Made with the same process as monkey bread, this pizza is baked to pull apart so you have nice size pieces for dipping in pizza sauce. The pizza sauce is “no-cook” and made with fresh tomatoes, herbs, and garlic in a blender or food processor. You can substitute dry herbs (1 teaspoon for each tablespoon) for fresh, however fresh herbs will provide the most flavorful result. Short on time or you don’t want to make pizza dough? Just use fresh or frozen ready-made pizza dough.
INGREDIENTS
1 package dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus extra to oil the pan
1 1/2 cups of bread flour, plus extra if needed
Kosher salt
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack or provolone
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs, any combination of: basil, rosemary, oregano, and basil
1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lb. fresh roma tomatoes, heirloom preferred, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 medium garlic cloves
Pinch red pepper
DIRECTIONS
If making your own pizza dough – In a stand mixer, combine the 2/3 cup of water (at 100-110 degrees), yeast, honey, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl. Allow the yeast to dissolved and bloom, then add 1 1/2 cups of bread flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and mix with a paddle on low speed. After the mixture is combined, switch to a dough hook. Knead the dough in the mixer bowl with the dough hook for about 10 minutes, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl, so it forms into a soft smooth dough. After 10 minutes, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow it to rise at room temperature for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9″ springform pan with olive oil. Combine the cheeses in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat the cheese. If using fresh herbs, finely chop them and add the herbs to the cheese mixture along with the garlic and red pepper flakes. Mix until well combined.
Turn the dough out on a floured board. Cut the dough into 1″ pieces. Roll each piece lightly in the cheese mixture, and place in the springform pan leaving space between the dough balls. Layer, continuing to leave space between the dough balls, until all the dough is used. Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top of the dough balls. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is browned and the dough is cooked through.
While the pizza cooks, add to a blender or food processor the tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, oregano, garlic and red pepper. Process until smooth and then add kosher salt to taste.
Remove the pizza from the oven, cool for 5 minutes and then remove the springform ring. Serve hot with the fresh tomato sauce.
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