(SRC) Taco Pizza

We eat a lot of pizza in our house.  At least once a week we are throwing a pizza in the oven or ordering one up from one of our local pizza joints.   It's a meal that everyone enjoys and will eat. 

 As I searched for my recipe pick for this month's  Secret Recipe Club assignment I immediately settled on this fantastic pizza recipe.  I knew my family would eat it and I would enjoy making it.  I thank you, Anna of Cheese with Noodles  for sharing this recipe with me!  

Just as I suspected it was so much fun to make this pizza!  It came together quickly and with simple, pantry ready ingredients.  One of the best parts of this recipe is that the pizza dough is homemade AND the technique for allowing the dough to rise is done in the oven as it bakes.  Completely brilliant!  The dough is mixed up and then patted/rolled onto the prepared pizza pan and then placed into a cold oven which is only then turned on to 375 degrees F.  As the oven heats up, the dough gently rises.  Simple as that!

As you can see from the picture above instead of using the traditional pizza sauce, refried beans are used in it's place.  Thus the foundation for this Mexican flavored pizza.  I sprinkled a Mexican blend of cheese and then some chopped cherry tomatoes and sliced black olives.  Once the pizza was baked to melt the cheese I then placed some avocado slices and chopped up cilantro for additional "taco" ingredients and color.  This recipe is perfect for all taco toppings.  It all depends on what you like and what you have on hand.   I envisioned adding some lovely red onions, dollops of sour cream and a side of salsa on my next Taco Pizza.  Yum!!

Definitely try out this Taco Pizza.  It won't disappoint!!   I was completely delighted with it and send Anna of Cheese with Noodles big hugs of gratitude for this recipe.  I can't wait to make it again along with some of her other mouth watering recipes (I have my eye on her recipe for Triple Peanut Butter Cookies). 

Taco Pizza 

(recipe from Cheese with Noodles)

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp taco seasoning (my addition) 

1 TBSP sugar

1 tsp salt

1 packet yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 cup water

2 TBSP olive oil

Pizza Toppings 

1 can refried beans

2 cups shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend) 

A variety of toppings from below.....

sliced black olives

cherry or plum tomatoes, cut into quarters or small pieces

red onions, chopped into small pieces

avocado slices

ground beef, cooked and seasoned with taco seasoning

dollops of sour cream

salsa

cilantro, chopped 

Directions:

In a large bowl fitted for a mixer prepare pizza dough by whisking together flour, taco seasoning, sugar, salt and yeast.  Add in water and oil and with your dough hook mix well all together. Dough should resemble a soft gum.  Add in water or flour if need to be to obtain such a consistency.  

Grease pizza pan and then gently pat dough out onto the sheet.  Make sure there is rim of dough higher on the edges than in the inside.  Place into a cold oven and heat to 375.  Bake for 15 minutes - starting timer when you place the pizza in the oven. Remove from oven and then spread refried beans over the dough and sprinkle with cheese.  Evenly scatter toppings that you wish to be baked such as tomatoes pieces and black olives.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.  Top pizza with remaining desired toppings, slice and enjoy!! 

Happy Taco Pizza Baking!

An InLinkz Link-up

Jazzed Up PW's Pizza Dough

Pizza....pizza....pizza.  Who doesn't enjoy a good slice of pizza?!?!  To me a slice of pizza means happiness, simplicity and yumminess all wrapped up in one moment of life.  Like a good cup of coffee (or even tea) I often associate pizza shared with others.  Pizza is just so GOOD!!! 

In the past year or so I have discovered that making your own pizza dough is really NOT that hard.  Its quite easy in fact.  It does take a little patience (to let the dough rise and such) but otherwise it is really quite easy to create and master.

As many of you may know the Pioneer Woman (also known as Ree Dummond) is one of my idols/my Queens' in the cooking/baking/bloggin world.  I have been going through her lovely cook-book - The Pioneer Woman Cooks -  one recipe at a time making her delicious food.  One of her recipes that she offers in this book is none other than pizza dough.  I have taken this recipe and added a few extra ingredients of my own to "jazz" it up.

Jazzed Up PW's Pizza Dough

(adapted from the Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients:

1 tsp active dry yeast (make sure it is fresh and NOT outdated)

4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp garlic powder (more if you wish)

1 tbsp fresh or dry parsley

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Directions:

1. Pour 1 1/2  cups warm water into a bowl.  Sprinkle yeast over the water.  Set aside.

2. Combine flour, salt, garlic powder and parsley in a mixing bowl.  With electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated.

4. Go back to your bowl of warm water and yeast....gently stir this mixture and then drizzle over the flour/oil mixture.  Mix until dough forms a ball (you can also mix by hand until dough comes together).

5. Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl.  Roll the ball of dough in the bowl to coat with oil.  Cover bowl with a clean/moist kitchen towel.  Set in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size (You can also cover the dough with plastic wrap and store in a fridge for up to 2 days at).

6. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

7. Lightly drizzle olive oil on pizza pan or rimmed baking sheet. Depending on what size thickness and pizza you wish to make you can either divide the dough in 1/2 for two medium pies or use all the dough for 1 large pie.

8. Using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing dough into the pan with your fingers.  Making finger marks in the dough allows for a lovely surface for the toppings be received upon.

9.Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown.

Yummy in my tum-tum-tummy!!!

Happy Jazzed Up PW's Pizza Dough Making!

~avril :-)