Summer Fresh.

This entry was posted in Savoury and tagged Feta Cheese, Greek, Hummus, Mozzarella Cheese, Olives, Onion, Pizza, Recipe, Spinach, Tomato on June 30, 2011.

Something I've always enjoyed about food is the vast world of creativity and artistry it opens up. Suddenly bread is stuffed french toast, s'mores are cookies, almonds are flowers, soda is cake. You are forced to look at everything from a different perspective.

When you take an ingredient or a recipe and apply it in a different way or reshape it you not only see the dish differently but also the world. Ingredients are not spices or sugars, but instead keys to a different dimension where up is down and black is white.

So when I was contacted by Summer Fresh and asked to produce an original recipe including one of their delicious dips, hummus or salads you can understand how excited I was. I have never had the opportunity to experiment with anything like hummus and I was so happy with my results. My Greek Hummus Pizza was so good!

Today you can see mine and many other yummy recipes using Summer Fresh products on the Summer Fresh Facebook page. Just for liking one of those recipes you can receive a buy one get one free Summer Fresh coupon and enter for a chance to win a Summer Fresh party kit so you can play with your food too!

Greek Hummus Pizza Makes 2 medium pizzas.

Source: Crust adapted from Annie's Eats' Basic Pizza Dough.

1/2 cup water, warm 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast 4 cup bread flour 1 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/4 cup water, room temperature 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp cornmeal

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 cup Summer Fresh Roasted Garlic Hummus 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves 1/2 red onion, sliced 3 cocktail tomatoes, sliced 1/3 cup black olives, pitted and sliced 2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Note: This recipe makes enough dough for two pizzas but I like to freeze one half of dough for later. You can choose to make two pizzas now and double the topping ingredients. Printer-Friendly Version

In a medium measuring bowl sprinkle the instant yeast over the warm water.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment stir together the bread flour and salt. Add the room temperature water and olive oil to the yeast bowl and gradually pour it into the flour mixture while it's mixing on low.

Once it's mixed into a cohesive dough switch to the hook attachment and knead the dough on low for about 5 minutes or until it's smooth and elastic.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning it once to ensure all the dough is oiled. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit undisturbed to rise until it's doubled in size for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees and position a rack in the middle.

Press down the doubled dough to deflate it then transfer it to a floured work surface. Cut it in half evenly then wrap one half in plastic wrap and store it in a freezer safe resealable bag to freeze for another time. Or, if you'd prefer, you can make two pizzas at once. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10 – 30 minutes.

Cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit your pizza stone then sprinkle it lightly with cornmeal. Cornmeal is the secret to crispy pizza crust. Spread the word! Lightly flour your hands and shape the dough gently using the backs of your hands to stretch and form it without tearing it with your fingertips. If the dough springs back too much when you're trying to shape it then let it rest for another 15 minutes and try again. This should relax the gluten and make it easier to work with. Your goal here is to form the dough into a circle 10 – 12 inches wide with a slightly thicker 1/2 inch rim for the crust.

Brush the olive oil onto the crust with a pastry brush. This gives the crust a golden sheen and a satisfying crunch.

Spread an even layer of the Summer Fresh Garlic Hummus over the pizza dough. Sprinkle half the mozzarella on top followed by the spinach leaves, onion, tomatoes, olives, the rest of the mozzarella and finally the feta cheese.

Slide the parchment paper onto a cutting board or pizza peel then onto the preheated pizza stone and bake it for 8 – 12 minutes. The cheese should be bubbly and the crust should be golden brown. Slice and enjoy!