Garlic Lover's Pizza

MAD MEN IS BACK ON!!!! I'm so excited to go back to watching my close, personal friends Jon Hamm and Christina Hendricks. Of course, that is what I wish they were. 

Besides Jon Hamm being freaking hilarious, 

I may have a small lady crush on Christina Hendricks...

I didn't get to watch the two hour premier last night, so Happy Hubs and I will be watching it tonight. Don't tell me, don't tell me, don't tell me what happens! 

My good friend Renee is the one that convinced me to start this blog and I am so happy I did. Her blog is kudoskitchenbyrenee.blogspot.com and you should all check it out when you get a chance. She blogs about food and her beautiful hand-painted glasses and tiles. Here are some I have my eyes on:

They will be mine. Oh yes, they will be mine! 

You can find those and other items on her Etsy page at www.etsy.com/shop/KudosKitchenByRenee.

I thought it was appropriate to try one of her delicious looking recipes and this one looked extra-yummy. Garlic Lovers Pizza! WHAT?? I'm a garlic-lover!! Gimme gimme!! Due to Happy Hubs not being a fan of tomatoes (crazy man) I substituted roasted red peppers into this delish-dish.

Garlic Lovers Pizza

from kudoskitchenbyrenee.blogspot.com

for the roasted red peppers

2-4 Red Peppers

for the crust

3-1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup beef stock

1/4 cup butter

1-1/2 tablespoons dried minced onion

for the pizza

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 (or more) freshly grated garlic cloves
Roasted Red Peppers
1 log fresh mozzarella cheese
dried or fresh basil and oregano 

1. In a large bowl, combine 3-1/2 cups of flour, yeast, garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, black pepper, salt, and sugar. More flour may be necessary later.

2. In a small saucepan (over low heat) heat the water, beef stock, butter, and onion until the butter is just melted. Allow to cool slightly so that you can comfortably stick your finger in and not be burned.

3. Add the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients in the large bowl and mix until moistened.  Stir in enough remaining flour (if needed) to form a soft but not sticky dough.  Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.

4. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour).  When dough has fully risen, punch down and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes.

5. While the dough is rising, preheat your broiler. Core and seed the peppers and cut them into thick strips. Place a sheet of foil on a large baking sheet and place the pepper strips skin-side up. Broil until the skin is completely black (about 10-20 minutes, checking every 2 minutes or so). When the pepper skins are completely black, take them out of the oven and quickly put them in a small plastic bag to steam for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, peel the blackened skins off the peppers and save the yummy roasted peppers to the side for topping the pizza.

6. After the dough has risen, add approximately 1 tablespoon cornmeal or bread crumbs to the surface of your baking pan or pizza stone and using your hands, flatten the dough out, on top of the corn meal, into whatever shape you wish.

7. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and pre-bake the crust for approximately 10-15 minutes.  This is a thick crust so the pre-baking of the untopped crust is definitely something you'll need to do. After the initial pre-baking, take the crust from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Using your fingertips, lightly dimple the top of the crust to form little wells.

8. Using a pastry brush, and being liberal, brush the olive oil (gently) on top of the crust.  Next, peel and grate the garlic and (gently) spread it over the crust, along with the olive oil.

9. Slice your mozzarella cheese into 1/4" thickness.  Starting with the roasted red peppers, arrange them on top of your crust making sure to cover as much or surface area as possible. Next, layer on the fresh mozzarella cheese however you choose and sprinkle the top with additional basil and oregano. 

10. Increase your oven temperature to 400 degrees and slip your pizza into the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

*note: Renee has a lot more how-to photos of this recipe on her blog you can look at.

P.S. Happy Hubby said this may be his favorite pizza I have made! Holla!