Priscilla Liang

Never knew that making pizza at home from scratch can be this simple and tasty.  The crust just tastes way better than store-bought ones or even restaurant ones.  Thanks to ma friend Mirela, I now have a killer base recipe for the crust.

If you want a thick crust, don’t roll it too thin and it’d turn out crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  If you want a thin crust, roll it out till it’s some-what transparent.  As for the toppings, just use your imaginations.

Oh and to my vegetarian or vegan friends, you can easily turn this into a vegetarian/vegan pizza!

Oh food… Love you too much~

I made a caramelized balsamic onion + black forest ham + mushroom + Gruere pizza with garlic and thyme crust.  Yup I successfully impressed Beau who yelled out “WOW” when he took his first bite.  That, made my night.  =)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Caramelized Balsamic Onion, Ham, Mushroom & Gruyere Pizza adapted from my friend Mirela & Just a Taste

Ingredients:

For Caramelized Balsamic Onions:

vegetable oil ~ 2 tsp
2 medium yellow onions ~ 2, thinly sliced
salt ~ 2 tsp
black pepper ~ 1/2 tsp
brown sugar ~ 1/4 cup
balsamic vinegar ~ 1/3 cup

For Pizza Dough:

all purpose flour or whole wheat flour ~ 2 1/2 cups
salt ~ 1 tsp
olive oil ~ 2 tbsp
quick rise yeast ~ 2 tsp
warm water ~ 4 tbsp
water ~ 1 1/2 cup
garlic powder ~ 2 tbsp
thyme ~ 2 tsp

For Pizza toppings:

olive oil ~ 2 tbsp
garlic cloves ~ 3, minced
gruyere ~ 2 cups, shredded

Instructions:

For Caramelized Balsamic Onions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes until onions are soft.

2. Add the sugar and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.

3. Add the balsamic vinegar and reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking the onions, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour until they are very soft and dry. Set aside.

For Pizza:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.

2. In a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix flour, salt, oil.

3. On the side, mix the yeast in a cup with warm water.  Let it sit for 5 minutes and it will fluff up.

4. Combine the yeast mixture to the flour mixture.  Add enough water to make it soft but not mushy.  Mix well until it forms a dough.

5. There is no need to let it rise.  Roll it out and transfer it to the pizza pan which has been brushed with oil or butter.

6. Combine the olive oil and garlic and brush it over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the edges.

7. Top it with half of the shredded gruyere.

8. Then sprinkle on the prepared balsamic onions and top with ham, mushrooms, and the remaining cheese.

9. Bake pizza for 15-20 minutes, until crust is fully baked and golden brown.

& I made a mini version for baby G.  Oh she loved it!  =)