Pucker Up For A Memorable Pizza
If you like pickles you'll love this recipe! I was surfing the Food Channel one day and saw Molly Yeh's jaw-dropping recipe that had me excited to make it.
This is my adaptation of her recipe that combines finely milled 00 flour for an amazing crust that sets the stage for a slice to remember.
Time To Prepare:
About 2 ½ hours (includes lots of time for the dough to rest)
Foodie Tips:
I like to divide the work into phases by making my pizza dough and pickle oil ahead of time. The dough can be frozen in advance and then thawed closer to showtime.
The pickle oil ingredients are enough to make 3-4 pizzas. If you prefer you can reduce these quantities down if you don't want to have extra on hand.
Dough Ingredients:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 ¼ Cup | Lukewarm Water
1 Tablespoon | Granulated Sugar
1 Packet (2 ¼ teaspoons) | Active Dry Yeast
3 Cups | Anna Organic "00" Flour, Plus More For Dusting Your Work Surface 2 Teaspoons | Kosher Salt
¼ Cup | Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pizza Ingredients:
8 Sticks | Mozzarella String Cheese 5 Ounces | Sandwich Dill Pickle Chips, Patted Dry 2 Cups | Havarti Cheese, Grated To Taste | Freshly Cracked Black Pepper To Top | Sriracha, Ranch Dressing, Chopped Fresh Dill, Sliced Scallions Pickle Oil Ingredients: 1 Cup | Extra Virgin Olive Oil ¼ Cup | Fresh Dill, Stems Included 1 Tablespoon | Mustard Seeds 1 Tablespoon | Coriander Seeds 1 Teaspoon | Kosher Salt 7 Cloves | Fresh Garlic, Gently Crushed
What To Do: Make The Dough
Grease a large bowl with olive oil and set it aside. In a small bowl, stir together lukewarm water and sugar, then sprinkle the yeast on top and let things sit until frothy, about 8 minutes.
In a stand mixer bowl, add flour, salt, and oil. Pour in yeast mixture, then mix with a dough hook on medium speed until everything is combined. Continue kneading against sides of bowl on medium speed until dough starts to come together. Continue kneading dough adding more flour as necessary until it feels elastic and only slightly tacky, about 5 to 10 minutes. Dough should still be slightly sticky.
Form into a tight ball, place into your oiled bowl, and cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise in a warm spot in your kitchen until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
Make The Pickle Oil
While the dough is rising let's make the pickle oil by combining the olive oil, dill, mustard and coriander seeds, salt and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat. Bring up to a simmer and let bubble on low for 10 minutes or until the garlic cloves are tender. Remove from the stove and let cool.
Back To The Dough
Gently punch down the dough, then divide it in half. Roll each half on your counter to form a tight ball. At this point you can freeze one or make two pizzas. Cover the dough with a clean towel and let it rest for at least 20 minutes as you preheat your oven to 500°F.
Lightly coat a large baking sheet with olive oil. If you'd like, instead of a baking sheet use a pizza stone (no oil required). On a lightly floured surface, gently flatten one ball of dough and roll with a rolling pin (or stretch with your hands) until about 12” in diameter. If dough springs back, cover and let rest for 10 minutes more, then roll out again.
Make The Pizza
Carefully transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet or pizza stone and use your hands to reshape and stretch as needed. Drizzle then brush dough all over with 2-3 tablespoons of the pickle oil including some of the mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and garlic for added texture and flavor.
Arrange the string cheese around the perimeter of the dough with a 1-inch border from the edge. Stretch the dough over the cheese and press to seal. Arrange half of the pickles on the dough then top with the grated Havarti, making sure to get all the way to the edge of the crust, then add the remaining half of the pickles on top of the cheese.
Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the crust turns golden brown; begin checking at 12 minutes.
Remove the pizza from the oven and season with black pepper. Brush the crust with additional Pickle Oil. Top the pizza with drizzles of sriracha and ranch dressing and sprinkles of dill and scallions. Slice, serve, and enjoy immediately.
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Joe Paul Reider
Home Style Austin Founder Austin Realtor® Keller Williams Realty
Email: JoePaul@KW.com Mobile: 512-222-3302 Web: JoePaulReider.KW.com