Pesto Pizza

From the traditional wood-fired pizzas of Italy to the deep dish pizzas in Chicago to the famous New York style thin crust pizza, almost every region in the world has adapted thier own style of the classic dish. In India, you can get everything from chicken tikka to tandoori paneer on your pizza.

Everyone loves pizza and everyone has thier own preferences when it comes to the crust, sauce and cheese. Honestly, it seems like no two people can agree on their ideal pizza.

Although I love the usual tomato sauce pizza, this pesto pizza is a welcome change! I like a crispy crust, a good slathering of pesto, mozzarella & feta cheese, nuts and arugula. You can adjust the thickness of the crust to how you like it and vary the toppings however you fancy. Instead of arugula, lightly sauteed mushrooms and spinach would also be great and pistachios and goat cheese would also work well with pesto.

I make my own crust but if you're too lazy or daunted by the prospect of making your own dough, feel free to use premade pizza crusts. Also, you can make your own pesto or use store bought. I prefer making my own, but when I don't have basil/time/energy I don't mind using a jar of pesto from the store.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (for one 8 inch pizza)
Ingredients

• 1 and 3/4 tsp yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 cup wholewheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3/4 tablespoon olive oil

Mix yeast in warm water. Let sit for a while (at least 5 minutes)

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. 

Add yeast mixture, honey and olive oil. Mix everything well.

Knead dough with your hands on a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a ball.

Cover dough with plastic cling wrap and let it rise for at least an hour, but preferably around 2-3 hours.

Take out dough and roll out your desired shape on a lightly floured surface

Place on a greased baking pan and bake for 10 minutes at 190 degrees celcius.

Pesto

My go-to pesto recipes

• Basic Basil Pesto with Variations
• Pumpkin Seed Pesto
• Spinach & Cashew Pesto
• Cilantro & Smoked Almond Pesto

Assembly
Take out baked pizza crust and spread pesto (or desired sauce on top).
Top with a layer of grated parmesan cheese or sliced mozzarella cheese.
Add desired toppings like sauteed or grilled vegetables, corn, grilled chicken, olives, toasted nuts, sausage, bacon (!!), pineapple etc.
Add some more cheese on top.
Bake for 5-10 minutes in the oven at 150 degrees celcius.
If using arugula or feta cheese: bake for 5 minutes, take out the pizza, add the arugula/feta and bake for a few more minutes.