The most amazing part of this dish is the flatbread base. I have made this several ways and it never disappoints. The bread comes together so quickly that it will wow you, cooks in a matter of 3-5 minutes, and has this wonderful earthy flavor from the extra-virgin olive oil. The original recipe (courtesy of Deb from Smitten Kitchen) uses fresh rosemary, and it is divine that way. I wanted more of plain base for a pizza crust and omitted the rosemary, but topped the flatbread with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to add some flavor and complexity before topping them with some great fresh veggies and cheese and spicy Italian sausage. Talk about yummy in the tummy. Hubby and I devoured ours quickly. You could substitute feta for mozzarella, add kalamata olives or sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, oh heck, anything that tickles your fancy. Personally, I loved the heat and slight fennel flavor of the spicy Italian sausage, and highly recommend using that as your topping.
A note-this does specify the use of a pizza stone. If you don't have one, simply invert a cookie sheet in the oven and toss the pieces of flatbread dough on there. They will crisp up nicely.
First, preheat your oven to 450 degrees (yup, super hot), with the pizza stone on the middle rack. If you don't have a pizza stone, go ahead and use the upside-down cookie sheet method. You want these surfaces to be very hot, so heat them early.
Start with a half-pound of ground spicy Italian sausage. Preheat the pan over medium heat and then add the sausage when it is nice and hot.
Break up the sausage as you cook it, ensuring it doesn't burn. It will take about five minutes to cook through.
When the sausage is cooked and nicely browned, drain the fat and remove it from the heat. Set aside.
Prepare your toppings. Chop up 2 cups of fresh baby spinach and two large fresh tomatoes.
Shred about a cup of fresh mozzarella.
This is where I forgot to snap a picture until too late-but it's okay because this is the easiest thing in the world to make. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 3/4 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Whisk together to combine. Make a well in the center of the flour, basically just a small, round indentation in the middle of the flour. In the well, add 1/2 cup of water and 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix together with a spoon until the ingredients pull into a ball, maybe three or four mixes. The dough will be soft, but not sticky, and will have streaks of olive oil running through it. This is perfect.
Divide the dough into three balls.
Roll each ball out until it is about 1/8 inch thick. The olive oil in the dough will keep it from sticking to the counter. They can be totally free form (hence the term "rustic" in the title). Brush the top of the dough with a little olive oil. Oh! Sprinkle the top with about 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt (each piece of dough) and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.
Using a heavy-duty oven mitt, pull the middle rack out so the pizza stone is sticking out of the oven. Place one of the rolled out pieces of dough on the stone. It won't stick, and you can really just toss it on there.
Close the oven and let the flatbread cook for 3-5 minutes, until the flatbread has puffed up a bit and is slightly golden on top. Remove from the pizza stone and place on a plate. Repeat with the other pieces of dough.
Top your flatbreads with a think layer of the mozzarella, the cooked sausage, and chopped spinach and tomato. Sprinkle with some freshly grated parmesan. Return your flatbreads to the pizza stone (you will probably be able to fit two at a time) and cook for another 3 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are heated and the cheese melts.
Remove your flatbreads and serve to the hungry mouths around you.
Rustic Mediterranean Flatbread Pizza
(Serves 3-4)
Ingredients
Flatbread
-1 3/4 cups flour
-1 teaspoon of baking powder
-3/4 teaspoon salt
-1/2 cup warm water
-1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil + additional for brushing the dough
-Sea salt
-Freshly ground black pepper
Toppings
-1/2 pound of cooked ground spicy Italian sausage
-1 cup of freshly grated mozzarella
-2 tomatoes, diced
-2 cups of chopped fresh baby spinach
-Freshly grated parmesan cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 450, with a pizza stone or an inverted baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven.
2. Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook until browned. Drain and remove from heat. Set aside.
3. Chop two ripe tomatoes and two cups of fresh baby spinach. Grate 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and a few tablespoons of parmesan. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the bowl. Add warm water and olive oil. Mix three or four times until the dough comes together in a soft ball. Turn out onto counter. Divide into three balls. Roll each ball flat into a disc (can be roughly shaped). Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Slide each disc of dough individually onto the pizza stone. Cook for 3-4 minutes, just until the dough has puffed up and is slightly golden on top. Remove from oven and repeat with the remaining pieces of rolled out dough.
5. Top cooked flatbreads with shredded mozzarella, cooked sausage, chopped tomato, spinach and freshly grated parmesan. Return to oven for 2-3 minutes, until the tomatoes and spinach have warmed and the cheese has melted. Serve immediately and enjoy the flavors and delicious soft flatbread.
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