How to Bake Stuffed Pizza

Yields: one 9’’ pizza

Preparation time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Stuffed Pizza:

• 2 lb fresh pizza dough, at room temperature
• All purpose flour, for dusting
• 8 oz sweet Italian sausage links, casing peeled off
• 8 oz hot Italian sausage links, casing peeled off
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• One can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
• 2 large fresh oregano sprigs
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups whole milk mozzarella, shredded
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 6 tbsp + 1 ½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp dried Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking instructions for Stuffed Pizza:

• Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over moderate flame and throw in the onion.
• Stir fry for 8-10 minutes, until it softens and stir in the garlic.
• Sauté further for another 3-4 minutes, stirring at times, until the garlic softens too and dump the crushed tomatoes along with its juices.
• Sprinkle the sugar, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt and a dash of ground black pepper over it and stir them all together until well combined.
• Bring the sauce to a boil and then bring it down to a simmer.
• Place a lid on top and continue to simmer for the next half an hour.
• Throw away the oregano sprigs and adjust the seasonings if necessary; remove from heat and set aside, covered.
• Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 400 degrees F.
• Heat rest of the oil in another skillet over moderately high heat and place the sausages into it.
• Cook them for 4-6 minutes, stirring often and crumbling them with the spatula, until they brown slightly.
• Transfer it onto a plate, lined with kitchen paper to get rid of any excess oil and set aside.
• Butter the sides and bottom of a 9’’ cake pan and set aside.
• Dust a flat working surface generously with flour and place 1 ½ lb of the pizza dough on top.
• Flatten it out into a ¼’’ thick disc, so that its slightly wider than the prepared pan and nestle it into that pan.
• Press the dough down along the edges of the pan and stretch it at the same time so that a part of it overhangs outside the pan.
• Spread the cooked meat across it in a single, even layer and sprinkle the Cheddar cheese and mozzarella on top.
• Roll rest of the dough into a thin disc and place it on top of the cheese to cover it.
• Pinch the open ends of the pizza together to seal and carve out 6-8 slashes along its surface with a sharp knife.
• Spread 1 cup of the prepared sauce on top, leaving ½’’ free and sprinkle the Italian seasoning over it.
• Smother it with a lashing of 1 ½ tsp olive oil along the edges of the dough and bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until it is baked through and the cheese melt.
• Allow to cool for 15 minutes and serve warm with rest of the reheated tomato sauce.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons