the topping of your choice, and a generous sprinkling of cheese. Add a final splash of thyme if you like. Also if you like, make little finger indentations all the way around the crust. People with little fingers might like this part. (I may or may or may not have little fingers.) 8. Cook 15-20 minutes, or until crust is baked through and cheese is melted and starting to brown. Slice and serve hot, warm, or cold at any time of day.
Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod and How Sweet It Is
Yield: 2 pizzas
3 Comments
Shaindy on July 24, 2012 at 7:16 pm.
wow, this post gave me a major pizza craving! it looks so good!
Yiska Ben Avraham on July 25, 2012 at 2:23 pm.
So I saw this this morning, plotted to have it Sunday night, and showed husband pictures. Husband (butterphile) heartily agreed, so the ingredients are now waiting impatiently in my fridge. Going to attempt the sauce with a zuzzher as I am food-processorless.
Thanks for the free-form idea!
Note that I said Sunday night rather than break-fast. This should be for our Mashiach celebration!
Tali Simon on July 25, 2012 at 2:41 pm.
A zuzzher (laughing that this word has a transliteration), when combined with a bowl with high sides, is often a great stand-in for a food processor. Good call.
And amen!