Caramelized Mushroom and Onion Whole Wheat Pizza

This post is dedicated to the hundreds of you who emailed asking how I made this gorgeous thing!

I found the recipe for an easy, Whole Wheat Pizza Dough on Cookie and Kate’s blog (www.CookieAndKate.com) and tailored it to fit my comfort zone. I didn’t proof the yeast in the oven and I allowed my dough to rise about 1 and 1/2 hours – which they don’t recommend on their site. I also left out the parmesean cheese. But this is the beauty of cooking, you do what you like and there’s plenty of room for tweaking!

Here goes!

 

Dough Ingredients:

• 1 cup steaming hot water (not boiling, just hot enough to steam the sides of the bowl)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons yeast granules
• 1 Tablespoon sugar

Place these in a bowl – first the water, then sprinkle the yeast over the surface, then the sugar – and leave aside for about 5 minutes until the surface is foamy. Don’t move the bowl around or leave it near an open window or cool air – Yeast needs a warm, moist environment to proof!

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl mix:

• 2 and 3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

As soon as your yeast is done proofing, mix into it

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Now immediately pour the water/yeast bowl into the flour/salt bowl and MIX MIX MIX

Once your dough comes together (mix by hand, in a food processor or kitchen aid – they all work) place the dough on a floured surface (counter top?) and knead a few times.

Now place the dough into a bowl and cover with a damp towel – leave it to rise 1 and 1/2 hours or until it doubles in size. (I tried without the rising, I really felt like rising gave a lighter dough)

 

Make the mushroom topping while you wait…

 

Topping Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 large Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 package Cremini Mushrooms (8oz), sliced
• 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon dried Thyme
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesean cheese

The following may sound like a lengthy process but I promise you, time is of the essence when it comes to properly caramelizing onions. You’ll be rewarded for your hard work and effort with BIG flavor!

Instructions:

1. Saute’ the onion in the olive oil with a dash of salt…..as soon as they become translucent lower your heat to medium and allow the onions to caramelize – this should take 12-15 minutes. Make sure to mix periodically.
2. Add your mushrooms to the caramelized onion and mix – allow the mushrooms to saute’ until they’ve been completely dehydrated. The mushrooms will release a lot of liquid, allow it time to evaporate as you mix periodically.
3. Once your mushrooms have dried out, deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar and mix, scraping any bits that have stuck to the pan off with a wooden spoon or spatula.
4. Add the thyme and some more salt and pepper for final seasoning.

NOW PUT IT ALL TOGETHER!

• Preheat your oven to 500 degrees
• Roll out your pizza dough into the desired shape
• Evenly spread your Caramelized Onion and Mushroom topping over the dough and top with the Parmesean Cheese.
• Place the pizza in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is slightly golden.

THAT’S IT!

Now comment below if you made it and let me know how absolutely awesome this earthy goodness is 🙂