Stove Top Pizza

This stove top pizza is easy and delicious. Follow these 3 steps to enjoy your own version of 4 generous pizza slices. This is a thick crust pizza that is rather filling. Serves 2, or serves 4 if served with salad.

Pizza Dough is made with

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

¾ to 1 cup water

Toppings:
¼ pound of Mozzarella Cheese

tomato paste 6 oz can

crushed tomatoes 28 oz can

1-2 teaspoons italian seasonings

Sausage about 3-4 ounces

3 mini peppers (red, yellow, orange)

10 black olives without pits

Since this is a quick-bread dough, start with the toppings.

Cook the sausage, crumbling it as it cooks. And while it cooks,

De-seed the peppers and chop.

Slice olives 3-5 slices per olive.

Grate the mozzarella cheese.

In a blender, empty the tomato paste can and the crushed tomato can and rinse with a little water (¼ cup or less) adding that to the blender as otherwise it is very thick. Add the italian seasonings. This makes lots of tomato sauce that can be used for more pizza, spaghetti or other italian dishes. The pizza uses only about ½ – ¾ cup of sauce. Refrigerate the rest in a closed container, label it with the 'Tomato Sauce' and the current date.

Now, the dough:

In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix with a spoon or spatula. When well mixed, (add optional olive oil and,) stir in ¾ cup water. Add more water a little at a time stirring until the dough just holds together, and use your hand to gather it and knead it a bit in the bowl until it is one ball. If it is too wet, add a little more flour.

In a greased 10-inch multi-clad fry pan or cast iron fry pan, spread the dough, pressing it so that it is a smooth surface. It should not go up the sides of the pan.

Add each topping in order:

tomato sauce

peppers

olives

mozzarella cheese

sausage

Cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook on Medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn down the heat to Low and cook for an additional 20 minutes. When pizza is fully cooked on the stove top, remember to turn off your stovetop burner.

If you desire a somewhat browned effect, preheat the oven to 450 F. while the pizza is stove top cooking for the last 5 minutes. Then, when the pizza is finished, USE POTHOLDERS and take the lid off of the fry pan, put the fry pan in the oven for 3-5 minutes. When taking it out, again USE POTHOLDERS. Let it cool in the fry pan for 5 minutes. Then run a spatula around the sides, loosening it from the pan, and work your way under the pizza about 1/3 of the way. Pick up the fry pan WITH POTHOLDERS and shake the pan to see if the pizza loosens itself the rest of the way. If not, loosen it some more with the spatula. Slide the pizza out of the fry pan onto a pastry board and cut into 4 pieces and serve.