Basil Pesto Pizza with Tomato & Mozzarella (Personal Pan Pizza)- For Home Baker's Challenge

The much awaited time is finally here. The reveal date of the first Home Baker's Challenge started by Priya Akka. To know more about Home Baker's Challenge, click here. This month I am hosting the event and the challenge for the month is Pizza.  We gave 4 different pizzas - One pizza with pizza sauce, One without pizza sauce, then a pizza with pesto and the fourth is pizza with Indian touch, Naanizza. The bakers can pick the pizza of their choice and bake. The choice of topping is theirs. The idea is to familiarize them with baking pizza. 

 

For this Challenge, I picked Pesto Pizza. The pesto is used instead of the regular pizza sauce. I made basil pesto pizza with tomato and mozzarella and also made them as personal pan pizza. The pizza crust was so soft and pesto was full of flavor. Everyone at home loved this pizza. I am going to bake pizza quite often from now on.

Basil Pesto

Coming to the recipe,
 For Basil Pesto

Recipe Source: Martha Stewart
 

What are the ingredients needed?
 

Basil, 2 cups

Walnuts, 1/4 cup

Olive oil, 1/4 cup

Garlic, 2-3 cloves

Ground pepper, 1 teaspoon

Salt, to taste

 

How it is made?

1. In a food processor, pulse the walnuts first.
2. Then to that add garlic and pulse. Then add basil leaves, salt and  ground pepper and pulse.
3. Then add olive oil and run till it is smooth.

Notes:

• You can use blanched almonds instead of walnuts too.
• You can use this pesto to the pasta too. Cook the pasta as per package instructions, mix this pesto and serve.
• This can be prepared in bulk and frozen too. Thaw and use as required.

 
Basil Pesto Pizza with Tomato & Mozzarella- Personal Pan Pizza

Personal Pan Basil Pesto Pizza

Recipe Source: Martha Stewart

For the pizza dough,

Warm water, 1 1/4 cup
Sugar, 1/4 teaspoon
Dry active yeast, 2 1/4 teaspoon
Salt, 1 teaspoon
All purpose flour, 2 3/4 cup+ more for dusting
Olive oil, 1 1/2 tablespoon + more for the bowl

For the assembly

Fresh mozzarella (thinly sliced),8 oz.
Basil Pesto from the above, half the quantity
Tomatoes, 3 no's (thinly sliced)
Grated Parmesan, 1/2 cup



Basil Pesto Pizza with Tomato and Mozzarella

How it is made?

Making pizza dough:

1. Take warm water, mix the sugar and yeast and let it sit for 7-8 minutes till the yeast becomes frothy.
2. In a bowl combine all purpose flour, salt and to this add the yeast mixture and start kneading.
3. Then add the olive oil and continue to knead. The dough will be sticky knead till the dough is not sticky anymore.
4. Take a bowl, oil the surface and place the dough and cover it with plastic wrap and place the set up in a warm spot till the dough has doubled, almost 45 minutes.
5. Then punch on the dough, knead for few minutes and let it rise for another 40 minutes.
6. Now again punch the dough and knead for 3-4 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.
7.  Roll them into balls and let it sit for another 5 minutes

Making Pizza - Assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Take a round cake pan, oil the surface and take one dough ball and roll out and place on the cake pan such that it fits the cake pan with the raised edges.
3. Then spread the basil pesto, arranged the sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and sprinkle grated parmesan on the top and bake till the edges turn golden brown and the cheeses are melted, approximately 15 minutes.
4. Take out and slice and serve immediately.

It yields 4 personal pan pizzas.

Notes:

• I made personal pan pizzas so used round cake pan of size 8" diameter.
• You can also make 2 regular pizza of 14"- 16" diameter.  It depends on the thickness of the crust.
• If using pizza stone, pre-heat the pizza stone for at least 30 minutes before transferring the pizza on it to bake.
• Also while using pizza stone, sprinkle/dust corn meal all over the base of the pizza so that it slides from the pizza stone.
• You can add toppings of your choice too. Increase or decrease the cheese as per your personal preference.

Please find below the pizzas baked by the other home bakers.

Note: Persons part of the Home Baker's Challenge only link your pizzas here. If you are interested to know more about the Challenge and want to be a part of it click here