Grandma Pizza with Mushrooms
Carla from Bon Appetite Test Kitchen made Grandma Pie, or Sheet Pan Pie and made a comment about how pizza should not have pineapple on it. I like a good Hawaiian Pizza, to define good the ham has to be salty and the pineapple has to be slightly caramelized. The crust also has to be thin and crunchy. So I watched her make this Grandma Pizza and I wondered is making a thick pizza crust worth it? I mean it looks like a Focaccia Bread with sauce on it. And I like Focaccia Bread.
According to Bon Appetite, a Grandma Pizza has a quicker proof time then a Sicilian pie because grandma has shit to do! OK that might not be the reason but the pie originally comes from Long Island. My adaptation of Bon Appetites Recipe takes a lot of the elements that Carla talks about in her video, but updating it to more simple toppings and using what is in my fridge. I wanted to do pineapple and mushroom but I couldn’t find any pineapples in my freezer. But what I did have was was half a pound of Oyster Mushrooms and half a pound of Shitaki Mushrooms I bought from the farmers market this past weekend.
Recipe Notes:
Depending on your humidity, you might not need all the flour, start at 3 1/2 cups, and add the last bit a little at a time. You’re looking for a slightly tacky dough but not sticky.
Confession: The mozzarella that I used was a failed attempt at making it. So instead of smooth 30 minutes mozzarella, I had crumbles of slightly melted curd on my pizza. Use the mozzarella you have.
Use flavorful olive oil. You want that flavor to go into the pizza crust as you bake. Our cooking olive oil is Zoe’s. What I like about Zoe’s is that there’s a peppery taste but its not overwhelming. There is good flavor that can carry spices and stand on its own. When there are only a handful of ingredients, use the best
I made sure to cut the mushrooms into large chunks to saute. The large chunks help keep the texture and they soak up the soy sauce. I use soy sauce to add that umami flavor. You can season the mushrooms in all sorts of ways using wine or herbs.
Diced Tomatoes vs Tomato Sauce- I decided to use diced tomatoes instead of sauce because living in the Trenton NJ area, I’ve come to enjoy a “Trenton Tomato Pie.” It’s a pizza that has chunks of diced tomatoes in the sauce. I wanted this pie to have the texture that comes with the fresh tomatoes but the ease of the only ingredient.
Grandma Pizza with Mushrooms
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- 10 x 15 Jelly Roll pan/Cookie sheet with walls
Ingredients
Crust
- 2.5 tsp Instant Yeast
- 1 2/3 cups warm water
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 1/3 cups flour
Toppings
- 1 can Fire Rosted Diced Tomatoes
- 16 oz Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 pound Mushrooms
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In the Bowl of a stand mixer, proof yeast and water together for 10 minutes until foamy
- Add olive oil, salt and 3 1/2 cups flour to yeast mixture and knead together. Add additionally flour to get a tacky texture. Knead for 7-10 minutes
- Let proof for 1 hour.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 475
- Pour 1/2 cup olive oil into the bottom of a 10 x 15 inch jelly roll pan (or walled cookie sheet). Make sure olive oil reaches all corners of the pan. Push risen dough into all corners of the pan and let rest while you prepare the mushrooms.
- Rough chop mushrooms and saute with olive oil and soy sauce. Bonus: add a splash of wine and season to your pleasure.
- Spread can of diced tomatoes and their juices over the pizza crust. Crumble mozzarella over tomatoes and mushrooms on top.
- Bake in the ovens for about 25 minutes. Crust should be crispy and cheese melted.
- Let cool for a few minutes before transfering onto a cutting board to slice and serve.
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