I find it hard to keep our kids entertained and family time in the kitchen is always a crowd pleaser. Homemade pizza is my kids number choice, especially with so many toppings to play with! This recipe is really easy and my kids really love to make and eat their own creations. Each child can make their own dough by hand then use a wide variety of toppings, such as peppers, tomatoes, onions, olives, mushrooms, and even pineapple (a favorite in Australia). We also use tomato sauce or even pesto sauce and a choice of different spices. As a family that loves cheese, I bought out a selection of cheeses from Sincerely Brigitte for the kids to choose from and I got very creative with mine. I recently tried the Sincerely Brigitte Marble Blue Cheese and I thought this would be a perfect choice for pizza. To balance out the strong flavor of the blue cheese, I caramelized pears in butter and placed them on the pizza with some fresh baby spinach and pesto. The results were incredible and my kids kept on stealing my slices!
This recipe makes one 12-inch pie, which usually comes out to four servings.
Homemade Pizza with Pesto Sauce, Blue Marble Cheese and Caramelized Pears
Quick and Easy Pizza Dough:
2 teaspoon dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 c. very warm water (120-130 degrees)
2 cups. flour
1 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Soak yeast in warm water and sugar for 5 minutes to rise. Add flour, then add salt. Continue to knead for 2-3 minutes until flour is well blended and a dough ball forms. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. Roll dough to fit a 12-inch disposable pizza pan sprayed with cooking spray or rubbed with olive oil.
Pizza Toppings:
Caramelized Pears (see recipe below)
¼ cup store bought pesto
3 cups baby spinach
1 cup grated blue marble cheese by Sincerely Brigitte
Caramelized Pears:
4 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3-4 red Anjou pears, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges (or 1/4-inch-thick wedges if pears are firm)
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat until melted. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pears cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and just golden, 12 to 20 minutes.
Pizza Assembly:
Once the dough is fitted into the pan, spread pesto sauce over the dough, leaving a border around the circumference of the dough. Place the spinach around the center of the dough. Sprinkle grated Blue Cheese, scatter the pear pieces around the pie.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400 or until cheese melts.
