Salsiccia Italiano Pizza Kit

Our Founder was inspired by the tantalizing creations people were making with The Pizza Plant’s plant-based frozen pizzas. He realized some people want the convenience of frozen pizza but also like to add their own twist. These new kits allow people to get creative in the kitchen and afford them the opportunity to turn a simple night of cooking into an extraordinary night of fun!In that spirit don’t take yourself too seriously. Take Celebrity Chef, Todd English’s saying to heart,

With that said, here are the steps to making your pizza:

1. The oven.
   • Preheat conventional oven to 425 degrees (All ovens vary).
2. Remove from packaging. Bring your dough to room temperature.
   • Before you begin stretching, warm up your cold dough for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Gluten, the protein that makes pizza dough chewy, is tighter in cold conditions like the fridge, which is why cold pizza dough will stretch out and snap back just like a rubber band. This step will loosen up the dough and make it easier to shape.
   • If it’s in plastic from the grocery store (or freezer, you champ!) take it out of the plastic and move it to an oiled mixing bowl. Cover the bowl and set in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.
3. Prep your workspace with olive oil to avoid sticking
   • So you’ve got a relaxed pizza dough waiting in the bowl and you’re ready to start stretching out the dough. The trick here is to skip the flour. Flour is good for keeping some doughs from sticking, but too much flour can make pizza dough tough. Instead, rub your work surface and hands with a little olive oil (about 2 to 3 tablespoons). Olive oil keeps the dough from sticking to your cutting board or sheet pan and also encourages a golden and crispy crust. This is also a good time to line your pizza peel (or the back on an inverted sheet pan) with parchment paper or sprinkle it with cornmeal.
4. Press your pizza dough before your stretch it
   • Now you’ve got pizza dough covered in olive oil in front of you. Before you stretch it, you first have to flatten the dough into a disc. Press the dough down into a large flat disc using the palm of your hand. Next, use the middle three fingers on each of your hands to press the dough out from the center, widening that flat disc into a large circle about 6 inches across and about 1/2 inch thick. The dough should be soft and pliable and shouldn’t shrink back when you press it. It is okay if the flattened disc isn’t perfectly round at this point. Rest again as needed. If your dough slowly shrinks a little bit, that is totally normal, but if it snaps back quickly, rest the dough for 15 to 20 minutes under a clean kitchen towel and start with step 3 again, repeating the process until the dough holds its shape.
5. Stretch the dough with both hands and use gravity
   • Stretching the dough with your knuckles and tossing it up in the air isn’t the best way to learn how to stretch pizza dough — even though it might be pretty impressive. Instead keep the dough close to you and use hand pulling and gravity to get an even crust. When you’re really ready to stretch, carefully pick up the dough and hold it with both hands on one edge of the dough, letting the rest of the dough hang down. I like to have the top of my pizza dough facing towards me to keep an eye on thickness. Gravity is going to do some of the stretching work as you gently rotate the dough in one direction like turning a wheel. Slowly pull the dough from hand to hand as the dough hangs down. Working quickly, stretch the pizza until it’s about 9-10 inches in diameter and about 1/3 of an inch thick. Don’t stress if there are thin spots or holes right now — we will fix them in the next step.
6. Stretch the dough out on the pizza peel and top (our favorite part!)
   • Carefully move your stretched pizza dough to your prepared pizza peel or sheet pan. Take a look at your dough: Is it perfectly even and about 10 inches across? Then you’re a real pizza pro! But if you’re the rest of us and your dough has some imperfections, now is the time to fix them. The dough is probably shrinking back a little — we over-stretched it in the previous step to account for that. Press any very thick edges out to about 1/3 inch thick and conversely “pinch” thin or torn areas closed by pressing around them to bring dough together to cover the area. Ultimately, the goal before topping isn’t perfection but a mostly even 10-inch-wide circle that’s about 1/3 of an inch thick without overworking the dough. Don’t worry if the edge (or what will be the crust) isn’t thicker than the center — the toppings will weigh down the center and the crust will puff delightfully in the oven.
7. Let the toppings begin (let creativity take over!)
   • Always work from the middle of the pizza crust out. Start by spooning sauce onto the center of the pizza crust.
   • Use windshield wiper motions to spread sauce evenly out to the crust’s edge.
   • Rotate the pizza crust while spreading sauce to prevent wrist and hand cramping.
8. Who’s on first?
   • Pizza toppings that benefit from heat, keep on top of the cheese. So, as a general rule, consider if your toppings will become dry and crisp when exposed to the hot oven. If so, they should be buried under the cheese. If the toppings will hold up well to the heat, put them right on top of that cheese.
   • When adding our cheese you have choices (freedom!!!)
     • You can simply place dollops of cheese around the pizza, think a margarita pizza; or
     • You can dress the cheese like you would ice a cake. Simply cut one end of our cheese bag as you might with a cake decorating bag or place in a squeeze bottle and dress your pizza by making circles or cross pattern lines (or be the Jackson Pollock of cheese dressing!!!)
     • Pepperone Kit: Place 6 pepperone discs in a circular motion think one per slice and the 7th in the center, you’ll feel very clever!
     • Salisccia Italiano Kit: Place the sausage crumble strategically on the pizza, if that makes you feel good or toss it like dice on a roulette table
     • Add other toppings you love. Remember this is your creation, your time to shine.
9. Time to bake that beauty!
   • Ensure all packaging is removed. Place in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the crust starts to brown. If you like it crispier either bake directly on the rack or use a pizza stone.
   • Once you feel it’s perfect. Remove from the oven and let sit for 1 min.
10. Go for the garnish!
    • For Pepperone Kit: Top with a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, fresh oregano, and chilli flakes
    • For Salsiccia Itailano: Top with a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, fresh oregano, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze ( We know what you are thinking, but believe us!!)
    • Add all your favorite garnishes, this is about YOU!!!
11. Slice up and serve!!!
    • Pro tip: dip your pizza cutter or very sharp chef’s knife into warm water before cutting each slice—it ensures a clean cut every time.