Homemade Turkey Sausage Pizza
Ah pizza! What other food is so universally appealing and delicious that even when it’s bad, it’s still somehow good? Unfortunately, good pizza places can be scarce in some locations and that’s why it’s always a good idea to know how to make your own. Most recipes will tell you that you absolutely must have bread flour in order to make a good pizza dough. Well, I don’t know about you, but sometimes bread flour just isn’t available or you just don’t feel like keeping more than one type of flour in your small pantry. Fear not! You can still make a chewy delicious pizza dough with good ole all purpose flour.
The secret is to make a “lean” dough. Most pizza dough recipes call for some amount of olive oil to be added to the dough. Oil or fat tenderizes bread doughs. When your goal is a chewy dough and you’re working with a lower protein, already more tender flour like all purpose, you don’t need any fat to help with tenderization. Hypothesis in hand, I developed a “lean” dough recipe that could be made in a couple of hours. No need for an overnight ferment or starters like some more complicated recipes (which do have their place at times). To my surprise the resulting pizza was, and I quote my husband, “The best pizza dough {I} had ever made…num, num, num”. Okay that last part wasn’t an exact quote, but you get my point.
Pizza shape also plays a crucial roll in how this pie bakes up. I prefer baking my pizzas, grandma or Sicilian style in a large rimmed baking sheet. First, because I don’t have a pizza stone and also because I can’t be bothered to make a million small round pizzas for one meal. One big pizza it is! Baking in a rimmed baking sheet has its benefits. This makes for a thicker crust that will retain its chew and moisture even when reheated (more about this in another post). It also makes it possible to load on the toppings and really make a hearty nutritious meal that is more than just thin slivers of bread, gently kissed with tomato sauce and the essence of cheese.
Next, the placement of toppings will make or break your pizza night and this is where things get controversial. To ensure that carefully crafted crust does not get soggy and leaden, start with the cheese like they do in Chicago. The cheese will melt and create a barrier for the more juicy toppings like tomatoes or tomato sauce that typically cause a soggy crust.
Even more controversially is the secret to that savory pizzeria taste. Have you ever made a pizza and were just disappointed that it didn’t have that same deep savory taste like the pizza from the pizzeria? Well, here’s the secret—mozzarella cheese is bland and must be seasoned! This can be accomplished in two ways: a sprinkling of salt mixed in with your always home shredded low moisture whole milk mozzarella—or the more interesting way is mixing in more flavorful cheeses. My choice for this secret flavor bomb is a mixture of white extra sharp cheddar cheese and parmesan. The cheddar adds a different more silky melt to the overall cheese mix as well as deep umami flavor further reinforced by the parmesan. I know adding cheddar cheese to a pizza will push many of you out of your comfort zone, but trust me on this and you’ll wonder why you haven’t done this before.
Rounding out this rectangular pie we have sausage and tomato sauce or rather homemade turkey sausage crumbles which are fast, easy and healthier than traditional pork sausage and marinated fresh tomatoes which are less likely to cause heart burn. The addition of homemade turkey sausage cuts the fat and cholesterol and boost the protein, making each 1/12th of this pie pack an estimated 20 grams of protein! That’s enough to satisfy your teenage son with just 2 or 3 or 6 slices. Anyway, try it for your next pizza night and you won’t be disappointed by homemade pizza again!
Click here to watch the video version of this recipe!
Directions:
For the Crust: (Crust takes about 2 ½ hours from start to being ready to bake.)
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour and yeast. Add water and mix with spatula or spoon until no dry pockets of flour remain.
Fit mixer with dough hook and knead for 2 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a clean damp dish towel and let rest for 10 minutes to fully hydrate flour.
Uncover and sprinkle 2 tsp of salt over the dough and knead on low to medium speed for 15 minutes.
Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead until it comes together into a ball. (About 30 seconds.)
Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 60 minutes or until doubled in size.
Punch down by pulling up the edge of the dough and pressing it in towards the center. Repeat until you have gone around the bowl completely once. (See video demonstration above.)
Flip dough over, cover again and let rise 45 minutes or until doubled again.
Dough is ready to use.
For the Turkey Sausage:
Mix all dry seasonings together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add ground turkey. Break up turkey with a spoon or spatula and evenly sprinkle dry seasonings over the surface of the turkey. Continue stirring and breaking up turkey until it is nicely browned.
Remove to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Fresh Tomato “Sauce”:
Combine diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, dried oregano and granulated garlic in a medium bowl, stir and cover and let marinate at room temperature while the dough is in its second proof, about 45 minutes.
Before use, drain accumulated liquid from the tomatoes and lightly press or squeeze out liquid with hands. (About 1 ¼ cups of liquid will drain off tomatoes if they are extra juicy.) Toss tomatoes with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and set aside.
Assembly
Adjust oven rack to lowest position. Preheat oven to 450° F.
Line a 17 ½” x 12 ½” sheet pan with parchment and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Turn dough out into the middle of the baking sheet. Evenly press the dough into place and up the sides of the sheet pan. If the dough begins to snap back while you are pressing it into place, cover it with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes to relax the gluten.
Sprinkle crust with dry oregano. Mix together the three cheeses and sprinkle on top of the crust, followed by the homemade sausage crumbles and fresh tomato “sauce”.
Brush edge of crust with 1 Tbsp of olive oil, if desired.
Bake for 12 minutes, rotate and bake for another 12 minutes until crust is browned and cheese is melted evenly and beginning to brown.
Remove from oven and use parchment to transfer to cutting board. Let cool 10-15 minutes before slicing in 12 even pieces.
(Makes enough for 4 to 5 hungry adults or 2 teenage boys.)
Ingredients:
Crust:
568 grams AP Flour
1 tsp Instant Yeast
382 grams Water heated to 110° F
2 tsp Table Salt
Toppings:
Homemade Turkey Sausage:
1 lb. 94% Lean Ground Turkey
½ tsp Fennel Seeds
1 tsp Dry Sage
2 tsp Onion Powder
⅛ tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Fine Ground Pepper
½ tsp Dried Thyme
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Fresh Tomato “Sauce”:
4 Large Tomatoes 740 grams, diced.
1 ½ tsp Dried Oregano
¼ tsp Granulated Garlic
1 ½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper or Crushed Red Pepper
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Three Cheese Mix:
Mix together:
8 oz. (224 grams) Whole Milk Mozzarella, shredded.
2 oz. (56 grams) Extra Sharp Cheddar, shredded.
2 oz. (56 grams) Parmesan Cheese, grated.
Ah pizza! What other food is so universally appealing and delicious that even when it’s bad, it’s still somehow good? Unfortunately, good pizza places can be scarce in some locations and that’s why it’s always a good idea to know how to make your own. Most recipes will tell you that you absolutely must have bread flour in order to make a good pizza dough. Well, I don’t know about you, but sometimes bread flour just isn’t available or you just don’t feel like keeping more than one type of flour in your small pantry. Fear not! You can still make a chewy delicious pizza dough with good ole all purpose flour.
The secret is to make a “lean” dough. Most pizza dough recipes call for some amount of olive oil to be added to the dough. Oil or fat tenderizes bread doughs. When your goal is a chewy dough and you’re working with a lower protein, already more tender flour like all purpose, you don’t need any fat to help with tenderization. Hypothesis in hand, I developed a “lean” dough recipe that could be made in a couple of hours. No need for an overnight ferment or starters like some more complicated recipes (which do have their place at times). To my surprise the resulting pizza was, and I quote my husband, “The best pizza dough {I} had ever made…num, num, num”. Okay that last part wasn’t an exact quote, but you get my point.
Pizza shape also plays a crucial roll in how this pie bakes up. I prefer baking my pizzas, grandma or Sicilian style in a large rimmed baking sheet. First, because I don’t have a pizza stone and also because I can’t be bothered to make a million small round pizzas for one meal. One big pizza it is! Baking in a rimmed baking sheet has its benefits. This makes for a thicker crust that will retain its chew and moisture even when reheated (more about this in another post). It also makes it possible to load on the toppings and really make a hearty nutritious meal that is more than just thin slivers of bread, gently kissed with tomato sauce and the essence of cheese.
Next, the placement of toppings will make or break your pizza night and this is where things get controversial. To ensure that carefully crafted crust does not get soggy and leaden, start with the cheese like they do in Chicago. The cheese will melt and create a barrier for the more juicy toppings like tomatoes or tomato sauce that typically cause a soggy crust.
Even more controversially is the secret to that savory pizzeria taste. Have you ever made a pizza and were just disappointed that it didn’t have that same deep savory taste like the pizza from the pizzeria? Well, here’s the secret—mozzarella cheese is bland and must be seasoned! This can be accomplished in two ways: a sprinkling of salt mixed in with your always home shredded low moisture whole milk mozzarella—or the more interesting way is mixing in more flavorful cheeses. My choice for this secret flavor bomb is a mixture of white extra sharp cheddar cheese and parmesan. The cheddar adds a different more silky melt to the overall cheese mix as well as deep umami flavor further reinforced by the parmesan. I know adding cheddar cheese to a pizza will push many of you out of your comfort zone, but trust me on this and you’ll wonder why you haven’t done this before.
Rounding out this rectangular pie we have sausage and tomato sauce or rather homemade turkey sausage crumbles which are fast, easy and healthier than traditional pork sausage and marinated fresh tomatoes which are less likely to cause heart burn. The addition of homemade turkey sausage cuts the fat and cholesterol and boost the protein, making each 1/12th of this pie pack an estimated 20 grams of protein! That’s enough to satisfy your teenage son with just 2 or 3 or 6 slices. Anyway, try it for your next pizza night and you won’t be disappointed by homemade pizza again!
Click here to watch the video version of this recipe!
Recommended Recipes or Posts
No Fry Turkey Meatballs
Spicy Crunchy Baked Chicken Wings