Let’s Make Pizza Night Fun!
After a whole month of no blogging, no cooking and baking I’m back in the biz with this star of a recipe – “Italian Herb Crusted Cheese Pizza!”
I was extremely busy with my mid terms exams and eid shopping, so I couldn’t get a chance to publish new posts on my blog. Exams were taking priority sadly. But from now till eid, I’ll be try to more regular (InshaAllah)!
I’m a lover of Italian food and fresh herbs and my family loves pizza in all forms. One of our favorite family meals is homemade pizza. We make regular Homemade pizza, Pan pizza, Pizza Cups, Pizza Rolls, Pizza sandwiches , Pizza Paratha and Pizza fries. One thing we love about it is that you can get really creative with toppings and today’s recipe is one of my recent (and favorite) creations –Italian Herb Crusted Cheese Pizza.
Can you say “Delicioso?” OMG, this pizza did not disappoint! This, to me, is the perfect Italian Flavored pizza. The crust is light and crispy. The sauce is thick and tomato-y. The fresh mozzarella is mild and cheesy. The basil leaves are bright and fresh and the herb aroma is amazing. When I bit in and my mouth filled with saucy, cheesy, herby goodness I’m pretty sure I had a pizzagasm. The cheese melted perfectly into the crust , the flavors being even more dramatic where it had browned into that crunchy, cheesy topping.
I love eating food where in each bite you get something a little bit different, it makes it all the more interesting and enjoyable to eat and this pizza definitely delivers that… I like the basil leaves to be baked along with the pizza, but you can sprinkle them on top after baking if you prefer them uncooked. This recipe can be done with little effort, but it has a big impact on your taste buds and entire dinner experience.
For this pizza I decided to use the pre-made homemade pizza dough, but feel free to make your own from scratch. It’s very straightforward to make and if you don’t fancy making your own pizza base then you could simply add the toppings to a store bought pizza crust. I always brush my pizza dough with olive oil and herb seasoning to make it even more delicious!
While my pizza dough was rising in the pan, I prepared the pizza toppings. The pizza crust bakes for about 10-15 minutes in a 200 degree oven (or until crispy and light brown and cheese is melted). The secret to a good Sicilian crust is a nice coating of olive oil on the pan. That helps crisp up the bottom of the crust. A very hot oven is also crucial. The hard part is waiting for this oh so delicious pizza! The wait is definitely worth it, because you are rewarded with an amazingly delicious pizza.
I’m thinking cheesy flatbread for my next attempt!
Bismillah, let’s get started!!
Check it out the Chicken Shashlik Sticks recipe and printable version here!!
If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a photo and hashtag it #Recipestable & #TastyRecipesbyBushrah. I’d love to see what you cook!
What a great recipe! Simple, flavorful & easy to customize to tastes/preference! I made “bread” pizza with this–using a piece of organic whole wheat bread. I used some melted low fat butter instead of olive oil. I also used low fat mozzarella & added dried parsley to the seasoning mix. I also added some vegetarian pepperoni for a little more flavor. Baked in my toaster oven at 400 for 15 min & it was great. Thanks so much for sharing!!