Pesto Pizza with Herb (Pizza) Crust

I love pizza.  I’m pretty sure if there was something I could eat every day, it would definitely be pizza.  Why not? Combine a soft, but crunchy crust with pesto, fresh tomato sauce, veggies, cheese, and garlic…and oh my.  Talk about a clearly delicious meal!

This Pizza Recipe is different from others posted on Clearly Delicious: one, it takes advantage of the recently added and extremely flavorful Asparagus Pesto recipe and two, I’ve amped up the quality of the pizza crust by loading it with freshly chopped herbs and basil infused olive oil.  The combination makes for a gourmet-style pizza that is clearly delicious.

Pesto Pizza with Herb (Pizza) Crust
This recipe is a variation of a basic pizza dough recipe I acquired via Elise Bauer over at Simply Recipes (you can find the original here).  My version uses bread flour instead of all purpose, basil infused olive oil instead of regular, and is loaded with fresh thyme, basil, rosemary, and a bit of parsley.

Ingredients:
–Dough–
* 1 1/2 cup warm water
* 2 1/4 teaspoon yeast (active dry variety)
* 3 1/2 cup bread flour
* 2 tablespoons basil infused olive oil
* 1 teaspoons sugar
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, destemmed
* 1/2 teaspoon parsley
* 1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon basil, freshly chopped

–Toppings–
* Your choice of toppings: spinach, tomatoes, artichokes, olives, mushrooms, etc.
* Your choice of cheese: cheddar, parmesan, mozzarella, etc.

1.) Begin by prepping your herbs: chop basil, rosemary, parsley, and thyme.  Set aside.  Prep and measure toppings.  Set aside.

2.) Add active yeast to warm water (preferably in a Kitchenaid mixing bowl) and allow to sit until “activated” (about five minutes).

3.) Add salt, sugar, herbs, and flour to yeast/water mixture using dough hook of Kitchenaid (on low speed).

4.) Continue mixing until a sticky dough forms.

5.) Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to pizza dough and coat the dough ball fully.  Allow dough to sit at room temperature for about an hour.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and when dough has doubled in size, “punch” it down.  Flip dough onto a floured surface and separate it into two same size balls.

6.) Roll dough ball out into a circle.

7.) Flip in air (if you feel so bold!).

8.) Spread with your hands to further flatten and spread the dough.

9.) Lightly dust a pizza stone with cornmeal and add pizza dough.  Now you’re ready to build your pizza.

10.) First, use a fork to poke the surface of the dough; then, drizzle and brush 1-2 tablespoons basil olive oil over the dough (this gives this pizza an even more herby-flavorful taste! Plus, the olive oil prevents the dough from becoming soggy with the toppings).

11.) Add sauce or pesto and spread over the pizza surface–I used the Asparagus Pesto Recipe.

12.) Add toppings and seasonings–I used a combination of spinach, artichokes, tomatoes, and olives.

13.) Cover in Cheese.

14.) Cook for 15-20 minutes in a 350F oven, or until cheese and dough are golden brown.

Google+