Jan 20 2012
Chicken, Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Pizza
The perfect pizza crust is an elusive animal. It needs to be kinda crispy on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside, not go limp when sauced and topped and have a pleasing taste that isn’t bland but doesn’t compete with the other ingredients. Texture is the biggest component for me but Greg likes a thinner pizza with a good crispiness while I like a big crust-to-toppings ratio (seriously, half the time I’d rather just have breadsticks, as fat as that sounds).
Well, I can’t say there’s no better crust out there but we’re pretty smitten with this version from Williams-Sonoma. It’s from their Bride and Groom Cookbook which is sweet because it fits both me and Greg just fine. It’s pretty soft but not super bread-y or thick. We topped it with chopped chicken, caramelized onions and smoked Gruyere cheese for a sweet-salty-smoky combination that we couldn’t get enough of.
Crust adapted from Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (about 110 degrees F)
- 1 envelope (2 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 recipe Crust
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large sweet onion, sliced very thinly
- 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
- 1 cup smoked Gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
Combine the water, yeast vinegar and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed just until blended.
Add 1/2 cup of flour and mix just until blended.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining flour, the sugar and the salt then add mixture to the wet dough in the mixer bowl in 3 batches, beating until well-blended after each addition.
Increase mixer speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes longer--the dough should be pulling away from the bowl in a ball.
Place the ball of dough in an oiled bowl and turn the ball to coat all sides with oil. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm dry spot to rise for 30 minutes.
Work the dough slightly with your fingers, not punching it down but working out some of the larger air bubbles. Reform the ball and cover again, letting it rise for another 10-15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
Stretch the crust dough out on a pizza stone or baking sheet to make an 11- to 12-inch disk then roll the edges to make the crust edge.
Brush on olive oil and sprinkle garlic evenly over the crust dough. Set aside.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter then add the onion slices. Continue to cook the onions, stirring often at first then more frequently, until they are very soft and golden brown.
Sprinkle the caramelized onions and chopped cooked chicken evenly over the crust dough. Then, sprinkle the cheese over top every thing and top with the oregano.
Bake at 450 degrees F for 13-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.
I haven’t had an appetite for over a week, but right now, I want to inhale that pizza. It sounds delicious!