Gaming Food: Sourdough Crust Pizza

There's no question, Pizza is the number one go to food of Gamers everywhere.  Whether it's Tabletop Role Playing Games, Video Games, Board Games or Poker, Pizza is King.  Not only is pizza convenient, and (assuming you live within the delivery area) quick - it's actually pretty economical - each player can chip in a few bucks and enjoy some hot slices packed with protein and carbs for a long night of gaming.

Sadly, one downfall of living in the toolies is No.Pizza.Delivery.  Admittedly, I've sufficiently spoiled my husband with homemade cooking to the point that he'd rather eat my cooking in most cases anyway, but there are times when it would just be so much easier to pick up the phone and order in. Gaming Night is definitely one of those times.

For the most recent Gaming Night with my group of gaming friends, we decided to set up a Make-Your-Own Pizza Bar with flatbread from this post (and video).  Then we had to reschedule our Game Night and Steven and I ate some pizzas with the flatbread and toppings.  The following week when we were once again scheduled to play, we decided to try again with the pizza bar, so I replenished some of the toppings, but forgot to pick up extra flatbread (Gaming is hungry play and you just never know how much each gamer will eat).  I didn't realize, until I'd already driven all the way home, that I had forgotten the extra flatbread so I decided to make some Sourdough Pizza Crust with a sourdough starter my sister gave me a few weeks earlier.

To make the crust, I started with my Mom's Pizza Dough from this Breakfast Pizza post and substituted 1/2 Cup of the Sourdough Starter for 1/2 Cup of the water in the recipe.  I measured out the starter into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, then topped it off with the remaining water to total 1 1/4 cups of liquid.  I used cold water, so I wouldn't kill the starter and set it aside for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in the bowl of my mixer, I measured in 1 Cup of the flour and the salt.



Next, I added the 1/4 Cup of Olive Oil to the starter and water mixture and added it all to the flour and salt in the mixing bowl and turned the mixer on low and let it combine everything together and form a sponge.  I let it sit for about another 20 minutes, just to ensure that the yeast in the starter had a chance to activate.



Next, I added the final cup of flour and let the mixer finish combining everything until it came together in a beautiful, soft dough.  I lightly kneaded it and formed it into a ball...



...then sprayed the mixing bowl and top of the dough ball with a misting of Olive Oil, covered it tightly with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place to rise - it was a cold day so I took advantage of the heat from our wood stove and it did an admirable job.



This was only the second time I'd made bread using my starter, but it seems to take a lot longer to rise - so be patient and be sure to allow plenty of time to let the dough do it's thing.  We were playing on Sunday this time (it was Memorial Day Weekend), so I made the dough Saturday morning and it had all afternoon to rise.  Once it had doubled in size, I divided it into 4 roughly equal dough balls, placed them in zip-close bags and put them in the fridge to hold until Game Night.

The next step was to make my favorite pizza sauce and pre-cook some sausage.  I much prefer grating cheese by hand for things like pizza, it just melts so much better, but when it comes to Game Night, minimal preparation is key for achieving maximum playing time so I purchased pre-shredded Mozzarella as well as pre-sliced salami and pepperoni.  But alas, the sourdough crust was not to be - for we ended up having more than enough flatbread for the whole group - which is just a well because taking time to roll out pizza dough when we finally took our dinner break around 8:00 pm was just not going to do....  So Memorial Day rolled around and guess who had Sourdough Pizza for dinner?  You guessed it, yours truly and hubby!  :)  Here's how it all goes together:

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board...



Top it with an even layer of sauce (Steven & I both prefer extra sauce, so ours are thick layers)...





Add salami and pepperoni...





...and any other flat toppings you prefer...





...top those with toppings such as sausage, olives, bell peppers and onions...



...finish them off with a nice layer of shredded Mozzarella cheese...



Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and starting to turn golden brown in spots.



Serve hot and enjoy!

Do you have a Game Night or other activity you enjoy with friends?  What are your favorite foods to eat when you get together?  I'd love to hear about them!

Until next time - Ciao!

Quick Fix: Flatbread and Pocket Pizzas and an Announcement

Pizza is one of my absolute favorite foods to eat and living where we do, delivery is not an option. That's ok though, because making homemade pizza has always been a thing in my family so I learned how to make it myself at a very young age.  My mom taught us how to make Easy Pizza's using English Muffins but over the years, I've come up with a couple of new ways to make pizza that are equally quick, easy and that really satisfy my pizza craving.

I've been making Pocket Pizzas for a really long time now - they are a favorite of Steven's and I love them because they are perfect for enjoying while watching a movie.  More recently though, with good quality flatbreads being carried at my local grocery store, I've been making pizza with those alot too.

And now for my Announcement (announcements, announcements, announcements....) I've made a video about these pizzas and I am launching on my brand-spankin'-new YouTube Channel!!!!

 I've realized that sometimes photos just aren't enough so I decided to branch out.  Every video I post will have a companion recipe posted here so you can easily locate lists of ingredients and measurements while also having the ability to really see how a particular method or technique works. I hope you'll tune in and subscribe!

Here's the video:

For these pizzas, there really isn't much recipe required, but if you'd like to try the sauce that has ruined all other pizza sauces for my husband, here it is:

Quick Pizza Sauce

1 can Tomato Paste (keep the can)

1 can of water (the empty tomato paste can)

1/2 to 1 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Basil

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Parsley flakes

1/4 tsp sugar

salt & pepper to taste

Mix tomato paste and water.  Add remaining ingredients.  Taste the sauce to ensure you have the balance of flavors you like. 

This recipe will make enough sauce for 2, 12-inch pizzas or 6-8 Flatbread or Pocket Pizzas.

Flatbread Pizza 

Pizza Sauce (see above or use your own favorite)

Flatbread (I used Naan)

Pizza Toppings (use your favorite)

Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese (optional - I didn't use any in the video)

Preheat oven and pizza stone, if you're using one, at 425 degrees.  

Top flatbread with a generous amount of pizza sauce, spreading it almost to the edges with the back of a spoon.  Top with thin, flat toppings first such as pepperoni, canadian bacon or mushrooms, then add bulkier ingredients such as olives or pre-cooked sausage and finishing with a generous layer of mozzarella cheese.  

Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is fully melted and starting to brown in spots.

*You will be able to make 6-8 flatbread pizzas using the sauce recipe above.  We usually just make 2 at a time (1 per person) and eat them several days in a row.

Pocket Pizza

Pizza Sauce (see above recipe or use your own favorite)

Pita Bread

Pizza Toppings (use your favorite)

Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat conventional or toaster oven to 425 degrees.  You can line a baking sheet with foil for extra-easy cleanup, if you like.  

Slice pita bread in half to expose the pocket.  Spread sauce on the bottom, inside surface of the pocket bread.  Layer in your favorite toppings, starting with flat toppings such a canadian bacon or pepperoni, then adding bulkier toppings like olives or sausage, finishing with the cheese.  

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and the pita bread turns golden and crispy.  

*You will be able to make 6-8 pocket pizzas (1 pocket pizza - 2 halves of pocket bread) using the sauce recipe above.

Breakfast Pizza

I'm sure I'm not the first, nor will I be the last person to dream of someday owning and operating a little restaurant, pub, bakery or B&B. Lately, the fantasy has been primarily of opening up a little cookie & coffee shop in the town near our home. Since just about the time I started this blog, I've been especially working on my repetoire of cookies - trying to come up with recipes of my own or my own take on the recipes of others and I have been baking up a storm. I sold 4 dozen decorated cookies to my employer to give to our guests in their Christmas goody bags from Santa and I've started selling some in the resort gift shop/store as well. So far, it's coming along slow and that's ok since I'll have to find a commercial kitchen to bake in if it gets too big.

My current business dream idea includes some other menu items in addition to cookies and I've been trying to come up with some breakfast items that would be unique amongst the already existing businesses in town.

So yesterday a couple of weeks ago I decided I would play with either breakfast pizza or calzone today. I made a batch of my mom's pizza dough - I use my bread machine to do the mixing and raising, then finish it by hand. I'm really proud of myself on this project because I didn't purchase any special ingredients from the store - I used only ingredients that I had on hand already and the pizzas turned out very extremely tasty. There were no complaints from the family and the kids actually inhaled theirs. I made 2 pizzas and we only managed to eat one of them during dinner - so we had plenty of leftovers for tomorrow's breakfast or lunch.

We've been experiencing some crazy this past week out here on the west coast and as a result, my power's been out at home for 5 days already. Luckily I only ended up missing one day of work but to ensure I don't miss a bunch of them (and honestly, so I could catch up on my blogs, facebook, etc.) I'm spending the night at work - again. Lucky for me, I work at a resort with wireless internet for our guests and I'm very cozily put up in a 2 story condo-like room with almost all the comforts of home. So I'm FINALLY able to make an attempt at finishing this post and getting it out for you all to read and hopefully enjoy!

I had hoped to spend one of my days off last week making some calzone and getting some better photos than what we came up with originally, but we spent a lovely family snow day together Wednesday and then the power went out very early Thursday morning - best laid plans, right? Oh well, we'll make do with what we have for now and I promise I'll post new photos as soon as I'm able. I also realize, as I sit here typing and reviewing that I never posted my mom's pizza dough recipe - I'll be sure to get that up for you too - so please keep an eye out for updates to this one!

I prebaked the crusts for just 5 minutes or so (after docking them with a fork). Then brushed both crusts with EVOO. I topped both pizzas with spinach, green bell pepper, scallions, artichoke hearts, bacon, scrambled eggs, cream cheese and monterey jack cheese. I wasn't sure if all the toppings would work together, but I thought it was worth trying and as I said before - the combination was quite really tasty!

This one's ready to go in the oven. I baked them at 425 for about 12-15 minutes. One of them was baked on a pizza stone (I only have one - a second stone is on my list to buy), the other was baked on a pizza pan that I lightly brushed with olive oil.






Mom's Pizza Dough

1 1/4 Cups warm water
1 Pkg dry yeast
1 Tsp salt
4 Tbsp cooking oil
4 Cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water, let it sit for 5 minutes. Add salt, oil and gradually stire in the flour. Knead until it forms a smooth ball. Put it in a bowl coated with oil and cover with a warm, damp cloth. Allow dough to rise until doubled. Knead again. Divide in half and roll each half out to fit your pizza pan. "Dock" the dough by pricking it with a fork all over - this well keep it from forming large air bubbles in the oven. If you prefer, you can pre-bake it at this point for about 5 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Add your favorite sauce and toppings and bake 10-12 minutes at 450 degrees or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown slightly.

Update: This morning I finally made another round of breakfast pizza/breakfast calzone. This time, I filled them with breakfast sausage, artichoke hearts, scallions, spinach, scrambled egg & queso quesadilla cheese. The combination of flavors was really good. The queso quesadilla cheese was a great choice - it's creamy like a Monterey Jack and melts beautifully but it has a tang similar to a sharp chedder, plus it's not an oily cheese, so it's really nice for breakfast. Goat cheese or feta would be really nice too.

Calzone Filling

1 lb chicken breakfast sausage
3 scallions, shopped
1 box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and tossed in EVOO, salt & pepper
1/2 bag baby spinach, chopped
6 eggs
10 oz queso quesadilla cheese, grated
1 batch pizza dough, divided into 4 equal dough balls

Bake at 450 degrees for about 12-15 minutes.

I hope you try these and enjoy them as much as we have!

Mushroom & Goat Cheese Pizzetta

I was fortunate enough, recently, to receive some wonderful wild mushrooms from a friend who gathers them and then cans her harvest.  I have to admit, I've been hoarding them.  They are an extra-special treat and I knew right away I wanted to use them for a really special pizza or pizzetta.  Our Godson recently arrived to spend the summer with us, so a couple nights after he arrived, when the weather was beautiful, we BBQ'd some steaks and I decided to grill some pizzetta to go along with it!  To cut corners, I picked up some "pocketless" pita.  Then I warmed some olive oil in a small saucepan and dropped in several cloves of coarsley chopped garlic as well as some fresh rosemary & thyme.  I let them all steep together, then brushed a couple rounds of the pita with it, being sure to include the herbs and garlic.  I topped them with some sliced red bell pepper (I would have preferred roasted, but the fresh worked out fine), 1 can of the wild mushrooms, drained and some goat cheese.  We threw them on the grill - a bit to the side where the heat wasn't as hot.  We covered them with the lid to a sturdy pot to trap in the heat & melt the cheese.  They came out utterly delicious! 

Ciao!