Spicy Three Cheese + Italian Sausage and Red Pepper Pizza

By vealam

It's all in the cheese! {this is what it takes for two medium pizzas or 1 large}

Ingredients

• PIZZA DOUGH:
• 1 recipe Whole Wheat or Regular Pizza Dough
• 1 recipe for Pizza Sauce
• 4 Hot or Mild Italian Sausage Links, casing removed, crumbled and cooked
• 1 medium Red Onion, sliced into rings
• 2 medium Red Bell Peppers, sliced into rings, seeds and stems discarded
• 8 ounces freshly grated Mozzarella Cheese
• 8 ounces freshly grated Sharp Provolone Cheese
• 8 ounces freshly grated Fontina Cheese
• Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon Honey
• 1 cup Warm Water {115-120 degrees}
• 1 packet {2-1/4 teaspoon} Active Dry Yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon Olive Oil, plus more for oiling the bowl
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 2-1/2 cups All Purpose Flour, plus more if needed
• PIZZA SAUCE:
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup minced White Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic, pressed through a garlic press
• 2 tablespoons minced Sun-dried Tomatoes {that were packed in olive oil}
• 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1/4 cup White Wine {like Pinot Grigio}
• 1 {6 ounce} can of Tomato Paste
• 1 cup Water
• 2 pinches of Kosher Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

Details

Servings 2
Cooking time 80mins
Adapted from simplyscratch.com

Preparation

Step 1

PIZZA DOUGH:
In the bowl of your mixer add the 1/2 teaspoon of honey.

Pour in 1 cup of warm water {115-120 degrees} and whisk. Sprinkle in the packet of yeast and let it sit and get all puffy.

Pour in a half teaspoon of olive oil, a half teaspoon of kosher salt and a cup of the flour. Mix adding the rest of the flour gradually.

Keep mixing until the dough pulls easily from the sides of the bowl. Add more flour if necessary {a couple tablespoons at a time}.

Add a splash of olive oil to a large, clean bowl.

Form the dough into a ball and place it into the bowl. Toss the dough ball around and up the sides of the bowl to coat.

Cover with a towel and let the dough rise for an hour or until doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, punch the dough down until deflated. Lightly flour a work surface and the dough ball and reshape it into a ball.

Using your fingers press the dough out into your desired size to fit your grill or pan. I use a cutting board that so I can transport the pizza dough to the grill and so it will slide of easily.

PIZZA SAUCE:
Heat a large {10 inch} skillet over moderate heat. Add in olive oil and when hot, add in the minced onion and garlic. Stir until soft.

Now add in the minced sun-dried tomatoes, dried oregano and basil and stir. The oil and the heat of the pan will soften up the dried herbs.

Pour in the 4 tablespoons of white wine and let that simmer until reduced by half.

Add in the entire can {6 ounces} of tomato paste and the cup of water. Switch over to a wire whisk and stir until combined. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes before seasoning with kosher salt and black pepper.

Pour in to a jar to cool and store in the fridge for a week, or use right away!

Makes about 1 cup

PIZZA:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and use olive oil to grease two rimmed baking sheets generously.

Divide the dough in half and on a lightly floured surface, roll thin using a rolling pin.

Transfer the dough to the prepared pan(s) and top with pizza sauce.

Divide the cooked sausage among both pizzas and top with slices of red pepper and onion.

Divide the cheese among both pizzas and bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pans if necessary.

Remove and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Let the pizzas rest for 5 minutes on the pan before transferring to a cutting board and slicing into pieces.