Philly Cheesesteak Pizza Whiz Wit

 

Anyone who makes pizza dough knows that it is very hard to "time" the rise so that the pizza is on the table when everyone is ready to eat. 

Unless you do an overnight slow rise in the fridge, if the dough rises too long on the counter, it bubbles and well, that's not good.  

The Nudge loves a thin crust which means as soon as it has it's first rise and punched down, it must be rolled and dressed and into the oven (or grill) toot sweet. Sometimes I make it happen, other times I have a pizza that has begun a second rise and well, that's not good.

I recently was informed that I can now purchase a yeast made just for my problem with pizza dough.

Yes, it requires no rise. You just mix the dough, roll the dough, put the dough on a pizza stone (or pan), dress the dough and bake the dough. YAY for me!!
Last night I had the opportunity to see if it works. All I can say is....

Where have you been all my pizza making years?? I love this stuff!

The only problem I had, was my recipe made more pizza dough than would fit into my oven, so instead of cutting off the excess, I rolled it under, as one would do to a sweet pie crust.

The good thing was, I got a puffy edge to the crust (which is what I like) and The Nudge got a thin but firm middle crust (which was what he wanted).

I found another new product in my market. Shaved beef. Yup, just like the meat used for cheesesteak sandwiches, which is where I got the idea for this pizza.

While it tasted exactly like a cheesesteak sandwich, this will probably not ever make another appearance on the menu. I guess I like my steak sandwiches on a roll. There was nothing wrong with the ratio of meat to cheese and the cheese sauce tasted exactly like the Whiz they use in Philly, but I like white cheeses on my pizza and if I did use beef again, I would use goat or Fontina and tons of Parmesan.

But that's me and if you think your family would love American-style cheese on their pizza, then make this soon. The kids will gobble it up. It would make a great addition to the traditional food eaten while watching a football game.

The way to order a cheesesteak in Philly is "Whiz Wit". That means Cheese Whiz with onions. and well, that's a good thing.

Update: Leftover pizza toasted exceptionally well in the toaster oven.

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza Whiz Wit

makes one 18" pizza

* 1 recipe pizza dough (recipe follows)

* 1/2 pound shaved beef

* 3 ounces yellow cheese product (Velveeta, Cheese Whiz or yellow American cheese)

* 5 dashes hot sauce

* 1/2 cup milk

* 1 ounce mozzarella, grated

* 1/2 red pepper + yellow pepper + green pepper, chopped

* 1/2 onion, sliced into half moons

* 5 cloves garlic, sliced thin

* 1 tablespoon soy sauce

* Freshly ground black pepper

1. Saute onions, peppers and garlic in a pan sprayed with a release agent until they become soft. Add soy sauce and season with pepper.

2. Brush olive oil around the edge of the crust and spoon the vegetable mixture evenly over the crust, leaving 1" border.

3. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the vegetables and then lay down the meat. Season with salt.

4. Heat milk and add the yellow cheese until melted and pourable.

5. Spoon the cheese over the meat, and bake for 10 minutes in the middle of your oven.

6. Turn on the broiler and move the pizza to the top rack of the oven. Broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese bubbles and the crust browns.

Pizza Dough
makes 1 large pizza or loaf
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 cup milk
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 packet dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
* 3 cups bread flour
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 teaspoon salt
* bench flour

1. Microwave milk for 1 minute. Add honey to water, mix into the milk. Add yeast, stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. Once foaming it is ready to use.
2. Place flour, salt, olive oil into a bowl of a stand mixer or a bread machine.
3. Using the hook attachment, set the machine to #2 (or knead on machine) and while machine is running, slowly pour in the yeast/milk mixture. Once everything is incorporated, turn on to #5 (start on the machine) and run for 5 minutes.
4. Remove dough and make a ball out of it. Oil a bowl and place the dough into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place. I put mine next to my baseboard heater. It should double in size in an hour.