Roasted Cherry Tomato Pizza

The cherry tomatoes in my garden are finally ripening and it's happening all at once.

So last night I decided to roast them in a hot oven until they were sweet and caramelized and use them to top pizzas. The roasted tomatoes are so good and rich that cheese isn't necessary.

After spreading the topping onto my pizza dough, I added some sliced black olives before baking. My family loved it and said that they didn't miss the cheese one bit.

 Roasted Tomato Topping
(makes enough to top two medium sized pizzas) 
2 lbs. cherry tomatoes
1 large sweet onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2  teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss together all the ingredients and place in a 9 x 13 -inch glass baking dish. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until they are soft and caramelized stirring the tomatoes about every 10 minutes. When they are done let them cool for 15 minutes before spreading over your pizza crust.

Pizza Dough
(makes two medium sized pizzas crusts)

1 1/4 cup water
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 cups unbleached flour

Pour 1/4 cup of warm water into a small bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Let the mixture set until the yeast is bubbly.

Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl and add the remaining 1 cup of water. Add the salt and olive oil.

Add the flour 1 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary.

Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.


To assemble:
1 can black olives, sliced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Divide the dough in half. Drizzle a little olive oil on a sheetpan and press the dough into a 12-inch round. A little olive oil on your hands helps keep the dough from sticking. Repeat with the other ball of dough.

Add half of your roasted tomato topping to each round, add some sliced black olives and bake for 12 to 20 minutes or until the pizzas are dark golden brown.

Let the pizzas rest for 3 to 5 minutes before slicing.

Pizza Dough

My nephew Sam and I made some great pizza at my parent's house over Labor Day weekend.

Homemade pizza is easy to make and can be very healthy if you choose your toppings wisely.

Instead of the standard tomato sauce, we topped ours with oven roasted cherry tomatoes from my dad's garden.

We also added roasted onions and zucchini, mini peppers, mozzarella cheese, seasoned ground beef and a pesto sauce we made from baby spinach, garlic, olive oil and cashews.

Precooking our veggies enhanced the flavor and removed a lot of liquid from them. No one wants soggy pizza.

For our pizza making session my dad had special pizza flour for us to use from Pendleton Flour Mills. He bought it at Cash 'n' Carry and I do think it made a difference. The crust was crispy and chewy like pizza should be but it's not necessary. Unbleached flour works well too.

Here's the recipe:

Pizza Dough
(makes one large or two medium sized pizzas)

1 1/4 cup water
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 cups unbleached flour

Pour 1/4 cup of warm water into a small bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Let the mixture set until the yeast is bubbly.

Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl and add the remaining 1 cup of water. Add the salt and olive oil.

Add the flour 1 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary.

Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.

To assemble:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Drizzle a little olive oil on a sheetpan and press the dough into a large round. A little olive oil on your hands helps keep the dough from sticking.

Add your toppings and bake for 12 to 20 minutes or until the pizza is golden brown.

Let the pizza rest for 3 to 5 minutes before slicing.