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.

Yum...Cinnamon Rolls...

The past couple of weeks, I have been crazing Cinnamon Rolls off and on. So one day I decided that I was just going to dive in and make them. But then I went to our pantry and realized that it was down to bare bones because of all the baking I have done lately so instead I went to grocery shopping. The following day I was working until 5 but then after making dinner, running a couple errands, and before I knew it, it was 10 o'clock and I was not about to put baking cinnamon rolls off for another day.

This recipe was super easy.. Though the original recipe has it titled as "Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls" I have to be honest and tell you that I haven't had too many Cinnabons so I have no idea how closely these resemble the popular chain but what I can tell you is that it is taking every ounce of my self control to not eat more than one right now ;o). As far as the recipe goes, I made a cinnamon and granulated sugar mixture and then sprinkled a little brown sugar on top of that.

I also decided to let the rolls rise a second time after placing them in the pan so that they turned out a bit larger and got that support they needed from their neighbors. Finally, I prefer a powder sugar and heavy cream/milk icing only because that I what I grew up on. But I will include the cream cheese icing just for reference.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

 by Lightly (from Toasted Todd Wilbur's MORE TOP SECRET RECIPES

  Ingredients

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast 
• 1 cup warm milk 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/3 cup margarine 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs 
• 4 cups flour

FILLING

• 1 cup packed brown sugar 
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon 
• 1/3 cup margarine, softened (or melted in my case)

Directions

1. For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.
2. Add sugar, margarine salt, eggs, and flour, mix well. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.
3. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide. It should be approx 1/4 thick.
5. To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
6. Spread the softened margarine over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface. 

     7. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.

     8. Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.

(At this point, I allowed the rolls to rise a 2nd time, about 30-40 minutes)

    9. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown.

  10. Ice and Enjoy! 

 


 Cream Cheese Icing for Cinnamon Rolls (I have yet to try this, I used Powdered Sugar Icing)

• 8 tablespoons margarine
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 

1. Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.
2. When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.