Back in March I posted the recipe for Kitchen Boss: Pugliese Bread. It involves making a starter dough that sits overnight, just flour, water, and a tiny bit of yeast stirred together. I made the starter last night, and plan to have another go at achieving an artisan-style bread with large holes surrounded by a chewy crumb. I think the key is to handle the dough as little as possible once big air bubbles have formed.

I plan to use some of it for pizza crust, not necessarily artisan style, just however it comes out. Pizza dough generally has some oil in it, so I'll throw some in, and some dried basil or Italian herbs in the crust. I've also started using provolone cheese on my pizzas in addition to mozzarella because it has more flavor.

I'm going to try this deep-dish pizza to use up my frozen chopped spinach. Next time, I'm buying the frozen leaf spinach because the chopped is too fine, and leaves little bits here and there on the stove, the sink, here and there in the dishwasher, and so on.

Chicago Style Spinach Pizza
Pizza crust dough
1 package (10 oz) Chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
12 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 oz provolone cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 can tomatoes, drained and cut up
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
(1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes)

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Press pizza crust onto bottom and sides of well-greased 10-inch deep dish pizza pan or 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Mix spinach, mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Spread evenly over the crust. Mix tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes. Spread over cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake additional 20 minutes.



One time I made a cheese-stuffed crust pizza: use string cheese and enclose it in the edges of your crust dough.

I know that you know pizza doesn't have to have a flour dough crust. I've never tried this, but one of these days I will.


Ramen Noodle Pizza

4 packages (3 oz each) Ramen noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup spaghetti or pizza sauce
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package (3 oz) sliced pepperoni, cut into strips

Save seasoning packets for another use. Cook noodles according to package and drain. Heat oil in a 10 inch ovenproof skillet. Press noodles into the skillet, evenly covering the bottom the pan. Cook until bottom of crust is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Pour spaghetti sauce over the crust. Sprinkle with cheese and pepperoni. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat for 3 to 4 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.



Although I've never had it, mashed potato pizza has been showing up at the Pillsbury Bake-Off for a few years, so it must be The Thing. This recipe is from Colorado Agriculture.com because potatoes are grown in Colorado.

Mashed Potato Pizza

10-inch pizza dough
1 oz garlic rub (olive oil, fresh garlic, herbs)
1/8 cup asiago cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
3 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 stalks green onions, shaved
2 oz shoestring potatoes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place pizza dough on a sprayed pizza screen, brush with oil rub and top with asiago cheese. Spread heated mashed potatoes on dough then top potatoes with bacon and mozzarella cheese. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes or until cheese is melted and pizza is browned. Remove from oven, garnish with shoestring potatoes and green onions, then cut into slices and serve.


I haven't had shoestring potatoes in years. I think they have been replaced by those Durkees onion rings that go on top of green bean casserole.