Thursday, July 19, 2012

Buttery Crusted Sweet Corn and Tomato Pizza


It's Improv time! This month our ingredients are Corn and Butter-- fitting for July, no?  A big thanks to Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker for hosting this fun monthly challenge, where we get creative with two different ingredients each month.

I know what you're all thinking....where's the muffin? Am I right? I've gotten a little carried away with muffins lately, but I thought better of it this time. Not that corn and butter wouldn't make an awesome muffin, but I thought I'd better widen my horizons. To be honest, when I'm not thinking about muffins, I'm thinking about pizza. My favorite pizzas have a crispy crust and plenty of cheese and veggies. Sometimes there's sauce, but most often I just use a garlicky olive oil. Wouldn't pizza be a perfect vehicle for corn and butter? I knew you'd agree! Take a look at what kind of pizza I made....

Buttery Crusted Sweet Corn and Tomato Pizza

Buttery Crusted Sweet Corn and Tomato Pizza

A buttery, flaky crust topped with roasted sweet corn and fresh tomatoes--the perfect summer pizza!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
  • 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 2/3 cup warm water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2 cups shredded Provolone cheese
  • 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups roasted, fresh sweet corn kernels
  • Freshly ground salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven (and pizza stone) to 500 degrees F.
  2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife or two forks, until the flour resembles a coarse meal. Stir the yeast into the warm water. Add the water to the flour mixture and stir until it comes together into a ball. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently knead until you have a smooth dough. Divide it in half, cover loosely, and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle some cornmeal or Semolina flour onto a pizza peel (or use the back of a baking pan). Using your hands or a rolling pin, shape one of the dough halves into a 10" circle. Prick the dough with a fork, slide it onto the heated pizza stone, and bake for 3 to 5 minutes.
  4. Brush the partially baked dough with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, a teaspoon oregano, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup shredded basil. Top with about a cup of shredded cheese, or enough Provolone cheese slices to cover the crust, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Top the cheese with sliced tomatoes and 1 cup of corn kernels. Return the pizza to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 5-8 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with freshly ground salt and pepper. Repeat with the second half of dough.
Yield: 2 10" Pizzas
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 30 mins.
Cook time: 00 hrs. 13 mins.
Total time: 43 mins.
Tags: pizza, tomatoes, corn, dough, flaky, buttery


This is a lot like making a pie crust, except I always use chilled water for that. This crust turns out nice and crisp...and flaky!


The silpat makes a nice spot for kneading your dough.


Semolina flour is a good change from cornmeal...not quite as gritty.


I happen to like my corn grilled, so I saved several cobs when I grilled on Sunday.


Just use a sharp knife to get the kernels off of the cob.




You can see from the side how flaky the crust is. As a bonus, it stayed crispy, even after a night in the fridge.




This makes for a good lunch and/or appetizer, no?

I wasn't so sure I would like the crust like this, thinking it would be too much  like a pie crust., but it turned out to be one of the better pizza crusts I've made. As a bonus, there really isn't any rise time. Buttery, flaky crust with ripe tomatoes and corn? Oh yes...this I will make again. It's a new family favorite! :)

Check out all of the other delicious Corn and Butter entries.....

20 comments:

  1. I can eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Looks unbelievably tempting and delicious!

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  2. That just screams "summertime" to me. I'm definitely going to make this soon!

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  3. This is so creative! And that crust is unbelievable. I have never seen butter used in pizza dough - it's flakey like pie crust. Mmmm...

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  4. This looks like a pizza both my husband and I would like. One question, is the amount of yeast right? I always use much more when making pizza dough. Just wanted to make sure before I give this a try.

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    1. Yes..it was just 1/2 teaspoon ...I had to double check myself. :) It doesn't really rise, and I'm not entirely sure why it's there (cohesiveness maybe?), but it works.

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  5. This is gorgeous!!! I've never seen a pizza crust like that. I can't wait to try it! YUM!

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  6. This is definitely the most clever entry this month. I love it!!

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  7. Oh my! Pizza & GRILLED CORN! My boys are gonna yell at me for not thinking of this, I'm afraid...

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  8. Beautiful, beautiful! I'm a pizza freak and have never put grilled corn on a pizza - now I"m wondering why the heck not? Amazing recipe!

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  9. Love this recipe! It’s very colourful and combines so many delicious flavours!

    My former roommate used to complain that it's difficult to find a pizza shop around here that has corn as a topping. It's such a great addition to pizza! Looks delicious along with the tomatoes!

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  10. This is an awesome way to use corn and tomatoes. Now, this is good pizza.

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  11. That looks delicious! I like to make a tomato and corn tart when they're in season, so I'll have to try give your pizza recipe as it looks a lot less fiddly :)

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  12. Oh what a creative way to use this month's ingredients! This looks scrumptious!

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  13. This is such a delicious looking dinner my friend :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  14. Corn on pizza?! That is brilliant!

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  15. I love this pizza! This is summer on cheesy crust. Lovely recipe!

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  16. Mmm that crust recipe sounds delightful. Corn adds such a gentle summer sweetness to food - it must be great on a homemade pizza!

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  17. Wow, your pizza has me drooling, looks delish.

    If you haven't already, I'd love for you to check out my Improv Cooking Challenge entry: Fritos Crusted Pollock.

    Lisa~~
    Cook Lisa Cook

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  18. This sure does look good!! And what a great pizza crust!

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