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Ultra Cheesy Homemade Pizza « What We’re Eating – A Food & Recipe Blog
sausage pizza

Ultra Cheesy Homemade Pizza

Sausage in an ocean of cheese
Eater rating: 4.3 / 5  4.25

Fresh crusty dough was topped with fire-roasted tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, fig goat cheese, parmigiana reggiano, roasted red peppers, spicy italian sausage, and red onions. The outcome: a crispy thin crust with ooey gooey cheesy deliciousness.

sausage pizza
Crispy, soft, cheesy, sausagy
T: I’ll tell you what I liked about this pizza…
A: da…
T: all the cheese on it!!
A: wooo hoo! cheezy pizza! yeah. i had lots of cheeses to use up. fresh mozzarella, fig goat cheese, parmegiano reggiano. mmm. i also dug the spicy italian sausage.
T: I was about to say exactly that. That sausage kicked ass. This was a great pizza. I could have probably had some kind of spicy pepper on it since I’m addicted to spicy peppers on everything I eat. It was a delish pizza though.
A: i definitely thought about throwing some banana peppers or jalapenos on there, but i feel like everything i make has jalapenos in it!
T: everything you make has salt. Everything you make has meat and/or cheese and/or a vegetable. So, what’s wrong with everything having a spicy peppah?
A: hehehe absolutely nothing! i’m a mega spice nut. i could eat things that hurt for every meal and be happy… i just like to give a sister some options.
T: what sister are you giving options to? I’m confused.
A: 😛 the sisters who be reading this here thing. not everyone likes heat like you and i do! sometimes you gotta tone it down a bit.
T: What!? Those crazy hoes out there in internetland aren’t eating this stuff! We are. Try giving a brother some options here.
A: shit, i do! here’s your options: eat what i put in front of you or go get some damn take out! 😉
T: 😐 Oh you love to hold that over me don’t you… dammit. So true. I’m a dependent.
A: only a food dependent. 😛 and you know i’m just kidding. i do think this could have used some peppers. but considering it didn’t have any heat, i still thought it was quite tasty. the second pizza that came out was a little better than the first… crispier, you know. i miss my pizza stone very much! it’s so much easier to achieve the crispy crust with the stone.
T: Yeah, it’s just a shame the oven is too small to fit your pizza stone… or any pizza stone for that matter.
A: you know, we could always go pick up a couple ceramic tiles and use them rather than a piece of ceramic made for baking. then we could at least fit a little stone in there! hmmm. i think this might be the first homemade pizza we’ve ever blogged about!
T: really, wow. Hard to believe. I give it a 4.4/5. It was super-good. It’s got some room for improvement though. What did you think?
A: i agree with you. it was tasty… but definitely room for growth. i thought the whole thing need a little sodium, too. the second pie was far superior to the first (and the left overs were great). I give it a 4.1/5. we’ll be seeing home made pizza again before too long, and i can guarantee that it will be better than this little ditty!
T: ahhh yeah, that’s the kind of confidence I like to hear. I believe you, too. Back to what you said about the leftovers being great. Are you talking about the little stuffed bread you made from the leftover ingredients? Because that was definitely tasty.
A: 😀 actually i was talking about the two slices of leftover pizza that i ate for breakfast the past couple of days! the stuffed bread was really good, imho. better than the pizza even!
T: I actually agree with you there. I would have given the stuffed bread a 4.55/5.
A: i would have given it similar! it’s a shame we didn’t get photos of it for the blizog.
T: ahhh, sadly so much of what you make escapes without a single photo.
A: 😐 one day we’ll have the time and energy to do it all!
T: yeah when we start taking speed.
A: or retire 😉

A Pizza Recipe, by Amanda
Spicy Italian Sausage and Three Cheese Pizza

spicy italian sausage, crumbled and browned
roasted red peppers, julienned
red onions, sliced
fig goat cheese, crumbled into small pieces
fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
parmigiano reggiano, grated
fire-roasted tomato sauce (recipe follows
pizza dough (recipe follows)

Follow pizza dough recipe. After the crust has baked for 2-3 minutes at 550 degrees, remove the crust from the oven. Spread a thin layer of fire-roasted tomato sauce evenly over the par-baked crust. Next add a thin even layer of mozzarella and goat cheese. Scatter browned italian sausage, red peppers, and onions over the cheese layer. Finish the pizza off by spreading a handfull or two of grated parmigiano reggiano over the top. Place the pizza back into the 550 degree oven and back for another 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is melty and oozy. Remove the pizza from the oven. Carefully cut the pizza into slices and serve. Enjoy!

A Pizza Dough Recipe, by Amanda
Pizza Dough

3 cups bread flour, plus extra for kneading and tossing
1 package (7g) active dry yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp olive oil, pluse extra for lubing up
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups warm water, 100 to 110 degrees

Dissolve honey in 1/8 cup hot water. Add another 1 1/8 cups of lukewarm water, the package of dry active yeast, and 1 tbsp olive oil to the dissolved honey. Stir to dissolve the yeast, then set mixture aside. Allow the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until the yeast has been activated and has started foaming. If after 5 minutes the yeast has not become active, toss the mixture and start from scratch.

While waiting for the yeast to activate, add 3 cups of bread flour and 1 tbsp kosher salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk the flour to thoroughly blend. Liberally oil a wooden spoon and another large mixing bowl, then set them aside.

Make a well in the center of the flour, then pour the activated yeast mixture into it. Using the oiled wooden spoon, mix the dry and liquid ingredients together until they form a ball. If there is an excess of flour at the bottom of the bowl after all the liquid has been absorbed, add a bit more water. You are looking for a slighty moist, soft dough. (It's better, at this point, for the dough to be too sticky because some flour will get kneaded in). Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Oil your hands thoroughly, top and bottom. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, until soft and elastic. If you dough was initially too sticky, now is the time to work in more flour.

Preheat oven to 550 degrees (or as high as your oven will go). Tuck the edges of the dough under to form a ball, and place the ball into the large oiled mixing bowl. Rotate the ball so that all of the dough becomes lightly oiled. Cover bowl with oiled plastic wrap and a clean towel. Set the bowl in a warm (about 80 degrees), draft-free location. Allow the dough to rise for about one hour - until it doubles in size. I find the counter beside the preheating oven to be a wonderful area for the bread to proof. After one hour, punch down the dough. Fold the bottom edges of the dough up over the top part of the dough, then flip the ball over and recover with oiled plastic wrap. Allow the dough to proof for another half an hour.

Pour a pile of flour on to a plate. Divide the dough into 3-4 equal pieces, depending on how large you want your pizzas to be. Work with each piece of dough individually, recovering the remaining dough until you use it. Place the piece of dough into the flour then flip so all surfaces are lightly covered with flour. Form dough into circles by either tossing or working on a lightly floured surface, which ever is easier for you. Once you've formed a large thin crust, place it on a baking sheet (or if you have a stone proceed with a peal and slide it onto the stone), and bake for about 2 to 3 minutes at 550 degrees. Remove the crust from the oven then top pizza as desired and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

A Sauce Recipe, by Amanda
Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce

1 small yellow onion, finelly diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
1 (14.5oz) can whole fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add olive oil to the pan. Once the oil is hot, add the onions. Sweat the onions for about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, red pepper flakes, and rosemary to the pan. Saute for another minute. Add the tomato paste to the onion mixture. Allow the tomato paste to saute and slightly caramel, stirring frequently, about five minutes. (the paste will just slightly change in color.) Add the honey, 1/4 cup of water, and can of fire-roasted tomatoes (juice included)to the pan. When adding the whole tomatoes, gently squeeze them in your hands to break them up. I find that if I try to gently poke my fingers through the flesh of the tomatoes before fully squeezing them, the juice won't squirt out and make your kitchen look like a disaster zone. Bring the sauce to a simmer then reduce the heat low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the sauce has thickened slightly, taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as necessary with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. This sauce works great for a pizza base or tossed with nearly any pasta. Enjoy!

11 comments so far:

  1. Lovely pic, Tyler. This looks super good. What are fire roasted tomatoes? Are they any different than regular roasted? Does it just mean you used a gas stove? I’m confused…

  2. Bobby says:

    Is that ultra cheesy, like Patrick Swayze or Burt Reynolds?

  3. jef says:

    PIZZA! We love it, too.

    I usually leave my dough in the fridge overnight to develop a little more flavor. The dough tastes a bit better and is easier to work with.

    As for the spice, I agree! The more the better.

  4. Amanda says:

    heheh michelle, i’m gonna have to say i don’t really know about the fire-roasted tomato thing. i all can say is that the sauce is made using a can of trader joe’s diced fire-roasted tomatoes! trader joe’s should have a blog where we might pose these questions. 🙂

    Bobby :- P for some reason i don’t think the pizza was quite as cheesy as Mr. Swayze or Mr. Reynolds… definately not as cheesy as Mr. Hasselhoff! the pizza was cheesy in a good way!

  5. Amanda says:

    jef, my problem is that i tend to not really plan out my menus more than a few hours in advance! which is why none of my breads get the luxury of overnight fermentation and flavor development! i like how you think where spice is concerned! i think a lot of the people out here think we’re crazy, how spicy we order things in restaurants… but if they’re giving me an options, i’m always gonna push my limits!

  6. aria says:

    i think i have to fight the crowds at the weho traderjoes just for some fire roasted tomatos. it’s a jungle in there! i like heat too, but not too too much.

    there you go teasing me with the stuffed bread again, you devil!

    i struggle with pizza dough recipe still, i cant wait till you post yours. i’ll have another go at it then. do you have a pizza stone?

  7. Husband says:

    You make me laugh as always. My wife makes the same argument about more heat. I’ve made a couple beautiful savory dishes, that shouldn’t have heat. She’ll turn to me and say, “You know what this could use…” She always says. “Red Pepper flakes.” I roll my eyes. Comedy ensues. Love the post.

  8. chase says:

    I love an ultra cheesy pizza being a cheese lover here. This one makes my mouth water.

  9. jef says:

    This is a shameless plug, but the recipe I use for pizza dough has never failed me (even if you don’t ferment it overnight).

    http://www.myfoodgeek.com/2006/12/13/an-ode-to-pizza/

    I sometimes will make a double or triple batch and freeze the extras for later (which works great, I may add…amanda you need to do this!)

  10. Ros says:

    Now, I’ve never been a huge pizza fan (yes, I know I’m a freak) but all that cheese looks SOOOO good. And the sausage too. In fact if there was such a thing as baseless pizza I’d probably love it.

  11. “Ooey gooey cheesy deliciousness” in deed.