Pepper Topped Pizza Recipes

30-MINUTE PEPPERS PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a small rectangular rimmed baking dish with olive oil. The baking dish that I use is from Sur La Table. It measures 10 X 7 inches and holds about 2 quarts.
• Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove their core and membranes. You can remove the stem or cut around it gently to leave it intact.
• Arrange the peppers in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
• Layer the filling: Spoon 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce into each bell pepper half. Top with 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella, 2 more tablespoons of sauce, and finish with 2 more tablespoons of mozzarella.
• Add your toppings. I like to use pepperoni (2-3 slices per pepper half) and sliced black olives.
• Lightly spray the peppers with olive oil. Bake, uncovered, until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted, 20-30 minutes. Allow the dish to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

PEPPER-TOPPED PIZZA

Steps:

• Split biscuits in half horizontally. Arrange on a lightly greased 12-in. round pizza pan; press dough together to seal the edges. Brush with oil. Sprinkle with peppers, tomato, onion, garlic powder, basil and oregano. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cover edges with foil to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

ROASTED RED PEPPER PIZZA

Steps:

• Place a pizza stone or inverted rimmed baking sheet on the lower oven rack and preheat to 500 degrees F. Make the tomato sauce: Crush the tomatoes in a large bowl with your hands. Stir in the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper.
• Make the pepper spread: Roast the chile pepper and bell pepper over the flame of a gas burner (or under the broiler), turning, until charred, 4 minutes for the chile and 6 to 8 minutes for the bell pepper. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Peel off the charred skins with your fingers (you may want to use gloves for the chile pepper to avoid irritation). Halve the peppers and remove the seeds. Combine the garlic, anchovies, red pepper flakes and oregano in a food processor. Add the roasted peppers and pulse until almost smooth. Pour in the olive oil and pulse a few times. Season with salt.
• Assemble the pizza: Keep the prebaked crust on the baking sheet. Spread with 3/4 cup to 1 cup tomato sauce (you will have extra sauce). Top with the mozzarella, then spoon 1/2 cup pepper spread on top. Sprinkle with half of the parmesan. Transfer the baking sheet to the hot pizza stone and bake until the cheese melts and the crust is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining parmesan and the herbs. Season with salt.
• Combine the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in 2 cups warm water (about 105 degrees F) and 2 tablespoons olive oil with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough rises slightly, about 1 hour.
• Using lightly floured hands, transfer the dough to a generously floured surface and knead several times until it just starts becoming smooth and elastic, about 1 minute (do not over-knead). Transfer to a lightly oiled large bowl. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, place a pizza stone or inverted rimmed baking sheet on the lower oven rack and preheat to 500 degrees F.
• Brush two rimmed 13-by-18-inch baking sheets (not nonstick) with 3 tablespoons olive oil each. Place one piece of dough on each baking sheet. Prepare the pizzas one at a time: Cover the dough with plastic wrap, then press firmly with your hands to fill the baking
• Remove the plastic wrap and transfer the baking sheet to the hot pizza stone. Bake until the crust starts browning, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully loosen the crust from the pan using a spatula. Top and bake (see recipe indexfor ideas), or let cool, lightly wrap in plastic and set aside up to 8 hours.

OLIVE, PARMESAN AND ROAST PEPPER TOPPED ROLLS

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, and salt and leave to stand until the yeast starts to bubble on the top.
• Add the olive and sunflower oil, as well as three cups of flower to the yeast mixture.
• Combine well, approximately 10 minutes, this is best done with a stand up mixer, but can be done by hand also.
• Add the remaining 3 cups of flour, the parmesan cheese and chopped olives and using the dough hooks of your mixer, knead until all the flour is mixed up well.
• Continue to knead the dough until it is smooth and it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl, you might need to add a little more flour at a time until it's no longer sticky.
• Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a clean tea towel.
• Place in a warm place and allow to rise until doubled in size, usually about one hour.
• Punch dough down, cover and allow to rise for a second time, again until roughly doubled in size.
• Divide the dough into six equal portions and shape into logs, roughly 3x5 inches.
• Place on a baking sheet, cover and allow to rise for a final time, approx 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C/Gas 5.
• Brush the tops with olive oil, top with olives, peppers and onions (if you're using them) and top with parmesan cheese.
• Bake for approx 15 minutes until done.
• You can freeze the some of the dough after it has risen for the second time.
• After defrosting, form logs, allow to rise for approx one hour and continue as described above.

PEPPER, ONION & FETA PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet. In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients except cheese. Spoon mixture over crust. Top with cheese.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until vegetables are crispy-tender. Remove from oven and serve.

PEPPER SAUSAGE PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. In a bowl, combine 1 cup flour, yeast and sugar. Add water; beat until smooth. Add the oil, salt, dried basil, pepper, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 2 cups flour; beat until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Cover and let rest 5 minutes., Meanwhile, place spinach in a microwave-safe bowl; cover and microwave on high 30 seconds or just until wilted. Uncover and set aside., Press dough into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Spread with pizza sauce; sprinkle with 2-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, sausage, onion, spinach, mushrooms and yellow pepper. Top with remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Sprinkle with pizza seasoning. Bake 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with fresh basil if desired. Cut into squares.

JAN'S JALAPENO POPPER PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in the pan.
• Saute onion in bacon drippings until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic; continue to saute until garlic is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Season the onion mixture with cumin, oregano, and black pepper. Stir cream cheese and sour cream into the onion mixture until smooth and spreadable.
• Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the pizza dough; top with mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses. Arrange bacon and jalapeno pepper rings over the cheese layer. Sprinkle parsley over the entire pizza.
• Bake in preheated oven until crust is firm and crispy and the cheese is browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

SPINACH AND PEPPER PITA PIZZAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pitas on a baking sheet. Top with spinach, peppers, and cheese, dividing evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bake until cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes.

FRESH TOPPED PIZZA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put the flour, salt, olive oil, yeast, rosemary and pepper into a food processor. Pulse until well mixed. With the motor running, add enough water to bring the flour to a soft, but not sticky dough. Tip onto a work surface and knead until it comes together.
• Halve the dough. If you only have one shelf in your oven and are cooking in batches, wrap one half in cling film. Roll out each half directly onto lightly oiled baking sheets into very thin 25cm/10in rounds. Do not form a rim at the edge. Spread the tomato topping over each piece of dough, almost to the edge. Leave to stand for 15 mins. Bake in the hot oven for 12-15 mins or until the dough is crisp.
• Lift each round onto a plate and serve warm. Pass the toppings around and let each diner assemble their own pizza.

RICK EASTON'S PIZZA WITH PEPPERS

Steps:

• In a comfortably large, preferably rectangular plastic container, dissolve the yeast into 1 3/4 cups of lukewarm water. Mix in the flour with your hand, squishing it together, just until the flour is absorbed. The dough will be very wet and shaggy. Remove what stuck to your fingers, and mix into the dough. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
• Dissolve the salt in remaining 1/8 cup of water, and mix with your hand into the dough. Don't worry if it doesn't all mix in. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and rest for another 20 minutes at room temperature.
• With wet hands, release the dough from the sides of the container. Coat the top of the dough with 1 tablespoon of oil, and make a trifold or letter fold by lifting up the dough one-third of the way through and letting the end drop and fold underneath. Repeat this action on the other side so that the seam is on the bottom. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and rest for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Repeat this process two more times. After the third fold, rest the dough in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. Sometime halfway through resting, repeat the trifold with oil one last time.
• If you have a pizza stone, slide it on the lowest rack or on the floor of your oven, and heat oven to 500. Heat for at least 30 minutes and preferably longer before baking. Slice the bell peppers thinly, and sauté, stirring frequently, over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and salt until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Lightly grease an 18-by-13-inch jellyroll pan with olive oil. (A cookie sheet of a similar size makes a good alternative.) Wipe the pan clean with a dry paper towel; it's important not to bake the pizza on too much oil. Flip the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently press out into a rectangle 1/2-to-3/4-inch thick, being careful not to deflate the dough too much. Place one forearm over the dough, and use the other hand to flip the dough over the forearm and then into the pan, leaving the floured side up. Rearrange the dough on the pan, again pressing only lightly.
• Spread the topping evenly across the dough, drizzle generously with oil and bake on the pizza stone (or directly on the bottom of the oven or lowest rack) for 5 minutes. Move the pizza to the middle rack in the oven, and continue to bake for 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden brown.
• Using a bench scraper or metal spatula, scoop under the pizza, and scrape to release it from the pan. This may take some blind faith and a bit of elbow grease. Slide out onto a cutting board, and slice into pieces using a chef's knife, scissors or pizza cutter. Serve immediately or at room temperature, or reheat.
• Rick Easton creates new variations seasonally, and so can you. Some of his current favorites are:
• Bake topped only with extra-virgin olive oil, then, when warm, top with Gorgonzola cheese, sautéed onions, grilled pear, fried sage, salt and pepper.
• Bake with roast puréed pumpkin and fresh mozzarella, then top with walnuts and fresh arugula, olive oil, a light squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Bake with braised leeks and sautéed apples, then top with thinly sliced lonzino (cured pork loin), or other cured meats like dry coppa, bresaola or prosciutto, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

PIZZA WITH ROASTED PEPPERS AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone in it.
• Peel the roasted red peppers, remove the seeds and membranes (holding the peppers over a bowl to catch the juices), and slice in thin strips. Toss in the bowl with the juices, salt and pepper to taste, the garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
• Roll out the dough, and line a 12- or 14-inch pizza pan. Brush all but the rim of the dough with the remaining olive oil. Arrange the green pepper rings over the dough. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and top with slices of mozzarella, placing the cheese inside and between the pepper rings. Distribute the roasted peppers over the surface of the pizza, and drizzle on the juice remaining in the bowl. Return to the oven for five to 10 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned and the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven, scatter the shaved Parmesan and the basil over the top, and serve.

SALAD-TOPPED PIZZA

Steps:

• Heat broiler. In a large roasting pan, combine onion, zucchini, squash, and red pepper with oil, garlic, herbs and salt. Toss well. Place in oven, about 5 inches from heating element, and broil, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are wilted and somewhat reduced in volume, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Or combine ingredients in a large nonstick skillet and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.) Let vegetables cool on a plate while you prepare the pizza crust. Heat oven to 450°F. Place pizza crust on a cutting board and sprinkle crust with half the shredded mozzarella. Spread tomato sauce over cheese. Layer cooked vegetables evenly over pizza. Top with remaining cheese. Slide pizza directly from cutting board onto oven rack or bake on baking sheet until pizza is heated through and cheese is bubbling and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Right before serving pizza, toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Pile salad in the center of the pizza.