Categories: Pizza/Flatbread
Ingredients
- 1/2 recipe Simple Pizza Dough, recipe follows
- Olive oil, for brushing crust
- 8 ounces mozzarella, sliced
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus small chunk for shavingw
- 1 chicken breast, grilled and sliced thinly
- 2 romaine hearts, washed and dried, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup Caesar Salad Dressing, recipe follows
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Caesar Salad Dressing:
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 anchovy fillet, rinsed and dried
- Simple Pizza Dough:
- 1 3/4 cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)
- 1 envelope active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Nonstick spray
Directions
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Prepare the Simple Pizza Dough according to recipe.
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Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
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On a baking sheet brushed liberally with olive oil, stretch the dough to desired shape and thickness. Brush the crust with olive oil and top with the mozzarella slices. Bake the pizza until the dough crisps up and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
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Remove the pizza from oven. Top the melted mozzarella with the grated Parmesan and sliced chicken. Toss the romaine hearts with the Caesar Salad Dressing and season with salt and pepper. Top the pizza with the Caesar salad and shave over some Parmesan. Serve and enjoy!
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Cook’s Note: If you don’t have a pizza stone at home, no worries, use a well-oiled sheet tray and a hot oven to achieve a crisp bottom on your pizza! Also place the dough on the very bottom rack of your oven. It will help to create that crispy crust.
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Caesar Salad Dressing:
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In a blender or food processor, process the Parmesan, mayonnaise, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, garlic and anchovy until emulsified and smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.;
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Simple Pizza Dough:
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In a liquid measuring cup, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Allow the yeast to dissolve and bloom, about 5 minutes. Once bloomed, add the olive oil.
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Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt. Stream in the water/yeast mixture and as the dough begins to come together, switch to a dough hook attachment. Allow the dough to knead, adding a bit more flour if needed, so that the dough releases from the sides of the bowl, 1 to 3 minutes. You should be able to touch the dough and not have the dough stick to your fingers. Once the dough has kneaded and has pulled away from the sides of the bowl, remove the dough from bowl to a floured work surface and, with floured hands, continue to knead it by hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Then form the dough into a round ball and place it into a large bowl sprayed with nonstick spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and let the dough rise in a warm area of your kitchen until it doubles in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. After the dough has risen it is ready to be cooked however you’d like!
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Cook’s Notes: This dough is wet dough, keep bench flour at the ready and make sure to flour your hands when working with the dough. Trust your gut as a chef, if the dough is to wet, add more flour, if it is too stiff, add a little water.
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Sugar is used to feed the yeast which will help the dough to grow. Bread flour will give you a chewier texture because the flour has more gluten. You don’t need to use a thermometer to get the water temperature, it should just feel warm to the touch.