The key to this recipe is
this pizza dough recipe featured in Bon Appetit, a little time and patience, and slow roasted tomatoes. This is my new
favorite way to eat a tomato.
You do have to plan ahead to make this pizza because the dough has to rise for approximately 19 hours and the tomatoes cook for about 3 hours, give or take a little in the oven. But it is totally worth it. A quick pie won't taste this amazing.
I've also made this pizza using the slow roasted tomatoes as a sauce - this works with big heirloom tomato slices which get to a point where you can just break them up on top of the dough and then top with whatever you desire.
I also did two variations with the cheese. J prefers mozzarella and goat cheese; this time I liked the mozzarella and Parmesan.
I realize that not everyone is lucky enough to be in the midst of tomato season right now and to those people I have nothing but remorse for you. I've been there.
Without further ado...
White Pizza with Slow Roasted Tomatoes
For 1 large pizza (approximately 8-10 pieces)
Pizza Dough - follow
this recipe from Bon Appetit (1/3 of the recipe is enough dough for 1 large pie, but it never hurts to have extra pizza dough around) * The initial rise for the dough is approximately 18 hrs followed by a second 1 hr rise, so be sure to plan ahead and make the dough the night before. *
Tomatoes - 4 to 5 medium to large fresh tomatoes (heirloom preferred but any type will do) * Also need to plan ahead for slow roasting time (see below)*
Onion (I used 1 shallot)
Garlic - 2 cloves thinly sliced
Olive Oil
1/2-2/3 8 oz ball mozzarella, thinly sliced
2-3 oz goat cheese (could sub other cheese like shaved Parmesan)
Preheat oven to 200 F. Slice tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices and place in a bowl. Toss with olive oil until tomatoes are coated. Lay out on baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt and coarse black pepper (you can also add rosemary). Roast for 3-4 hours until tomatoes have shrunk to half their original size. The house will smell delicious. Once they are sufficiently slow roasted, remove from the oven and allow to cool, then set aside until ready to use on pizza. ** Tomatoes can be roasted days ahead of time and placed in Tupperware in the fridge until ready to use.
Follow instructions from Bon Appetit for pizza dough but when you divide into balls for the second rise, I used enough dough for 2 balls (in their recipe) into 1 to have enough dough for a large pizza. This dough is soft and bubbly; you want it to stay that way, so don't overwork it.
While the dough is rising for a second rise (1 hour) covered in a dish towel, preheat your oven to 500 degrees.
Now for forming you pizza pie. Bon Appetit has a nice video
here which can best instruct you. I will say that I do not have the fancy pizza peel or baking stone (yet) but you can still make a great pie.
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| Here are a few photos of me forming my pizza crust (and desperately trying not to drop it on the floor). |
Now place you pizza crust on your baking sheet or pizza peel, brush with olive oil and throw on your toppings! Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 500 F until crust is bubbly and browned.
Eat immediately!
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| Before |
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| After! |
All photos courtesy of Justin Shatwell.
