Best Tuscany Individual Pizzas Recipes

HOMEMADE INDIVIDUAL PIZZAS

Steps:

• (this dough can also be made in a bread maker):
• Put warm water in a large bowl, add the yeast and let stand for about 7 minutes for the yeast to activate. Don't use hot water or you will ruin the yeast.
• Whisk in honey and olive oil. Add flour, then the salt and knead until well-combined (use a dough hook on speed 2 if using a mixer). The dough should be sticky.
• Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until doubled in volume (45 min to 1 hr at room temp or 25-30 min in a warm 100˚F oven).
• Combine all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan.
• Simmer over medium/low heat until it is reduced by about a third. It needs to thicken or the pizza will be too juicy. If you need to cool sauce to room temp faster, transfer sauce to a bowl and place in a bath of ice water.
• Generously sprinkle baking pans with cornmeal; this keeps the crust crisper and prevents sticking to the pan. You can also oil pans if you don't have cornmeal.
• Grease a clean work surface and your hands with olive oil. Transfer dough to oiled surface and cut into three even pieces. Form each piece into an 8" round pizza crust using your hands and transfer to baking pans lined with cornmeal.
• Spread 1/3 pizza sauce on each pizza leaving a 1/2" border of dough all the way around. Add plenty of mozzarella cheese and any of your favorite toppings; this is where it gets really fun! (See list of toppings above for supreme pizza or Greek Pizza).
• Bake pizzas at 415 degrees F for 15 minutes or until the crust is crisp and toppings are cooked. Cheese will be melted and turn golden in a few spots.
• (Tip for the Greek Pizza: once the toppings are on, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. After the pizza comes out of the oven, sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. It's so good!)

PIZZETTE - MINI PIZZA BITES WITH ASSORTED TOPPINGS

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water with sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
• In a mixer bowl add flour and yeast water, give a quick stir.
• Using a dough hook attachment start to knead slowly increasing the speed.
• Add salt and extra virgin olive oil.
• NOTE: Don't add salt immediately as it'll weaken yeast quality!
• Knead for about 5 minutes.You should get a smoth and pretty soft dough. It'll be slightly sticky but manageable to handle it with your hands.
• Transfer the dough in large oiled bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap and let rise for 2-3 hours in a warm (not hot!) place.
• Past 2-3 hours the dough should double in size.
• Transfer it to a slightly floured work surface.
• Roll with a rolling pin to about 3-5 mm thick.
• Using a round cookie cutter about 3 inches in diameter cut out pizzette circles.
• Place pizzette on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving some space in between.
• Cover with a linen towel and let rise for 30-60 minutes in a warm place.
• While pizzette are rising it's a good idea to prepare the sauce and the toppings.
• In a skillet pan add tomato puree/passata di pomodoro, let simmer on low heat until slightly reduced. The thickness of the sauce should be good enough to stay on pizzetta, not too liquid-y but also not paste-like.
• Add fresh basil leaved roughly torn with your hands.
• Cook for another few minutes and let cool.
• Cut, slice and pit all other ingredients that you've chosen as your pizza toppings.Here you can mix, match and be creative!
• Preheat oven to 375F / 190C
• Using your point finger press around and in the center of each pizzetta (see photo) to form a slight cavity to hold in the topping.
• Top with your favorite toppings.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until cheese is well melted and pizzette have a light golden edge. Be careful and don't overcook as the dough might become hard.

INDIVIDUAL SCARY WHITE PIZZAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Divide the pizza dough into 4 pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll and stretch on a lightly floured surface into an 8- to 9-inch oval. Transfer to a prepared baking sheet and pull the end of the dough to one side into a tapered end to create a ghost shape. Repeat with the remaining dough, putting 2 ghosts on each baking sheet. Don't worry if they all look slightly different-- it will give the ghosts personality.
• Mix the oil and garlic together in a small bowl and evenly brush over the 4 ghosts; sprinkle with a total of 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake until the crusts are golden and set, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom halfway through the baking time.
• Mix the ricotta, Parmesan and Italian seasoning together in a small bowl and spread over the ghosts, stopping about 1/2-inch from the edge. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and return to the oven until the ghosts are hot and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes more. Place 2 olive slices on each ghost for the eyes.
• Transfer the ghosts to individual plates and serve.

MINI TOP-YOUR-OWN PIZZAS

Steps:

• Put the flour in a large bowl. Add a little salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other side. Sprinkle over the sugar, together with a spoon, and add the oil and 190ml warm water. Combine with a spoon until all the flour comes away from the sides of the bowl, then tip onto a floured surface. Knead for 5-10 mins or until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a clean bowl, add the dough, cover with cling film and leave to rise for 1 hr.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pour the passata into a saucepan, add the basil and mixed herbs, then season and bring to the boil over a low heat. Simmer gently for 5 mins, then set aside to cool. Chop the toppings.
• Once the dough has risen, tip it out, knock out the air and divide into 6 equal parts. Heat oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 9 and place 2 large baking sheets in the oven.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a circle around 15cm in diameter. Pick up the circle of dough and toss about a metre up, spinning it in the air. Catch it on the back of your hand, so your fingers don't poke through the dough. Do this at least 3 times to achieve a thin central base and a thicker outside crust. Alternatively, you could carry on rolling, but it's not as much fun!
• Lay the bases onto baking parchment (2 bases on 1 piece of parchment) and carefully slide each pair inside a plastic bag 'tent' for 15 mins to prove again.
• After the second rise, spread the sauce over the bases and add the and mozzarella. Take the baking sheets out the oven and quickly slide the pizzas (still on their baking parchment) on top. You can cook 2-3 pizzas per tray. Return to the oven and bake for 12 mins. Take out, slice and eat.