These beautiful and unique tortas introduce colors and flavors in an unexpected way!
If you like your pizza crust with an extra crunch, you can pre-bake it without toppings (or only tomato sauce) for about 5 minutes in the preheated oven.
If you plan on topping your pizza with a lot of fatty meats or juicy vegetables, brushing on a thin layer of olive oil base can help with containing the moisture during baking.
Raw or fatty meats aren’t going to get fully cooked from a few minutes atop a pizza in the oven. Always pre-cook and drain vegetables that release water while cooking, such as mushrooms.
Exceptions: thin cut pepperoni and prosciutto and some thinly sliced vegetables are fine to top raw.
Use the dough right out of the refrigerator and don’t let it sit on the countertop for too long.
Unroll and keep dough on parchment paper while baking. Paper is oven safe up to 500°F and paper will brown during baking. Cut off or tuck excess paper under the dough, so it isn’t hanging over the baking sheet.
Cutting the dough: If you need to cut the dough, place it on a cutting board to avoid scratching your baking sheet or countertop. If cutting the dough on the baking sheet, ideally use a pizza cutter.
To unroll the dough, remove dough from package and gently separate the dough and parchment paper from the roll, so that the dough on paper begins to lay flat. Be careful not to separate the dough from the parchment paper. There may be some sticking, but the dough and paper should easily pull away from the roll.
Once the dough is lying flat on the baking tray, cut off or tuck any excess paper under, so it does not hang over the edge.
The fastest way to a crispy and chewy crust is cooking the dough directly on a heated surface. Make sure the oven is fully preheated and already hot. A pizza stone or even a simple sheet pan needs ample time to pre-heat. Pizza and Flatbread can also be cooked on a non-heated sheet pan, but always in a pre-heated oven.
You can brush the dough edges with olive oil. Do it right before it goes in the oven and/or right after it comes out. You'll get great color, crunch and flavor.
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Unroll the refrigerated Classic Pizza dough with parchment paper onto a baking sheet and cut in half. Cut each half into three equal-sized rectangles, and by using your fingers, flute edges around each.
2. Spread each pizza rectangle with 1 Tbsp. Siciliana Tomato Sauce and bake on the bottom rack of the preheated oven for about 8 minutes until golden-brown. To make your own Homemade Siciliana Tomato Sauce: Peel and seed tomatoes and chop coarsely. Combine tomatoes, peeled garlic clove, basil leaves, grated Parmesan, sliced almonds, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar and purée finely. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a little sugar.
3. Meanwhile, roast green peppers with finely cut garlic in olive oil for 4-5 minues. Drain pan and roast pine nuts while stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
4. Top three Tortas with roasted green peppers and fresh goat cheese. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and 1 pinch chili flakes. Top the remaining tortas with Serrano ham and fig wedges and garnish with watercress (or Thyme). Serve hot or at room temperature.