Roasted Tomato & Garlic White Pizza

Few things in this world give me as much joy as a good slice of pizza. You’d have to rub your feet on it for me to not enjoy pizza. Considering I’ve made it through 5+ years of crappy CNY pizza and haven’t imploded from withdrawal, I’d say that’s good proof right there that even bad pizza is good. But my God, when I can get a really, really good slice, the kind with the right amount of sauce and cheese and my preferred crust-to-topping ratio, well that’s the closest I’ve come to heaven on Earth.

Ever since I discovered an easy, fantastic homemade pizza crust, I’ve essentially received a passport to a world of infinite pizzatastic possibilities. No toppings are off-limits, and ain’t nobody going to tell me how I can or can’t slice it.

If I want white pizza, I can make it. And I can top it with juicy, fresh roasted cherry tomatoes and sweet garlic. I can hit it with three kinds of cheese since one ain’t enough for this cheese-worshiping Smart Cookie. Then, with a good bake in the oven to turn this baby hot, melty, and golden brown, we’ve got ourselves Roasted Tomato and Garlic White Pizza, aka flavor-packed, cheese-overloaded paradise in a slice.

With a thin and crisp crust, creamy ricotta, caramelized garlic and tomatoes, and goo-rific mozzarella and parmesan, this is one killer pizza you don’t want to pass up. Your local pizza joint will never churn out such a beautiful pie as this: dressed up in thick layers of cheese, dotted with pretty red roasted tomatoes, and freckled with fresh thyme. It’s heaven you can hold in your hand and take a bite right out of. Forget your bad day or your self-loathing from post-holiday weight-gain; grab a slice and let your troubles melt just like that mozzarella cheese.

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

1. Store-bought dough is okay, but I urge you to try this recipe. I was afraid of making homemade dough until I tried it. I couldn’t believe how little time and effort it required, but it was so much better than anything else I’ve had!
2. Roasting the tomatoes and garlic bring out their natural juices and flavors, making them sweet and robust like you’ve never experienced before.
3. The better quality cheese you use, the better your pizza will be.
4. Pizza stones are beneficial, but not required.
5. Craving more pizza with this easy crust recipe? Try my Lil Pizza Bites and White Cheddar Broccoli Pizza.

Roasted Tomato & Garlic White Pizza
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Ingredients:

For the crust
adapted from Williams-Sonoma

• 1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 cup warm water (about 105°F)
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 cup + 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 whole cloves of fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 1/2 cups good-quality shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. fresh chopped thyme

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar and warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, combine the cake flour, all-purpose flour and salt and pulse 3 or 4 times.
3. Whisk 1 tbsp. of the olive oil into the yeast mixture. With the motor running, slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more. Pulse the machine 10 to 15 times to knead the dough. The dough should clean the insides of the bowl but will be slightly sticky.
4. Coat the inside of a large bowl with the remaining 1 tbsp. oil. Dust your hands with flour and remove the dough from the food processor. Form the dough into a ball and place in the bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. While the dough rises, roast the tomatoes and garlic. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread tomato halves out in an even layer and place garlic cloves in the center of the pan. Drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and bursting, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
6. Finely chop cooled garlic. Set aside.
7. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Roll the dough out on a floured surface however thin you’d like it. Sprinkle a pizza pan or preheated pizza stone with cornmeal. Lay the crust on top and parbake for 7 minutes, or until puffed and set but not yet browned.
8. In a medium bowl, combined ricotta and chopped roasted garlic. Spread over crust in an even layer. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan, then evenly distribute the tomatoes over top. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme. Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Slice and enjoy.