Cinnamon Streusal Pizza

Ah yes, another pizza post (Can you tell that I love pizza?)

The inspiration comes from an old childhood favorite, Godfather's Pizza. It used to be that we would frequent Godfather's often, especially for their pizza buffet. I would fill up with hot pepperoni pizza but made sure to always leave room for one of the best desserts of all...Cinnamon Streusal Pizza.

Godfather's Streusel Pizza from their website...Mmm Mmm

I don't remember when this memory popped into my head but I do know that I have made it quite a few times since then. I would say that it's definitely served best warm and is a great way to use up excess pizza dough. It's also super easy to make (to my surprise).

I used yet another pizza crust recipe but didn't bother taking photos since once you make a pizza crust, the process is all pretty much the same. I'm sure you could use any pizza crust though and it would work out great. (Well except for maybe deep dish..) The recipe I used for the crust, I will put at the very end of the post. Also, the directions say to put it in a pizza pan, I just used my pizza stone and once on a cookie sheet and it still turned out well.

Godfather's Streusel Dessert Pizza
from Savory Seasonings

Pizza Dough
1 TBSP butter, melted or 1 TBSP oil (I used butter...oil just didn't seem right to me)
Cinnamon

Streusel (makes enough mix for 3 pizzas)
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup bread flour (I used All Purpose Flour and it still turned out great)
1/3 cup white sugar
1/8 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP solid shortening
2 TBSP olive oil

Icing
1/2 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 TBSP water
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Mix together streusel ingredients then side aside.
2. To make pizza, pat dough into a 12 inch pie pan that has been sprayed with oil, then brush with 1 TBSP melted butter. Sprinkle cinnamon all around buttered crust. 
3. Top pizza crust with 1/2 - 3/4 cup streusel mix (freeze remaining streusel mix for another pizza). Bake at 450 F for 8 to 9 minutes depending on the thickness of the pizza. 
4. Cover with aluminum foil halfway through to keep streusel from burning. 
5. Mix icing ingredients until it is of a drizzle consistency. If it is too thick, then thin with a small amount of water until you have reached your desired thinness. 
6. When finished baking, top with icing in a circular pinwheel pattern. (As the original poster points out, this can be done easily with the icing in a sandwich bag with the corner trimmed)

 

*************************************************************************************************************
Now a note about this recipe. This is the dough that Savory Seasonings used in her Cinnamon Steusal Pizza so I did as well. And because I rarely plan ahead, I usually don't get the opportunity to allow the dough to develop overnight. Sure, not ideal but hey, it still works for the most part!

Little Caesars Pizza Dough
from Savory Seasonings

1 1/4 cups (9.7 oz) warm water (appox. 120° F)
2 3/4 tsp. dry active yeast
2 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP Honey
1 TBSP Olive Oil
2 Tsp. Salt
1 1/2 cups (8 oz.) bread flour or all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (8 oz.) whole wheat flour (optional, can use 100% bread flour or all purpose flour)

• Mix water and yeast in mixing bowl and allow it to proof for 5 minutes. 
• Mix in sugar, honey and oil. Then mix in 1 cup flour and the salt. Continue mixing in all the remaining flour until you get a nice, soft dough. Knead until dough is soft and smooth (approx. 10 minutes).
• Finish kneading on a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. 
• Place in the refrigerator in a covered container coated with olive oil for overnight. For the perfect flavor, it is best to time making the dough 24 hours before baking the pizza's (for pizza Saturday at 5pm, make your dough Friday at 5pm). If you are short on time you can sacrifice some flavor and make this dough first thing in the morning and place it in the fridge until dinner that evening.

3 hours before baking: Remove from fridge and either divide dough in half for two 12” pizzas or leave whole for one somewhat thicker 16” pizza. Work each piece of dough into balls. Allow the dough to come back to room temperature (this process generally takes 3 hours).

45 minutes before baking: With your pizza stone on the bottom rack of your oven, preheat your oven to 475° F to allow the stone to get hot enough (this process generally takes 40-50 minutes).

15 minutes before baking: Shape dough into desired pizza crust, sprinkle pizza peel, wooden cutting board or upside down cookie sheet with corn meal, flour or rice flour. Place pizza crust on top, then add toppings. Gently slide pizza onto the hot pizza stone and bake for 9-11 minutes.

Calzones and Personal Pizzas

So for the past week, the thought of Calzones has gone in and out of my head. Due to Dave not feeling well, I unexpectantly got a day off yesterday from watching Sofia. Since I had the extra time and some cheese, sauce, and pepperoni in the fridge, I figured there's no better time than the present and decided to do some research.

I didn't want to use my CPK copy crust since I hadn't planned ahead and didn't have the time to let it rest properly. So my search began looking for a "quick" homemade pizza crust recipe. I came across a recipe on a blog that I follow from An American Housewife. Her pizza crust took about 2 hours which is some of the shortest times I have seen, plus she seems to really know her kitchen and food so I trust her recipes.

My calzone which was Mmm...Mmm...good

Anyway, I decided to give it a try, especially since she had a great idea....par cook the dough to create ready made pizza crusts for a quick and easy meal in the future. Oh my goodness, why didn't I ever think of that! And since Brad was gone for the night (and the following day), what a more perfect time to try it out!

The pizza crust was pretty easy to put together. I didn't take any pictures of it because I've made pizza so many times that it all kind of looks the same. The only things I did differently is 1) Allow the yeast to activate longer than she directed due to the yeast jar telling me otherwise and 2) Not waiting the full rising time..mainly because I was hungry ;o) Instead I just let it rise enough for the oven to heat up and then plus any time that the crusts waited while the others were baking. 3) Also, I didn't make them as "mini" as she probably did. I went more for the personal size but I'm sure if I would have let it rise more, I would have been able to make more pizzas out of it. Oh well, I'm not complaining!

As a side note: Brad has watched me upload these pictures and immediately got hungry and started asking "Why haven't you ever made me a calzone?!?!"

Homemade Mini Pizza Crusts
from An American Housewife

Pizza Dough

1 pkg. (2 1/4 t) dry active yeast
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1/4 c dry powdered milk
1 1/3 c warm water
2 T olive oil
4 c flour

• Put yeast, sugar, salt, dry powdered milk, and warm water into the bowl of a mixer or mix by hand. Wait 2 minutes  (I waited 10 per directions on my jar of yeast).
• Knead in olive oil and flour in a Kitchen Aid style (heavy duty) mixer 5 minutes or knead 10 minutes by hand. Let rest 10 minutes.
• Depending on the thickness of the pizza you like - Use in 1, 2 or 3 greased, average 'home' sized large pizza pans Let raise about 1 1/2 hours and top with your choice. Bake at 400 approximately 16-25 minutes depending the size of your pan and how many toppings you have on it. Bake until golden brown.
• To make the mini pizza's above - split the dough in half, then each in half again and continued dividing each piece in half again until I had 8 balls for a 1/2 inch thick crust. You could do up to 16 if you like very thin, crispy pizzas.
• Form each ball into a circle on a pizza stone and then baked at about 410 degree's for 10 minutes to pre-bake the thicker crusts - less if you make thin. Bake just until the bottom barely begins to get golden. You will finish baking when the pizzas are used in the future. Let cool and package for refrigeration or freezer. 

waiting to be packaged up

• To use, spread pizza sauce, toppings, cheese and bake at 410 until the top is melted and beinging to turn golden brown. (I baked mine at 350 in the toaster oven..)

And now for the Calzone...

I took the same dough that I used above, rolled it out and rolled a portion of it out into a rectangular shape. I then placed the sauce, cheese and pepperoni down the middle in a strip.

Using my bench scraper, I cut diagonal strips into the dough, thinking that I wanted to fancy my dinner up and criss cross the dough.

Now this is where I kind of "wung" it. I didn't really know what to do with the ends to I folded those in first and then did the criss crossing.

I kept the temp at 400 degrees and baked it for about 20 mins when it looked done and the top of the dough sounded a bit "hollow".

Just a little sneak peak...

About a year ago, I discovered that pizzas could be made on the grill! I suggested this novel idea and got vetoed due to its unorthodoxness (is that even a word?). Anyway, a little over a week ago, Briant and Harmony, and little Nathan too, came over to hang out and have dinner and I decided I had waiting long enough. We were going to grill pizzas :o)

This time around, Brad thought it was a great idea, as did our friends, so grill we did. I tried a new recipe but wasn't too impressed (hence why I am not sharing it). It was also our first try so some of the crust got a little burnt on the bottom but hey, it was an overall great experience. We will definitely try it out again very soon and when I find a recipe that works, you bet I will share it with you. However, I did happen to find a new pizza sauce recipe that I am loving (as does everyone else). I have made it twice so far and it has been a hit both times. The only "qualm" I have about the recipe though is that it doesn't make a whole lot, so don't be afraid to double it..or even triple depending on your sauce amount preferences and how many pizzas you are making. I doubled it and we didn't really have enough for all four of our personal pizzas.

California Pizza Kitchen's Marinara Sauce

By Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 large (1/2 pound) Roma tomatoes

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil, or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

pinch of ground black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1. Heat the olive oil in a small nonstick frying pan over medium heat.  Do not allow it to smoke.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until it just begins to turn light brown, 1 to 2 minutes.  Do not allow the garlic to burn, as it will make the sauce bitter.

2. Add the remaining sauce ingredients except the tomato paste, and stir well.  Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce until all the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes.  Stir int he tomato paste and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and cool completely before using.  Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Variation: Spicy Marinara Sauce

Double the amount of garlic and add 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes along with it.  roughly chop 2 fresh basil leaves and stir into the sauce after adding the tomato paste.

Now that you have a new pizza sauce recipe, take a look at our pizza grilling adventures.

Briant in the midst of tossing his dough like a pro

Veggies and fresh basil for topping

Saucing it up

I believe this is Harmony's Pizza

Time to eat!

Mmm...Pepperoni..Don't mind the burnt crust

I agree Harmony, your pizza does look better :op

California Pizza Kitchen Pizza Dough Recipe

Years ago I was introduced to California Pizza Kitchen on a shopping trip with my mother during a Chicago shopping trip that was put together by Upjohn for their employees. I loved it and was pleasantly reacquainted with it while at Biola in California. The crust and the sauce was just so sweet and just different than the other pizzas that I had grown up with. While at Biola, I came across the recipe for CPK's pizza crust on their website. Unfortunately it has been taken down since then and published in their Family Cookbook.

Tonight was the first time I have actually tried this dough after years of putting it off for one reason or another. Many of times the reason being is that it really is a dough you need to plan ahead with. You see, for it to get its full CPK flavor, it needs to set overnight and often times I am exhausted from work or get out too late to create the dough. Well today I had a day off so I decided to make it right when I woke up thinking the extra couple of hours would at least produce some of the developing flavor.

I have to say, it was a pretty great recipe. I was a little uneasy about it at first, because it didn't look like the pizza doughs I have made in the past but honestly that could be because I neglected to use the paddle as instructed. The dough was pretty easy to form and cooked up pretty quickly. I chose to have a crust on my pizza, which turned out nicely where as Brad decided to go for more of the thin crust variety. We were both quite impressed and will definitely make this again. Oh, and also there is a Honey wheat variation that I never really copied it down, but I did find it on a pizza making blog. It seems legit since their traditional CPK recipe was pretty much spot on from what was on CPK's website in years past. Though I have not tried it yet, I will copy it down on the bottom of this post for anyone who wants to try it out...aka my father ;o)

California Pizza Kitchen Traditional Dough
from the California Pizza Kitchen Family Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast 
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water (110-115 degrees F)
• 1 1/2 cups bread or all purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons sugar 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil 

 Directions

• In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water (Make sure the water is not too hot as this will kill the yeast and prevent the dough from rising) 

• If using an upright electric mixer, use the mixing paddle attachment because the dough hook will not mix this size of batch effectively. In the mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and 1 Tablespoon olive oil and stir by hand just to distribute. Add the disolved yeast and place the bowl and paddle on the mixer. Start mixing on the lowest speed. Increase the speed slightly and mix 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Do not mix too muxh as this will build up too much gluten and make it difficult to shape. 

•  If using a food processor, make sure to use the plastic blade, the metal knife will cut through the        gluten strands and keep the dough from developing any body. Proceed as for the stand mixer, make sure to stop kneading as soon as the dough forms a ball. Over kneading could overheat the dough as the mixing bowl is directly above the motor.

• If mixing by hand, place the dry ingredients in a 4 to 6 quart mixing bowl, and stir to combine. Make a well in the center and pour the liquids, reserving 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients. Once all the flour is mixed in, turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and, with lightly oiled hands, knead the dough for five minutes. It should be smooth and elastic, but it will still be slightly sticky.

• Place the remaining teaspoon of oil in a 4 quart mixing bowl and spread it with your fingertips. Place the dough ball in the bowl, move it around the oil, then turn it over so the oil side is facing upward. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in bulk, around 1.5 to 2 hours.

• You can use the dough at this point, but if possible- and this does requires some planning- punch the dough down, reshape it into a ball, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerator overnight, this will create a more flavorful dough with a chewier consistency. 

• About 2 hours before you are ready to assemble your pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator. If making individual pizzas, use a sharp knife to divide the dough into two or four equal. 

• Roll each portions into a round ball on a smooth clean surface, making sure to seal any holes by pinching or rolling.

• Place the newly formed dough balls in a glass baking dish, spaced far enough apart to allow for each to double in size. Seal the top of the dish with plastic wrap.Set aside at room temperature until dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours. They should be smooth and puffy. Dress according to the recipe. 

**********************************************************************************
I put together the following instructions after scouring the internet for how long/how high. As far as I know, this is not CPK's directions.

• 
  
  Heat your pizza stone in a 500 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. Roll out and shape your dough balls, transfer the dough to a pizza peel, and dress them. Slide the dough into the oven using a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel (or anything smooth and thin enough to maneuver, like a cutting board or flat cookie sheet).
  
  
  
  
  
  (How much do you love that pizza peel? Because I know I do! 
  What makes it even better is that my father in law made it)
  
  

• The pizzas will cook somewhat quickly so it is always better to watch them rather than rely on a timer. Brad and my pizzas were in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

 **********************************************************************************

Honey Wheat Pizza Dough

• 1 teaspoon yeast
• ½ cup plus 1 teaspoon warm water (105-110 degrees F)
• 1 cup bread flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon clover honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Follow directions for Traditional Pizza Dough

Amazing Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizzas

So I have tried making homemade pizza before numerous times and I have never been fully satisfied with the flavor. A couple weeks ago while watching America's Test Kitchen, they were answering a letter from a woman in MI who was looking for a recipe that would produce a perfectly crisp crust like the pizzarias. Now, I have watched America's Test Kitchen before, own a subscription to Cooks Illustrated, as well as the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and I can honestly say that they have never let me down. So I was willing to try it but I didn't want to get my hopes up too much. (But let me tell you, it...was....delicious...and....perfect!

Alright, so without further ado...here is the recipe for perfection ;o) The pizza sauce recipe can be found below.

Pepperoni Pan Pizza
by America's Test Kitchen
from the Episode: Pizza Party

Makes two 9-inch pizzas serving 4 to 6

Dough
1/2	cup olive oil
3/4	cup skim milk plus 2 additional tablespoons, warmed to 110 degrees
2	teaspoons sugar
2 1/3	cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for counter
1	package instant yeast
1/2	teaspoon table salt
Topping
1	(3.5-ounce) package sliced pepperoni
1 1/3	cups tomato sauce
3	cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. To make the dough: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Lightly grease large bowl with cooking spray. Coat each of two 9-inch cake pans with 3 tablespoons oil.

2. Mix milk, sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in measuring cup. Mix flour, yeast, and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium-low and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, about 5 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter, gently shape into ball, and place in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

3. To shape and top the dough: Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and lightly roll each half into ball. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll and shape dough into 9 1/2-inch round and press into oiled pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm spot (not in oven) until puffy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees.

4. While dough rises, put half of pepperoni in single layer on microwave-safe plate lined with 2 paper towels. Cover with 2 more paper towels and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Discard towels and set pepperoni aside; repeat with new paper towels and remaining pepperoni.

5. Remove plastic wrap from dough. Ladle 2/3 cup sauce on each round, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 cups cheese and top with pepperoni. Bake until cheese is melted and pepperoni is browning around edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let pizzas rest in pans for 1 minute. Using spatula, transfer pizzas to cutting board and cut each into 8 wedges. Serve.

Pizza Dough without a Mixer
In step 2, mix the flour, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, then pour the milk mixture into the well. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the dough becomes shaggy and difficult to stir. Turn out onto a heavily floured work surface and knead, incorporating any shaggy scraps. Knead until the dough is smooth, about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and proceed as directed.

***********
I didn't use their recipe for the sauce (mainly because I didn't have time to cook it). Instead I searched for a recipe and ended up on AllRecipes. I took the advice of some of the reviewers as well as tweaked it a bit. I will provide the recipe based on a reviewer and then you can add whatever you would like to taste. I personally added about a tsp more sugar and about a Tbsp of Pizza Seasoning that had come with our spice rack from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I also used fresh garlic and fresh basil (which I upped the amount to 1 Tbsp of basil because it was fresh)

Pizza Sauce
from AllRecipes

• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon ground oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon basil (I used 1 Tbsp of fresh minced basil)
• 1/2 tsp sugar (I added a tsp more of sugar)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp Pizza Seasoning (optional)
  

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, Mix together tomato sauce and tomato paste until smooth. Stir in oregano, garlic and paprika, basil, sugar, and onion powder.