Find out how to make your own pizza dough, sauce and delicious toppings for a Summer meal.
The Cowgirl Gardener, Margeaux Denham, invites us into her award winning food musings to find out how to make a fresh Summer pesto pizza. If you’re like her, you can grow all of these things in your own garden, too!
Recipe Alert-
We all know that the heart of the home is the kitchen; so, the soul of the home is the backyard garden. One of the nice things about a garden is all the fresh veggies you can serve up just walking outside. No parking lots, no standing at a checkout, and no currency necessary. This simple pesto can be made with the use of a food processor or blender, and can be used on many things. These are just a few good examples: pasta, chicken, or on a pizza.
Summer Pesto-
¼ cup hulled sunflower seeds
¼ cup olive oil
3 cups fresh basil leaves
¼ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
3 cloves of garlic
Salt & pepper to taste
Simply pulse the ingredients to desired texture. Place in the fridge with cling-wrap pressed to the pesto (so it does not brown.)
Kitchen tip-
Electric bread makers are awesome and often found at thrift stores for little money. Just plug them in at the thrift store to make sure that they work and have the bread key for kneading the dough.
Spelt Pizza Dough-
1& 1/3 cup water
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. local honey
½ tsp. sea salt
1 & ½ cup bread flour
2 &½ cup spelt flour
1 & ½ tsp. active dry yeast
I use my bread maker to make and proof my dough. Just make sure you place your wet ingredients first, and then dry ingredients except the yeast. Make a well in the flour for the yeast. Then start your dough cycle on your machine. During the first few minutes make sure there is enough water in the machine to achieve a great dough ball. Just add water if necessary. When the dough cycle is done roll it out for the toppings. You can put what you desire on the pizza. When you are ready to top your pie, preheat our oven to 500 degrees. Cook the pie in the middle rack for 11-12 min, then rotate the pizza and cook another 8-12 min. The best way to see if your crust is done is to tap it. When it sounds like a good thump you are done. Enjoy!
Here is a sample of a pizza that my husband and I created this weekend.Don’t forget that when the time comes to make your pie, use your imagination, the sky is the limit! :
Aman Cara Pizza-
Spelt crust
Pesto- thinly spread
¼ cup parmesan
11 mozzarella pearls
¼ cup cheddar cheese
4 black olives & 4 green olives, quartered
¼ cup smoked Wagu brisket diced
1 smoked spare rib meat pre-smoked or pre-grilled and diced
A handful of quartered cherry tomatoes
