Roman-Style Pizza
Plus, a way to help those impacted by the LA wildfires.
What To Bake This Weekend
Now’s a great time to make (or refill!) homemade vanilla extract for the year of baking ahead!
I also have a guide on different types of vanilla beans and how to use them in recipes.
With the holidays over, hot chocolate is a simple treat for the remaining cold days of winter, and nothing beats adding my popular homemade marshmallows!
If you’ve recently made one of my recipes, please leave a rating/review to let me know how it went! I love hearing how you’ve made my recipes work for you.
Fundraiser for World Central Kitchen in LA
I, like everyone watching, am devastated to see LA on fire. I am so saddened to see such a beautiful community going through such a horrific ordeal. In September I was shown so much love and kindness when I was there for my book tour. The community of bakers, many of which I didn’t know, supported and celebrated my book with such enthusiasm that I was frankly overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity. They showed love and support to a stranger. My son, Henri, lives in Santa Monica, so I also watch these fires as a mom. He is safe.
As I follow the events from my home in Minnesota I desperately want to do something to help the folks in need. Please join me on January 18 for a YouTube LIVE Pizza class, where we can work together to raise money for World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organization dedicated to feeding people in the wake of humanitarian, climate, and community crises. They are on the ground in Southern California right now.
This event is open to everyone, but I suggest a $25 donation during the YouTube Live to attend. There will be a donate button on the video!
Details
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, at 1 p.m. CT / 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET on YouTube. Be sure to follow my YouTube channel and click the bell icon to be notified of new videos and events. I will be using my EASY HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH (featuring 00 flour) during the event. If you want to bake along, here is the recipe …
Roman-Style Pizza from Richard Hart Bread
In 2024, pizza was the #1 recipe on my website. Pizza in all its forms is really the perfect food, so it is no mystery how it landed at the top. The recipe I feature is a Neapolitan-style pizza with a thin bottom and a bubbly crust. You can watch me make it during the YouTube Live on January 18. (details above).
Another of my favorite pizzas comes from Rome. It has a thick crust, baked in sheets and cut into individual pieces. A pizza to share with family or friends. The moment I flipped through Richard Hart’s brilliant new book, Richard Hart Bread*, I knew this Roman-Style Pizza was going to be the first recipe I made.
*denotes affil. link
This recipe uses commercial yeast but his book is really a master class on sourdough technique, so anyone baking at home, even if it’s your first try at sourdough, can have success and delicious bread. There are few people I trust more than Richard to guide you deeper into the bread craft since he’s had an illustrious career baking at the best bakeries in the world and has opened several of his own. He knows more about baking bread than just about anyone and shares all of his tips, tricks, and industry secrets. I love this kind of book!
I topped the Roman-Style Pizza with onions sautéed in lots of olive oil and a healthy sprinkle of poppy seeds. It is like a bialy meets pizza. You can go with more traditional pizza toppings or whatever moves you. If you’d like to follow my lead, this is the simple recipe for the topping:
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil, divided
1 small white onion, peeled and sliced thin
Healthy pinch of kosher salt
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
Flaky sea salt, for the top
In a saute pan, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring often, until they are soft. Add salt. Cool until ready to assemble the pizza.
Prepare and stretch the pizza dough into an olive oil-covered baking sheet as directed in Richard’s recipe below. Drizzle the dough with a few more tablespoons of olive oil and distribute the onions over the top. Sprinkle the poppy seeds and sea salt over the top.
Bake as directed in Richard’s recipe below. Enjoy!