March 29, 2011

Tomato, Spinach Goat Cheese Pizza

Pizza night is a new addition to our house. We don't have pizza often, never order it for delivery, and rarely buy it at the store. Don't get me wrong- we're no pizza haters. I love a good slice or two...or three. Just not from any delivery service or frozen food aisle. I am a gourmet pizza gal, pizza from a good Italian pizzeria, coming out of a wood burning oven, pizza from California Pizza Kitchen (Pear & Gorgonzola, if you haven't tried it, you haven't lived).

I loved the different kinds pizza that we had in Italy, on our honeymoon.


Simple. Delicious. So tasty. Italy. How I miss thee.

Lately I've been obsessed with making my own pizza at home. I love making the dough from scratch, peeking to see if it has risen, grabbing  my rolling pin to roll it out (I love my rolling pin, it makes me giddy). This weekend I wanted to recreate the only frozen pizza that I will buy, on occasion. Target's Archer Farms Spinach & Goat Cheese pizza. It's so good, we dream about it and the globs of goat cheese...

This is my version. I hope you try it!


For the dough
Source: How Sweet It Is

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon dry active yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey

Combine flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add water, honey and oil, mixing with a spoon to form into a ball. Continue mixing with your hands and kneed for about 60 seconds. Lightly oil bowl and add dough back in. Cover and let rise for 2-3 hours.

After 2-3 hours, remove from bowl and punch down. Roll back into ball and let sit for 30 minutes.
Lay on lightly floured surface and roll very thin. Top with toppings and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

For the Toppings
3/4 cup tomato or pizza sauce (I pureed a can of whole tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 garlic powder 1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
7-8 slices of goat cheese, plus more for crumbling
6-7 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup defrosted spinach
salt and pepper
olive oil

After rolling out your dough, transfer it to your pizza stone or baking dish. Make sure to flour or use non-stick spray on your pan. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the dough and spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle the oregano, basil, and garlic powder over the sauce, followed by the cheeses. Place the slices of goat cheese on top. Add the tomatoes and defrosted spinach, sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

What's pizza night like in your house?

10 comments:

  1. Your pizza looks great! I love the fresh ingredients you use, but someday must be brave and try goat cheese. Here is one type of pizza we love at our house:
    http://domesticatedengineer.blogspot.com/2009/06/bbd-21-pizza.html

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  2. Thank you so much for linking up to
    "Made it on Monday" :)

    I hope you will join in often.

    The pizza looks so good...I wonder if t could be grilled?

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  3. There is just something about pizza made from scratch that will makes me feel comforted. I make my crust about the same way as you do, and this is the best way to go.

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  4. we like pizza in our house, i've made my own crust a number of times for veggie pizza. i did cheat a bit a few weeks ago, and used tjs pizza dough for weeknight pizza, it was quite good as well:)

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  5. goat cheese is the best cheese on earth! this pizza looks delicious!!! try this one too: http://homesandbabies.blogspot.com/2011/01/two-way-pizza.html

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  6. Well you've certainly put together your own wonderful version of an exquisite Italian pizza. Looks delcious!It's a Keeper! yvette@twistedvines

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  7. We love pizza night at our house! This pizza looks great!
    I enjoy unique pizzas, my favorite is enchilada chicken pizza or my spicy bbq ranch.
    But my Italian hubby just loves the basics...pepperoni and sausage.
    Great job!

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  8. this looks seriously great! thanks for sharing, lots of love happening for this and all your posts :)
    -meg
    @ http://clutzycooking.blogspot.com

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  9. Mmmm I love pizza and I love the toppings you used on yours! I really need to try making homemade pizza dough. It sounds delicious!

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