i am a food blog

If you could choose between one giant pizza with your favorite topping or many, many (16, exactly) little pizzas with lots of different combinations of toppings, what would you chose? Hands down, I’d chose the mini pizzas, for two reasons: their undeniable cuteness and the variety.

To me, it was a no brainer, taking a batch of no-knead dough and forming 16 tiny balls for 16 tiny pizzas. Making 16 minis meant that I could come up with what seemed like infinite pizza topping combos. I had a ton of fun chatting about it with Mike; it’s one of my favorite things to do, wandering around with him and shooting the shit about random food ideas. Sometimes Mike indulges me – it can get pretty boring talking about food all the time, or so he tells me – and when he does, I get pretty into it.

The other day, we did just that: went on a little walk, where I went on and on excitedly about food, looking at the sky, not watching where I was walking. Inevitably, I tripped over my own two feet. Mike caught me before I fell (he always catches me) and said this gem of line:

In a zombie apocalypse, the Birkenstocks stay behind.

Of course, after that, we proceed to have an hour long conversation how how exactly we would survive the zombie apocalypse and if we’d have it in ourselves to do the needful if needed (ie, kill the other person if they ever got infected). Eventually, we looped back to pizza toppings and the next day I almost died of cuteness while shaping these tiny pizza crusts.

It was beyond a doubt fun making the pizzas but it was also hilariously fun rating them. We both agreed that the baked potato pizza  – baby baked potato, bacon, sour cream, chives – was the clear winner. I hope you guys get a chance to make some mini pizzas. Or if not mini pizzas, a giant pizza with all your favorite toppings. Now that weather is turning just a bit cooler, I hope ovens everywhere are getting the love they deserve and getting stuffed with pizza, both big and small!

PS – Happy September!!

Mini No-Knead Pizza Recipe
makes 16 mini pizzas
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 30 minutes plus 18 hours rising time
total time: 40 minutes

• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 3/4 cups water
• toppings, as desired

via Bon Appetit

Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a medium bowl. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add 3/4 cups water; stir until well incorporated. Mix dough gently with your hands to bring it together and form into a rough ball. Transfer to a large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature in a draft-free area until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and dough has more than doubled in size, about 18 hours.

Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Gently shape into a rough rectangle. Divide into 16 equal portions – they will be quite tiny. Working with 1 portion at a time, gather 4 corners to center to create 4 folds. Turn seam side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside on work surface or a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions.

Let dough rest, covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, until soft and pliable, about 1 hour.

To Make the Pizzas

During the last hour of dough’s resting, prepare oven: arrange a rack in middle of oven and preheat to its hottest setting, 500°–550°. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, dust dough with flour and place on a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape dough into a small 3″ disks.

Arrange dough disks on a lightly oiled baking sheet; top with desired toppings. Bake pizzas until bottoms of crusts are crisp and tops are blistered, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a work surface to slice, if desired.

Pizzas pictured (from left to right):

1. cacio e pepe – black pepper and parmesan
2. chicken parmesan – crispy chicken, tomato sauce, parmesan
3. mozzarella, chicken, and broccoli
4. spicy sausage
5. baked potato with bacon, cheddar, sour cream, and chives
6. tomato sauce, chicken, mozzarella, and avocado
7. pepperoni
8. sliced potatoes, mozzarella, olive oil, and garlic
9. tuna, cheddar, and green onions
10. tomatoes, mozzarella, and egg
11. aglio e olio – olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper
12. four cheese
13. bacon cheeseburger
14. Chinese sausage, green onions, mozzarella
15. tomatoes, cheddar, and broccoli
16. tomatoes, anchovies, and crushed red pepper

italian americanminino-kneadpizza