The other day we were seriously craving pizza. Since payday was still a few days away, I found myself making up a batch from the very versatile Bread Dough and Focaccia recipe. It is very simple to make and you'll wind up saving yourself a bunch of dough (pun intended) that you would normally spend on take-out.
Quick and Easy Mini Pizzas and Bread Loaf
Yield: 16 minis plus 1 loaf of bread
Tomato Sauce (your favorite jar or homemade)
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Pecorino Romano
Italian Seasoning
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
1/4 Stick Melted Butter
Note: See Bread dough recipe for more in depth instructions.
When the bowl of dough is completely risen, set aside one quarter and place into a greased loaf pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and let sit in a warm area until it doubles in size (at least an hour). Uncover and make a slice down the center with a sharp knife and brush with melted butter.
Bake until internal temperature reaches 200 degrees. Remove from pan to cool.
Using remainder of dough, divide into sixteen pieces. Flatten into round disks. Drizzle olive oil generously onto cookies sheets. Place four discs at a time on each cookie sheet. Ladle with tomato sauce, add cheeses, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper & a drizzle of olive oil. I also like to brush the edges of the pizzas with a little extra olive oil so they will bake up nice and golden brown. If you wish, this would be a good time to add on your favorite toppings like fresh veggies, dollops of ricotta, fresh mozzarella slices, pepperoni, fresh basil leaves and so on. The possibilities are endless!
Bake in 400 degree preheated oven on bottom rack. Use a spatula to peek under the pizzas to check on the bottom crust. Once bottom crusts are nicely browned, move pan onto upper rack until cheeses are melted, bubbly and golden brown. Enjoy!
