Mediterranean Pizza on a Beet Crust

Hello, beautiful people! I am heading to Turks and Caicos in the morning and cannot wait for a week of relaxation and sunshine. If only I could get myself to pack…

Instead of packing, I thought I’d share this gorgeous Mediterranean pizza on a beet crust (beet crust courtesy of Naomi over at Bakers Royale). Truth be told, I don’t often make my own pizza crust, but I saw this beet crust and knew immediately that I HAD to make it. I do, however, LOVE making my own pizzas. Normally, I’ll buy a pre-made crust and go to town on toppings. I am completely in love with the toppings for this pizza – it screams summer – and I cannot wait make it again.

Think: slightly crisp gorgeous beet crust, melty feta, olive oil, and herbs, cool crunch of cherry tomatoes, and fresh mint. Definitely a recipe I’ll remake for dinner parties and get-togethers in summer. The beet crust and flavors were a total hit with my friends.

In terms of making the beet crust: it was SO much fun and a complete disaster, all at the same time. Me and my kitchen were COVERED in the most gorgeous pink-red beet juice – note to self: wear gloves next time you cut beets.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Mediterranean Pizza on a Beet Crust

 

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I wouldn’t totally call this a recipe as much as I’d call it a combination of amazing flavors. Seriously. So good. I often make mini “pizzas” on pita, and this combination is perfect for that too (and will come together in a matter of minutes).

Author: thyme & toast, beet crust by Bakers Royale

Ingredients

Beet Crust (courtesy Bakers Royale) – makes 2 12-inch pizza crusts

• 1 cup warm water (not too hot, otherwise you’ll kill the yeast!)
• 2 tsp active-dry
• 17 ounces all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp honey
• ¾ cup pureed beets (about 2 large beets, roasted and peeled)

Toppings (all non-exact measurements & based on preference)

• feta
• zaatar
• olive oil
• cherry tomatoes
• fresh mint

Instructions

For the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (I did 450 because my oven gets HOT). If you have a pizza stone, you could go ahead and put it in the oven to heat up. I don’t, so I used a baking sheet – which is not necessary to heat up ahead of time.
2. Combine water and yeast in a bowl. Add flour, salt, honey, and beets to the yeast and water mixture. Mix until incorporated. On a floured surface, knead until the pizza dough is smooth and all the ingredients are fully incorporated and the dough is elastic. You can add extra flour (1 TB at a time) if it’s too tacky – until it gets smooth. Form into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1.5-2 hours until it doubles in size.
3. Divide dough in half. Set half aside in fridge to use later (I might try to freeze next time) – within ~3 days, according to the recipe. Brush the half of pizza dough you’re using with olive oil. Use a rolling pin to flatten dough to about ¼ inch thickness – form a crust by pinching the dough on the outside, if you desire. You may want to do this on top of parchment paper so you have an easy way to transfer it onto your stone or baking sheet. Place the pizza on the sheet or stone.

Toppings:

1. Add the toppings you desire. I mixed zaatar, a Middle Eastern thyme and sesame dried herb mix, with a generous amount of olive oil until it becomes a paste. I then spread the zaatar mixture on evenly on the pizza dough. Sprinkle with crumbled feta.
2. I baked the pizza for about 15 minutes due to the lower temperature and because I was using a baking sheet, although the recipe calls for 3 minutes on the pizza stone at 500 degrees, turn it, and do another 3-5 minutes.
3. Once the pizza comes out, top with fresh, sliced cherry tomatoes and chopped fresh mint.

3.5.3208