Pizza…yum! I could go for some pizza right now. Then again, I could go for pizza anytime. You too? OK, good. This recipe is for you! Making pizza is easy, very fun, and yields fantastic results. You can put almost anything on a pizza, and for this pizza I was inspired by Jessica at How Sweet It Is. She crafted a red pepper pizza with a balsamic glaze, which I really wanted to try (she also used fancy cheese, but I am more of a classic mozzarella girl). I made this roasted red pepper pizza at the last wine night I hosted a while back. Admittedly, I attempted to make the balsamic glaze which did not work in my favor. Somewhat sadly I served my pizza sans glaze, but everyone still raved! It was the first time I used my new pizza pan and what a difference it made. The crust was evenly cooked and perfectly crispy throughout the whole pizza, no doughy spots in the middle. In the end I was very pleased with the results, as were my friends (they all wanted more!). This was a fun dish to serve because each person got one slice, which was a fun twist to serve as a side. Also note: I made my own dough which I think is worth the extra bit of work, but if you don’t feel like doing so most grocery stores sell balls of pre-made dough.

Roasted Red Pepper Pizza

makes one pizza

dough:

1/4 oz (1 packet) active dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, combine yeast and warm water to activate the yeast. After a few minutes, add in flour, olive oil, and salt. Mix until just combined. Brush large bowl with olive oil, add dough, and cover with a damp towel. Let stand for about 2 hours.

pizza:

2 roasted red peppers, cut into strips (easy to do ahead of time)

1 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 jar of tomato sauce (put as much or as little as you like)

Block of fresh mozzarella, sliced thin

Handful of chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Once pizza dough is ready to go, roll/press into desired shape and brush the surface with olive oil and top with minced garlic. Spoon sauced onto dough, thinly layer mozzarella, then top with red peppers and basil. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.

*If you would like to try the balsamic glaze:

While pizza is baking, heat vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow to come to a boil, then let simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes until reduced to about 1/3-1/2 cup. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes to thicken. When pizza is finished baking, drizzle glaze on top and serve.