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Cullen's Vine Ripened Tomato Pizza

8 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 pc. pizza dough (recipe below)

pinch chili flakes

3-1/2 cups fontina cheese, grated (loosely packed)

20 slices red onions, sliced very thinly

2 medium vine ripened tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick

20 each cherry tomatoes

1 each buffalo mozzarella, about 6 oz., cubed 1/2"

2 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated very finely

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 tablespoons chopped basil

Pre-heat the oven to 500° F. and place a baking stone or tile in to heat. Heat a small saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil and the unpeeled garlic cloves. Saute, stirring regularly, until the garlic skin begins to caramelize. Transfer to the oven and roast until the cloves become uniformly golden brown. Remove and cool. When cool, remove the roasted garlic from the skins and place into a small bowl. Mix thoroughly with a spoon to make a paste.

Roll the dough into roughly 10 “ rounds using a pie pin or by pounding and stretching the dough. (see the pizza dough recipe for photos)

Sprinkle a light cutting board or pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina and lay the dough down on it. Spread the garlic paste over the dough then sprinkle the chili flakes evenly and spread the fontina cheese over the dough, leaving a half inch rim without cheese. Next distribute the sliced tomatoes followed by the onion rings.

Arrange the cherry tomatoes evenly over the cheese and onions and sprinkle the fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake for ten minutes or until the edge of the crust becomes golden brown and the cheese bubbles in the center.

Remove from the oven and place on a cutting board. Sprinkle the chopped basil over and cut into six or eight pieces. Serve immediately.

Pizza Dough

4 cups all purpose flour

1-1/2 cups warm water (about 90 F.)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh yeast

1-1/2 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine the salt, flour and honey in an electric mixer and mix using the dough hook to distribute evenly.

Add the water and yeast and mix for two minutes on low speed to bring the dough together.

Increase the speed to medium and mix for six minutes, pushing the dough back into the mixing bowl if it creeps up the side.

Add the olive oil and mix until the dough has absorbed to oil and comes back together.

Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand to stiffen.

Form into a ball and allow to rest for 30 minutes under a damp cloth.

Scale into 4-1/2 oz. pieces then form into tight balls by rolling under your hand.

At this point the dough can be frozen or refrigerated for use at a later time. If you intend to use the dough soon, allow it to remain at room temperature for about an hour or until the dough softens and begins to rise. Then stretch or roll into the desired crust shape. Detailed instructions for hand stretching follow.

After the dough has been shaped into a ball and had a chance to rise, it should be lifted from the rising area and lightly dusted in flour. Place the floured ball onto a lightly floured work surface and then pound the dough flat to force the CO2 out and flatten it.

Once the dough has been pounded a few times, it will become round and flat. The object here is to pop any bubbles that form along the edge. If you do not, they will pop up in the oven and burn. Take care no to flatten the edges too much or you will have a hard time putting a lip on the dough.

Put a lip on the dough by pressing down hard on the dough about 1/2" from the edge. Do this all the way around the dough until a nice lip is formed. This will help keep the cheese on the pizza and give the person that eats the pizza something to hold on to.

Next, stretch the dough gently to begin to make it bigger. Alternate stretching one way then turn 90 degrees and stretch the other.

Next, stretch the outer perimeter of the dough by gently pinching with both hands and pulling the edge thinner. Follow around the perimeter until it is of uniform thickness.

Finally, hold the dough over the backs of both hands and stretch the center slightly. Be careful not to make the center too thin or it will fall apart when you put the cheese on and stick to the baking tray. Once complete, place the dough onto a peel or baking tray that has been lightly dusted with semolina or cornmeal (we prefer semolina because it is usually finer).

This makes enough dough for 6 pizzas