Frozen Pizza

Pizza is definitely one of those things that pretty much everyone loves.  It’s super easy to just call your local pizza delivery joint and have them bring a fresh pizza to your doorstep.  But it’s almost just as easy to take one from your freezer and pop it in the oven. 

This recipe is for 2 pizzas that you can make in advance and freeze – and the advantage over a store-bought frozen pizza is that you know exactly what ingredients are in the pizza and there are no preservatives you can’t pronounce.   These are prefect for a super busy work night, a gift for someone recovering from an illness or having a baby, or an easy meal for the husband while you are out of town.

One of the secrets to this recipe is that the dough is really super sticky and wet – you basically pour it into the foil tin and spread it out.  This helps keep the dough soft and chewy once its cooked after being frozen.

You’ll want to write out the date and the cooking instructions once you wrap it up for the freezer – it makes it much simpler when you are ready to bake it.   It also pops out easily from the tray – so you can cook it right on your pizza stone.

I added pepperoni about half-way through baking – so it crisped up perfectly without over cooking.   The dough rose up really nicely – and both my husband and I were impressed with the quality this produced.   And the best part – I still have one more in my freezer ready for whenever I need it!  Enjoy!

p.s. Happy Birthday to my sister – I love you so much!

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 1/2 cups half and half, heated to 110 degrees
• 1/2 cup water, heated to 110 degrees
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp.) rapid-rise yeast
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt

Sauce and toppings

• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup half and half

Directions

Dough

1. Combine half and half, water and oil in a liquid measuring cup.  

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix together flour, cornstarch, yeast, baking powder, sugar and salt until combined.  

3. With mixer on medium-low speed, add liquid in a steady stream until the dough comes together, about 1 minute.  Continue to mix until uniform in texture, about 5 minutes. 

4. Transfer dough to greased bowl, coat with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise until doubled in size about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Sauce

1. Pulse tomatoes in food processor until coarsely ground.

2. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a saucepan over medium heat until shimmering.  Cook tomato paste until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes.  Stir in garlic, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds longer.  Add tomatoes and simmer for bout 10 minutes.   Season with salt and pepper and let cool.

Construct Pizza

1. Divide dough in half and transfer each half to 12-inch disposable aluminum pizza pans.  Using oiled hands – press dough to completely cover the pan.

2. Combine mozzarella, parmesan, and half and half in a bowl and stir to combine.

3. Top each pizza with half of sauce and half of cheese, leaving a 1/2 inch border around edges. 

4. Wrap each pizza tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.  Place in freezer.

Bake Pizza

1. Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 500 degrees. 

2. Remove pizza from foil pan and discard plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

3. Place frozen pizza directly on pizza stone, loosely cover with a sheet of greased aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to bake for 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

Source: Cook’s Country Feb/Mar 2009

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