Pizza Rustica Loaf Recipes

PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• Add the olive oil with 3 of the whole eggs to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour, 2 teaspoons salt and the frozen grated butter to a large bowl and stir and pinch with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg mixture and blend with a wooden spoon until large crumbles form (they should be slightly larger than a pea). Add 1/4 cup cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition until a dough forms.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface lightly dusted with flour and knead until the dough is smooth. Form the dough into a large round disk and divide the dough into 2 pieces, two thirds for the bottom crust and one third for the top crust. Shape the dough pieces back into round disks. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 45 minutes. (The dough can be refrigerated up to 24 hours at this point but will need to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling.)
• Add 1 of the egg yolks to a small bowl along with 1 teaspoon water. Whisk to combine, then set the egg wash aside. Add the remaining 3 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks to a large bowl along with the Parmesan, ricotta and several heavy grinds black pepper. Whisk until well combined and smooth. Add the prosciutto, ham, pepperoni, salami, provolone and mozzarella and stir until combined. Set aside.
• Position a rack on the lowest shelf in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with olive oil.
• Roll out the larger piece of dough on a flat work surface lightly dusted with flour to a 16-inch round a little less than 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to the prepared springform pan, pressing the dough into the inside edges and up the sides of the pan, leaving any overhang. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dough-lined pan and spread it out into an even layer.
• Roll out the remaining piece of dough on a lightly dusted surface into a 13-inch round a little less than 1/8-inch thick. Place this dough over the filling, gently pressing into the filling and the dough at the edges of the pan. Trim the overhang of both doughs flush with the top of the pan. Pinch the edges of the doughs together to seal, then tuck under so they are directly on top of the filling and on the inside of the pan. Brush the reserved egg wash over the top and edges of the dough. Cut four 1-inch slits on the top piece of dough using a paring knife, then place the pan on a baking sheet.
• Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, and a long wooden skewer inserted into one of the slits comes out clean, about 2 hours, rotating the pan once halfway through the cooking time.
• Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator until completely cooled, at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before removing the outside ring of the springform pan and transferring the pizza to a serving platter. Cut into wedges to serve.

CHEF JOHN'S PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, butter, and olive oil for the crust in a large bowl. Blend butter into the flour with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture, pour egg into the well, and mix with a fork until egg is mixed in, about 1 minute. Add cold water and mix briefly with a fork. Switch to mixing with your hands and press mixture into a ball. If it seems dry, sprinkle in some more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until dough comes together.
• Transfer dough to a work surface and press into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour.
• While the dough is resting, combine drained ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, salt, black pepper, beaten eggs, cooked Italian sausage, smoked ham, salami, and pepperoni for the filling. Mix thoroughly until extremely well combined; don't worry about overmixing. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Rub a 9-inch springform pan with olive oil and dust with flour.
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut off 1/3 of the dough and set aside for the top crust. Roll out the remaining dough for the bottom crust, using only as much flour as needed, into a 15-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the prepared pan. Tuck the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, being careful not to stretch it. Remove any excess dough, dampen it with water, and use it to fill in where needed.
• Transfer filling into the pan, press firmly into the edges to ensure there are no air pockets, and smooth out the top.
• Roll remaining dough into a circle that's slightly wider than the pan. Roll dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the pan. Position the top crust properly and press to seal it with the side edges.
• Mix egg and water for egg wash together in a small bowl.
• Brush egg wash on top of dough to moisten entire surface. Trim off excess dough if desired. Fold the side dough down from the pan edges onto the top crust and crimp edges with your fingertips until fully sealed. Brush once more with egg wash.
• Place in the center of the preheated oven, and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake until top crust is a beautiful golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the ring and let cool another 15 minutes before slicing into wedges.

SUPER STUFFED FRENCH BREAD PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Split bread lengthwise and hollow it out. Cut in half across, making 4 shells for pizzas.
• Heat a skillet over medium high flame and brown sausage in extra-virgin olive oil. Brown and crumble sausage. Add red bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, add spinach. Remove mixture from heat and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper, to your taste.
• Transfer to a bowl. Combine sausage and veggies with ricotta, Parmesan, sopressata and pepperoni. Fill bread shells and top with mounded mozzarella and provolone cheeses. Place in hot oven on cookie sheet and bake until cheese melts and bubbles and bread is super crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes. Top pizzas with oregano and hot pepper flakes. Serve immediately, or snack all night!

PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 3 egg yolks, cold water and butter and process until a ball of dough has been formed. Remove the dough and, on a floured work surface, knead the dough for 5 minutes. Wrap the ball of dough with plastic and refrigerate. In a bowl combine the ricotta, 3 remaining egg yolks, 1 teaspoon black pepper, prosciutto, salami, mozzarella and romano cheese into a batter. Refrigerate while you prepare the pastry shell. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut one third of the dough off to be used as the top crust. With the remaining larger piece, flour a work surface, place this larger piece of dough on the work board and begin to roll the dough to approximately a 12-inch wide circle. Brush the inside of the springform pan with olive oil and transfer the rolled out circle of dough to the pan. Using your finger tips, press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan, making sure that the dough has a flat bottom and the edge is tucked into the seam of the pan. Pull the dough up the side of the pan to the top edge and the dough should just rise to the top of the pan. Pour the cheese and meat filling into the prepared dough and shake the pan to distribute the filling evenly. Roll the remaining smaller piece of dough to a 10-inch circle and place this on top of the pan. Pinch the edges of the two pieces of dough together to seal the edge completely. Cut a cross into the top crust so that steam may escape during baking and place into the preheated oven, on a cookie sheet, in the center of the oven, and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. The top should be well browned when thoroughly baked. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes, run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen the crust from the pan, and open the springform pan. continue to cool completely before serving at room temperature.;

PIZZA MEAT LOAF

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add 3/4 cup of pizza sauce, cheese, bread crumbs, garlic salt and pepper; mix well. Combine beef and sausage; add to egg mixture and mix well. Press into a 9x5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 1-1/4 hours. Drain. Spoon remaining pizza sauce over meat loaf; bake 15 minutes longer or until no pink remains. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

PEPPERONI PIZZA LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. On a greased baking sheet, roll out dough into a 15x10-in. rectangle. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, oil, parsley, oregano, garlic powder and pepper. Brush over the dough. , Sprinkle with the pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, pepper rings, green pepper and olives. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal and tuck ends under., Position loaf with seam side down; brush with egg whites. Do not let rise. Bake until golden brown and dough is cooked through, 35-40 minutes. Warm the pizza sauce; serve with sliced loaf., Freeze option: Freeze cooled unsliced pizza loaf in heavy-duty foil. To use, remove from freezer 30 minutes before reheating. Remove from foil and reheat loaf on a greased baking sheet in a preheated 325° oven until heated through. Serve as directed.