Ingredients
- For the Dough
- 12 ounces (355 ml) bottle of warm beer or water
- 4 ounces (118 ml) warm water
- 3 tsp dry yeast
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the bowl
- 4 cups + 2 tbsp (561 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting your hands and workspace
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- For the Pesto
- 1/4 cup (32 g) Diamond of California® Pine Nuts
- 1/2 small garlic clove, smashed
- 2-1/2 cups (65 g) fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1/3 cup (75 ml) olive oil
- Squeeze of 1/2 a fresh lemon and some zest (maybe 1 tbp)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup (15 g) freshly grated Parmesan
- For the Toppings
- Any combinations of the below ingredients would be fab!
- fresh mozzarella
- grape tomatoes
- lemon rind
- parmesano reggiano
- fresh basil
- Diamond of California® Pine Nuts, toasted
The Steps
For the Dough
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment add the beer, water, yeast, honey and olive oil in a large bowl. Let them mingle and get frothy for about 5 minutes.
2. Once they are foaming up, add in the flour. Sprinkle in your salt. Knead for 15 minutes on medium until a ball has formed that isn’t sticking to the sides of the bowl but the dough will be slapping the sides. It also might be sticking to the
bottom of the bowl. (You could also just use your hands to knead the dough together on a floured surface…this dough is loose and sticky, fyi.) Sprinkle the dough with flour to help when getting it out of the bowl.
3. Pour a light glug of olive oil in a large bowl and swirl it all around. Place your dough in here, rotate the dough to cover the top in oil as well, then cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for at least 2 hours,
ideally 6-8 hours.* *See note above about letting your dough rest longer in the fridge.
For the Pesto
1. Add the pine nuts, garlic clove, basil, olive oil, lemon juice + zest, salt and pepper to a food processor fitted with the blade* and pulse until everything is chopped and combined, but there’s still some texture. I don’t like my pesto to be
completely smooth. Add in the Parmesan and pulse a few times more. Pour into a lidded container, cover with a layer of olive oil (this helps keep the color bright and fresh) and stash in the fridge until ready to use.
*See note above about another option for assembling your pesto.
To Assemble
1. Place an upside down baking sheet in the center of your oven (or baking steel or pizza stone); preheat oven for at least an hour to 500 F. Separate the dough into three balls and let rest under a damp towel for 30 minutes.
2. Tear off sheets of parchment paper about the size of the pizza you want to make. Lightly dust them with flour. Shape your pizza and place on the parchment paper. You can can gently stretch your pizza, toss it in the air or use a rolling pin lightly dusted in flour. You want it relatively thin, but not paper thin. Try not to work your dough too much.
3. When ready to bake, smear some pesto over the top, add on your desired toppings (I like simple toasted pine nuts, pesto, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes) and transfer the pizza on the parchment paper to the baking sheet in the oven.
Leaving the pizza on the parchment will make it easier to transfer to and from the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top is bubbly and charred in spots. Let cool for several minutes before cutting (so the cheese has a minute to firm up).