When I made Parmesan and Rosemary Focaccia bread a few days ago I looked at the flat dough and I couldn’t help but think of a pizza crust. I kept thinking about how great it would be to make a pizza out of this bread and load it with tasty toppings. I relayed the idea to John and we brainstormed toppings to go on a focaccia pizza. I thought that real tomatoes instead of a sauce would be better since focaccia is traditionally a sandwich bread. John had the great idea of roasting them in the oven for 20 minutes with olive oil and garlic, giving the tomatoes an almost sun-dried flavor. We also decided that pouring a little mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the crust would be a great way to infuse the balsamic vinegar into the dough. The crust was then pre-baked to get it nice and crispy. To add some smoky flavor I tossed on some pancetta which was sauteed for a few minutes with garlic. The pancetta is fairly salty so I would recommend not adding any extra salt to this pizza. The pizza turned out really well and I can’t wait to make this again!
Roasted Tomato, Mozzarella and Pancetta Pizza on a Rosemary Focaccia Crust
(Makes 1 pizza)
Printable Version
Ingredients:
- 1 focaccia dough crust (see below)
- olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 oz. pancetta, diced in small cubes
- 2 vine ripened tomatoes, sliced thin
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
- 1/4-1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
- basil leaves, for garnish
- coarsely ground black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- Lightly oil a large, flat pan and roll out the dough until thin. Coat the top with a little olive oil and pour the balsamic vinegar all over the crust.
- On a piece of parchment paper, lay the tomatoes flat and coat with olive oil. Spread 1 clove of minced garlic onto the tomatoes evenly.
- Bake the tomatoes for 20 minutes in the oven. At the same time, bake the crust until the top is slightly brown and crispy, about 10-15 minutes.
- While the crust is baking and the tomatoes are roasting, add 1 clove of minced garlic and pancetta in a small pan. Cook on medium heat until the pancetta and garlic smell fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add a little olive oil if necessary.
- Once the crust is fully baked add the mozzarella as a first layer. Then add the pancetta, roasted tomatoes and sprinkle the parmigiano-reggiano evenly on top.
- Bake for 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Rosemary Focaccia Pizza Dough:
(makes 1 crust)
Ingredients:
- 3 1/4 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 2 1/2 cups cold water
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 heaping tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tsp coarse ground pepper
Directions:
- In a bowl, combine flour, salt, rosemary, pepper, yeast, and water and mix by hand until the ingredients come together as a sticky ball. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Add olive oil and stir by hand about 3 minutes.
- Lightly coat another bowl with olive oil. Form dough into a ball and place into the bowl.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, the dough will have doubled in size. Let rest at room temperature for 2 hours before use.