This Mom's Favorite Pizza

...also known as Pioneer Woman's Favorite Pizza

Heaven, I'm in heaven. And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. This is the song that plays over and over again in my head while eating this pizza. I love it. I love it a whole lot. I'll pretty much tell anyone who will listen just how wonderful this pizza is. In fact, most of you reading this have probably already heard my spiel and you've probably heard it more than once. Well this is the last time, I promise. Just do yourself a favor and make this pizza, please.

Crust

1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

2 cups bread flour

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/4 cup Olive oil

3/4 cup warm water

Pizza

1 large eggplant

Kosher salt 

1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes

2 tsp. chopped garlic

8 oz. mozzarella, sliced thinly or grated

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Olive oil

TO MAKE THE CRUST

Sprinkle yeast over 3/4 cup warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and olive oil. Mix with wooden spoon until combined. Form dough into a ball. Lightly oil another bowl. Place dough in bowl and toss to coat with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge until you need it. Dough will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

TO MAKE THE PIZZA

Preheat oven broiler. Remove dough from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.

Slice the eggplant thinly. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and place into a strainer in the sink. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant lightly in cold water, then pat the slices dry between layers of paper towels.

Slice grape tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss into a bowl with minced garlic. Set aside.

Cut eggplant slices into fourths, and toss with olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and place 8 inches under the broiler. Broil for 3 minutes, then toss around and broil another 3 minutes. Remove pan from oven and add tomato/garlic mixture. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and set aside. (May do this 1 hour in advance.)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and use fingers to coat thoroughly. Remove the pizza dough from the bowl. Stretch pizza dough into a large rectangle, pressing with fingers to finish forming. Dough will be very thin. Let dough rest for 20 minutes. Lightly drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and use fingers to spread. Sprinkle mozzarella over the surface of the dough. Spread vegetables all over the surface of the cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from pan and slice with a pizza cutter.

Are you drooling a little? You should be.

Review - Everyone loves this pizza, toddler, baby, husband, dog, everyone. I've made it around ten times now and it's one of the best things to come out of this kitchen. The key to preparing eggplant is the salt. You need the salt to draw out the bitterness. Do not skip this step. It's my firm belief that people who say that they don't like eggplant haven't had it prepared correctly. Even if you're not a fan of eggplant at least try the crust. It's amazing. Prior to giving up meat, my second favorite pizza to make, using this crust, was an Italian sausage, sauteed red onion, and sauteed mushroom pizza.