Get the Recipe: Vodka Sauce Pizza
Deliciously different, this pizza uses a rich homemade vodka sauce as the base and is topped with basil, fresh mozzarella and shaved Parmesan. Makes two 12-14-inch pizzas.
Ingredients
For the no-knead pizza dough: (Can also use store-bought pizza dough)
- 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) water, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon instant or active dry yeast, instant yeast recommended *see Note 1 below
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 1 1/2-2 teaspoons fine salt
For the vodka sauce (can be made 2 days ahead):
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup (250 ml) onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 28 oz (796 ml) can whole tomatoes, with juice
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) vodka
- 2 teaspoons fine salt
- 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream, 35% b.f.
- 3-4 Tablespoons fresh basil leaves, finely chopped or 1 tsp dried basil leaves
- salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed
For the pizza:
- 8 1/2 oz (250 g) fresh mozzarella
- 10-12 fresh basil leaves
- freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino
- olive oil, for drizzling
For garnish before serving:
- shaved Parmesan or Pecorino
- additional fresh basil leaves, rolled and sliced
Instructions
For the vodka sauce (can be made up to 2 days ahead):
- Preheat the oven to 375F (non-convection/not fan-assisted).
- Tip! Be careful adding the vodka if you have a gas stove, as it can flame up if it splashes or there is a lot of alcohol vapour created. Pour slowly close to the pan. Always have a lid handy, just in case!
- Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet with a lid. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is well softened but not browned, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook another 1 minute. Add the canned tomatoes with the juices. Use a spoon to break up the tomatoes. Carefully add the vodka to the pan and allow the mixture to cook together until reduced by about 1/2, about 5 minutes more. Add the salt and stir in.
- Place the lid on the skillet and transfer to the oven to cook covered for 1 1/2 hours.
- Remove from the oven and remove the lid. Use oven mitts to place the skillet back onto a stovetop burner over medium heat (careful, the handle is HOT too!). Use a potato masher to break up the tomato mixture. Add the heavy cream to the tomato mixture, to taste. Stir in the basil then remove from the heat. Transfer to a bowl if using immediately or refrigerate if making ahead.
For the no-knead pizza dough (start 18 hours ahead):
- Tip! See the Recipe Notes for a quicker, same-day pizza dough.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon) add the water and yeast. If using Active Dry yeast, let stand 5 minutes. Add the flour and salt and mix or stir together just until all the flour is evenly moistened. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set on the counter for 18 hours.
- After the dough has sat for 18 hours, use a bowl scraper to scrape the dough onto a floured work surface. The dough will be sticky. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a bit of flour and then knead the dough gently, adding a bit more flour only if the dough is sticking to your hands or the work surface.
- Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form each piece into a ball. Dust the top of the dough balls with a bit of flour, then cover with a clean tea towel to rest for 1 hour.
- If using, place a pizza stone or baking steel into the oven, then preheat the oven to 550F (or as hot as your oven will go).
- Starting with one ball of dough, place the ball onto a sheet of parchment paper. Using your fingertips, press and stretch in the centre of the dough (avoiding the outer edge) into a roughly 8-inch circle. Let rest a couple of minutes, then continue pressing and stretching the centre of the dough until it is 12-14 inches in diameter.
To assemble the pizza:
- Spread 1/2 of the vodka sauce onto the pizza dough, leaving the outer 1" or so uncovered. Scatter the fresh basil leaves over the pizza, then tear 1/2 of the fresh mozzarella (125g) and scatter over the pizza. Grate some Parmesan over the top of the pizza then drizzle a little olive oil over the pizza. Trim the parchment paper close to the pizza, leaving about 1" extending past the pizza.
- Transfer the pizza on the parchment paper onto the baking stone. Bake in a 550F oven for about 15 minutes, or until the underside of the pizza is crispy and golden.
- While the first pizza is cooking, shape and top the 2nd pizza dough in the same way and pop it into the oven when the first one comes out.
Notes
Recipe will make two 12-14-inch pizzas. If you only want one, you can freeze the additional vodka sauce and pizza dough for up to 3 months.
Note 1: Yes, it really is just 1/4 teaspoon of yeast. Since the dough will sit for 18 hours, that is all the yeast that is needed, as time will do the rest of the work :)
Same-day Pizza Dough: If you don't have time for the 18-hour pizza dough, mix up the dough in the morning and increase the yeast amount to 1 teaspoon. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 6-8 hours before proceeding with the recipe.
Tips!
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- You can add as much cream to the vodka sauce as you like. I prefer it a little less but if your preference is creamier, you can certainly add more.
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- As noted above, I find fresh mozzarella works best with a richer vodka sauce base. While you can use regular low-moisture pizza mozzarella if you prefer, you may find it a bit heavy.
- You can replace the all-purpose flour with 00 pizza flour cup-for-cup if you like. It makes a lovely crust!
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- You can skip making your own pizza dough and use a ready-made pizza dough if you like.
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- I love to use parchment under my pizza. It makes transferring it to and from the oven a breeze. Be sure to trim the parchment close to the pizza so it doesn't scorch in the hot oven.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 197kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 315mg, Potassium: 63mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 135IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 86mg, Iron: 2mg
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