My pizza doesn't look as beautiful as the one on Pillsbury.com. I didn't want to use a full cup of pesto on a thin crust pizza. I worried that it would be overpowering. I also decided to cook my tomatoes on the pizza, but next time, I might follow their recipe and add them after the pizza bakes.
My husband and I loved the balsamic glaze! I can't wait to use the leftovers on a Caprese salad this weekend.
I used a honey balsamic vinegar from The Ancient Olive in Winter Park to make the balsamic glaze. My friend Shelley told me she usually adds a little honey to her balsamic glaze, but this vinegar was already so perfectly sweet, I didn't need to add any.
It took about 30 minutes for the balsamic vinegar to thicken up and get sticky, but it was certainly worth the wait!
Pesto Pizza with a Balsamic Glaze
Ingredients
Crust
1 box of Chebe Original Cheese Bread Mix
2 T olive oil or organic canola oil
1 C of shredded cheese (sharp or hard works best) -- firmly packed
2 large eggs
1/4 C water
Toppings
1/2 recipe of pesto (see below)
1 10 ounce bag San Marzano tomatoes or a small container of grape tomatoes -- cut off the tops, squeeze out the seeds, and cut in half or in thirds
8 ounce package of fresh mozzarella
Balsamic Glaze
1 C balsamic vinegar
honey -- optional
Directions
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil your pizza pan.
In a small sauce pan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes, until it thickens and becomes sticky. Stir frequently. Optional -- add up to 1 tablespoon of honey for added sweetness.
Place your mozzarella between two paper towels to remove moisture.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs before adding the shredded cheese and 2 T of oil. Mix well with a fork, then slowly add the Chebe Original Cheese Bread mix. Stir well with a spoon before adding 1/4 C of water. Mix as well as you can with a spoon, then knead the dough until smooth with your hands.
Place the pizza dough on an oiled 14 inch cast iron pizza pan and spread it out evenly with your hands.
Par bake the crust on a shelf in the bottom third of your oven for 12 minutes. Flatten out any bubbles with the back of a fork before adding toppings.
Brush the pesto on your pizza, then add the tomatoes and mozzarella.
Bake for another 11 minutes on the bottom shelf before moving the pizza to the top third of your oven and turning it to broil. Broil for a minute or two until the cheese is bubbly and perfectly browned.
Loosen your pizza from the pan with a large spatula before carefully sliding it onto a serving platter or pizza pan to slice and serve. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze.
For more detailed information and pictures of how I make my Chebe pizza dough, check out my Chebe Pesto Chicken Pizza recipe here.
You can view other Chebe pizza ideas in my Pizza Experiments blog post here.
FYI -- The package states that Chebe Original Cheese Bread Mix is free of gluten, soy, corn, rice, potato, yeast, peanut/tree nuts, egg, iodine, and sugar. It is certified gluten free and non GMO. It contains manioc (tapioca) flour, modified manioc starch, dry milk, and iodine-free sea salt, making it grain free as well.
For more information on Chebe and where it can be purchased, you can visit Chebe's website here.
Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
1 C fresh basil -- packed
2 T pine nuts
1 clove garlic (1/2 tsp) -- minced
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/3 C extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 C grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (I use 2T of both)
Directions
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until they are well combined. Add the oil and cheese. Pulse until smooth.
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