When we first got together, I was right out of college and I had about 0 cooking experience. However, I had just started this blog (for baking, not for cooking) and I was feeling more adventurous in the kitchen. I distinctly remember the first time I made homemade pizza. I had to pull the smoke detector from the wall of my apartment, the crust was horrible, and he was ever so gracious (I attribute this to his not ever eating a home-cooked meal, so anything was better than nothing.) However, I knew the pizza was crap and from that moment on, pizza has been one great experiment with many trial and errors.
Fast forward to today and I’m still playing around with my pizza. I have a new favorite way to make pizza that creates an excellent crisp crust on the bottom and a gooey cheesy top (without setting the smoke detectors off). I use 11″ season steel pan (check our top recommendations for the best deep dish pizza pans)first on the stove top then transfer it into the oven. Sure it’s not how one might normally make pizza at home, but it gets the job done (and creates these wonderful personal sized pizzas!) Add to it a bright and light topping of Meyer lemons and brussels sprouts, it’s a winning dinner.
How to make Meyer Lemon Pizza with Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprout and Meyer Lemon Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- ¾ cup warm water
- 2¼ tsp dry yeast (1 package)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour (see note)
- ¾-1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
Toppings
- ¼ pound Brussels Sprouts
- 1 small shallot
- 1 Meyer lemon
- Olive Oil, for brushing
- 6-8 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Cornmeal, for rolling
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl , combine the honey, yeast and water. Use the wooden spoon to whip up the mixture, until the yeast is dissolved. Wait for 5-10 minutes until the yeast is activated. Once it is ready, add in oil, salt, and 1 cup of the whole wheat flour. Turn your mixer on the low setting with the dough hook attachment fixed and let it mix. Keep scraping down the sides as needed.
- Then, add 2-4 tablespoons of all purpose flour at a time, let the dough mix for a bit before adding more flour (check best flour for pizza dough). As you see signs of the the dough starting to come together, continue to let the mixer run for 1-2 minutes and keep adding more flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the mixer bowl. Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a warm spot. Gently brush the dough with oil and let it sit for 1 hour. This should be enough time for it to rise well.
- In a food processor fitted with a slicer attachment (or using a mandoline or sharp knife), shred the brussels sprouts and shallots, set aside. Thinly slice the meyer lemon into circles, then each circle into a half moon, removing seeds as needed.
- Preheat the broiler and place a rack in the upper third of your oven (but not the highest rack).
- Divide the dough into 4 balls and working with one ball at a time, roll out the dough into roughly an 10" circle.
- Preheat a cast iron or seasoned steel skillet over medium heat on the stove top. Transfer the dough to the skillet and brush the top with olive oil. Sprinkle with the Brussels Sprouts/shallots, then a few meyer lemon pieces, and finish with 1 to 2 ounces of the smoked mozzarella cheese (check the difference between provolone and mozzarella).
- Check the bottom of the pizza by lifting up slightly (it should be lightly brown and crispy). Carefully transfer the pan to under the broiler and cook until the cheese is melting and the top of the crust is browning, 45 seconds to 2 minutes (watch closely!)
- Repeat with remaining pizza dough.
Notes
- I like the lightness the all purpose adds to the pizza dough, but you can easily use all whole wheat flour (I still really like the white whole wheat for pizza dough!)
- I usually only make 2 pizzas and freeze the remaining dough for another pizza night.
- For those nights I forgot to make dough, I love Trader Joe's or Whole Food's fresh whole wheat pizza dough! Check our top recommendations for the best store-bought pizza dough)