My kid thought that this was just the bee's knees. She could not believe that pizza could be purple! She even ate the shaved asparagus on top.
This dough was pretty tacky in texture, but it ended up rising very quickly (about an hour, maybe a little less) and puffed up like crazy when baked.
This is actually not the finished product - my husband demanded that I add more mozzarella after I took this photo. So imagine this but with more cheese! The crust was so soft but was the perfect texture. I think that the beets definitely contributed to that! It definitely did not taste like beet pizza, if anyone is wondering.
Thanks to The Cooking Photographer for this fantastic dough recipe and to Annie's Eats for the shaved asparagus pizza recipe!
Makes two 12” pizzas
3/4 cup cooked and chopped beets, lightly packed in a liquid measuring cup (or see notes)
Enough almost warm water to make 1 cup when mixed with cooked beets, plus 1 tablespoon.
2 cloves garlic, added in when beets are pureed (I added this)
1 package bread machine or active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
3 cups all-purpose flour (Use good quality all-purpose or bread flour)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 package bread machine or active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
3 cups all-purpose flour (Use good quality all-purpose or bread flour)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl
1. Scrub beets under warm water to clean. Stab a knife into it a few times for venting. Line a plate with paper towels, place the beet on the plate, and cover with a paper towel. Microwave the beet on high for several minutes until easily stabbed through with the knife. Cool completely.
2. Chop the beet into chunks. Place 3/4 of a cup of the chunks (lightly packed) into a liquid measuring cup. Top with enough water to make 1 cup. Puree the beet/water mixture in a blender until smooth. (A couple small chunks are ok, but you might end up picking them out as you roll the dough. You can also strain beet mixture through a fine mesh strainer if you have one.) Pour the mixture back into the liquid measuring cup and top with enough water to make 1 cup, then add 1 more Tablespoon.
3. Add all the ingredients into a stand mixer bowl. Mix with the dough hook until well kneaded.
4. Remove from the bowl and knead by hand for 2 minutes on an unfloured surface. (If you have a counter that stains find another place). Pat into a ball.
5. Grease a large bowl with olive oil and add the dough, flipping once to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled.
6. Roll out the dough on a floured surface, do the final stretches by hand by gently pulling the ends with your fingers. Place on a lightly oiled and coarse cornmeal covered pizza pan, and then add the toppings.
