2.17.2011

Tomato. Tofu. Goat Cheese. 
One of my favorite things to do is to look in the fridge and work with whatever ingredients I have on hand. Being that I have mildly different tastes than your average mid-20s lady, my fridge is often stocked with different kinds of tofu, in this case veggie tofu, basil, goat cheese (which the grocery store finally has their own brand so my bank account is relieved of pricey cheese burdens) and naturally I have several different kinds of flour being that I bake more than I can eat. And I can eat a lot. Just ask anyone who was around me if I went to Andolini's Pizza in Charleston. A glass of any meritage, a sunny Thursday afternoon in my courtyard and a 20 inch pizza. I enjoyed every last bite, but I digress...


I had not eaten all day as most of the morning was spent on the couch watching Samantha Brown's Passport to Europe, sipping creamy peppermint coffee and have my dog awkwardly step all over me and block the television a couple hundred times. A relaxing rainy day. A day to experiment with white whole wheat flour and buckwheat flour I had yet to explore. A thin crust pizza I desired was within reach. This recipe is much faster and more successful if you have as many kitchen appliances as I happen to have, I happen to be both fortunate and always actively seeking random tools. Break out your pizza stone, throw it in the oven, and set it to 450F while you make the crust.

Topping you will need:

red chili oil, or olive oil sauteed with red pepper flakes
really garlicky tomato sauce, homemade or store bought
1 thinly sliced roma tomato
1 small block firm veggie tofu, drained for 20 minutes and diced into small cubes
goat cheese
fresh basil leaves


For the crust... break out your KitchenAid with dough attachment..

In your mixing bowl..

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water plus a couple tablespoons
1 tablespoon oil (I used safflower, but you can use anything from olive to coconut)

Mix on low-medium until the dough comes together, adding bits of water as necessary. You want a smooth and pliable dough without it being too dry or too wet. We're not baking bread here, keep it simple. When ready, dust your counter with buckwheat flour and roll your dough out as thin as you'd like it or as big as you can for your pizza stone or pan. The crust is not a doughy, soft crust but rather a wheaty crisp you'll feel okay about devouring most of it if you don't have a friend to share it with immediately.

Pull your pizza stone out of the oven, sprinkle it with bread crumbs and more buckwheat flour then throw the crust on it while you gather your toppings. Brush the crust with red chili oil, lightly covering it all the way to the edges. This oil is spicy so use with discretion if you're a weakling. I relish in the burning of the chili oil and the creaminess of the goat cheese coming together on one crust. Spoon the tomato sauce over the crust, then the tomatoes, tofu cubes, and crumbled chunks of goat cheese. Roll up the basil leaves and slice them thin before scattering them across the best pizza you've ever made in 30 minutes. Scatter sea salt and grind some peppercorns to top it off, then place the stone back in the oven for 15 minutes, but keep an eye on it. When it seems almost done, turn up the heat to broil for 2 minutes. And that's it. Let it cool if you can keep your hands off it.

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous21:06

    I just looked at everything on this post and I think I just died and went to heaven!!! Beautiful. You know your craft!
    xo. Aunt Kay

    ReplyDelete