Through my university undergraduate degree, my housemates and I were always trying to develop creative ways to spend time together. So, for Galantine’s Day one year, we created our own heart-shaped pizzas. It was fun and easy to make, and we were able to customize each pizza to our own individual preferences. From my time at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, to teaching in La Guajira, Colombia and even now as I find myself back in Toronto, creating homemade pizzas for me has been an excellent way to spend an evening with friends. This recipe is simple to make, though, like anything new we learn, it might not come out great the first time, which gives us room to grow. Along with this recipe, you can find a video I created on the SFH page for you to follow along. This pizza can be made savoury or sweet, depending on the toppings you choose. I have had success making an apple dessert pizza using apple pie filling as the topping and some cinnamon.
Ingredients:
Dough
1 ¼ cups warm water
1 ½ teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
Toppings
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
½ cup of pizza sauce (any canned pasta sauce or tomato sauce works as well)
2 ½ cups of shredded cheese
1 cup of any other pizza ingredients you would like to add
Notes:
If you have many ingredients, aim for a total of no more than 3 cups worth, as too many ingredients may not cook properly and cause the pizza to be soggy.
For just a cheese pizza, you can add an extra ½ - 1 cup of cheese.
Directions:
Measure out the warm water. You can mix boiling water with cold water to make a warm temperature that is not too hot to the touch.
Pour the warm water into a bowl and sprinkle in the yeast and sugar. Leave for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
Add in the olive oil and salt and lightly mix.
Add in the flour, one cup at a time, mixing in between with a spatula to make the ingredients easier to integrate.
Once all the dough ingredients have been added and mixed, use your hand to knead it for another minute to ensure everything around the bowl is evenly mixed and that there are no dry or oily spots on the dough.
Transfer the dough into a bowl about twice the size of the dough to allow it enough space to rise and then cover the bowl with a small towel or Saran Wrap and leave in a warm, dry place for an hour
While the dough is rising, prep the toppings (i.e., shred the cheese, slice ingredients into smaller bits)
After an hour or once, the dough is about double in size; split the dough in half for two pizzas.
Preheat oven to 475˚F
Sprinkle flour on a clean surface, and using your hands or a rolling pin, stretch the dough out so it fits the size of your pan and is no more than 1cm thick
Line a pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, then transfer the dough onto the pan.
Use a fork to poke holes in the dough to prevent bubbles, then sprinkle one tablespoon of olive oil and spread it.
Spread half the amount of tomato sauce and cheese on the dough, followed by your toppings
Repeat steps 10-13 for your second pizza; feel free to use different ingredients for each pizza.
Once the oven is ready, bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like your crust.
Serves: 2 medium pizzas
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