I am one lucky girl. Over the past few days, I’ve received a windfall of goodies from family, coworkers and complete strangers. I certainly didn’t expect any of it – but am grateful for and giddy about the gifts. (I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jumping up and down in excitement like a kid on Christmas morning at one point.)
The spoiling started on Saturday when my husband took me out for birthday tapas at Iberia Restaurant, where we consumed too much wine, sangria and fried food for two people. My parents also gave me a beautiful glass pumpkin from Lindsay Art Glass. My mom bought her first glass pumpkin years ago when we were at an arts and wine festival together and has since added a few more to her collection; I’ve always admired them and now have my own.
On Monday, I walked into an office decorated with photos of my favorite celebrity chefs and a plethora of kitchen tools hanging from the ceiling (a birthday surprise from my boss – she never ceases to amaze me). And then I came home to a hefty package from the folks at Food52 – they must have been impressed with my entry to their Top Chef Duels giveaway. Last but not least, I received new Pottery Barn supplies for an upcoming project – I still can’t believe out of all the talented cooks, food stylists, bloggers and photographers out there, they found me.
And I made this delicious squash blossom, roasted tomato and pesto pizza using a “miracle” no-knead pizza dough. I say “miracle” because, like no-knead beer bread, it comes together in seconds but requires only two (versus 16 to 20) hours to rise. You can then use it right away or store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. I actually made one pie on Sunday and another last night. After a hectic day of work, it was the perfect meal to pull together – just roll out the dough, top and bake.
Once you make this no-knead pizza dough, you’ll never reach for the pre-made kind again.
Dough recipe adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
- 3¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons sea salt
- 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 tablespoons pesto
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 14-20 ciliegine (small mozzarella balls), halved
- ½-1 cup grated Asiago cheese
- 10-12 squash blossoms, gently rinsed and patted dry
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast.
- Add water and olive oil to the flour mixture, stirring everything until it comes together to form a shaggy ball. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap (or a pizza pan) and put it in a warm place to rise for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, the dough can be used right away or stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. While the pizza dough is rising, roast the tomatoes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and dried thyme; toss to coat.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before using.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece to the desired shape and thickness. If the dough is resisting, let it sit for about 5 minutes. Transfer to baking sheets or pizza pans lined with parchment paper.
- Spread pesto over the dough in an even layer all the way to the edges and then sprinkle with garlic.
- Place ciliegine and roasted tomatoes evenly on pizzas. Sprinkle with Asiago cheese and lay squash blossoms over the top. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.
I love that how seasonal this pizza is!
This was SO good. The only change I made was while the tomatoes roasted I roasted a whole head of garlic and used that on top of the pizza.
I love roasted garlic – what a smart addition. Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Grace!